Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2023 offseason part II

[Homedresser]

Looks li

also in there, Lebrun says that NJ might be willing to trade for Hellebyuck without an extension in place. I don't think we'd heard that before. Hm

looks like Fitz is in fact looking to upgrade the goaltending. I'm guessing he watched the playoffs too.

 

[Devs3cups]

Ruff’s an actual legend for this lmfao

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

 

[NJDevs26]

Looks li

looks like Fitz is in fact looking to upgrade the goaltending. I'm guessing he watched the playoffs too.

Hellybuck as a rental make a lot of sense since you don't necessarily want to just hand Schmid an everyday role at 23 years old with a team expected to make a deep playoff run. But I have faith in Schmid long-term...two games in Carolina when he was gassed after five intense first-round games on an every other day schedule doesn't outweigh his other 25 at the NHL level this year.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Stirring, even in the moving logistics.

 

[Oneiro]

Stirring, even in the moving logistics.

U-Haula

 

[Devs3cups]

 

[Guttersniped]

I don't know if I'd call it him naturally being passive. I don't think he tries to play passively. He just doesn't think the game well enough to put himself in the right spots to be anything but passive. When you are constantly out of position and incapable of reading defenses, you will look passive because you are thinking the game two steps behind everyone else. It's the same reason people think he's a bad skater. He's not a bad skater (he's about average), but because he's constantly out of position, he never gets to effectively use his skating.

I hate to bring up some bad apples, but there's a pretty bad trend of players who get drafted really high solely because of their shot turning into, at the bare minimum, dissappointments. Kieffer Bellows, Owen Tippett, Oliver Wahlstrom, Alex Holtz. The guys who haven't had infinitely better all around games and have translated extremely well, namely Cole Caufield and Jack Quinn. Both of those players not only arguably had the best shots in the draft, but had quick releases and could score in a variety of ways. They were the best goal scorers. It is way more important to be a good goal scorer than a good shooter. Being a good shooter means nothing unless you really know how to use your shot. It's easy to light it up in Juniors having a crazy shot because you will naturally have more lanes open up because of worse defense and easier goalies to score on. Doesn't really help with developing that game sense for creating shots for yourself at a higher level.

He doesn’t think the game two steps slower than those players, he has a different approach to the game.

Unfortunately that approach isn’t as NHL friendly. He’s far from a clueless player.

Quinn is great, he drives plays and is two-player on a team that sorely lacks them. I liked Jarvis way more before the draft but Quinn looks like he could be the better player.

Caulfield never plays any defense ever, he’s just the best shooter of last several drafts. If he wasn’t a midget he would be a guaranteed superstar.

 

[glenwo2]

View attachment 720761

Amazing..just...amazing.

 

[Guttersniped]

View attachment 720761

Getting that kid in skates as early as possible like a good Finn.

 

[Devs3cups]

Getting that kid in skates as early as possible like a good Finn.

I expect him at the prospects camp in 2 years tops!

 

[JrFischer54]

also in there, Lebrun says that NJ might be willing to trade for Hellebyuck without an extension in place. I don't think we'd heard that before. Hmm...

100% fine trading for buck without an extension. It will drive the price down like it did with Timo. If the devils did trade for him unsigned I have no doubt they would be able to ink him to a deal

 

[JrFischer54]

Schmid might be better than Bucky as soon as this year.

Is anyone even entertaining the idea of signing a 30 year old goaltender to a contract of any length > 5 years... At $9m? This guy has never been Vasilevskiy and when the defense in front of him isn't great he kinda folds. Especially in the playoffs.

We all saw Vegas win with Hill.

But what about all of the other teams that almost did it with the Andersen's, Raantas, Skinners, Lyons, grubauer, Brossoit, Korpisalo, Woll, Wedgewood, Copley etc.

The likely Vezina guy and Shesterkin and sorokin out in round 1.

Yeah hill won but like you said all those other “no name” lost including us. Soooooooo hill winning isn’t the be all end all proof that people think it is.

Did sorokin or Igor lose their series for their teams or did the teams lose it for them?

 

[MasterofGrond]

if we trade for buck it should be as a rental only. Don’t sign goalies above 30 to big or long deals, it’s 2023

 

[NjDevsRR]

U-Haula

 

[OlfactoryHughes]

Holtz had such a strange year last year. Making it really hard to evaluate his game. So I’m surprised so many of you have such definitive takes on him.

Felt like the Devils wanted to immerse him in the NHL experience without actually playing him. Wasted so much time as a healthy scratch as opposed to actually playing games in the AHL.

Which makes me think they believe in him more then “we” do. It’s known that he needs a shot at a top 6 roll, and with the log jam we had on the wings last year, (Bratt, timo, Shara, Tatar, Mercer, huala, palat) Holtz never really got that shot. Yet they kept him with the big club until he asked to go play.

Maybe they were trying to protect his value, so they can use him as a trade chip, but after ppg in the ahl the previous year, seems like having him play well down there wouldn’t have hurt. So I’m left thinking the organization thinks he’ll make the most of the opportunity this year and make this team.

If he survives the summer. Time will tell, hoping for a big camp from him.

I am an extreme optimist tho, so who knows

 

[Camille the Eel]

Had not realized that Lazar is under contract for 2 more years at 1 million per season.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Holtz had such a strange year last year. Making it really hard to evaluate his game. So I’m surprised so many of you have such definitive takes on him.

Felt like the Devils wanted to immerse him in the NHL experience without actually playing him. Wasted so much time as a healthy scratch as opposed to actually playing games in the AHL.

Which makes me think they believe in him more then “we” do. It’s known that he needs a shot at a top 6 roll, and with the log jam we had on the wings last year, (Bratt, timo, Shara, Tatar, Mercer, huala, palat) Holtz never really got that shot. Yet they kept him with the big club until he asked to go play.

Maybe they were trying to protect his value, so they can use him as a trade chip, but after ppg in the ahl the previous year, seems like having him play well down there wouldn’t have hurt. So I’m left thinking the organization thinks he’ll make the most of the opportunity this year and make this team.

If he survives the summer. Time will tell, hoping for a big camp from him.

I am an extreme optimist tho, so who knows

He’s just 21 years old right? If he picks up his battle level along the boards and commits to a good standard defensive game as well as being a sniper, he should have a good NHL career. Has the scoring touch to put up 30 goals some day and also sees the ice and moves the puck very well. It’s rounding out his two way and checking game that is the issue. When challenged in the last couple seasons he’s looked behind the game with a deer in the headlights air. That’s also where he’s got to improve.

 

[OlfactoryHughes]

He’s just 21 years old right? If he picks up his battle level along the boards and commits to a good standard defensive game as well as being a sniper, he should have a good NHL career. Has the scoring touch to put up 30 goals some day and also sees the ice and moves the puck very well. It’s rounding out his two way and checking game that is the issue. When challenged in the last couple seasons he’s looked behind the game with a deer in the headlights air. That’s also where he’s got to improve.

Like many 20 year olds when they get their first taste of the big leagues. I’ma stay confident he figures it out and carves out a nice career.

 

[Triumph]

Holtz had such a strange year last year. Making it really hard to evaluate his game. So I’m surprised so many of you have such definitive takes on him.

Felt like the Devils wanted to immerse him in the NHL experience without actually playing him. Wasted so much time as a healthy scratch as opposed to actually playing games in the AHL.

I don't think this was their plan. They figured they would have more injuries, but Palat and Bastian are really the only guys who missed significant time. Zetterlund also kinda stole Holtz's spot; he played well enough that it was difficult to dislodge him from the lineup.

Which makes me think they believe in him more then “we” do. It’s known that he needs a shot at a top 6 roll, and with the log jam we had on the wings last year, (Bratt, timo, Shara, Tatar, Mercer, huala, palat) Holtz never really got that shot. Yet they kept him with the big club until he asked to go play.

Maybe they were trying to protect his value, so they can use him as a trade chip, but after ppg in the ahl the previous year, seems like having him play well down there wouldn’t have hurt. So I’m left thinking the organization thinks he’ll make the most of the opportunity this year and make this team.

If he survives the summer. Time will tell, hoping for a big camp from him.

I am an extreme optimist tho, so who knows

I don't think keeping Holtz up protected his value. I think they wanted him in the NHL because they thought they would need him, and they ended up lucky enough that they didn't.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Getting that kid in skates as early as possible like a good Finn.

Hell, he’s almost at the age where he could be involved in a Keith Kinkaid trade.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Had not realized that Lazar is under contract for 2 more years at 1 million per season.

Yeah I found that out a few days after the trade. Made it a little better. We need cheap bodies in the bottom 6 and he can play center.

 

[njdevils6]

wouldn't it be a good idea for the devils o call on Ullmark Boston needs some space

 

[Normal Devil]

They need to give Holtz a spot somewhere in that lineup and let the kid play. The way he was utilized last year was shaky. If it becomes clear that the light is not coming on then ship him out of ship him down.

 

[Nubmer6]

wouldn't it be a good idea for the devils o call on Ullmark Boston needs some space

Ya, was wondering that too, although he has pretty bad playoff stats.