Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part II

[Cheddabombs]

I'm here for your good puns too

One day he'll have one

 

[My3Sons]

Last 9 games:

18 Powerplays
25 Penalty Kills
1 or less PP's in 4 games
Only 3 of those games were against teams in a playoff position.

This is starting right after the St. Louis game. Did something happen there that the refs have it out for the Devils now?

I thought it may have been after the Canes game? The comments by Keefe and a couple of players about the call against Timo maybe seen as criticism of the refs.

 

[Lou Bloom]

Damn did I miss Palat being a >point per game, 30 goal scoring center for the last 5 years?

Palat was a top 6 forward on a back to back Stanley cup champion and a few years later has become a middling forward on a bad contract.

Miller is 31 and has a contract that runs until he’s 37, taking that contract on the Devils would be terrible.

 

[MB3]

Palat was a top 6 forward on a back to back Stanley cup champion and a few years later has become a middling forward on a bad contract.

Miller is 31 and has a contract that runs until he’s 37, taking that contract on the Devils would be terrible.

Miller is making $2m more than Palat and has scored more points in the last 3.5 years (214 in 191 games played) than Palat has in his last 6.5 years (207 in 363 games played).

They are laughably incomparable players. You can dislike the contract or dislike the idea of trading for him -- fine, whatever. You cannot use Ondrej Palat in your reasoning without looking like a clown.

I'm still wondering if the whole west coast thing is a reason most of you guys are unaware of Miller's game. He's gotten Selke votes 4 of the last 5 years. Hart votes three times in that span. All-Star game appearances 3 times in his 5 seasons in Vancouver.

He just had a 103-point season last year. There has never been a player in our franchise history to score more than 100 points in a season. His 66 assists last season would have broken a THIRTY year record for most assists in a year (Scott Stevens with 60 in 1994). He AVERAGES 32G/82 and 90P/82 over the past 5.5 seasons. He has a criminally underrated shot. He produces 5-on-5. He wins faceoffs. He plays perfectly respectable defense. He's a Matt Tkachuk type shit-stirrer.

If you don't want to trade for him because you think he's a locker room cancer, fine. I think a lot of that is Canadian media bullshit. And yeah, he's had a couple of lapses with his motivation, but even with those motivation lapses he out produces anyone in our franchise history, including 86.

He's underpaid by ~4m right now relative to his value. He might be overpaid at the back end of that contract, but by the time he is actually overpaid he has no more trade protection and the league cap is going up. He fits every single need this team has right now.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

Oh hell no. We are not entertaining JT Miller talk here. Palat is good for the locker room and JT Miller is very much not.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I have 0 interested in cratering the locker room when the guys genuinely seem to like each other. It's not worth it. Not in season 1 with a new coach who has his team comfortably in a playoff position.

 

[Lou Bloom]

Miller is making $2m more than Palat and has scored more points in the last 3.5 years (214 in 191 games played) than Palat has in his last 6.5 years (207 in 363 games played).

They are laughably incomparable players. You can dislike the contract or dislike the idea of trading for him -- fine, whatever. You cannot use Ondrej Palat in your reasoning without looking like a clown.

Do you understand what a comparison is? The point is that players over 30 are at risk at sudden declines in performance, how is Palat not an example of that?

How about Jonathan Toews? Jonathan Huberdeau? Evgeny Kuznetsov? Etc…. There’s countless examples of very good players hitting a sharp decline in their 30s, trading for JT Miller is incredibly short sighted thinking.

 

[MB3]

Do you understand what a comparison is? The point is that players over 30 are at risk at sudden declines in performance, how is Palat not an example of that?

How about Jonathan Toews? Jonathan Huberdeau? Evgeny Kuznetsov? Etc…. There’s countless examples of very good players hitting a sharp decline in their 30s, trading for JT Miller is incredibly short sighted thinking.

You listed 3 players. One of them got a legitimate disease because of a global pandemic, one of them couldn’t stop snorting paint bucket sized bumps, and the other is a left wing who’s cratering started in his Age-28 season after being traded from his soon-to-win-cups team to a rebuilding dumpster fire in alberta.

Yes, it’s possible his play dips. No, it isn’t happening this year (point per game on that dog water team). No, it is not likely to happen next year. If his play diminishes the devils can move on from him in 3 seasons when his NTC is up.

The devils can win the stanley cup this year. They can win the stanley cup next year. They do not have the forward depth to get it done right now, but adding JT goes a long way in the right direction.

 

[JimEIV]

Just one game but kind of interesting that this was Dawson Mercer's first multi point game from the bottom 6 of the year and Haula was out...

He's had 4 other multi point games this season and none were while playing in the bottom 6 or with Haula.

Just kind of interesting to me

 

[MB3]

Oh hell no. We are not entertaining JT Miller talk here. Palat is good for the locker room and JT Miller is very much not.

It’s a hockey team with Cup aspirations not a book club with soccer moms.

The JT Miller thing screams “overreactive canadian media”. Going from that steaming pile of shit organization/media circus to NJ could do wonders.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Just one game but kind of interesting that this was Dawson Mercer's first multi point game from the bottom 6 of the year and Haula was out...

He's had 4 other multi point games this season and neither were while playing in the bottom 6 or with Haula.

Just kind of interesting to me

I wonder if Haula has been trying to play through this ankle injury for several weeks now. He has been so starkly ineffective that it makes too much sense.

I wouldn't mind Mercer getting a shot to move back up with Nico and Timo. Noesen played well with Cotter previously, and Dowling seems capable enough to do the smart things with the puck and use his speed where needed.

 

[JimEIV]

I wonder if Haula has been trying to play for this ankle injury for several weeks now. He has been so starkly ineffective that it makes too much sense.

I wouldn't mind Mercer getting a shot to move back up with Nico and Timo. Noesen played well with Cotter previously, and Dowling seems capable enough to do the smart things with the puck and use his speed where needed.

I think getting that 3rd line more productive is the most important thing. More than who plays where

For me I am just really disliking Haula and Palat this season. I think they are both major bottlenecks...maybe Haula is due to injury? I don't know but the lack of production from the 3rd line specifically has been a major weak link in my opinion.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

It’s a hockey team with Cup aspirations not a book club with soccer moms.

The JT Miller thing screams “overreactive canadian media”. Going from that steaming pile of shit organization/media circus to NJ could do wonders.

The good thing about having two Hughes brothers is that one of them can call Quinn and get the straight story. But I'm still skeptical regardless of whether he's a bad locker room guy or not. He's not good at backchecking, and I think Palat offers more overall.

 

[Guttersniped]

gonna say something and then run away and duck.

JT Miller for Dougie Hamilton, Seamus Casey and a 1st. Dougie would have to waive, which is tough. But..

Meier-Hishier-Noesen
Bratt-Hughes-Palat
Cotter-Miller-Mercer

A lot to love about that 3rd line. Miller preforms in the playoffs and he plays a with an edge. I understand that there've been rifts in the past but he's a pretty f***in unbelievable player.

I remember the Devils adding a guy to put them over the edge who had character concerns, wasn't universally beloved in the locker room, but played like a f***ing deranged asshole. Pretty sure that guy won a Conn Smythe in our jersey.

Why would the Canucks trade for Hamilton?

You can make an argument that Hughes is the best PPQB in the NHL, why are they trading for a defenseman who gets 9m to produce on PP?

The trade makes zero sense for them. They can’t afford to get that much weaker at forward and have even less cap space to make up for it.

Hamilton isn’t the kind of PMD they need.

 

[New Jerseys Devil]

We need forward reinforcements!

 

[Lou Bloom]

You listed 3 players. One of them got a legitimate disease because of a global pandemic, one of them couldn’t stop snorting paint bucket sized bumps, and the other is a left wing who’s cratering started in his Age-28 season after being traded from his soon-to-win-cups team to a rebuilding dumpster fire in alberta.

Yes, it’s possible his play dips. No, it isn’t happening this year (point per game on that dog water team). No, it is not likely to happen next year. If his play diminishes the devils can move on from him in 3 seasons when his NTC is up.

The devils can win the stanley cup this year. They can win the stanley cup next year. They do not have the forward depth to get it done right now, but adding JT goes a long way in the right direction.

Are you going to try and seriously argue that there isn’t a serious risk in players over 30 rapidly declining? This is something that happens in every major sport, not just the NHL.

So your big plan is to acquire JT Miller because he’ll probably be good the next season and a half and the Devils will be able to get off of his contract in 3 years? As if it’s some guarantee some team will take a declining 34 year old with 3 years left on his contract.

Since when was JT Miller the only option to improving the forward depth on this roster? As if the only way for them to improve is to take a potential anchor of a contract for the next 5.5 seasons.

 

[Call Me Al]

definitely canadian media overblown and not visual evidence of him being a completely toxic asshole to his teammates. even ignoring all the smoke that’s coming out of there right now

 

[TheBeerNerd]

gonna say something and then run away and duck.

JT Miller for Dougie Hamilton, Seamus Casey and a 1st.

Oh god I just saw this. You're a maniac.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

we don't NEED JT Miller lol all we need is a reliable 3C. Someone like that is not that hard to come by at the deadline and we won't need to trade high end assets to get one.

Then you re-assess in July and see where you're at.

 

[dgibb10]

we don't NEED JT Miller lol all we need is a reliable 3C. Someone like that is not that hard to come by at the deadline and we won't need to trade high end assets to get one.

Then you re-assess in July and see where you're at.

Yup.

And important to note. This is a beautiful bottom 6 C UFA class, headlined by Nic Dowd.

It is the perfect time to be looking for a bottom 6C. Unlike last offseason where the market was pretty atrocious

 

[JrFischer54]

I have 0 interested in cratering the locker room when the guys genuinely seem to like each other. It's not worth it. Not in season 1 with a new coach who has his team comfortably in a playoff position.

i'm not someone that believes in locker room drama and stuff like that and i'm always down to add a proven legit nhl talent for a run buuuuuuut i kinda do agree with the post that the team is playing well for each other right now and i wouldn't be opposed to letting them play it out in the playoffs. wouldn't be opposed to a small upgrade for someone bottom 6 but i wouldn't be going "big game" hunting right now. see how they do in the playoffs and then make adjustments in the offseason.

This team should be able to compete against the canes and caps tbd against the outside the division

 

[NjDevsRR]

OK I looked it up and it seems the Devils are middle of the pack in PP opps, PK opps, and differential between the two. It does seem the issues with officiating have been more recent, maybe like last ~10 games or so as opposed to the entire season. If I have time maybe I'll look it up, but it's a bit of manual work I think.

We played the most games in the league, so us being in the middle of the pack means we are more like at the bottom third of the pack if everyone played the same amount of games.

For a team that controls play as much as NJ, thats is insane

 

[Triumph]

We played the most games in the league, so us being in the middle of the pack means we are more like at the bottom third of the pack if everyone played the same amount of games.

For a team that controls play as much as NJ, thats is insane

League average is 113 power plays in 40 games (2.82). Devils are at 121 in 43 games (2.81). It's ridiculous that the Devils are at league average, but it's because penalties are not real. Aside from the 3 must-call penalties (delay of game, too many men on the ice, high-sticking), they are called based on time of game, score, and who the home team is.

The league in general calls far too few penalties and is letting clutch and grab back into the game in a bad way. I can understand wanting to slow the game down to reduce injuries, but then they don't call very obvious boarding/checking from behind so often.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

Was Yanni Gourde any good last night? He's short but is tough

How has Sean Kuraly been with CBJ?

Jake Evans from Montreal could work.

Ryan Donato always scores on us. Doesn't look like he takes too many faceoffs. How is his defense?

Nick Bjugstad is out there... i doubt he comes as cheap as he should. Has size at least.

Brock Nelson or Trent Frederic would cost a lot.... And Boston is in a playoff spot so that ain't happening.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Gourde didn't play last night