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

[SteveCangialosi123]

Dump Palat, sign Bratt 2 (Ehlers).

 

[JimEIV]

This team needs a major facelift... like Joan Rivers level facelift.

 

[Billdo]

dump Palat and Haula. Pay a pick if you have to.

I'd be fine with Haula playing 4C but Palat absolutely needs to go. There's no way he can be in the lineup on opening night.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'd be fine with Haula playing 4C but Palat absolutely needs to go. There's no way he can be in the lineup on opening night.

Haula is much easier to make go away is the issue

 

[Bleedred]

Where are you slotting dumo unless you're dumping dillon?

That’s kind of why we can’t keep him.

Rather have him than Dillon for the next two years though, especially since he’ll be probably a million or so cheaper per year.

But there’s no room for him and that’s just too many sub-20 point scoring defensemen on the team.

It’s just like a defense full of Fayne, Tallinder and Volchekov’s. Some of those guys were okay, but it’s too one dimensional.

 

[Bleedred]

I don’t wanna hear about cap, no trade, etc. Get rid of Palat.

 

[theoptimist]

I don’t wanna hear about cap, no trade, etc. Get rid of Palat.

View attachment 1021146

Well if you imagine Jack Hughes is making $10M and Palat is making $4M, maybe we can stomach Palat for another season? What do you think? Does this sound like mental gymnastics?

 

[My3Sons]

This team needs a major facelift... like Joan Rivers level facelift.

Her last facelift killed her

 

[JimEIV]

Her last facelift killed her

It's always a delicate decision to look good or die

 

[NjDevsRR]

Dump Palat, sign Bratt 2 (Ehlers).

*jim intensifies*

 

[Guttersniped]

What is Palat's situation. Does he move to a 10 team no trade this offseason and we need someone to basically eat two years? Doesn't seem impossible.

Haula should be easy to move on from, its only one year

I don’t how we move Palat, he seems completely untradable to me with that trade clause.

He’s fallen off a cliff and slow overpriced, unproductive LW aren’t exactly in demand.

He only got 15 goals by playing with Hughes, who assisted on 5 of them, and/or Bratt, who assisted on 6 of the remaining 10.

He doesn’t even manage to be a solid, albeit overpriced, bottom six guy at this point, he’s been straight up bad on any line this season.

Buying him out this off-season seems like the only way but that’s pretty gruesome too:


Still predicting we buy him out in 2026:

2 out of the 3 of Palat Haula and Dougie have to go this summer. If all 3 go and Fitz somehow gets good additions then I'll be back on his back wagon but no shot that happens.

Probably need to be prepared to be disappointed then.

I don’t see us moving Haula either. The 2025 UFA center market is brutal and number of other teams are going to be trying to trade for a center.

I do think Haula’s tradable if we somehow manage to pick up other center(s).

Dougie needs to be traded at some point but his late season injury hurts. Tough seeing a team take a 9m/3 year deal when he’s coming off that.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Probably need to be prepared to be disappointed then.

I don’t see us moving Haula either. The 2025 UFA center market is brutal and number of other teams are going to be trying to trade for a center.

I do think Haula’s tradable if we somehow manage to pick up other center(s).

Dougie needs to be traded at some point but his late season injury hurts. Tough seeing a team take a 9m/3 year deal when he’s coming off that.

Chances are you're more right than I am in this situation for sure, I think Haula will be ironically be the one guy out of the group that I would be ok in keeping. I think his injury hampered his whole year and it derailed his season similar to Timo in 23-24. That being said, there needs to be a better safety net for Haula just being flat out done. Palat is cooked to a crisp, Dougie will have value and you can't have 18M on the RHD when the holes on this team are evident up front.

 

[MadDevil]

I think it'll be easier to move Dougie next offseason. He'll only have 2 years left and with the cap floor for 2026-27 being almost 77 million I think you might be able to find somebody to take him on.

 

[Devs3cups]

I don’t how we move Palat, he seems completely untradable to me with that trade clause.

He’s fallen off a cliff and slow overpriced, unproductive LW aren’t exactly in demand.

He only got 15 goals by playing with Hughes, who assisted on 5 of them, and/or Bratt, who assisted on 6 of the remaining 10.

He doesn’t even manage to be a solid, albeit overpriced, bottom six guy at this point, he’s been straight up bad on any line this season.

Buying him out this off-season seems like the only way but that’s pretty gruesome too:
View attachment 1021142

Still predicting we buy him out in 2026:
View attachment 1021143



Probably need to be prepared to be disappointed then.

I don’t see us moving Haula either. The 2025 UFA center market is brutal and number of other teams are going to be trying to trade for a center.

I do think Haula’s tradable if we somehow manage to pick up other center(s).

Dougie needs to be traded at some point but his late season injury hurts. Tough seeing a team take a 9m/3 year deal when he’s coming off that.

I think buying him out this summer might still be a positive though no? 1.48 seems fine for 4 years… I don’t know… I’m conflicted.

 

[devilsblood]

What do we know about Luke’s availability for game 3?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I don’t wanna hear about cap, no trade, etc. Get rid of Palat.

View attachment 1021146

20 years on a rebuild. Not a f****in peep

 

[youryeah]

What do we know about Luke’s availability for game 3?

the update is there's no update

 

[Guttersniped]

I think buying him out this summer might still be a positive though no? 1.48 seems fine for 4 years… I don’t know… I’m conflicted.

It’s only 1.48 for the last 2 years, due to his bonuses the dead cap space would be 3.53m in 25-26 and 2.53m after that.

I have zero interest in seeing Palat next season obviously but 2.47m is not much to work with when we replace him.

 

[Emperoreddy]

It’s only 1.48 for the last 2 years, due to his bonuses the dead cap space would be 3.53m in 25-26 and 2.53m after that.

I have zero interest in seeing Palat next season obviously but 2.47m is not much to work with when we replace him.

Yeah I dont really see a buyout making sense this offseason.

There are dumb GMs out there so maybe someone will bite if we throw something in.

 

[NjDevsRR]

There has to be some garbage team we can pawn him off on. Threaten Palat with AHL demotion. Teams around the league figure this stuff out, why can’t we

 

[Emperoreddy]

$12 million is just not gonna cut it with Luke needing a new contract.

At least one of Haula or Palat has to go. Ideally both of them, but at least one.

I would be shocked if Dougie is sent out this offseason. That seems like a next year move unless we are doing something crazy with Vancouver and Quinn

 

[HersheyBob27]

What do we know about Luke’s availability for game 3?

He’s finished

 

[Dylan9z9]

It’s only 1.48 for the last 2 years, due to his bonuses the dead cap space would be 3.53m in 25-26 and 2.53m after that.

I have zero interest in seeing Palat next season obviously but 2.47m is not much to work with when we replace him.

Put this clown on one of Elon Musks Mars rockets please

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

What happened to "you can always dump bad contracts"? Every team seems to be able to do it. Get it done Fitz.

 

[JrFischer54]

$12 million is just not gonna cut it with Luke needing a new contract.

At least one of Haula or Palat has to go. Ideally both of them, but at least one.

I would be shocked if Dougie is sent out this offseason. That seems like a next year move unless we are doing something crazy with Vancouver and Quinn

I wouldn’t move dougie he’s still very productive for the team everyone is so quick to get rid of him