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

[megajake]

If you listened to the end-of-season presser, he said that his priorities were goaltending and defense, and that didn't give him much to work with when it came to signing forward depth.

It's unquestionable that Fitz will do something to overhaul the bottom six. It's fair to ask whether they'll be the right acquisitions, but he's never been one to do nothing over an offseason.

We also need help in the top 6. Can we finally give Jack some good players??

 

[RANDOMH3RO]

Last summer we were all on the same page of goaltending and defense being an absolute priority while getting a competent coach. We got all of that and the devils became a top defensive team with one of the better balanced tandems in the league. Once we got around to bringing Tatar back, we all knew the forwards needed something else but couldn’t be fixed until the deadline. It really feels like Monday morning qb’ing to now say that last off season was a flop. Even the moves for forwards worked well, cotter and noesen both had career seasons. Just too many guys already in the fold had let down years. Haula has already been jettisoned, so the direction the devils are moving in is obvious, yet so many here act like devils will roll until next season without the concerns addressed. I find that hard to believe, I think it’s just harder to see the path because it won’t happen in free agency and it’ll be trades and it’s hard for us as outsiders to know what’s even available in trade, but something will happen.

 

[thebeernerd]

We also need help in the top 6. Can we finally give Jack some good players??

Refer to the post you quoted- he's not going to do nothing.

 

[MB3]

The Devils could do a LOT worse than getting Tomas Hertl for 6.75m per year for another 4 seasons.

 

[megajake]

Refer to the post you quoted- he's not going to do nothing.

yeah you're right. Guess that means I am right.

 

[Devils731]

Refer to the post you quoted- he's not going to do nothing.

I don’t know, there are only ~100 days left. That timeframe is too tight so this roster is probably pretty final.

 

[devsfan8]

I don’t know, there are only ~100 days left. That timeframe is too tight so this roster is probably pretty final.

And a large percent of roster movement for every team in the league will be between this past Monday and mid next week. Let's talk then.

Id bet 20 dollars to someone's 1 Fitz will be active. My 20 to your 1. It'll be the easiest cup of coffee i ever won..

 

[Nocashstyle]

Lol is this going to be a discussion every time someone gets traded? “WTF FIRE FITZ HE DIDN’T TRADE FOR THE CURRENT FLAVOR OF THE WEEK!!”

 

[megajake]

And a large percent of roster movement for every team in the league will be between this past Monday and mid next week. Let's talk then.

Id bet 20 dollars to someone's 1 Fitz will be active. My 20 to your 1. It'll be the easiest cup of coffee i ever won..

Where you getting coffee for $1? More interested in that.

 

[MartyOwns]

Like why in the world did we take Nemec 2nd overall?? Why did we draft ANOTHER defender last year?

we should always be drafting BPA. yes, we have a surplus in defensemen coming up, which can be used in trades to bolster other areas of immediate need.

 

[Billdo]

 

[Clam Jensen]

Lol is this going to be a discussion every time someone gets traded? “WTF FIRE FITZ HE DIDN’T TRADE FOR THE CURRENT FLAVOR OF THE WEEK!!”

A tale as old as time lol.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I continue to see folks comfortable with Gritsyuk in the top 6 to start the season. That is a recipe for disaster. I hope he re-breaks out here of course, but too many folks don't realize he hasn't improved much since his original breakout 3 years ago. Hopefully he just got complacent in the KHL, who knows. They need enough top 6 talent that he can start on the 3rd and hopefully work his way up. Before someone that's never watched him play or even follows the KHL and cherry picks some bs worthless statistic claiming he's gonna be a top 6 guy, don't bother. You have to actually watch his tape and how he was used. Reid Boucher dominates the KHL ffs. Anyway, hope I'm wrong, but if I had to answer is Grits more likely to be a good top 6 player on a competitive NHL team or an NHL flameout that'll be back in Russia in a few years....I'd take the latter at this point. Didn't feel that way back in 21-22ish though.

why do you keep saying this? I already proved you wrong. These things are easily researched.

40 pts in 66 games (0.61 ppg)
38 pts in 50 games (0.76 ppg)
44 pts in 49 games (0.90 ppg)

"didnt improve much"

Stop saying things so forcefully and at the same time so wrongly.

did YOU watch the tape of Grits?

 

[MB3]

Lol is this going to be a discussion every time someone gets traded? “WTF FIRE FITZ HE DIDN’T TRADE FOR THE CURRENT FLAVOR OF THE WEEK!!”

Who said that? Are you okay? Sending hugs your way man.

The Hertl trade isn't official or might not even be happening according to Cam Robinson. I was just saying that if Hertl was actually available and hasn't already been traded, that's an interesting target that hadn't been brought up before.

 

[Camille the Eel]

The Devils could do a LOT worse than getting Tomas Hertl for 6.75m per year for another 4 seasons.

It’s a nice fantasy anyway. He and Timo played their most productive hockey together. Hertl also immediately activates your second power play unit.

 

[Guttersniped]

Have been fighting the stomach flu myself and it's kinda good cause I hate the summer weather cause of oppressive it gets sometimes in NY so I can just rest and take it easy inside my AC filled house . But feel better soon!

"active fleshing"

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

The Devils could do a LOT worse than getting Tomas Hertl for 6.75m per year for another 4 seasons.

five seasons.

 

[Clam Jensen]

Where you getting coffee for $1? More interested in that.

Dunkin charged me $1 for a cup of water for my 3 year old, I must find this dollar coffee establishment.

 

[MB3]

five seasons.

Eh. Pretty sure the world will be a nuclear wasteland by 2030, so I said 4 years.

(oops. would still love him on the team.)

 

[MB3]

Dunkin charged me $1 for a cup of water for my 3 year old, I must find this dollar coffee establishment.

If any restaurant anywhere charges me $1 for a cup of water I'm going into the bathrooms, turning all of the faucets on, locking the door behind me and leaving.

 

[Guttersniped]

The Devils could do a LOT worse than getting Tomas Hertl for 6.75m per year for another 4 seasons.

*Points To Sign*

 

[Clam Jensen]

If any restaurant anywhere charges me $1 for a cup of water I'm going into the bathrooms, turning all of the faucets on, locking the door behind me and leaving.

the lady apologized profusely but I was like wtf man

 

[MB3]

the lady apologized profusely but I was like wtf man

Ain't the lady's fault but yeah there is no chance I'm spending a dime in a place that charges me for a cup of water.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

I always forget how the Devils absolutely need any player that gets traded, Trevor Zegras isn't the answer to the Devils problems at all, he's another injury prone playmaker that plays a soft game.

 

[Andre Palot]

"Devils looking, too

The Devils were among the 15 teams that tried on Jonathan Toews. GM Tom Fitzgerald continues to scour the market looking for top-six or top-nine forward help. I think he will keep an eye on where the Jason Robertson situation goes with the Dallas Stars, for example. But he also ended up making a more modest top-nine-type move by the end of the summer last year. All I know is that Fitzgerald has been active fleshing out the forward market."

Also:

"Everybody loves Allen

It’s good to be Jake Allen. It’s not a deep year at all on the unrestricted-free-agent goalie market. There are more jobs to be had than there are quality goalies available. Allen is the top UFA goalie on a market that also includes Alexandar Georgiev, David Rittich, Anton Forsberg, Alex Lyons, Dan Vladar, Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek.

Allen led all those goalies with a .906 save percentage in 31 games this past season for the New Jersey Devils. He hasn’t closed the door on returning, and I know the sides are still talking, but New Jersey may not have the cap space to re-sign him, depending on other moves it wants to make up front.

Allen, 34, coming off a two-year deal paying him $3.85 million average annual value, is probably looking to sign for around a $4 million AAV on a two-year deal or $3.5 million AAV on a three-year deal. There are seven or eight teams that have different levels of interest. The Kings, for one, are looking for a second goalie to partner up with Darcy Kuemper."

NHL rumblings: Why it could be a long summer, plus latest on Canadiens, Pettersson, Rust and more

Also, what a weak goalie market could mean for Jake Allen, and assessing the Ducks' logic behind the Trevor Zegras trade.

www.nytimes.com

Arturs Silovs would be my pipedream for an Allen replacement