Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - draft and FA edition

[SJinNewJersey]

San Jose is still $17M below the floor with no significant RFAs, plus they have Vlasic's contract expiring next summer, plus they're probably adding an ELC with whoever they draft this year. They need to add a lot of salary. They would make sense more as a location for Hamilton than Palat, truth be told.

It goes to show just how much salary you need to add as a rebuilding team though, San Jose has $13M in dead money between buyouts, retention, and Couture, plus they have Vlasic who is basically dead money - having a bunch of ELCs and young players, you need a lot more money elsewhere. The max ELC has barely gone up since the 2005 CBA and so we're entering a world where ELCs take up 1/100th of the cap where they used to take up something like 1/60th.

Wow, Sharks are retaining on Hertl until the 2029-30 season.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

SJ has to have better options to meet the floor, they don’t need to add a guy with 2 years and could use some NHL caliber dmen. I think NJ is stuck with Palat.

 

[njdevils1982]

Wow, Sharks are retaining on Hertl until the 2029-30 season.

pfft. got nothing on the mets and bobby bonilla

 

[The 29th Pick]

SJ has to have better options to meet the floor, they don’t need to add a guy with 2 years and could use some NHL caliber dmen. I think NJ is stuck with Palat.

Like Dougie?

 

[woody footbreaker]

SJ has to have better options to meet the floor, they don’t need to add a guy with 2 years and could use some NHL caliber dmen. I think NJ is stuck with Palat.

you are probably right, they didnt want to give zetterlund a lesser contract. still one can hope, they could use someone that shows their young fwd what it takes and how to play defense.

if we would threaten with a boyout, do you think someone would sign him for cheap or would he be out of the league? maybe he would be more willing to waive and go somewhere like sj.

tj brodie was waived with the intend to buy him out. 1yr left, 3.75m, Lhd (which we might sign anyway). would you have taken him for Palat (2nd round pick attached)?

 

[RSeen]

Palat could also make it impossible to trade him with his 10 team trade list.

 

[Zippy316]

you are probably right, they didnt want to give zetterlund a lesser contract. still one can hope, they could use someone that shows their young fwd what it takes and how to play defense.

if we would threaten with a boyout, do you think someone would sign him for cheap or would he be out of the league? maybe he would be more willing to waive and go somewhere like sj.

tj brodie was waived with the intend to buy him out. 1yr left, 3.75m, Lhd (which we might sign anyway). would you have taken him for Palat (2nd round pick attached)?

There was no incentive for Chicago to trade Brodie. He was always destined for a buyout.

His buyout hit is 3.3 this year and like 200k next year. The dead cap space is more valuable to them

 

[longislanddevil]

I just don’t see Palat wanting to go there unless he’s just content to play out his deal.

Plus San Jose seems to want to challenge for a playoff spot next year. Odds are they’re going to look for actual contributors to surround their youth and not a guy like Palat who is overpaid. I could be wrong there though, as they have so much space they may just eat the two years for his experience.

I still think Detroit might be the most logical option. The Stevie Y connection is there and they have some overpaid guys like Tarasenko, Compher, and Copp that may be better fits for NJ’s needs.

Tarasenko’s production did markedly fall off this past season. If we can’t just dump Palat’s salary (I think we can), in a vacuum I would make that deal but I wouldn’t be excited about it. We need as much cap space as we can get and 1.5m just doesn’t seem like enough.

Palat- 6m for two more years
Tarasenko- 4.5m for one more year

 

[woody footbreaker]

There was no incentive for Chicago to trade Brodie. He was always destined for a buyout.

His buyout hit is 3.3 this year and like 200k next year. The dead cap space is more valuable to them

hypothetical question since he was waived already. i was more curious to know how desperate are we to move that contract and open up a litlle cap space

 

[Triumph]

I have no interest in Tarasenko, I'd rather keep Palat.

 

[RSeen]

I have no interest in Tarasenko, I'd rather keep Palat.

I would make that swap easily. 1 less year on his deal and a lower cap hit - that would be a big win.

 

[HoliksGhost]

Fitz had a great summer last year, say what you will about the trade deadline but last summer is not debatable.

 

[The 29th Pick]

I would make that swap easily. 1 less year on his deal and a lower cap hit - that would be a big win.

Yeah with our injuries he could be a healthy scratch until needed, which happens all the time with our guys, someone is always on the IR

 

[BostonDevil]

Fitz had a great summer last year, say what you will about the trade deadline but last summer is not debatable.

I agree to an extent but will contend that we didn't need 3 defensemen when, organizationally, that is our strongest position.

If he turns that depth into a big upgrade at forward, I will be OK.

 

[thebeernerd]

I have no interest in Tarasenko, I'd rather keep Palat.

It’s a push for me. Palat is more useful but it’s two years. Tarasenko is one and done at a lesser AAV, but he’s completely useless.

 

[The 29th Pick]

Fitz had a great summer last year, say what you will about the trade deadline but last summer is not debatable.

but we had more cap space last summer, he has to be pretty slick this time around

 

[RSeen]

It’s a push for me. Palat is more useful but it’s two years. Tarasenko is one and done at a lesser AAV, but he’s completely useless.

The extra year and higher cap hit is pretty big. You could just buy out Tarasenko or flip him elsewhere with a lesser sweetener.

 

[RSeen]

Fitz had a great summer last year, say what you will about the trade deadline but last summer is not debatable.

Wasn't that great considering we went into the year with a serious lack of depth up front. Dillon signing was pretty terrible as well.

 

[Forge]

If they don't move palat or Dougie and have to target very cheap options, I wouldn't mind them taking a shot and trading for Lukas reichel

 

[AfroThunder396]

Yes, I figured it was a snide response to my explaining the reasons why Burakovsky is an easier move. Given "cup window" of Chicago is also immaterial to burakovsky being comparable to moving Palat, being snide is the only real reason to mention it.

Do you really think Chicago cares about his production? Burakovsky could have had 10 points this year and it wouldn’t have made a difference. They acquired a contract, not a player, and what he does on the ice is irrelevant. Which is exactly why any team team acquiring Palat is going to do that. Pretending that Palat’s 9 fewer points is a dealbreaker that makes him unmovable is silly.

The age is also irrelevant, both are under two year contracts and over 30 which means they can’t be anything other than short term moves. You are just stating facts but not really thinking about how they apply in function.

Palat’s M-NTC is a bit more of a problem but I’m not entirely sure. A NTC means that a player can be a dick about trades, it doesn’t mean they will be. He has his Cups and is getting paid either way. He might actually appreciate going to another state if they have lower income tax. Or maybe he wants to play somewhere warm. Who knows. He came to NJ for the money and he’s going to keep that money no matter where he goes.

 

[Forge]

Do you really think Chicago cares about his production? Burakovsky could have had 10 points this year and it wouldn’t have made a difference. They acquired a contract, not a player, and what he does on the ice is irrelevant. Which is exactly why any team team acquiring Palat is going to do that. Pretending that Palat’s 9 fewer points is a dealbreaker that makes him unmovable is silly.

The age is also irrelevant, both are under two year contracts and over 30 which means they can’t be anything other than short term moves. You are just stating facts but not really thinking about how they apply in function.

Palat’s M-NTC is a bit more of a problem but I’m not entirely sure. A NTC means that a player can be a dick about trades, it doesn’t mean they will be. He has his Cups and is getting paid either way. He might actually appreciate going to another state if they have lower income tax. Or maybe he wants to play somewhere warm. Who knows. He came to NJ for the money and he’s going to keep that money no matter where he goes.

K.

I disagree with you, but thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts on the matter. It's appreciated

 

[Lou Bloom]

Do you really think Chicago cares about his production? Burakovsky could have had 10 points this year and it wouldn’t have made a difference.

Chicago cares about his pre-2024 production, they're clearly making a bet that Burakovsky is capable of a bounce back at 30, which Isn't an unfair assumption considering he's still a very good skater and has shown flashes of scoring potential this past season. And the idea that if he had a much worse year it wouldn't have made a difference is not at all true, they clearly still see some flashes of talent from this season and are betting on that talent, instead of investing long term on a UFA.

hey acquired a contract, not a player, and what he does on the ice is irrelevant. Which is exactly why any team team acquiring Palat is going to do that. Pretending that Palat’s 9 fewer points is a dealbreaker that makes him unmovable is silly.

This is downright delusion to think Chicago wasn't acquiring the player. They could go and sign any mediocre UFA and overpay them on a similar 2 year contract, the idea that they just wanted the contract shows a complete misunderstanding about how GMs actually operate. And if they just wanted the contract, why would they trade Veleno in the process, who's contract is also negative value?

The age is also irrelevant, both are under two year contracts and over 30 which means they can’t be anything other than short term moves. You are just stating facts but not really thinking about how they apply in function.

Of course his age is relevant, At 30 Burakovsky is way more likely to have a career bounceback then Palat at 34. The point of his age Isn't that he'll be a long term solution, the point of his age is that he's more likely to provide immediate value and help Bedard and their younger players by providing secondary scoring, and potentially becoming a trade asset himself at next year's deadline if his game bounces back with consistent top 6 play.

Palat’s M-NTC is a bit more of a problem but I’m not entirely sure. A NTC means that a player can be a dick about trades, it doesn’t mean they will be. He has his Cups and is getting paid either way. He might actually appreciate going to another state if they have lower income tax. Or maybe he wants to play somewhere warm. Who knows. He came to NJ for the money and he’s going to keep that money no matter where he goes.

Palat isn't just going to waive his NTC to go anywhere, even if he's willing to work with the team he's still going to have some boundaries as to where he decides to be moved to, and when you add the NTC to his contract and on ice play It's clear he's going to be much harder to move then you are suggesting.

 

[Triumph]

I would make that swap easily. 1 less year on his deal and a lower cap hit - that would be a big win.

I guess I should've been clearer - I can't imagine that deal happens straight up, the Devils would probably have to eat some of Palat's deal to do it. I don't want Tarasenko on the team, I'd want to buy him out.

Do you really think Chicago cares about his production? Burakovsky could have had 10 points this year and it wouldn’t have made a difference. They acquired a contract, not a player, and what he does on the ice is irrelevant. Which is exactly why any team team acquiring Palat is going to do that. Pretending that Palat’s 9 fewer points is a dealbreaker that makes him unmovable is silly.

I don't agree with this, I think Chicago is trying to pull themselves out of tank mode and while adding Andre Burakovsky is unlikely to do it, he is still only turning 31 this season and has had a history of being a solid soft-minute scorer. It's going to be hard to shake loose any players for free right now because of the cap rise and weak UFA market, which is why we've seen what we've seen - Kreider actually getting a return, Haula getting a return, this deal. The Marchment trade is the only one that sticks out as a bit odd.

The age is also irrelevant, both are under two year contracts and over 30 which means they can’t be anything other than short term moves. You are just stating facts but not really thinking about how they apply in function.

Palat’s M-NTC is a bit more of a problem but I’m not entirely sure. A NTC means that a player can be a dick about trades, it doesn’t mean they will be. He has his Cups and is getting paid either way. He might actually appreciate going to another state if they have lower income tax. Or maybe he wants to play somewhere warm. Who knows. He came to NJ for the money and he’s going to keep that money no matter where he goes.

I still don't think it's going to be that easy. Palat's is one of the worst contracts in the league still. Burakovsky moved but for a bad contract back, and he had less trade protection.

 

[MB3]

Wouldn’t a trade at 50% retention basically be the same thing as a buy-out, except we wouldn’t get hit with the 2 years of penalties? Maybe Tampa takes their old boy back at $3m for a blah prospect and everyone shakes hands and moves on?