Confirmed with Link: Devils acquire Andreas Johnsson from Toronto for Joey Anderson

[AfroThunder396]

Foote and Holtz are not making this team. They are set at LW with Johnssson-Bratt-Kuokkanen-Wood. There is no room for Foote.

Holtz has a contract for this year in the SHL.

That's literally what I said in the post you're quoting

 

[OmNomNom]

some snippets about johnsson

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I disagree. Prior to the offseason it was clear what positions needed to filled and/or improved. He is almost finished.

Murray replaces Mueller
Crawford replaces Schneider
He needed a LW unless he believed that either Foote or Boqvist could fill the role.
He needed another LD, but Smith although a righty shot who plays on the left side so as of now he needs a RD and Carrick is D7

By acquiring Johnsson it fills the LW, but now creates an opening at RW. So he needs a RW and a RD. There are internal options at RW with Bastian, McLeod, and Merkley. I already had Merkley as RW4, but I don't think Bastian and McLeod should make the team.

So he still needs RW3 and RD3.

Hard to know when Fitz is done when we don’t know his plans for Palmieri, Gusev, Wood, Butcher, etc. I’m expecting another trade at some point. Whoever misses out on Hall might look to Palmieri as a second (cheaper) option.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I still don't like the Coleman trade (Foote and Mukhamadullin look to be a poor return, albeit with plenty of time to develop into something) but consoled myself that Anderson was an obvious replacement for his tenacity and non-stop willingness to compete while understanding his role.

I guess Fitzgerald wouldn't have taken long to have shown the player he himself was out of the door. Perhaps he undervalues this type of player because he played that way himself.

Shero appeared to have a clear plan to improve the team and I feel he was released prematurely when he refused to blow it up following the disastrous start to last season. So far Fitz just seems to be thrashing about in the dark to appease ownership with lots of changes. I don't feel he's made huge mis-steps but he doesn't fill me with confidence that he has much of a map for here he wants to go.

Yeah I feel the complete opposite lol

And Foote alone would have been a great return for Coleman...

 

[Billdo]

Yeah I feel the complete opposite lol

And Foote alone would have been a great return for Coleman...

Yeah I love Coleman but I'm totally fine with the return for him.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Hard to know when Fitz is done when we don’t know his plans for Palmieri, Gusev, Wood, Butcher, etc. I’m expecting another trade at some point. Whoever misses out on Hall might look to Palmieri as a second (cheaper) option.

Hope we keep Palms and resign him. It makes it a lot easier for me to care about the club when there’s the identity he brings to it and he’s a very tenacious and determined player and has been a consistent scorer for us. He also deserves a payday within reason after the time he’s done for us.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

Hope we keep Palms and resign him. It makes it a lot easier for me to care about the club when there’s the identity he brings to it and he’s a very tenacious and determined player and has been a consistent scorer for us. He also deserves a payday within reason after the tone he’s done for us.

I think we will know what the chances of Palms re signing here are shortly based on the contracts Toffoli, Dadonov, and Hoffman get. If they all get short term deals the Devils could get Palms for a reasonable term.

 

[Triumph]

I'm piping in on all the Devils acquisitions, because why not. I've already written how much I love the trade for Murray and the signing of Crawford. I'm going to say that with Johnsson -- though I do not despise the deal, I don't particularly love it either.

Andreas Johnsson's greatest strength is probably his lack of a weakness. He's a pretty good passer and shooter, a pretty good passer, he's pretty good two ways and he's not soft, so he gives you a decent net-front presence, where he has pretty good hands.

Because of this, Johnsson is the type of guy a coach can slot up and down the line-up. If your top-line winger is hurt for a week, you can slot him up to a top 6 role and he'll be fine. If you play him as a regular on your third line, he'll be decent there too, and he'll pop in more points than your average third-liner.

But we're also talking about a player who is coming off a 21 point season in 43 games despite playing on a high-octane offense team alongside elite talent, and getting significant minutes on the 2PP. True, he scored 20 goals the year before, but that was with an unnaturally large shooting percentage which may not be sustainable. So, my conclusion about Johnsson is he's a solid NHL player with some maneuverability, but he's not a guy who moves the needle and he's making $3.4 million for the next three seasons.

The reason I don't love the deal is that I am convinced that, by the end of it, Joey Anderson will be a superior player. I think Anderson is just as capable as a 40+ point season playing with top scorers, and I think he's a superior two-way player with a superior compete level.

I understand Fitzgerald's thinking on this -- draft picks of RWs Holtz and Mercer made Anderson organizationally expendable, and Johnsson will make the Devils better in 2020-21. This is tough to argue with. But considering how desperate the Leafs were to get rid of Johnsson's cap hit (they were over the cap and actually will be again after re-signing their two RFAs), I don't think NJ needed to give up anything of value to get Johnsson and his contract.

Again, I don't want it to seem like I'm shredding the organization -- this trade is not terrible any way you look at it. And I do agree that Anderson was expendable. But I can't help but think that -- in the very near future -- the Devils or any NHL team would be much better off with Anderson on their third line than with Johnsson on their second line, and Anderson will be about $2 million cheaper.

Ultimately, I will wish Joey the best of luck in Toronto. Lord knows, they need players with his compete level in their soft bottom 6, and I think he'll become a big fan favorite there pretty soon. And I think it's certainly possible that Johnsson rebounds for a 35-40 point season with the Devils this year, with the major minutes he will receive in the top 6.

Anderson's biggest problem is his scoring. I don't think he will be a better player than Johnsson, though it is certainly possible, I don't think it's likely given their trajectories so far. Anderson has 5 full net goals in 54 NHL games. He wasn't a big scorer in college. He wasn't a big scorer in the AHL - he has 17 goals in 57 games, which is a decent clip but not suggestive of being an NHL scorer.

The value Johnsson has is not just in his age but also his contract amount. He's owed $2.6M this year and $2.5M in each of the next two years. That creates a market for him. So the Devils had to offer something in return. I wish they could've gotten a low-round pick off Toronto here but understand why that didn't happen.

 

[FooteBahl]

This biggest part of this trade that intrigues me and is one that could set this franchise up for success for a decade is...where the hell did the mango nickname come from? I can’t seem to find an answer on that

 

[Guttersniped]

I'm piping in on all the Devils acquisitions, because why not. I've already written how much I love the trade for Murray and the signing of Crawford. I'm going to say that with Johnsson -- though I do not despise the deal, I don't particularly love it either.

Andreas Johnsson's greatest strength is probably his lack of a weakness. He's a pretty good passer and shooter, a pretty good passer, he's pretty good two ways and he's not soft, so he gives you a decent net-front presence, where he has pretty good hands.

Because of this, Johnsson is the type of guy a coach can slot up and down the line-up. If your top-line winger is hurt for a week, you can slot him up to a top 6 role and he'll be fine. If you play him as a regular on your third line, he'll be decent there too, and he'll pop in more points than your average third-liner.

But we're also talking about a player who is coming off a 21 point season in 43 games despite playing on a high-octane offense team alongside elite talent, and getting significant minutes on the 2PP. True, he scored 20 goals the year before, but that was with an unnaturally large shooting percentage which may not be sustainable. So, my conclusion about Johnsson is he's a solid NHL player with some maneuverability, but he's not a guy who moves the needle and he's making $3.4 million for the next three seasons.

The reason I don't love the deal is that I am convinced that, by the end of it, Joey Anderson will be a superior player. I think Anderson is just as capable as a 40+ point season playing with top scorers, and I think he's a superior two-way player with a superior compete level.

I understand Fitzgerald's thinking on this -- draft picks of RWs Holtz and Mercer made Anderson organizationally expendable, and Johnsson will make the Devils better in 2020-21. This is tough to argue with. But considering how desperate the Leafs were to get rid of Johnsson's cap hit (they were over the cap and actually will be again after re-signing their two RFAs), I don't think NJ needed to give up anything of value to get Johnsson and his contract.

Again, I don't want it to seem like I'm shredding the organization -- this trade is not terrible any way you look at it. And I do agree that Anderson was expendable. But I can't help but think that -- in the very near future -- the Devils or any NHL team would be much better off with Anderson on their third line than with Johnsson on their second line, and Anderson will be about $2 million cheaper.

Ultimately, I will wish Joey the best of luck in Toronto. Lord knows, they need players with his compete level in their soft bottom 6, and I think he'll become a big fan favorite there pretty soon. And I think it's certainly possible that Johnsson rebounds for a 35-40 point season with the Devils this year, with the major minutes he will receive in the top 6.

Yeah, I see this as about scoring help next season and there are less workable solutions in UFA then people think because it’s either guys getting paid or head-cases at this point.

I do think some people are sleeping on Anderson’s offensive potential, he’s scores 4 goals in 18 games and another uptick seems possible this possible. It’s pointless to argue Anderson’s future potential because my guess is that Toronto targeted him in the trade rather than settled for him.

Anderson’s a better prospect Kuokkanen to me, though I know others may disagree, because I see definite NHL player in Joey and a definite maybe in Janne. Joey’s defense is already NHL quality when prospects his age traditionally get caved in, that’s why tweeners lose out, their middling offense can’t make up for their god awful defense and non-existent possession. That’s why Anderson had shown he’s a NHL player last season, and why Toronto specifically wanted him, and while someone like Seney has only shown he’s a future AHL player to this point. Merkley looked pretty good too, but it was only four games but I’m reasonably optimistic if he can stay healthy. I will not not be taking questions now on Kuokkanen... I kid, he’s done zilch in the NHL but he needs more opportunities of course.

But Johnsson isn’t making 3.4m, he’s a Leaf so his deal is both front loaded and he got a bonus. We essentially traded for a forward with a 3 year/2.5m deal, his salary is 2.6m this year since he was already paid his bonus and then 2.5m in the last two years. This means no matter what any potential internal budget is Johnsson doesn’t actually take up that much of it. It also means, like Kapanen, he had increased trade because of how Toronto pays it’s players. I agree that Anderson wasn’t redundant, we gave up something better than many people seem to think, but we obviously do need scoring help starting in game 1 on both ES and PP and trading for Johnsson addresses that.

If and when Anderson becomes real good I doubt it will be a shock to Fitz and his staff. It’s a spilled milk thing to me, you give up players in trades and often they are good afterwards. That’s why the other team wanted him and he’s gone so it doesn’t matter anymore. I get why Fitz made this trade and, while I was unenthusiastic, I’m totally fine with it because I see why Fitz made the move and I too enjoy seeing goals scored (and hopefully AJ’s knee holds up).

 

[OmNomNom]

This biggest part of this trade that intrigues me and is one that could set this franchise up for success for a decade is...where the hell did the mango nickname come from? I can’t seem to find an answer on that

apparently...

 

[JimEIV]

I'll Reserve judgement on this one but initial reaction isnt positive.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I really don't understand how anyone could be against this trade?

Anderson's absolute ceiling is to become a 40 point 3rd liner. Johnsson already is that and can be a 2nd liner IMO.

While true we don't have a ton of guys with Anderson's skillset in the pipeline, we do have a ton of bottom 6 wingers. So why not take the immediate upgrade?

 

[StevenToddIves]

I'm not at all convinced Johnsson is meant to be a long term solution in the top six; realistically speaking he's paid the going rate for a good third liner and that's probably what he'll be for us, not to mention we have him locked up for three years and he's only 25 years old, it's not beyond comprehension that his game can still improve a little bit.

I take the proven NHL commodity all day long. I don't disagree with you that Anderson is a nice prospect but I personally view his 'ceilin'g as pretty low, at the very least considerably lower than that of the two right wings we just drafted in Holtz & Mercer. Perhaps down the road Anderson is the better player, but I doubt that'll be the case for at least the next two seasons and we desperately need players to help us improve immediately, our organization is absolutely loaded with 'potential' but we need some of it to start materializing. I'm not as high on Anderson as others but I can definitely live with the small chance that he eventually exceeds what Johansson brings to the table, to me it's far more important that we finally take some strides forward at the NHL level instead of being a perennial dumpster fire with a ton of prospects.

I'm curious as to where you'd rate Anderson amongst our winger prospects? I'd have Holtz, Mercer, Foote & Boqvist ahead of him at the very least; I know stylistically they're all different players but I never really felt Anderson did anything to distinguish himself from the second tier of winger prospects like Kuokkanen, Thompson, Talvitie, Moynihan, Bastian & Zetterlund. He maybe absolutely end up better than some of those guys, but to me he was always just another guy with an alright chance of becoming a bottom six winger at best.

First off, you make a series of terrific points here, and thanks. Like I said, I don't hate the deal, I just don't love it either. As far as the Devils RW prospects, I would've had Anderson at #3 RW behind Holtz and Mercer. Ranking Devils RWs is tough, if only because we're still not sure if left-shots Gritsyuk and Pasic project to remain at RW. But assuming they were all RWs and all still around, my ranking would be (in order): Holtz, Mercer, Anderson, Merkley, Thompson, Gritsyuk, Moynihan, Bastian, Zetterlund, Pasic. I would add that this is a very deep group -- my bottom four of Moynihan, Bastian, Zetterlund and Pasic are legit, bottom-6 NHL prospects. So yes, the Devils certainly had the depth and flexibility to deal Anderson for help at LW now.

 

[Devils Army]

I like Anderson but I must have been watching different games than you guys. He's a player with some potential, decent skater, but doesn't add anything in particular that jumps out at me. Johansson is way more tenacious than you guys may think, he'll be more of a Coleman replace than Joey will imo.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

As for Hall, I believe he had his best season and that was with us. Actually, it was a magnificent season that’s hard to duplicate. I thank him for that year. He still a bull in a China closet, but I may be wrong, I just think his best days are behind him. I’d love to have him back on a short contract. I highly doubt that’s happening.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I disagree. Prior to the offseason it was clear what positions needed to filled and/or improved. He is almost finished.

Murray replaces Mueller
Crawford replaces Schneider
He needed a LW unless he believed that either Foote or Boqvist could fill the role.
He needed another LD, but Smith although a righty shot who plays on the left side so as of now he needs a RD and Carrick is D7

By acquiring Johnsson it fills the LW, but now creates an opening at RW. So he needs a RW and a RD. There are internal options at RW with Bastian, McLeod, and Merkley. I already had Merkley as RW4, but I don't think Bastian and McLeod should make the team.

So he still needs RW3 and RD3.

I think Anderson was the 3RW, and now I would say it will likely be Merkley. To me, Merkley really impressed in his brief audition with the Devils last year. I would like Bastian as the 4RW, since he adds an element of size and physicality which would be a nice addition to the Devils for 7 to 9 minutes per game.

 

[oxman44]

I like this trade, as Im not as high on Joey either. My only issue is the knee injury that Johnsson is recovering from. I watched alot of joey in the AHL and I just didnt see the skating as any better than average or the offensive upside. Good player, hard worker and will def be useful to a team like Toronto. But Johnsson is certainly and upgrade for me.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I really don't understand how anyone could be against this trade?

Anderson's absolute ceiling is to become a 40 point 3rd liner. Johnsson already is that and can be a 2nd liner IMO.

While true we don't have a ton of guys with Anderson's skillset in the pipeline, we do have a ton of bottom 6 wingers. So why not take the immediate upgrade?

Like I said, I don't hate the trade. Anderson became expendable after using the top 2 picks on RWs, not to mention the addition of Merkley last year combined with Thompson's raid emergence at Providence.

But I disagree that there is some untapped upside for Johnsson which can enable him to be a full-time top 6 winger. He played a bunch with some serious talent in Toronto and he's going to be 26 by the time the season starts. He's combined for like 65 points over the past two seasons. I think he's more of a third-liner who you can slot up the line-up in a pinch.

We'll see this year, as Johnsson is likely to be the full time second line LW for the Devils. And he certainly makes the Devils better right now. But I disagree that Johnsson somehow has more upside than Anderson. We've seen what Johnsson is, and it's pretty much "useful player".

 

[brule2000]

I don't think I could disagree more with your post.

The return for Coleman was good to great. A big bodied scoring winger prospect and a big body top 4 defenceman prospect is a great return.

Johansson by all accounts is also a relentless forechecker/player. It looks like he replaces Coleman better than Anderson would have currently.

Our free agent moves are low risk high reward for a team needing established depth badly. How are the Murray, Crawford and Johnsson moves thrashing in the dark to appease ownership?

I agree the return for Coleman is fair but don't agree that he should have been moved at all as I feel he was one of the few unmitigated positives on the team, was still over a year from UFA and so many established parts had been shipped out already (from a team that was actually playing pretty well). Murray replaces Greene and Crawford replaces Schneider from the team of a year ago; a rejuvenation and a replacement, neither of which I'd argue with.

It may just be the lack of hockey since the pause but the team seems in such a state of flux that I fear it won't gel on resumption. I'm anxious Fitz is trying to change too much at once. Just have to keep waiting and see. Lindy Ruff is a fantastic hockey man and hopefully he can get the disparate parts on the same page in short order.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Coleman was moved because Fitz got an offer he couldn't refuse

It was reported that the Lightning had an offer of a 1st out for him for awhile and Fitz told them I'm not doing it unless you also add Foote. He made them overpay and it worked out since they won the Cup.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I'll Reserve judgement on this one but initial reaction isnt positive.

Oh, come on! Tease this one out for us, we all want to hear it!

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

I agree the return for Coleman is fair but don't agree that he should have been moved at all as I feel he was one of the few unmitigated positives on the team, was still over a year from UFA and so many established parts had been shipped out already (from a team that was actually playing pretty well). Murray replaces Greene and Crawford replaces Schneider from the team of a year ago; a rejuvenation and a replacement, neither of which I'd argue with.

It may just be the lack of hockey since the pause but the team seems in such a state of flux that I fear it won't gel on resumption. I'm anxious Fitz is trying to change too much at once. Just have to keep waiting and see. Lindy Ruff is a fantastic hockey man and hopefully he can get the disparate parts on the same page in short order.

I do not think they are placing that much value on this season. Obviously they want to be better but given the uncertainty of what the upcoming season will look like IMO a long term outlook is warranted. Having said that, they did play as a Wildcard after Hall was traded, mostly due to MackB since their underlying numbers were not very good. I am expecting improvement from our younger players which will help make this an entertaining season, even if it does not end up with a playoff spot.

 

[Guttersniped]

apparently...

That took a darker turn but I’m glad he put a fun spin on it at least.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

apparently...

lmao

pretty sure His nickname is mango because there are pictures of him eating mango fruit pops before games, like Coleman and pickles

saw some on the trade thread in the free agent frenzy forum