Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2022-23 season thread part III

[Bleedred]

I won't read it simply because I won't give any writer clicks when they make this crap their profile picture, it screams self importance...

View attachment 619143

I can’t think of who he kind of looks like.

Almost looks like a bald, cowboy hat-less Jim Ross in comic book form.

Or maybe even a bald Hank Hill in comic book form?

 

[bossram]

You pay Bratt the $9+ he wants and move on. Simple as that.

Yes

 

[TrufleShufle]

check out dallas

Or the Devils for most of the season so far.

 

[Bleedred]

Bill has been great. As a “rookie” he sometimes does lean heavily on some cliches or “tidbits” that he will repeat every game, but for a PBP guy just settling into his first permanent gig with a team…he sounds like a seasoned vet. Obviously compared to Cangi and Doc who were with the team for years, Bill’s knowledge of Devils history isn’t extensive yet either, but I’m sure he’ll be a full time expert sooner than later. The guy is a professional and clearly does his homework.

I was shocked to find out he’s only 31 though

He's 31?!

31 going on 55, maybe. "Bill Spaulding" sounds like my goddam financial advisor, not a guy who's younger than me.

I knew he was 30 (I guess he’s since turned 31) because I was looking him up when he was first hired. I didn’t really know what he looked, but I was just trying to find out about him.

He’s got a bit of a “Mature” look about him. I looked up his picture just now and there’s one that’s really not flattering of him and makes him look like I’d say in his 40’s easy.

But looking at him on the broadcasts he looks to be about 35-37 if I had to guess.

I’ve pointed out that him and Dano might be among the largest age disparity among a PBP guy and color commentator in the league right now. Doc and Chico are about the same age. Steve and Dano are about the same. Bill and Dano are close to 30 years apart.

One other big one is Brendan Burke and Butch Goring. They must be even further apart in age. I don’t think Brendan is even 40 and Butch has gotta be nearing 75.

Alex Faust and Jim Fox from the Kings are another big one. Picturing Faust in my head, he looks a little bit younger than Bill, but I’m not sure he’s actually younger than Bill. I doubt he’s 35. He even has a similar vocal style and voice to Bill. Jim Fox has gotta be in his early 60’s.

 

[TBF1972]

There’s a lot of area between mortgaging the future and picking up a rental for a playoff run.

Play out the scenario where Kane forces his way to NJ if he truly wants to be here.

Everyone so scared of trading away anyone. We have 97,000 prospects that ideally will not crack this lineup. Is someone like Walsh worth holding on to when there are legitimately 4 defensemen ahead of him on the prospect list and 4 guys on the big club who aren’t going anywhere?

This team has plenty of depth guys. What they don’t have is a legit finisher.

All the Boqvists in the world can’t do what Kane does.

Some of the reason you build up prospects is to use them in deals.

walsh would be a marginal throw in a trade for kane.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Bratt should want much more than Nico and Jack. Both of them signed well below their market value.

 

[TBF1972]

Whatever raise he'd get would be for NEXT year, not this year. Look at how much money is coming off the books in inconsequential players this summer. As an example, you can pay for like 90% of Meier moving forward with Johnsson/Bernier's money....two guys who havent done literally anything for this team.

And most of the UFAs/RFAs arent going to get huge money, except for maybe Yegor. I think Wood will be gone. Guys like Bastian, Mcleod, etc will make a million or less. Same with Boqvist.

I am just saying. They have plenty of room to add one more "big" contract.

sure, everybody signs minimum contracts, when they contributed to very succesful season.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I'm still not ready to go that far yet. Would've been a damn good team with Gaudreau here as well, but all the success this season has most certainly eased the sting of just missing out on him.

Gaudreau is just not what the Devils need. He's a luxury. Team-building is not just loading up with good players, it's acquiring players who thrive in different roles and combine well. Gaudreau is a possession-type winger, not entirely dissimilar from Bratt. Hughes and Hischier also both like to quarterback the offense. What our three star forwards would benefit more from are interior/power forwards and shooters. Committing 1/7th of the NJ salary cap to a player who excels the most in areas the Devils already are elite in not only makes no sense, it also circumvents the money necessary to acquire a more needed player-type like a (hypothetically of course) Timo Meier or David Pastrnak.

It's a gift from the heavens Gaudreau did not want to play for the Devils.

 

[BostonDevil]

walsh would be a marginal throw in a trade for kane.

Yes. Thrown in Walsh, picks, some other stuff.

If you’re treating this as a rental, which I am, and the condition is that the player is controlling the destination, I’m not sure how much more than marginal the offer would be.

What did they get for Fleury last year? A second with 50% retained? That’s where I’m going with this.

 

[Darkauron]

No way in hell would I take Kane, Toews, or anyone associated with the shit they and their team did for free

 

[Guadana]

I'm too lazy to talk about how stupid it would be to waste assets on Kane or Toews. Too obvious, too on the surface.

 

[Brodeur]

Yes. Thrown in Walsh, picks, some other stuff.

If you’re treating this as a rental, which I am, and the condition is that the player is controlling the destination, I’m not sure how much more than marginal the offer would be.

What did they get for Fleury last year? A second with 50% retained? That’s where I’m going with this.

Goalie market is always a bit different, so maybe not an apples to apples comparison with what Kane might fetch. We'll see if Kane hamstrings Chicago with his destinations but I'd imagine he'd fetch a return closer to what we got for Taylor Hall rather than what Buffalo got for Hall a year later.

 

[None Shall Pass]

TG never left us

 

[BostonDevil]

Goalie market is always a bit different, so maybe not an apples to apples comparison with what Kane might fetch. We'll see if Kane hamstrings Chicago with his destinations but I'd imagine he'd fetch a return closer to what we got for Taylor Hall rather than what Buffalo got for Hall a year later.

Then no. Don't do it.

 

[OrangePort]

We need to play harder in first periods

 

[Captain3rdLine]

After a slow start Hughes is now finally on pace for 100 points with 33 points in 27 games. And about 43 goals.

 

[RSeen]

Unless it’s both a short and long term addition (like Meier), I would refrain from any expensive deadline deals. I’m still of the mindset this team has enough skill. I’d rather see how they fare in the playoffs and put them in every opportunity to succeed.

Fitzgerald definitely owes it to the Devils to grab something at the deadline. I think it would be smarter just to go with a depth forward and a depth defender.

A forward who can reliably come in on the third/fourth line and kill penalties (Cogliano of 3/4 years ago) and RHS defender who is a bottom pairing guy would be my additions (someone like Benning).

I don't think Cogliano or Benning even get playing time on this team. We already have a lot of depth - that is one of our strengths. To me, you add high end pieces or nothing.

Where's Haula

Forgot him. If we do add someone - maybe he is on the 3rd line instead of Zetterlund or Yegor.

 

[Tundra]

I inquire about someone like Roslovic that fits in this team's DNA. But adding JAGs is counterproductive. Only players who move the needle.

 

[Xirik]

John Fischer from the "allabouttheJersey" fan blog did a great and very long article refuting the Stevens hit piece

A Response to Sean Fitz-Gerald’s & The Athletic’s Hatchet Job on Scott Stevens

 

[glenwo2]

We need to play harder in first periods

Oh hi, OrangeDoggo...err, I mean OrangePort.

Welcome aboard.


And we need to NOT SUCK in the first periods.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Depending on the B2B, if Schmid outplays Vanecek on it, I'd probably want to see more games for Schmid to lessen the load on Vanecek. Really hoping one bad Schmid game doesn't also bring back Blackwood into the fold.

 

[Devs3cups]

So, we're officially 1/3 through the season. Here's our recap at all strengths (stats from NST):

CF%: 3rd - 55.28%
SF: 3rd - 942
SA: 3rd - 718
SF%: 2nd - 56.75%
GF%: 2nd - 61.35%
xGF: 2nd - 100.8
xGA: 3rd - 70.92%
xGF%: 2nd - 58.52%
SCF: 3rd - 956
SCA: 5th - 705
SCF%: 3rd - 57.56%
HDCF: 10th - 378
HDCA: 1st - 263
HDCF%: 1st - 58.97%
SV%: 7th - .912%
HDSV%: 12th - .830%

Insane progression from the boys. Some stats went down recently, but that was to be expected. Overall, the team is playing really well and is showing that them being at the top of the league in all these metrics is no fluke. They deserve this.

If the team keeps playing its game with their speed, more good things are to come! Here's to the next 1/3!

 

[glenwo2]

Damn....just noticed.

Boston lost to Arizona?????

So the Devils are still tied for 1st in the league. lol

 

[Guttersniped]

I have a lingering feeling that we should at least prepare for Bratt's name to be on that list. I think he's going to Chucky us and aim for the open market, forcing Fitz's hand. People keep smack talking his agent, but the agent does what the player wants. Every negotiation with this player has been a chore, suggesting that no matter what he brings on the ice and in the locker room, he's going to get (what he considers) his due. We could easily end up with a Makar/MacKinnon situation where the best paid player on the team is far from the best player on the team (in fairness, we're already there with Hamilton/Hughes, but Bratt would likely eclipse Dougie too if he gets what he reportedly wants).

I generally have a bad feeling about our FA situation next summer. Of the UFAs, Tatar, Johnsson and Bernier should all be gone, no questions asked. Haula and Graves I could see Fitz working out deals for, both being his trade aquisitions and core system players in our current team.

Severson is tricky. He'll want term, and even if he's taken a dive to 3rd pairing D, and he'll want UFA RHD money (see also Pulock, Weegar). Someone's going to give him that. Similarly, Wood is playing his way into a 5x5 deal from some Du(m)bas(s), and there is no way in hell we should be giving that man five million American dollars per year, least of all for several years.

And then there's the heap of RFAs. Bratt, see above. I hope I'm wrong, but everything I see, read and hear tells me otherwise. Bratt is gonna Zach on us. Blackwood should be let go and not qualified. Trade his rights to Alberta for a fifth. Rango, Zetterlund and Bahl are no-brainers in my world, all should be renewed, especially the forwards. Bahl should remain as Severson/Smith insurance, unless he's expecting a huge deal.

That leaves Boqvist, Bastian and McLeod, and this is where the tough conversations begin. If Wood is gone, how much is left of the dynamic of the BMW line? Can we count on McLeod long term (looking at you, Hockey Canada)? How many of them are trade bait or part of the Bratt package for Meier (boom, there it is)? I can easily see the third and fourth line being 3 to 5 players changed next season.

I think this team is going to look radically different next season. So far, Fitz has given me zero reason not to trust him, and the summer after next we only have Mercer and Schmid coming up, so we're pretty set to make long term moves.

There it is, my FA predictions. Save for future humiliation/praise.

Severson is for sure a goner, not sure what’s tricky about that unless you’re referring to keeping a UFA and then letting him walk.

“but Bratt would likely eclipse Dougie too if he gets what he reportedly wants”

Do you know the number Bratt reportedly wants because I don’t remember that actually being reported.

 

[Guttersniped]

There's a difference between "Hits like those common in the 90s are bad for the NHL" and "Stevens is a bad player for laying those hits" that I usually try to draw in discussions.

Because pretending stevens was a particularly dirty player for his era is hella revisionist, but I also hope we move to a league where dudes don't lose careers over concussions.

The article doesn’t say he’s a dirty player for that era at all. He lists players he hits, how some of the hits could be seen as borderline and their after effects but he lets others judge Stevens.

The article makes it clear that Steven’s contemporaries, including his hit victims, don’t see them as dirty hits.

Poulin did not blame Stevens for the attempt. None of the contemporaries contacted for this story hold any ill will toward the defenseman for the way he played — nor for the damage he inflicted — because they say it was just the reality of the sport in their era.

This paragraph isn’t just an aside, those players say this more explicitly later in the piece.

It is a story about the hits, and the players who were hit too. I don’t see that as wrong. These 99 articles focus on one aspect and infamous big hits are first thing that gets mentioned whenever Stevens get brought up.

And the legacy of those hits are tarnished in the sense that they aren’t enjoyable anymore, at least for me. The doctor’s quotes just reflect that. Stevens headhunted in the playoffs, that happened, and it should be seen as relic of a different time. I thought it was a bit heavy handed with the presentation of the doctor’s quotes but I get the point.

I will say throwing in a brief summary of the Capitals rape case was awkward as hell. Maybe the feeling was it’s topical but Toews got a chipper entry with no Kyle Beach reference. But that was written by their fawning Hawks beat writer with help from Dom for the stat info. The case is too disturbing just to jam in their like that, particularly since the rest of the article revolves around the hits.