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

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Paying McLeod double when a capable replacement is in house would be something Lou would do post salary cap and what he’s literally done on the Islanders. Pageau makes like 2M than Haula and I’m sure every Islanders fan would take Haulas deal at this point. You don’t win cups by overpaying bottom 6, maybe after but definitely not before. We also did it with Palat arguably, not trying to make it worse with McLeod and any of these guys.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Same .Side note , Sprong seemed to score on us every single time we played against him … him and Bjorkstrand …

Ugh bjorkstrand is another player I love

Re: mikey

I wish people who stop saying he plays a responsible game. He doesn’t. Team objectively bleeds chances whenever he’s on the ice at even strength.

 

[Csonked Out]

Zero interest in paying more than $2 million for a 4th line center who can’t score.

 

[Bleedred]

Paying McLeod double when a capable replacement is in house would be something Lou would do post salary cap and what he’s literally done on the Islanders. Pageau makes like 2M than Haula and I’m sure every Islanders fan would take Haulas deal at this point. You don’t win cups by overpaying bottom 6, maybe after but definitely not before. We also did it with Palat arguably, not trying to make it worse with McLeod and any of these guys.

Agree with this.

But I think it's fine to keep him for a couple more years. But it has to come for a certain price.

I never saw him as someone that would be here past his UFA years or at least not more than maybe one year into his UFA years, if any at all.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Studenic not qualified

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Studenic not qualified

Too slow especially if they bring back Bastian

 

[Bleedred]

Studenic reminds me of some dude that DD would gush over and then rush in here to give us the news every time he scores a goal or something. Which scoring a goal is something he's done a grand total of one time in the NHL since not being a Devil.

And then tell us how Fitz made a really bad move, and maybe even throw in how he could possibly thrive somewhere, but Pete stifled him in Dallas.

Way to make a DD spoof post without actually making a DD spoof post, right?

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

by the way, I also think the "McLeod was great in the playoffs" stuff is overblown. He had a couple of key plays, and obviously the huge goal in game 7, but here are his ranks among our forwards that played in the playoffs at 5 on 5

CF%: 11th
xGF%: 11th
HDCF%: 12th

out of 14.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

McLeod receives irrational love because his best skill is faceoffs and he's a 6'2 Canadian.

If he had one other skill better than his faceoffs he'd be a good NHL player, instead of a pretty replaceable one. And unfortunately Ruff is a dinosaur, and willingly puts out Mikey in OT for faceoffs for one extra faceoff win every 20 tries.

One extra faceoff win every 20 tries?

McLeod was a +60% faceoff taker but youre insinuating he only won 5% of his OT faceoffs?

Im with @bossram at this point; its like a bunch of schoolchildren making arguments at this point

Should I even bother explaining how what you said is entirely fabricated? I mean I know fans can be woefully ignorant sometimes but now were just making up lies about McLeod? Lmfao

 

[RCPXP]

Let's say we play 20 overtime games in the regular season. A generous estimate says McLeod wins 13 of 20 opening faceoffs. A conservative estimate says Haula or Hischier win 10. Assuming possession leads to goals, that's 3 standings points. Is that really worth paying a premium for?

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

One extra faceoff win every 20 tries?

McLeod was a +60% faceoff taker but youre insinuating he only won 5% of his OT faceoffs?

Im with @bossram at this point; its like a bunch of schoolchildren making arguments at this point

Should I even bother explaining how what you said is entirely fabricated? I mean I know fans can be woefully ignorant sometimes but now were just making up lies about McLeod? Lmfao

there are (VERY ROUGHLY) 20 faceoffs per period, so 60 per game, on average.

A 60% faceoff guy (the best of the best) would win 36/60

A 45% faceoff guy (well below league average) would win 27/60

so thats 3 faceoff wins extra per period on the best of the best vs. a below average guy. It really is meaningless.

Let's say we play 20 overtime games in the regular season. A generous estimate says McLeod wins 13 of 20 opening faceoffs. A conservative estimate says Haula or Hischier win 10. Assuming possession leads to goals, that's 3 standings points. Is that really worth paying a premium for?

you are also assuming that faceoff win = 100% OT win which is obviously not the case.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

It all wont matter when McLeod is unfortunately a part of that Team Canada saga - but today has been an embarrassing display of arguments against McLeod and his standing as a good fourth liner

This is why nobody takes the advanced stats-only crowd seriously - Nate '18pt career high' Bastian is a much better 4th liner than McLeod because some charts say so lmfao, yet one of the two was protected and the other let go and then waived back; gee, talk about expendable huh

 

[HersheyBob27]

Its not about wanting to start with McLeod, its about him being a worthwhile selection in that position

If Hischier is out for a game and we go to OT, McLeod is gonna get a look

In no situation ever would Bastian get a look in overtime. Thats how McLeod is more important

Nate doesn’t get used 3 on 3 overtime but who cares regular season. In the playoffs he definitely played OT and thats a million times more important

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

there are (VERY ROUGHLY) 20 faceoffs per period, so 60 per game, on average.

A 60% faceoff guy would win 36/60

A 45% faceoff guy (below league average) would win 27/60

so thats 3 faceoff wins extra per period on the best of the best vs. a below average guy. It really is meaningless.



you are also assuming that faceoff win = 100% OT win which is obviously not the case.

Faceoffs aside McLeod is a better player than Bastian

But advanced stats support Bastian and some love those numbers more than their own family; meanwhile McLeod actually gets tougher shifts because our staff watch him play and know hes not what a random twitter accounts shitty advanced stats engine spit out

 

[HersheyBob27]

would LOVE me some sprong (but it's gonna be too rich)

He is next level selfish player

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I dont care about Bastian at all. I am a known Bastian hater tbh lol

but "McLeod gets tougher shifts" I dont agree with. They play together almost all the time.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Nate doesn’t get used 3 on 3 overtime but who cares regular season. In the playoffs he definitely played OT and thats a million times more important

Bastian is so important he was let go and then waived back here

But its fine this will all blow over once both are gone; those weirdly forcing negative tropes about McLeod will find aomesome else to pick on next

its like the seasons changing - you can always count on extremely irrational arguments over players making less than 2% of the annual cap like as if its a 1st line elite player vs an AHL scrub

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

It all wont matter when McLeod is unfortunately a part of that Team Canada saga - but today has been an embarrassing display of arguments against McLeod and his standing as a good fourth liner

This is why nobody takes the advanced stats-only crowd seriously - Nate '18pt career high' Bastian is a much better 4th liner than McLeod because some charts say so lmfao, yet one of the two was protected and the other let go and then waived back; gee, talk about expendable huh

 

[Triumph]

I genuinely have no idea why all of you are convinced that either Bastian or McLeod is gone. Did you not pay attention when the Devils did this with Merrill and Smith-Pelly in 2016? I think they did it to Noesen one of the times he was an RFA here? It's standard operating procedure now with players of a certain class.

Now it's possible that both guys will walk, but I doubt that's their first choice. The Devils don't have internal options to replace either player.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

who is being irrational?

Someone said McLeod is one of the best 4th liners in the league. Me (and many others) disagree with that statement. McLeod is a fine 4th liner that if he was not an elite faceoff man would be a 13th forward most likely. He just doesn't do anything else well enough to justify that type of praise. And in the end, faceoffs are not important at all overall.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Why do people think I have a particular bone to pick with Mikey? There’s a really easy opportunity to call for his head that doesn’t need any playing justification. I’d reopen that can of worms if I really hated him.

He’s just not very good. That’s ok. I’m not a very good hockey player either.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I genuinely have no idea why all of you are convinced that either Bastian or McLeod is gone. Did you not pay attention when the Devils did this with Merrill and Smith-Pelly in 2016? I think they did it to Noesen one of the times he was an RFA here? It's standard operating procedure now with players of a certain class.

Now it's possible that both guys will walk, but I doubt that's their first choice. The Devils don't have internal options to replace either player.

I genuinely believe Bastian will be back, but I have a feeling that some center-needy GM will offer something to McLeod tomorrow that we won't want to match.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

It all wont matter when McLeod is unfortunately a part of that Team Canada saga - but today has been an embarrassing display of arguments against McLeod and his standing as a good fourth liner

This is why nobody takes the advanced stats-only crowd seriously - Nate '18pt career high' Bastian is a much better 4th liner than McLeod because some charts say so lmfao, yet one of the two was protected and the other let go and then waived back; gee, talk about expendable huh

Nate “18 point career high” Bastian had 15 points in 43 games this season and has virtually identical point production to McLeod with more goals over the last couple years.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

One extra faceoff win every 20 tries?

McLeod was a +60% faceoff taker but youre insinuating he only won 5% of his OT faceoffs?

Im with @bossram at this point; its like a bunch of schoolchildren making arguments at this point

Should I even bother explaining how what you said is entirely fabricated? I mean I know fans can be woefully ignorant sometimes but now were just making up lies about McLeod? Lmfao

Pretty sure every argument around McLeod is he's not worth paying an extra million or million and half when they have a capable 4C. We have steals in Nico, Jack, Bratt but it doesn't me go piss that extra money away on a 4th line. Fitz is basically Lindy proofing this roster so we don't see the absurd juggling we saw last year at times.

I genuinely have no idea why all of you are convinced that either Bastian or McLeod is gone. Did you not pay attention when the Devils did this with Merrill and Smith-Pelly in 2016? I think they did it to Noesen one of the times he was an RFA here? It's standard operating procedure now with players of a certain class.

Now it's possible that both guys will walk, but I doubt that's their first choice. The Devils don't have internal options to replace either player.

???

Lazar can replace McLeod and Foote or Clarke can replace Bastian.

 

[Triumph]

I genuinely believe Bastian will be back, but I have a feeling that some center-needy GM will offer something to McLeod tomorrow that we won't want to match.

The Devils are a center needy team. They're not likely to have a better option in UFA either.

Anyone saying Lazar is an option there didn't watch him. He cannot be anything more than an emergency 4th line C.

???

Lazar can replace McLeod and Foote or Clarke can replace Bastian.

Lazar has never played center for a full season. He is not an NHL level C.