Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - playoff edition

[NJDevs26]

Hitting the refresh button

Previous thread: Devils discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part VI

 

[Emperoreddy]

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

A story about how the Devils got Bratt:

"Sitting in the stands of the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, Jesper Bratt was full of stress. He had put on a white button-up dress shirt and blue tie for Day 2 of the 2016 NHL Draft, expecting to go in the second or third round. But pick after pick passed, and no one called his name.

The second round slipped away. Then the third. Then the fourth. Then the fifth. At one point, Bratt turned to his dad, Conny, and agent, Joakim Persson.

“I think they just forgot about me,” he told them. “I think that they just forgot that I exist.”

A daunting thought entered his head. Did he travel all the way from his native Sweden for nothing? What if no team thought he was worthy of getting picked at all?

Finally, in the sixth round, he got good news. A Boston Bruins scout reached out to Persson to tell him they would likely take Bratt when they picked at No. 165 overall.

Persson passed word along to his client, and the forward started to process the fact that he could be headed to Boston. But as he and Persson talked, he missed another development. His younger brother, Filip, got his attention.

“Oh my God,” Filip said to him excitedly. “You just got picked!”

Bratt never heard his name. Luckily, Filip did, and he broke the news to Bratt that he was headed to New Jersey. The Devils had picked at No. 162 — three slots ahead of the Bruins, who wound up with Oskar Steen."

A model, upside and a draft-day slide: How the Devils landed Jesper Bratt before he was a star (+)

 

[Ripshot 43]

Quinn Hughes

 

[Forge]

A story about how the Devils got Bratt:

"Sitting in the stands of the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, Jesper Bratt was full of stress. He had put on a white button-up dress shirt and blue tie for Day 2 of the 2016 NHL Draft, expecting to go in the second or third round. But pick after pick passed, and no one called his name.

The second round slipped away. Then the third. Then the fourth. Then the fifth. At one point, Bratt turned to his dad, Conny, and agent, Joakim Persson.

“I think they just forgot about me,” he told them. “I think that they just forgot that I exist.”

A daunting thought entered his head. Did he travel all the way from his native Sweden for nothing? What if no team thought he was worthy of getting picked at all?

Finally, in the sixth round, he got good news. A Boston Bruins scout reached out to Persson to tell him they would likely take Bratt when they picked at No. 165 overall.

Persson passed word along to his client, and the forward started to process the fact that he could be headed to Boston. But as he and Persson talked, he missed another development. His younger brother, Filip, got his attention.

“Oh my God,” Filip said to him excitedly. “You just got picked!”

Bratt never heard his name. Luckily, Filip did, and he broke the news to Bratt that he was headed to New Jersey. The Devils had picked at No. 162 — three slots ahead of the Bruins, who wound up with Oskar Steen."

A model, upside and a draft-day slide: How the Devils landed Jesper Bratt before he was a star (+)

My favorite part is Castron saying if they knew what he'd be, they'd have taken him in round 2.

Like dude, if you know what he'd do, he doesn't make it to you at #11 lol

 

[Captain3rdLine]

My favorite part is Castron saying if they knew what he'd be, they'd have taken him in round 2.

Like dude, if you know what he'd do, he doesn't make it to you at #11 lol

lol that makes it sound like he still would’ve taken McLeod over him

 

[Emperoreddy]

I have no idea how to do it, but we got to get Palat off this team.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I have no idea how to do it, but we got to get Palat off this team.

Agree but I was actually happy with Palat today. Won his battles and created a couple of chances.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Agree but I was actually happy with Palat today. Won his battles and created a couple of chances.

Palat, Haula, Bastian, and Dowling all need to be replaced. And one of those replacements need to be a top 6 player and another a middle 6 center.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Palat, Haula, Bastian, and Dowling all need to be replaced. And one of those replacements need to be a top 6 player and another a middle 6 center.

Agree except for Bastian. He gets a ton of hate for no reason. He’s perfectly good in his role. 4th liner who moves his feet, defends and battles hard. He’s actually been a bright spot over the second half of the season IMO. Brings the energy and compete every night. Fine with him as our 12-14th forward. At the same time he wouldn’t be too much of a loss if he left.

Palat and Haula aren’t worth their money and aren’t nearly good enough for their roles.

Dowling has done alright enough filling in but shouldn’t be a full time player or someone who’s playing a few games when injuries are at their absolute worst.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I don't get the Dowling over Tatar setup by Keefe.

Tatar ain't the player he used to be, but he is still better than Dowling.

Shit, I'm not even certain I like Dowling over Lazar.

 

[MadDevil]

I don't get the Dowling over Tatar setup by Keefe.

Tatar ain't the player he used to be, but he is still better than Dowling.

Shit, I'm not even certain I like Dowling over Lazar.

Tatar is just destined to get scratched in the playoffs, whether he deserves it or not.

 

[NJDevs26]

I don't get the Dowling over Tatar setup by Keefe.

Tatar ain't the player he used to be, but he is still better than Dowling.

Shit, I'm not even certain I like Dowling over Lazar.

One plays center and one doesn't. It's more a Sprong or Bastian above Tatar than it is Dowling.

 

[Whaddagoal]

One plays center and one doesn't. It's more a Sprong or Bastian above Tatar than it is Dowling.

That is a good point, I was just thinking in terms of raw skill/experience

 

[Drivingrain]

apologies as I am sure this was asked and answered somewhere:

If McLeod is acquitted somehow, do we still have his rights?

 

[forceten]

Posted this in the game thread but belongs here.

I know many other teams passed on these guys too. But these whiffs at the top of the draft - and years of missing 2nd round selections due to Ray’s habit of trading those - is coming home to roost in so severe a way that our team isn’t even playing a fully NHL caliber roster. In 2022-2023, we absolutely did. And yes we had to move on from graves and severson and wood.

We’ve gotten slower, we’ve got far less depth, our AHL team is probably useless for developing anyone because of the lack of talent and investment there m, and our cupboard of prospects is nearly empty.

Holtz, a guy who couldn’t skate, and had nothing other than an elite shot, picked at 7. I remember posters here clamoring for Rossi and for Jarvis. Jarvis is a 30 goal scorer with an endless motor and a Johnny Depp wanna be look. Rossi is a 25 goal 60 point center.

Stillman, I just cannot understand this pick. Yeah, covid. But holy cow. Logan Stankoven would look great on this team. Stillman probably wouldn’t even be the best player on a beer league team.

Nemec. I get we were all in on slafkovsky and he’d be great to have. But Logan Cooley (other posters saying Shane wright - no, Cooley was the guy) - Just another 25 goal 60 point young center that we would love to have.

Trading Bardakov for MacWho. Bardakov looks like exactly the kind of bottom six center we need and looks like the Avs who are already rich will get richer.

Heck, even Boqvist the guy who everyone pines over was picked a few spots above Jason Robertson !

Then we get Zeev Buium somehow fall to us and we go for a 7’ guy who can’t shoot and barely can pass. I like Silayev in a vacuum but holy crap Buium would be nice to have right now. And probably worth more in trade value.

Fitzgerald tells the entire world he’s going “big game hunting” which of course drove up the price for a goalie, and he gets a 35 year old and a 34 year old. Stolarz, Thompson, etc all could have been had. Heck we had Thompson but whatever. We had Blackwood who suddenly is living up to his expectations elsewhere.

And no first rounder this year, and we went from two 2nds and three 3rds to one and two, and got very little for it. We threw away a second and a good prospect for a handful of games of 33 year old Brian Dumolin.

The Sharangovich for Toffoli trade wasn’t bad for losing Shara as much as it was a dart throw with a blindfold with no plan B if it didn’t work out immediately. Toffoli was tossed aside instead of resigned and continues to score 30+ goals despite being “slow”, which is about 25 more goals than the slower less skilled replacements we have since he left. He could’ve been kept. But we resigned Kovacevic. At least that doesn’t have a NMC…

…and then there is the signing of everyone to a NTC/NMC. Because GMs can screw a team for a hockey generation in one or two offseasons the league should really limit these to 2 per team or something. Or just outlaw them. Fitzgerald has tied his hands because things tried in good intention that aren’t working are now going to waste this core’s potential. Dillon, Palat, Meier, Haula, Pesce, Hamilton, Noesen. We need to shake this team up. Meier isn’t working out IMO, and we need flexibility on the defense but half of it is locked up.

And the colossal f up with the Macleod situation. Trade him the minute you heard of anything. Instead we sign cal Foote. What was that?! I don’t believe for a minute there wasn’t enough suspicion to have a discussion in the front office. Macleod was a huge piece of this team lost for nothing. This probably has the least blame attached due to the craziness of the situation from a front office perspective but straws and camels…

So we are a cap team, with no flexibility to ice a contender or even a team with 12 NHL forwards to play.

Even our vaunted defense depth is suspect. Misyul was traded for nothing. Nemec Casey Vilen and Hatakka are so unready or unliked that they have some guy that honestly I think was applying for a job in Zamboni maintenance and some NHL franchise accidentally played him in Chowlowski playing.

We kept Ruff too long, but I don’t know that the other options were better at the time.

Losing to Carolina doesn’t bother me in the specific because it’s expected with us being the third worst team in the NHL since Christmas. But the bright future of 2022-23 has evaporated and it looks like we are going to be the St. Louis blues until these guys age out.

For me who endured the sucking when we came to NJ and then got to see what real team construction and good drafting and amateur FA scouting looks like, this is especially difficult. We are not a very good team and we are nowhere close to contending for a cup.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't get the Dowling over Tatar setup by Keefe.

Tatar ain't the player he used to be, but he is still better than Dowling.

Shit, I'm not even certain I like Dowling over Lazar.

I’m definitely certain I like Dowling over Lazar. Lazar has probably been the worst player on the team since he got back from injury. And you expect more from him than the 34 year old who just played a career high in NHL games by almost double this season.

Not over Tatar though.

 

[Bleedred]

apologies as I am sure this was asked and answered somewhere:

If McLeod is acquitted somehow, do we still have his rights?

I’m gonna say no.

He’s now 27 years old and that’s UFA age. And he wasn’t signed anyway, so he’s done here.

 

[NJDevs26]

I think all those guys were nontendered, iirc none were under contract beyond last year seemingly with good reason.

 

[NJDevils17]

McLeod / the other Hockey Canada guys are never playing in the league again

 

[Captain3rdLine]

lol why are people still wondering about McLeod. Leave him in the past where he belongs

 

[Drivingrain]

lol why are people still wondering about McLeod. Leave him in the past where he belongs

well, the team misses him-- or at least that type of hockey player. perhaps sad, but true.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

well, the team misses him-- or at least that type of player. perhaps sad, but true.

Don’t really want to get into this and don’t disagree that he was turning into a valuable player but there are sadder things than that in this world. Including what he’s being charged with.

So unless he is somehow proven to be completely innocent at some point let’s not talk about how sad his loss is to the devils.

 

[NJDevs26]

Fitz also has had a year and a half to replace him, the statute of that excuse is pretty much over - it's not like he disappeared in this season.

 

[MadDevil]

We need better centers behind Jack and Nico. Period. f*** McLeod. f*** Foote (Cal). And honestly, f*** Fitz for having two accused rapists in the organization.