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

[Mr Bojanglez]

No way. You would've gotten a mutiny in the locker room if they sold at the deadline this year.

This isn't a video game where you can tank for a year and then sign every free agent. Even if the playoff push seemed pointless and a first round loss inevitable, it does show a good culture which means free agents are more likely to sign here for less this summer and players are more likely to waive their NTC to come here (or to force a trade here.....hint hint QHughes). Going to have a harder time to convince Dougie and Palat to leave tho, as they probably want to remain part of the future.

We absolutely needed to make the playoffs this year. Heck even from a financial point of view the owners probably needed to see some extra profit.

 

[forceten]

I don’t see any NMC on capwages for Kova…

 

[Edmonton East]

The issue with Kovacevic isn’t if the contract is bad. It’s that it wasn’t necessary and money could be used betelsrwhere

Although I'd argue the full NMC in the context of the rest of the roster did make it a bad contract. Fitz boxed himself in yet again.

 

[JimEIV]

Quinn missed 14 games this season
Jack missed 20 games this season
Luke missed 11 games this season

Imagine having all 3?

 

[HoliksGhost]

Quinn missed 14 games this season
Jack missed 20 games this season
Luke missed 11 games this season

Imagine having all 3?

View attachment 1027301Boys need to bulk up or have metal plates installed during surgery

 

[Edmonton East]

We absolutely needed to make the playoffs this year. Heck even from a financial point of view the owners probably needed to see some extra profit.

They own the trash 76ers and just committed to a multi-billion $$$ stadium for the Commies in DC. Zero chance the owners demanded playoff profits as an influential factor. Rounding error for them.

And no, team didn't NEED to make the playoffs this year (post Hughes injury) more than they NEED to be able to get out of the 1st round before Nico needs an extension.

 

[Nocashstyle]

Quinn missed 14 games this season
Jack missed 20 games this season
Luke missed 11 games this season

Imagine having all 3?

View attachment 1027301

Even with the missing games, they collectively put up 190 points this year

 

[Billdo]

Quinn missed 14 games this season
Jack missed 20 games this season
Luke missed 11 games this season

Imagine having all 3?

View attachment 1027301

Excellent work. Perhaps all three of them together will form some sort of invisible shield and protect them. Like the trios energy keeps them safe and Quinn's the missing link.

 

[Billdo]

Although I'd argue the full NMC in the context of the rest of the roster did make it a bad contract. Fitz boxed himself in yet again.

Wait, Kovacevic got a 5 year NMC based off three months of solid hockey?

 

[Better Call Sal]

And no, team didn't NEED to make the playoffs this year (post Hughes injury) more than they NEED to be able to get out of the 1st round before Nico needs an extension.

How do you figure they do that without making the playoffs first?

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

https://puckpedia.com/player/johnathan-kovacevic

Full NTC Yrs 1-2; then 10 team no trade list Yrs 3-5

 

[thebeernerd]

thats why i think they should give allen a serious look when he says what it will take to keep him. hes a guy that can play good enough during a long injury cover or just can get on heaters himself

The goaltending market is awful this offseason and he’s going to get money that we should hold on to for something else. Let him leave.

 

[forceten]

https://puckpedia.com/player/johnathan-kovacevic

Full NTC Yrs 1-2; then 10 team no trade list Yrs 3-5

That’s insane. So all the defense is on some form of NMC? They aren’t assets if we can’t trade them if the opportunity exists. This is fireable.

 

[longislanddevil]

Seems like I’m in the minority but I’ve liked what I have seen out of Daws when up with the big club. I’m completely fine with a tandem of Markstrom and Daws. Then again, I’d don’t see the former falling off a cliff just yet. If you do, I can totally see why this duo would not invoke much confidence.

The Devils are going to be right up against the Cap when it’s all said and done. The delta between the contracts of Allen and Daws could be 2-3m and that is a significant number. It’s now or never for Daws. I’m ready to roll with him in a backup capacity.

 

[JimEIV]

Even with the missing games, they collectively put up 190 points this year

It's great when it's available...Kinda like Cadbury Eggs... You never really know when they're available...you get excited when they come out but there gone before you know it...

I mean not me , I don't care for those disgusting things...but I hear people like them

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

I'm not convinced Dougie or Siege were 100% ready to go, their conditioning was certainly not ready and ESPECIALLY not ready for the workhorse performances they had to put in once bodies started dropping.

Dougie was pretty meh before his injury also though

 

[Edmonton East]

How do you figure they do that without making the playoffs first?

At time of trade deadline, how do you figure a team that had played at a 75pt pace since Christmas with Jack Hughes was gonna win a playoff series without him? This "for the morale" argument is even funnier considering this very team had an incredible playoff run to "build off of" in 2017....and promptly followed it up with essentially 4 lotto seasons. That team at least earned the right to be a buyer by overachieving and playing their balls off.

Again, keeping Kovacevic on a sweetheart deal was fine. Instead they overpaid him and gave out another NMC instead of getting a 1st+ or a decent forward prospect. In a lost season. With obvious more glaring needs. With relatively few trade chips for the offseason. Multiple holes at forward and a bottom 5 forward prospect pool.

And yet the same people remain mystified and disappointed when this team isn't a contender year after year. If that was the cost to extend Kovacevic, a competent GM would have made the difficult decision to move him considering other roster needs and the sellers market. End of story.

 

[NJDevs26]

What does have to do with the regular season? Lol, if you have an injury that's exactly why you'd play Casey in the lineup and then you could even have guys like Luke worry about 5v5 and elsewhere if Casey can manage PP1 and that's where he gets his mins.

And when the hell did they play Casey in the regular season this year? Even the dead rubber games he never really got run after the first handful of games this year

 

[TrufleShufle]

It's great when it's available...Kinda like Cadbury Eggs... You never really know when they're available...you get excited when they come out but there gone before you know it...

I mean not me , I don't care for those disgusting things...but I hear people like them

You strike me more as a McRib guy, should have went with that.

 

[Billdo]

https://puckpedia.com/player/johnathan-kovacevic

Full NTC Yrs 1-2; then 10 team no trade list Yrs 3-5

That's... not ideal.

 

[Ekiru]

https://puckpedia.com/player/johnathan-kovacevic

Full NTC Yrs 1-2; then 10 team no trade list Yrs 3-5

The Full NTC ending after year 2 seems like it fits exactly with my plans for Casey; love the deal, even if others dont

Have to hope he's okay post-surgery now

Edit: plus, just a gut feeling, Kovacevic doesnt strike me as a guy whod spurn the team who gave him his big chance and contract; could see that M-NTC waived

 

[NJDevs26]

lol @ Kovacevic signing 3x3 after the season he had. Just comedy to expect that as even a remote possibility.

Let's see what UFA signs 3x3 this offseason. Will anybody sign a deal even close to that? I kinda doubt it.

He wouldn’t have signed at 3-3 but you could have literally given him the exact same deal you gave him two months ago in July before he got hurt, at worst. We didn’t get him at a discount nor was he a long term necessity, those are the times you sign players early

 

[JimEIV]

You strike me more as a McRib guy, should have went with that.

I'm not much of a fast food guy...never really have been.

I could've used a really good mayfly analogy...Green Drakes, they mostly only last about 2 weeks but nobody would've known what I was talking about.

They sure are pretty though.

 

[TrufleShufle]

Also, having 3 Hughes is to solve the same issue I have with tape measurers. I have multiple around me when working on something because I don't think I've ever put one down in my life and have it been where I thought it was. They all just constantly disappear and reappear, but as long as I have enough, I'll always have one.

 

[glenwo2]

Courtesy of Todd Cordell (Infernal Access) :


The New Jersey Devils won’t play another meaningful hockey game for more than five months and there is a long runway to prepare for the draft, free agency, and the like.

Thus, I’m going to look (slightly) back and share some takeaways from the shot contributions data I tracked in the opening round.

Keep in mind that these numbers only factor in 5v5 play.

Forwards​

New Jersey’s star wingers certainly showed up for the series. Jesper Bratt skated on a line with Dawson Mercer and Erik Haula – the lesser set of top-6 linemates – and was tasked with playing the Jack Hughes role, doing all the heavy lifting through the neutral zone while facilitating everything in the final third. Clearly, he did a great job. (despite what some guy named Jim thinks; yes, I added that)

Bratt was directly responsible for the creation of more shot attempts than anybody on the roster and helped Dawson Mercer and Erik Haula elevate their games to a level we haven’t seen all year long.

I mean, Mercer went from 4-4.5 shot contributions per game over the last two regular seasons to nearly seven. He worked his ass off – and deserves credit for his improved play – but it’s safe to say Bratt had a healthy hand in that.

I mean, look at those shot assist numbers. Ondrej Palat was the only player in the same universe as Bratt and he spent a lot of his time playing with the team’s leading goal scorer in the playoffs and the team’s leading shot generator.

Sticking with the latter, Meier definitely played his part in this series. He generated a ton of shot volume and a lot of it came from high-danger areas.

He took plenty of heat for squandering chances over the first couple of games but it says a lot he led the entire series – I’m talking sole possession – in 5v5 points and all the talk is about how he didn’t do enough.

Would it have been nice for him to tuck in a couple more goals? You bet! But, overall, he showed up, he produced, and he was one of the main reasons most of the games were competitive.

Cody Glass and Paul Cotter didn’t fare half bad in terms of volume. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of quality. That line struggled to get to the middle of the ice and cause havoc around the net.

Stefan Noesen is not a big volume guy – and never will be – but generating less than Nathan Bastian is a big yikes. I was really disappointed with his playoffs.

The rest is probably what you’d expect.