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

[AfroThunder396]

I like Anderson and think his ceiling could be a 20 goal 40 point guy, but it is a little alarming that his offensive development has kind of stalled the past few years. His AHL production is worse than Reid Boucher and slightly better than Nick Lappin.

Granted he brings a lot of other things when he's not scoring. But he's 5'10" 190 lbs, let's not pretend he's Cam Neely out there. Johnsson is the same size he is and has considerably more talent.

Johnsson right now is better than Anderson's best case scenario. I don't think Anderson can be a 50 point guy. He will be a very good NHL player but are sorely starved for offense and Johnsson is unquestionably the superior player in that regard.

 

[OmNomNom]

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

i like that better

 

[Normal Devil]

Time to retire that nickname.

 

[Guttersniped]

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.

It’s more than fair. Any GM would make that trade, the value is bonkers. Colman is getting a raise next off-season and then you’re getting him at UFA pricing. I love Coleman but he’s going to be 29 in November and he may sign with Dallas or another team as a UFA if we had kept him.

I’m a STH so last season was particularly a grind because of our awful home record. Thanks to 10 OT losses we somehow ended up with one more home win than Detroit. Change is needed and I’m not a “playoffs now or else!” type. Fitz did made me deliriously happy deep-sixing Schneider and all the trades made sense to me. Greene and Vatanen are free men now so this defense has to be rebuilt presumably without them. Honestly I’m still most annoyed by Nasserdine somehow hanging on to his job despite **gestures whatever passed for the team’s defense last year particularly after Hynes left**. Losing Anderson is a bummer but Fitz is clearly addressing major issues so I’m happy.

 

[Oneiro]

In defense of Anderson, he had three stints with the club and didn't exactly get to start a season with the team and follow through on it for a full year. Hard to get into a rhythm when you're the cannon fodder after the season is lost.

 

[Devilsfan992]

Wow just woke up to this. Known commodity vs potential. Right now I like the trade as I don't think Anderson will be anything special, but I know others really liked him on here. I wonder if this opens up the door for Wood to be shopped.

 

[Guttersniped]

I like Anderson and think his ceiling could be a 20 goal 40 point guy, but it is a little alarming that his offensive development has kind of stalled the past few years. His AHL production is worse than Reid Boucher and slightly better than Nick Lappin.

Granted he brings a lot of other things when he's not scoring. But he's 5'10" 190 lbs, let's not pretend he's Cam Neely out there. Johnsson is the same size he is and has considerably more talent.

Johnsson right now is better than Anderson's best case scenario. I don't think Anderson can be a 50 point guy. He will be a very good NHL player but are sorely starved for offense and Johnsson is unquestionably the superior player in that regard.

I don’t know if Johnsson is a 50 point player without the Leafs offensive superstars assistance. I’m guessing no but I will add our PP has enormous room for improvement considering the players on this team so there’s a lot scoring potential there.

Joey is 5’11” and 10 pounds heavier and Johnsson is injury prone in part due to his size, though there’s a chance Anderson will be too considering how he plays. Anderson’s value as a defensive forward is being ignored, which is odd because it’s not exactly a quality flowing through the ranks at the moment.

We traded for a 25 year old player (26 in November) who’s signed for 3 more years, it’s weird to argue that the Devils are definitely better off in the long term. Sure, who can say, prospects, like life, can be unpredictable but we aren’t likely resigning AJ so I don’t see it from that end. I do see it from the put the puck in the net in the next couple of seasons though and we do have crowd at forward. Plus Johnsson is cheap. We don’t have to WIN THE TRADE in black and white way for this to make sense and work out for us. We didn’t trade Sergachev for Drouin here, potentially good players get moved for needed players.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

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?

It can be argued that Anderson fits the timeline much better.

The more I think about this, the more I like it. Even if Anderson ends up a better player, it's not like he's going to be great. And I see how this move fits what Fitz commented on earlier today. Johansson brings an element that will help make the team competitive right now. Not a team that has a shot at the Cup, but a team you can't take lightly. One that is going to play their butts off and can win games against anyone that doesn't take them seriously. This is a move about building a culture and an environment for the core to learn and thrive in.

 

[Auto Pilot]

In defense of Anderson, he had three stints with the club and didn't exactly get to start a season with the team and follow through on it for a full year. Hard to get into a rhythm when you're the cannon fodder after the season is lost.

In defense of Anderson as well. The leafs will develop him better than we could. Currently we aren’t developing players well. That seriously has to be addressed as much as anything by this organization. Won’t matter who we pick if we can’t develop them into reaching their full potential.

AJ is the better offensive player between him and Anderson. Anderson will probably be the better defensive player. Leafs got the more defensively sound player that can be signed for cheap and help them out cap wise, we got someone that can help push the offense and be a top 9 guy that doesn’t look out of place with top line talent and showed he can keep up and excel with high end players.

 

[The Wumpus]

I was a fan of Anderson, but I think between Kuokkonen and Talvitie we should have a decent replacement.

 

[Oneiro]

In defense of Anderson as well. The leafs will develop him better than we could. Currently we aren’t developing players well. That seriously has to be addressed as much as anything by this organization. Won’t matter who we pick if we can’t develop them into reaching their full potential. .

Sounds like you're giving a bit too much credence to Rachel Doerrie, who has suggested we don't develop players well and is an avid defender of John Hynes. I don't agree or disagree but I tend to take what she says with a grain of salt because she seems to have a bit of an axe to grind.

 

[Auto Pilot]

Sounds like you're giving a bit too much credence to Rachel Doerrie, who has suggested we don't develop players well and is an avid defender of John Hynes. I don't agree or disagree but I tend to take what she says with a grain of salt because she seems to have a bit of an axe to grind.

I disagree with her about Hynes as well as skating being one of the easiest things to fix with a player. I’ve been having an issue with player development here for a while.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Sounds like you're giving a bit too much credence to Rachel Doerrie, who has suggested we don't develop players well and is an avid defender of John Hynes. I don't agree or disagree but I tend to take what she says with a grain of salt because she seems to have a bit of an axe to grind.

It goes back to before Anderson even went pro. He had 37 points in 39 games as a freshman, and his production dropped significantly to 27 points in 36 games his sophomore year. He had 15 total points in 47 games between the AHL and NHL in 2019. This season his production bounced back in Bingo but he was quite inconsistent in the NHL.

He was one of the bright spots in Bingo's awful first half, but that half season was the only real progress he's had in the past three years. Which is a little concerning.

 

[Forge]

I just don't see the 40 point upside on Joey. Maybe in an outlier season, but I view him mainly as a 25 point guy

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

It can be argued that Anderson fits the timeline much better.

The more I think about this, the more I like it. Even if Anderson ends up a better player, it's not like he's going to be great. And I see how this move fits what Fitz commented on earlier today. Johansson brings an element that will help make the team competitive right now. Not a team that has a shot at the Cup, but a team you can't take lightly. One that is going to play their butts off and can win games against anyone that doesn't take them seriously. This is a move about building a culture and an environment for the core to learn and thrive in.

Johnsson is 25 years old and under contract for 3 more years....its not like he is 29 with 1 year left or something

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

As much as I like Anderson’s intangibles, he’s pretty easy to replace and with the addition of Holtz and Mercer, as well as the emergence of Merkley... it’s a deal that doesn’t hurt us now or the long run.

This move was a no brainer and we’ll look back at it in 2 years and laugh at what we had to give up to acquire Johnsson.

 

[Oneiro]

I disagree with her about Hynes as well as skating being one of the easiest things to fix with a player. I’ve been having an issue with player development here for a while.

Yeah, I think that's perfectly reasonable - this has been some brutal hockey for 3 out of 4 years.

It goes back to before Anderson even went pro. He had 37 points in 39 games as a freshman, and his production dropped significantly to 27 points in 36 games his sophomore year. He had 15 total points in 47 games between the AHL and NHL in 2019. This season his production bounced back in Bingo but he was quite inconsistent in the NHL.

He was one of the bright spots in Bingo's awful first half, but that half season was the only real progress he's had in the past three years. Which is a little concerning.

Ditto.

Just to take the other side: Hynes was involved in remaking part of the developmental side of the organization when he was brought on. I tend to think his "teaching" and whatever philosophies were imparted are a big part of the mishandling that has gone on.

I also think that adding Hall and eventually Subban and Gusev upped the risk factor of the team's style of play - these are guys who need support, they are not guys who do the supporting. That's a tough situation for young players. It's not a surprise that Boyle and Lovejoy seemed to be effective for a season before things went downhill.

We'll see what happens when you have Ruff, Recchi and others at the helm for a full season.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

He's also one of the few guys we have that can be a legit net presence on the PP. That is not a role for nico

Seriously. I hope they change that crap up. Nico was just being wasted on the pp.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I don't love giving up Anderson only because he's the only guy with that skill set that the Devils really have. They don't have a lot of penalty killing, defensive-type forwards in their system.

You're forgetting about Talvitie. He's going to be better than Anderson most likely.

 

[glenwo2]

apparently...

Damn, that's f'n mean.

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

I'd prefer to think of THIS as a reason.

Otherwise, I'd be forced to find out who this coach is and then call him an a-hole or something.

 

[Goptor]

It can be argued that Anderson fits the timeline much better.

The more I think about this, the more I like it. Even if Anderson ends up a better player, it's not like he's going to be great. And I see how this move fits what Fitz commented on earlier today. Johansson brings an element that will help make the team competitive right now. Not a team that has a shot at the Cup, but a team you can't take lightly. One that is going to play their butts off and can win games against anyone that doesn't take them seriously. This is a move about building a culture and an environment for the core to learn and thrive in.

They were going to run out Bastian, Anderson, Kuokkanen, McLeod, Merkley, Seney, and Boqvist in hopes they can fill out 2-3 open spots on the team. There is a chance that those guys fail to play at an NHL level and the team is completely screwed depth wise. Johnsson is an NHL player, will guarantee to fill one of those spots, and hedges against the risk in the first group of people. At the same time, they removed one of those players and can now put a little more focus individually on the others on the list.

Sure, the trade isn't a home run. They added some salary without much of an upgrade but its a minor move that helps the overall big picture.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

I do not think there is any evidence Shero was "all out" on signing Hall. In fact, the Devils never made him a serious offer according to reports. Prior to last season, Hall himself stated the Devils were not going to make him an offer until he played games in the regular season. Since Hall played so poorly, I believe the Devils never made him a serious offer.

""I've never, ever heard 'July 1' from either Taylor or his agent," said Shero. "He didn't turn down any offers. He never asked for a trade. He was all-in and very supportive. A really great teammate. But as to a lot of speculation out there that he didn't want to play in N.J. or he wanted to go to July 1 ... teams would ask me what he was looking for, and I'd say I had no idea. I think that's up for them to decide. This was a decision that we made for what's best for where we are. It may have been a harder decision if we were three points out of the playoffs.""

Devils GM: Hall didn't seek trade, just 'right time'


“It seems like both sides are OK with going into camp and into the season without a new contract," Hall said. "It’s really only in the last few years where there’s this whole paranoia about players playing the last season of their contract. So, we have a lot of time. I’m coming off a season wpla

Here’s what Devils’ Taylor Hall, Ray Shero said about forward’s contract talks

I disagree....go back the playoff push which was nice that year but most people knew it was premature the Devils after losing Mojo went out and made trades to secure the players just to make the playoffs I think that was mostly because of the pressure to keep Hall show him they were willing to make moves to win.....Had HALL not brushed them off and say he'd talk at end of year I do believe Ray would have paid him 9 to 10 mil per.....Its same thing with Arizona they wanted him or they would not have made that trade and he played them like he was playing the NJ.....He had no intention of staying and to me he blew it....

 

[Triumph]

You're forgetting about Talvitie. He's going to be better than Anderson most likely.

I did forget about Talvitie, but I don't think it's that likely that he is better than Anderson - he only has 11 goals in 47 NCAA games. I like Talvitie but he has the same concerns about his overall game as Anderson.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

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.

I agree its better to let the market establish itself and than go from there on what they offer Palms.....

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

I disagree....go back the playoff push which was nice that year but most people knew it was premature the Devils after losing Mojo went out and made trades to secure the players just to make the playoffs I think that was mostly because of the pressure to keep Hall show him they were willing to make moves to win.....Had HALL not brushed them off and say he'd talk at end of year I do believe Ray would have paid him 9 to 10 mil per.....Its same thing with Arizona they wanted him or they would not have made that trade and he played them like he was playing the NJ.....He had no intention of staying and to me he blew it....

Hall did not "play" the Devils. He hurt his knee and could not be traded that off season. He played poorly to start the season and the Devils traded him. If Shero made moves to appease him that was his fault. Shero is gone so it is not worth worrying about.