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

[Bleedred]

They shouldn't re-sign Bastian. There's a lot of UFA's in the bottom six. Let them all walk. Maybe Sprong? Glass is an RFA, I wouldn't make his qualifying offer. Not as a 4C. Try to sign him on a cheaper contract.

I honestly don't think we will.

We haven't re-signed a UFA Bastian type/4th liner since Lou re-signed Steve Bernier in 2014, with the exception of MacDermid last year.

I can't remember a UFA aged 4th liner that was re-signed in the SheroFitz era.

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

isn't that kinda on the player too?

If the player isn't progressing within 5 seasons you trade him. The player just plays, the GM needs to decide whether the player contributes to the team or not.

 

[MadDevil]

For some reason I was surprised Bastian is 27. I thought he was still like 25 lol

I'd be fine with keeping him as a depth forward but I'm also good walking away from all the bottom 6 UFAs.

 

[Zippy316]

For some reason I was surprised Bastian is 27. I thought he was still like 25 lol

I'd be fine with keeping him as a depth forward but I'm also good walking away from all the bottom 6 UFAs.

Bastian not being a center makes him extremely redundant. Save the money, sign someone to 4C, and just rotate through guys like Legare, Gruden, and Halonen in that 4RW opposite Cotter.

I wouldn’t hate re-signing Lazar or Dowling, but it should be with the expectation of playing most, if not all of the year, in the AHL and being the first call up.

 

[vtdevils2k]

Kyle Conner is the guy the Devils need....there's zero chance we can get him...we all wish

 

[jkrdevil]

For some reason I was surprised Bastian is 27. I thought he was still like 25 lol

I'd be fine with keeping him as a depth forward but I'm also good walking away from all the bottom 6 UFAs.

That’s probably because he only has 5 years of service and started in the league at 22.

He’s a clear move on guy given the lack or production and the potential off ice situation.

 

[Better Call Sal]

What do you guys think about Halonen? He had a really solid year, maybe he can add some speed and scoring pop to the bottom 6.

He definitely deserves a chance sooner than later. He’s shown he can score at the AHL level and he’s already 26, so if not now then when?

Haula's annoying because the start of the year and the end of the year he had 21 pts in 41 games. Then there's the gigantic 28 games scoreless stretch in the middle... One of those guys is perfectly fine being on your 3rd line. The other doesn't belong in the NHL. IF that middle portion of the year he was so bad because of the injury maybe you could take the risk on Haula as a 3rd line guy but I think that's only if you really bolster the rest of the forward group. I'd like to be able to slide Bratt down to the 3rd line and I think if you were in a position to do that maybe you could have Haula there.

Don’t know if it ever got confirmed during the season, but Haula confirmed in his exit interview that he had a high ankle sprain when he got injured and that it was nagging at times even when he returned. I wonder if he can come back in a better position next year if fully healthy, because those always do seem to linger for a period of time.

I still feel he can be of use given his ability to play center and wing. Might just be wishful thinking but I don’t think he’s fully cooked just yet.

 

[JimEIV]

He definitely deserves a chance sooner than later. He’s shown he can score at the AHL level and he’s already 26, so if not now then when?



Don’t know if it ever got confirmed during the season, but Haula confirmed in his exit interview that he had a high ankle sprain when he got injured and that it was nagging at times even when he returned. I wonder if he can come back in a better position next year if fully healthy, because those always do seem to linger for a period of time.

I still feel he can be of use given his ability to play center and wing. Might just be wishful thinking but I don’t think he’s fully cooked just yet.

I didn't know about the ankle sprain.

 

[JimEIV]

That’s probably because he only has 5 years of service and started in the league at 22.

He’s a clear move on guy given the lack or production and the potential off ice situation.

Off ice situation?

 

[McDuffz88]

Fitz has some major work to do. As much as people hate on Palat/Haula they're the least of my worries. I have no issue with Palat on the 4th line & Haula as extra center depth which is always needed. Must needs though is a legit high end 3rd line center who can bring both offense and defense to that line. We also need two top 6 wingers. One of which I prefer to have the ability to play center or take faceoffs for Hughes & his shoulder injury. Most of the bottom 6 is gone from contracts ending.
Grits-Nico-Meier
Xxxx/Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Xxxx-Mercer
Cotter-Glass-Noeson
Haula
If we can fill those holes we would be stacked. This also means Grits needs to walk in and be productive. At the very least the 4th line is more than solid and having Haula as an extra is fine. Having Palat on the 3rd isn't ideal but tbh he holds his own just fine. Just don't expect a lot of points out of him.

 

[JimEIV]

Winnipeg needs to call a plumber, they got a leak

Edit: Lol wrong thread but who cares.

 

[Devils731]

Haula confirmed in his exit interview that he had a high ankle sprain when he got injured and that it was nagging at times even when he returned.

There was someone who used Edge stats and you could see how brutal his skating was after the injury and that by season’s end he had gotten most of his speed back and his effectiveness went back up.

 

[Ekiru]

He definitely deserves a chance sooner than later. He’s shown he can score at the AHL level and he’s already 26, so if not now then when?



Don’t know if it ever got confirmed during the season, but Haula confirmed in his exit interview that he had a high ankle sprain when he got injured and that it was nagging at times even when he returned. I wonder if he can come back in a better position next year if fully healthy, because those always do seem to linger for a period of time.

I still feel he can be of use given his ability to play center and wing. Might just be wishful thinking but I don’t think he’s fully cooked just yet.

Dont think we can afford to spend time or money finding out. This is now 2/3rds of his time here hes been pretty awful and injured; its becoming a consistent problem

I dont often hold firm stances but moving on from Haula, for me, is non-negotiable. If he's here next season, and its not as 4C, then I can only imagine the offseason went horribly.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Winnipeg needs to call a plumber, they got a leak

Edit: Lol wrong thread but who cares.

He was almost our goalie in 2023 so don't fault you lol

 

[njdevils1982]

He definitely deserves a chance sooner than later. He’s shown he can score at the AHL level and he’s already 26, so if not now then when?



Don’t know if it ever got confirmed during the season, but Haula confirmed in his exit interview that he had a high ankle sprain when he got injured and that it was nagging at times even when he returned. I wonder if he can come back in a better position next year if fully healthy, because those always do seem to linger for a period of time.

I still feel he can be of use given his ability to play center and wing. Might just be wishful thinking but I don’t think he’s fully cooked just yet.

can confirm that it's a nagging injury that takes a while to get better. i remember one soccer season i played with one... it sucked large

 

[dzubrus8]

Idk I think waiving Urbom being the catalyst of the collapse of humanity was the last time this board was united on a topic

I still find my mind wandering into an alternate universe where the team didn’t lose Urbom to waivers for a few months and won several more Cups

 

[dzubrus8]

If that is what Nashville was asking, I’d have hung up the phone immediately. What a ridiculous ask if it was Nemec, Mercer and a 1st for a 34 year old player. GTFO!! Can’t make this stuff up.

When you consider what JT Miller - a far superior player - got in exchange this is unjustifiable. Glad they passed

 

[BahlDeep]

I never understood what is so appealing with Bastian.

He's slow, has no hands, can't shoot, etc.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I never understood what is so appealing with Bastian.

He's slow, has no hands, can't shoot, etc.

He used to show some soft hands around the net, but it feels like he’s brought less the past two seasons. I don’t know if it’s from the various injuries he’s suffered or not, but aside from being defensively responsible, he doesn’t bring much else to the table.

 

[devsfan8]

I certainly would not bank on Arseni Gritsyuk being the answer/solution to scoring help next season. The kid is by NO means a lock. The last time we signed someone from the K was Nikita Gusev. We remember how well that went .

The kid will get his chance in camp to prove himself. But outside help certainly should take presidence being a win now team.

Also. Any one of Lazar, Nate, Bastian, Dowling would make fine 13th/14th forwards who travel with the team and step in when needed. But none of them should be in the starting 12

 

[Hisch13r]

I certainly would not bank on Arseni Gritsyuk being the answer/solution to scoring help next season. The kid is by NO means a lock. The last time we signed someone from the A was Nikita Gusev. We remember how well that went .

The kid will get his chance in camp to prove himself. But outside help certainly should take presidence being a win now team.

Also. Any one of Lazar, Nate, Bastian, Dowling would make fine 13th/14th forwards who travel with the team and step in when needed. But none of them should be in the starting 12

Gusev couldn’t skate and still managed to be productive that first year. Gritsyuk should be at least a 3rd line scorer

 

[Hisch13r]

Fitz has some major work to do. As much as people hate on Palat/Haula they're the least of my worries. I have no issue with Palat on the 4th line & Haula as extra center depth which is always needed. Must needs though is a legit high end 3rd line center who can bring both offense and defense to that line. We also need two top 6 wingers. One of which I prefer to have the ability to play center or take faceoffs for Hughes & his shoulder injury. Most of the bottom 6 is gone from contracts ending.
Grits-Nico-Meier
Xxxx/Hughes-Bratt
Palat-Xxxx-Mercer
Cotter-Glass-Noeson
Haula
If we can fill those holes we would be stacked. This also means Grits needs to walk in and be productive. At the very least the 4th line is more than solid and having Haula as an extra is fine. Having Palat on the 3rd isn't ideal but tbh he holds his own just fine. Just don't expect a lot of points out of him.

I think the most difficult part about this summer is just moving Dougie to clear the space. I don’t think addressing the forwards with with 9-13 mil is a super difficult task.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

Devs can extend Markstrom this summer. Would you extend him and if so for how much? I would do two more years at the same salary, not sure he would take that, however.

Devils' Jacob Markstrom Shares Thoughts On Potential Extension

During this past off-season, the New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. This move was undoubtedly needed for the Devils, as they had serious goaltending troubles during the 2023-24 campaign. Thus, adding a star between the pipes like Markstrom was massive...

www.yahoo.com

Now that the season is over, eyes should be on Markstrom this summer. The 35-year-old goaltender will be in the final season of his contract in 2025-26, which means that he will soon be eligible to sign a contract extension with the Devils. When speaking to team reporter Amanda Stein, the 2008 second-round pick made it clear that he is open to the idea of signing an extension with New Jersey.

"If Fitzy is calling, I'm answering." Markstrom said.

 

[Ripshot 43]

I never understood what is so appealing with Bastian.

He's slow, has no hands, can't shoot, etc.

I have a feeling a lot of us grew to like Bastian like how it’s cool to have brothers on the same team. Drafting the good friends together and them both making the same team was a unique connection. Might be time to move on.

 

[Guadana]

I certainly would not bank on Arseni Gritsyuk being the answer/solution to scoring help next season. The kid is by NO means a lock. The last time we signed someone from the A was Nikita Gusev. We remember how well that went .

The kid will get his chance in camp to prove himself. But outside help certainly should take presidence being a win now team.

Also. Any one of Lazar, Nate, Bastian, Dowling would make fine 13th/14th forwards who travel with the team and step in when needed. But none of them should be in the starting 12

The best thing you can have for this amount of money is Gritsyuk. Devils didn’t have better offensive prospect all that time, they will have no opportunity on the market for this money. Gusev, even being better mind and hands(it’s not a low bar, he has better mind and hands than absolutely the most nhl players), still had no skates and physicallity. Gritsyuk is a good skater and good on the boards. Devils should give an opportunity for a player like him. Guys like Marchenko, Kuzmenko doing well. Even Tsyplakov, who never was a player on Gritsyuk level, is doing well for his role.
Gritsyuk will be a scoring help and Devils should have a roster spot for him and partners for him. Because if they think that Gritsyuk will produce on the third line with Glass as his center - they are wrong.

Gusev with his 44 points in 66 games would be top 6 player this season. And may be would even help in pp in reduced role. At least would be more impactful than Cholowski.

Devils should worry about third line center. Glass isn’t the answer.