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

[SteveCangialosi123]

There's no way we can jump to the conclusion to move Nemec over Casey based on such a small sample size.

Definitely too early, you’re right. But Seamus has been fantastic at every level he’s ever played at, it’s not as though this is out of nowhere. He always stood out in my (relatively limited) viewings of Michigan and posted incredible underlying stats.

Too early to say he passed Nemec, but not too early to say he makes it easier to move Nemec. He’s a legitimate prospect.

 

[RNCDevil]

Still hoping someone has watched Nemec in Utica and can talk about his current body of work.

 

[devsfan8]

To get a rental without a big hit to the cap is not difficult nowadays. We see it all the time retention, or involving a 3rd team to broker a deal and take on a percentage of contract.

Last year Chris Tanev was a Devil for 5 minutes. I know Fitz talked to SJ earlier in the year. He actually flew out with the team. I can see a scenario where SJ for example or another team if necessary takes on a contract with a pick. Fitz has had time to learn the loopholes and be creative.

 

[JrFischer54]

Mr Erycap will not approve. First name Sal.

We can all dream though.

Besides it would probably have to be Nemec, Mercer and a 26 1st. At minimum.

under normal circumstances yeah i agree with that is the ask but they know hes gone we know hes gone the longer time goes by the less the return should be. mercer has trade value so i wouldn't include him but they can have a late first if they wanted to get the deal down asap if it gets us quinn on his current contract.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Still hoping someone has watched Nemec in Utica and can talk about his current body of work.

@Bad Goalie

 

[Zippy316]

Also with DeSimone getting claimed and Nemec/Casey looking shaky defensively, I wonder if the Devils are going to add a depth defender as well.

DeSimone was perfect for that role, but the Devils may want a buffer between the current top six and Hatakka/Nemec/Casey.

It’s probably going to be some over the hill vet like one of the Johnson’s for next to nothing, but I’m already mentally prepping for that one.

 

[Triumph]

There's no way we can jump to the conclusion to move Nemec over Casey based on such a small sample size.

Sure we can. The thing is that Casey will never have a lot of value as a player outside the NHL because he was not drafted in the 1st round. Teams just are not willing to pay 1st round prices for 2nd or later round picks except in extreme examples.

In addition, while Casey does look promising, his role is not one that teams are looking to pay a lot for, typically.

To get a rental without a big hit to the cap is not difficult nowadays. We see it all the time retention, or involving a 3rd team to broker a deal and take on a percentage of contract.

Last year Chris Tanev was a Devil for 5 minutes. I know Fitz talked to SJ earlier in the year. Heactually flew out with the team. I can see a scenario where SJ for example or another team if necessary takes on a contract with a pick. Fitz has had time to learn the loopholes and be creative.

You've picked the worst example - San Jose is already retaining salary on Burns, Karlsson, and Hertl, so they cannot act as a go-between for salary retention. But in general, you are correct that teams are willing to do this for ~a 4th round pick, and we have 2 of them in the 2026 draft.

 

[TheBeerNerd]

I’m not big on trading Nemec, but this is going beyond a sophomore slump.

 

[JrFischer54]

if nemec is a bust then they really need to look at the scouting nemec joining the long list holtz/mercer/stillman/smith/mikey for first round duds

lesser extent mercer and muk eh he isn't on the team so dont really follow him.

2017 seemed to be the peak year of players after round 1 even then its pretty meh how do you miss with so many 1s though

 

[Better Call Sal]

if nemec is a bust then they really need to look at the scouting nemec joining the long list holtz/mercer/stillman/smith/mikey for first round duds

lesser extent mercer and muk eh he isn't on the team so dont really follow him.

You can't include Mercer in this list, that's absurd.

People can say what they want about his current lack of production, but he's in the top 5 in scoring for his draft year. His progression has stalled, but he isn't a bust at all.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Stillman was also what, 29th overall in a Covid draft year? yeah, I'm not losing sleep over that one.

McLeod and Ty Smith were from the previous regime, not sure what bearing that has on Fitz. And the former was turning into a nice player tbh but too bad he is a scumbag of a human being.

 

[HoliksGhost]

Nemec has potential and in my mind won’t turn out to be a bust. That said it doesn’t mean he will stay a Devil.

 

[JrFischer54]

You can't include Mercer in this list, that's absurd.

People can say what they want about his current lack of production, but he's in the top 5 in scoring for his draft year. His progression has stalled, but he isn't a bust at all.

i did say to a lesser extent mercer but lets be fair he exactly isn't lighting the stat sheet on fire. was he an early pick? no but he wasn't late either. i'm just saying i'm told how important 1st are on here and i agree they are to an extent but you can't be settling with 3rd line players while drafting before 20. dont call him a bust but at minimum he is a disappointment so far

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

i did say to a lesser extent mercer but lets be fair he exactly isn't lighting the stat sheet on fire. was he an early pick? no but he wasn't late either. i'm just saying i'm told how important 1st are on here and i agree they are to an extent but you can't be settling with 3rd line players while drafting before 20. dont call him a bust but at minimum he is a disappointment so far

I think....you don't really understand the draft lol

Mercer is a middle-6 forward. Yes, that is usually what you get in the 15-20 range of the draft if your player hits.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Getting a career to date 40 point winger at 18th in the draft is not great, but it's probably above expectation for that drafts slot

 

[AfroThunder396]

No one would be complaining about Mercer if he didn't have 56 points in his 2nd season. That season set unrealistic expectations (I distinctly remember a certain poster saying that Mercer made Hischier expendable). If this is all he ends up being then he's certainly not a bust, he will have a long NHL career as a valuable player and that's a very good thing to get from the 18th overall pick.

That being said, I am increasingly growing concerned at our development process. Nearly all of these top picks were taken right around where people expected them to go pre-draft, but I'm struggling to think of one that has exceeded expectations.

With Nemec it's a little puzzling because I feel as though every decision regarding him was the right one - let him learn in the AHL for a year, when he filled in for Dougie he looked good, slow start this year due to injury but he turned it around, but now suddenly he doesn't remember how to play hockey? Very weird. He was not jerked around in the way that Holtz or Daws were, he straight up lost his spot.

That said, Fitz's inability to get us adequate NHL depth has forced some of these young players into positions they shouldn't be in early in their careers. I can't help but feel like that for at least some of these players it's related to them failing to exceed or sometimes even meet expectations.

 

[Billdo]

Getting a career to date 40 point winger at 18th in the draft is not great, but it's probably above expectation for that drafts slot

I'm not an avid Mercer fan but he's already scored more than the average 18th overall pick has for their entire career.

 

[JrFischer54]

I think....you don't really understand the draft lol

Mercer is a middle-6 forward. Yes, that is usually what you get in the 15-20 range of the draft if your player hits.

true but i'm def not going to take advice from you since your the same guy that tells me zacha wasn't a bust at 6 lol

middle 6 is the political term thrown around here but hes really just a 3rd liner with fringe top 6 potential in limited times. lets not forget i did say lesser extent mercer but thats lost in all this.

 

[Devils Trap]

I mean Zacha just isnt a bust by any sense of the word.

Did he underperform what you consider the 6th overall pick ?? Sure, but hes a career .5 PPG player in the NHL, still playing in his 9th season in the NHL and has put up back to back .75 PPG seasons in the NHL.

He is a good NHLer, not a bust at all.

 

[Camille the Eel]

No one would be complaining about Mercer if he didn't have 56 points in his 2nd season. That season set unrealistic expectations (I distinctly remember a certain poster saying that Mercer made Hischier expendable). If this is all he ends up being then he's certainly not a bust, he will have a long NHL career as a valuable player and that's a very good thing to get from the 18th overall pick.

That being said, I am increasingly growing concerned at our development process. Nearly all of these top picks were taken right around where people expected them to go pre-draft, but I'm struggling to think of one that has exceeded expectations.

With Nemec it's a little puzzling because I feel as though every decision regarding him was the right one - let him learn in the AHL for a year, when he filled in for Dougie he looked good, slow start this year due to injury but he turned it around, but now suddenly he doesn't remember how to play hockey? Very weird. He was not jerked around in the way that Holtz or Daws were, he straight up lost his spot.

That said, Fitz's inability to get us adequate NHL depth has forced some of these young players into positions they shouldn't be in early in their careers. I can't help but feel like that for at least some of these players it's related to them failing to exceed or sometimes even meet expectations.

Nemec has started exactly 3 games since Siegenthaler’s injury. (Maybe 4 ? Idk). It’s not enough play to draw conclusions about him.

Regarding Casey, the release on that wrist shot goal was amazing. But he too has maybe 10 NHL games under his belt. And the guy is tiny by league standards. If he keeps being a threat other teams are going to start hitting him.

I like them both.

 

[Devs3cups]

 

[Clam Jensen]

Mercer’s 56 point season in combination with (and I love the guy) STI gassing him up the second we took him skewed our perception of what good should look like for him. He should be a looooot better than he is now, but at this stage if he’s a consistent 50 pt guy who eclipses 60 in his prime; I’ll be snug as a bug in a rug.

 

[JrFischer54]

I mean Zacha just isnt a bust by any sense of the word.

Did he underperform what you consider the 6th overall pick ?? Sure, but hes a career .5 PPG player in the NHL, still playing in his 9th season in the NHL and has put up back to back .75 PPG seasons in the NHL.

He is a good NHLer, not a bust at all.

you can be a draft bust and still be an nhl player its great that zacha made it in the nhl but lets face it if you are a gm and you keep drafting zachas at 6 you are probably going to get fired and if you don't agree with that then hopefully you become the rangers gm

 

[Zippy316]

With the Devils now in LTIR and not accruing cap space, I wonder if Fitzgerald pulls the trigger on a deal before the deadline.

As far as I’m aware, there’s no reason not to at this point if he finds a willing partner.

 

[devsfan8]

With the Devils now in LTIR and not accruing cap space, I wonder if Fitzgerald pulls the trigger on a deal before the deadline.

As far as I’m aware, there’s no reason not to at this point if he finds a willing partner.

They aren't accruing any space at all? Or any space for Siegenthaler?

I feel like (based on his interview with Lebrun) that Fitz already has his target and a trade but the other team is waiting until they are ready.