Confirmed with Link: Devils acquire F Curtis Lazar for 4th in '24

[MasterofGrond]

And anyway, let's just check in with the contenders and see what they're paying their 4Cs this year.

Lightning - Bellemare 800k (or Jeannot now also 800k)
Oilers - Shore 850k
Leafs - Acciari 1.25M
Rangers -Goodrow 3.6M (LMAO everyone knows this is horrible and has hamstrung them in other deals)
Avalanche - Newhook 900k (or should have been Helm 1.25k but he's hurt)
Kraken - Geekie $1.4M
Canes - Statsny $1.5M (and much better than McLeod, even washed up)
Isles - Koivula 800k
Pens - Bonino 1M
Jets - Gustafsson 775k

Look, I'm not saying you can't win with McLeod making $2M, I AM saying it Is going to make it harder though. There's a reason teams trying to win don't overpay their 4th line guys and we shouldn't either.

 

[Devilsgrl35]

I like that he has 2 yrs at $1M left. He's a useful player that's inexpensive.

 

[bossram]

An all-situations faceoff taker whos elite at it, and is defensively and offensively sound for his role, is who Id pay 2-2.5m to anchor our fourth line.

I like McLeod and think hes been the glue of that 4th line for a few years now, and its just starting to show.

Id keep Haula but his offense dropped off a cliff so Id look elsewhere unless hes just too cheap an option.

If they let go of Haula they don't have a 3C (I'd leave Mercer in the top-six).

To be clear, I think McLeod is worth that price. But the Devils are going to be in tough to afford it under the cap, after they re-sign Bratt + Meier, re-sign or replace Graves, and find a 3C.

 

[MVP Zacha]

If you haven't watched his Q and A with the media yet, I highly suggest you find 15 minutes to give it a watch. He seems to be really stoked to be a Devil and knows a ton about the team. This is the kind of player I have always loved on the Devils.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Lazar Plays hard with grit and has good nhl experience at 1 million per can't understand the negative comments on this trade....Sound move by Fitz

 

[JimEIV]

If you haven't watched his Q and A with the media yet, I highly suggest you find 15 minutes to give it a watch. He seems to be really stoked to be a Devil and knows a ton about the team. This is the kind of player I have always loved on the Devils.

Seems like a good guy. Fun to be around.

 

[Devil X]

One day Curtis Lazar will likely be the answer to the question.

Who was the first player to play with all 3 Hughes brothers in the NHL?

 

[BostonDevil]

OK - Finally getting online and thinking that Lazar makes Haula expendable after this season.

Don’t ruin this for me.

 

[Whaddagoal]

If you haven't watched his Q and A with the media yet, I highly suggest you find 15 minutes to give it a watch. He seems to be really stoked to be a Devil and knows a ton about the team. This is the kind of player I have always loved on the Devils.

I really like his attitude. Seems MEGA excited (genuinely) to be with the Devils. And he's pumping those tires reaaal hard..

 

[Xirik]

Nico Hischier won't have to talk at all as a captain. Lazar will be the Paul Heyman for Nico.

"on Behalf of my client NICO HISCHIER! we are doing great this period and he would like for you to keep it up."

*Nico does serious nod*

 

[MadDevil]

Nico Hischier won't have to talk at all as a captain. Lazar will be the Paul Heyman for Nico.

"on Behalf of my client NICO HISCHIER! we are doing great this period and he would like for you to keep it up."

*Nico does serious nod*

Nico is the Swiss Tribal Chief.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't really like this move because I don't think he's an upgrade over any of the forwards we've had in the lineup.

And Wood/the 4th line has been a little better the last few games. They're not getting pinned in their end too much the last couple of games and Wood has even been scoring goals again.

Are we really gonna scratch Boqvist so he can play with Palat and Haula? Really? Those guys won't be scoring a whole lot playing with Lazar.

Don't get me wrong, he's fine for depth and doesn't hurt us, but I just don't think he's an upgrade over any of the current forwards that have been getting icetime and I don't think he's gonna start out as a healthy scratch here. I also don't think he's gonna be an automatic every night lock to play every game, but I don't think he's gonna come here and be a healthy scratch his first few games either. I really don't think they're breaking up BMW to get him in on the 4th line and you know he's gonna get in anyway.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I don't really like this move because I don't think he's an upgrade over any of the forwards we've had in the lineup.

And Wood/the 4th line has been a little better the last few games. They're not getting pinned in their end too much the last couple of games and Wood has even been scoring goals again.

Are we really gonna scratch Boqvist so he can play with Palat and Haula? Really? Those guys won't be scoring a whole lot playing with Lazar.

Don't get me wrong, he's fine for depth and doesn't hurt us, but I just don't think he's an upgrade over any of the current forwards that have been getting icetime and I don't think he's gonna start out as a healthy scratch here. I also don't think he's gonna be an automatic every night lock to play every game, but I don't think he's gonna come here and be a healthy scratch his first few games either.

I think he’s a pure depth move. No way Lindy thinks he can be on a 3rd line.

 

[Bleedred]

I think he’s a pure depth move. No way Lindy thinks he can be on a 3rd line.

I don't think he does either, but I also don't think he wants to break up BMW, who have been better the last couple of games, but we know that probably won't last long.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I don't think he does either, but I also don't think he wants to break up BMW, who have been better the last couple of games, but we know that probably won't last long.

I would like to see a Palat-Lazar-Meier super checking line just for entertainment purposes though.

 

[Triumph]

I don't really like this move because I don't think he's an upgrade over any of the forwards we've had in the lineup.

And Wood/the 4th line has been a little better the last few games. They're not getting pinned in their end too much the last couple of games and Wood has even been scoring goals again.

Are we really gonna scratch Boqvist so he can play with Palat and Haula? Really? Those guys won't be scoring a whole lot playing with Lazar.

Don't get me wrong, he's fine for depth and doesn't hurt us, but I just don't think he's an upgrade over any of the current forwards that have been getting icetime and I don't think he's gonna start out as a healthy scratch here. I also don't think he's gonna be an automatic every night lock to play every game, but I don't think he's gonna come here and be a healthy scratch his first few games either. I really don't think they're breaking up BMW to get him in on the 4th line and you know he's gonna get in anyway.

He's just going to be added to your list of players you don't like, but I don't think he is going to play third line minutes. He is here to be a 13th forward. He might play a bit early on but I will be really surprised if he is in the lineup every game. The Devils really don't have a 13th forward and haven't had one all year; they've had the young guys rotating in and out, Johnsson was here a fair amount early in the year, and now Johnsson is gone.

 

[My3Sons]

My guess is this move is more about next season. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Bratt and Meier deals squeeze the cap a little and it wouldn’t shock me to see the team move on from Haula after the season and roll the dice wjth McLeod as the 3C to save some payroll. Lazar gives them a 4C paid an appropriate amount.

 

[Bleedred]

My guess is this move is more about next season. I have a sneaking suspicion that the Bratt and Meier deals squeeze the cap a little and it wouldn’t shock me to see the team move on from Haula after the season and roll the dice wjth McLeod as the 3C to save some payroll. Lazar gives them a 4C paid an appropriate amount.

If the plan is to go with McLeod at 3C next year then that would get me to change my tune on not bringing Haula back real fast.

McLeod is a due a raise/new contract and Haula may even take a cut on his next deal to come back here next year, where the difference in cost between the two of them may only be about $500k or so.

McLeod is a more than adequate, actually very fine 4th line center, but I don't think his ceiling is much higher than that.

 

[My3Sons]

If the plan is to go with McLeod at 3C next year then that would get me to change my tune on not bringing Haula back real fast.

McLeod is a due a raise/new contract and Haula may even take a cut on his next deal to come back here next year, where the difference in cost between the two of them may only be about $500k or so.

I don’t disagree but maybe they have to have a plan B. I presume they will try to work out Bratt and Meier and then approach the other guys when they know what they have to work with but Lazar gives them a chance to save a few hundred thousand to a million and that might matter . Maybe they return Haula and let McLeod go?

 

[New Jersey]

Watch some stupid greasy ass bad bounce shit he just throws at the net with zero skill go in on the PK late in a third period be the GWG in a series clincher.

Yes, these are the players you get when you’re already stacked.

 

[Bleedred]

Watch some stupid greasy ass bad bounce shit he just throws at the net with zero skill go in on the PK late in a third period be the GWG in a series clincher.

Yes, these are the players you get when you’re already stacked.

Barclay Goodrow's OT winner in game 7/series clincher of the 2019 Vegas series immediately comes to mind.

He played like 7 minutes in a game that went close to 80 minutes and came out and scored the OT winner in what might have been his only shift in OT.

It wasn't really a zero skill, bad bounce, greasy goal, but he danced around a Vegas defender just after the blue line and coned him and drove right to the net to put it in over Fleury. I think it was Brayden McNabb, if memory serves me correct.

I still think that's what set off Goodrow mania, where people started to love him and wanna trade first rounders for him like they did less than a year later.

And I'm pretty sure that was one of only 2 goals and 2 points he scored that entire playoffs. I think he had 2 goals that series in the first round and no other points the entire playoffs, and the Sharks played until the conference finals that year and I don't think he missed a game.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Christ mcleod on the 3rd line? Is he gonna learn to pass or shoot between now and October?

 

[Bleedred]

Christ mcleod on the 3rd line? Is he gonna learn to pass or shoot between now and October?

He'd be okay as a 3rd liner short term I think, but I don't think there's much that would indicate there's untapped potential there.

I think his ceiling is probably where he is right now.

Maybe he'll have another up year in goal scoring at some point which is what he did in 20-21.

Him as the 3C for a month or two if someone is injured probably isn't the end of the world. Going into the season with him as our best option for 3C is not a good idea though.

It's making me start to make a jump for the #teamre-signhaula train, that's for sure.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Yeah he gets about a shot per game, less dangerous than average it appears, since his career shooting percentage is slightly below league average, even with his very hot year, his on ice metrics are some of the worst on the team and that's with him actually being lucky because his on ice goalie luck is very strong this year. If I'm being generous, some of the poor relative on ice stuff is because he sees a lot of defensive zone faceoffs, but not enough to really remedy that, and his on the fly change stats suggest he gets pinned in his zone a lot and then comes off rather than successfully transitioning to the offensive zone before a change.

There's no real room for growth on his primary skills of faceoffs and PK, because he is admittedly quite good at those, so if he's going to improve it's going to have to be because he becomes a better possession player or starts generating more dangerous chances for himself or his linemates, and I don't see any reserves of talent to suggest that's likely.

He's not the worst player on BMW, but that's a low bar to clear. Happy to have him as cheap depth, he's no John Madden.