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

[Guadana]

You seriously overhype russian prospects.

You're downplaying it. All in all, a very clever, well-founded remark. Russians and norwegian prospects. And slovaks.

 

[woody footbreaker]

@cangelosi

you the right to talk about respect, yet constantly attacking other posters for having a different oppinion then yours. to use your quote, saying the devils would be right there with the rangers is as laughable as people saying stephenson sucked last year.

everything has to put in perspective and vegas had a lot of the same problems the devils had this season, just on a higher level. i hope some gm´s look at it like you, so his price wont shut up to much. unfortunately he was mentioned already as a target for the bruins, leafs, ottawa and sure others teams will go after him as well, as should the devils.

also blaming our goalies first and foremost for last season isnt really fair either, cause with so many holes upfront, the goaliestats become basically teamstats, you could list 2/3 of the league where the team had missing 2 or 3 coreplayers and those teams struggled heavily on defense and therefore their goalies looked during those strechtes. markstrom for example lost his starting job. when comparing goalies, the teams play in front of them should be part of the analysis. as for the devils, a lot of it also had to do with poor management from our coaches when to play whom of the three we started last season. i was impressed with daws considering everthing until they played him into ground and hope he gets a good amount of games next season, if he is playing well in the ahl.

as for haula, he is capable of playing 3c, but definitely slowed down and having palat next to him will create problems speedwise. they better both play wing on that 3rd line and if not for injuries, none of the two should play in our top6 for sure.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

@cangelosi

you the right to talk about respect, yet constantly attacking other posters for having a different oppinion then yours. to use your quote, saying the devils would be right there with the rangers is as laughable as people saying stephenson sucked last year.

everything has to put in perspective and vegas had a lot of the same problems the devils had this season, just on a higher level. i hope some gm´s look at it like you, so his price wont shut up to much. unfortunately he was mentioned already as a target for the bruins, leafs, ottawa and sure others teams will go after him as well, as should the devils.

also blaming our goalies first and foremost for last season isnt really fair either, cause with so many holes upfront, the goaliestats become basically teamstats, you could list 2/3 of the league where the team had missing 2 or 3 coreplayers and those teams struggled heavily on defense and therefore their goalies looked during those strechtes. markstrom for example lost his starting job. when comparing goalies, the teams play in front of them should be part of the analysis. as for the devils, a lot of it also had to do with poor management from our coaches when to play whom of the three we started last season. i was impressed with daws considering everthing until they played him into ground and hope he gets a good amount of games next season, if he is playing well in the ahl.

as for haula, he is capable of playing 3c, but definitely slowed down and having palat next to him will create problems speedwise. they better both play wing on that 3rd line and if not for injuries, none of the two should play in our top6 for sure.

 

[JrFischer54]

.

 

[Oneiro]

I mean, if you could find a Kunitz or Hyman level player for Jack, that would be ideal. But I don't think it's something that is knowable beforehand - I don't know that anybody anticipated the performance those two guys put up next to their HoF centers. Otherwise you're talking about a much more expensive deal, trade or signing wise, for a real top 6 wing.

Good news is that Kevin Bahl is about to have one of the best or worst seasons of his career now that he's a dad.

 

[My3Sons]

To me having no center depth is not having a 1C or 2C, or even a 3C. We have a 1A and 1B plus a decent 3C. It’s always nice to have even more, but that’s just a far cry from no depth. Organizationally I’d say we have shit depth at C in the prospect pool, however.

I'm sorry, a "decent 3C"? Really?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I'm sorry, a "decent 3C"? Really?

 

[Ripshot 43]

View attachment 877854

Ooooh, my bad

 

[bossram]

Haula can definitely play center, but I also feel like we have no center depth. If Jack or Nico go down, I'm ok with Haula at 2c as a stopgap, but then there's no one I trust to step into the 3c role.

If any team loses a 1C calibre center, they would be quite a bit worse off. There's no avoiding that. They're not going to be able to find and stash another Nico Hischier to be the actual 3C.

And they can throw Mercer at 3C short-term. Move up Lazar. Find another Nosek type, etc.

 

[bossram]

I mean, if you could find a Kunitz or Hyman level player for Jack, that would be ideal. But I don't think it's something that is knowable beforehand - I don't know that anybody anticipated the performance those two guys put up next to their HoF centers. Otherwise you're talking about a much more expensive deal, trade or signing wise, for a real top 6 wing.

Good news is that Kevin Bahl is about to have one of the best or worst seasons of his career now that he's a dad.

Debrusk at the high-end, and Foegele a bit on the lower-end, are UFA wingers I'd be interested in to slot in with Jack.

They can keep up on the rush, but crucially they also bring some physical play and forechecking.

 

[Devils Trap]

Debrusk at the high-end, and Foegele a bit on the lower-end, are UFA wingers I'd be interested in to slot in with Jack.

They can keep up on the rush, but crucially they also bring some physical play and forechecking.

DeBrusk is my #1 choice. He also is a great penalty killer

 

[MasterofGrond]

I don’t really want to pay 40 point guy Debrusk 6M a year

He’s on the younger side which is a point in his favor so at least you’re getting less past his prime years but palat with less playoff heroics doesn’t excite me

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I don’t really want to pay 40 point guy Debrusk 6M a year

He’s on the younger side which is a point in his favor so at least you’re getting less past his prime years but palat with less playoff heroics doesn’t excite me

Over the last 3 playoffs, Debrusk has 21 points in 27 playoff games.

45-50 point players are easily worth $6m/year nowadays...especially with the cap going up.

 

[Devil made me do it]

You're downplaying it. All in all, a very clever, well-founded remark. Russians and norwegian prospects. And slovaks.

I'm not downplaying anything. Reading some of your comments, it seems every prospect coming out of Russia is an all star.
Fact of the matter is that Russian players and Euro players in general, this generation I am speaking of, are SOFT. The real hockey talent, the type which takes you deep into the playoffs, continues to come from North America.
Speaking of Russian prospects, the complexity of the KHL transfers and the never forgotten backstabbing Kovalchuk ordeal has changed my opinion in drafting Russian players. Too much of a risk and for what, to draft softies??

 

[MasterofGrond]

Over the last 3 playoffs, Debrusk has 21 points in 27 playoff games.

45-50 point players are easily worth $6m/year nowadays...especially with the cap going up.

Since the Athletic dropped the contract projections from their tracket, I can't give you alternative projections, but I'd much rather go after a guy from the tier up or a tier down since you're either getting 2x+ the on ice value for a couple million more or basically the same production for 1.5M less. Even the other guys in that 6M range like Mantha.

I just think Debrusk is really overrated, I guess.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

I'm not downplaying anything. Reading some of your comments, it seems every prospect coming out of Russia is an all star.
Fact of the matter is that Russian players and Euro players in general, this generation I am speaking of, are SOFT. The real hockey talent, the type which takes you deep into the playoffs, continues to come from North America.

Don Cherry, is that you?

 

[MasterofGrond]

Yeah zero chance Barkov or Bobrovsky or Panarin leads you anywhere in the playoffs

 

[Brodeur]

Is it too late to send former Leafs assistant GM Bill Watters a thank you for passing on Petr Sykora for his son's classmate Jeff Ware?

 

[woody footbreaker]

Debrusk at the high-end, and Foegele a bit on the lower-end, are UFA wingers I'd be interested in to slot in with Jack.

They can keep up on the rush, but crucially they also bring some physical play and forechecking.

really no thx to both ...

debrusk is disappearing half of the season and wasnt even in the bruins top six half the time when they had problems generating offense. proj. 5yrs/5,8M ; stephenson C/LW proj. 5yrs/5,6M

makes no sense to me sign pure wingers especialyly not for our top6.
foote/holtz/mckermitt/palat and haula are enough wingers for bottom6 lazar can play

foegele cant even produce while playing with draisaitl and is a problem for edm bottom6,
another pure winger that is proj. 3yrs./3,9M. sounds like a waste of cap space to me
i rather take stenlund C/RW proj. 2yrs/1,3M

or sign nosek again, coming out of a bruins system for 1M was a good signing to me, well the injury ...

next forward prospects that could make the jump to big club after this season are pure wingers too

 

[Devil made me do it]

Don Cherry, is that you?

View attachment 877898

That's one thing Don has always been spot on. Give me beefy canadian-american players all day every day. No soft euros. Unless it's a goalie.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Noted playoff failure Nikita Kucherov.

 

[Saugus]

Trashing Euro players is a bizarre take for a fan of a team that employs like half the Swiss national squad.

 

[Brodeur]

That's one thing Don has always been spot on. Give me beefy canadian-american players all day every day. No soft euros. Unless it's a goalie.

 

[NjDevsRR]

 

[MasterofGrond]

Trashing Euro players is a bizarre take for a fan of a team that employs like half the Swiss national squad.

To be fair, the Swiss squad has won one playoff series

Maybe he’s right!