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

[Rhodes 81]

Guys, an arb number is not representative of what has actually been offered in extension talks. All you have to do is look at Bratt's number. There is no way he would sign for $6.5 long-term. They are submitting these numbers based on a 1 year contract that is not buying any UFA years.

I handled injury claim negotiations for a few years out of college, and the numbers submitted to start at a mediation were not remotely indicative of whatever negotiations had been had up to that point. I realize it's not apples to apples, but many of the tenants of good negotiation and contract valuation are the same.

 

[NJDevs26]

Yeah, I'm fairly certain those numbers aren't indicative of the actual contract negotiations.

Keep in mind that term is likely a significant factor in those discussions as well. If Bratt and his agent want something short term, they probably don't care that much about the cap hit for one year if he's banking on something big and reaching UFA. Whereas the team likely wants to lock him up for several more years.

Here's hoping this actually gets ironed out before arbitration but I don't have high hopes.

More than one thing can be true - obviously they aren’t offering 4 on a long term deal but it wouldn’t surprise me if that number was 6.5…we can’t be lauding Fitz for all these team friendly deals and then assume he’s offering Jesper UFA value for eight years

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

We had absolute crap goalies for most of the season, but the hatred on Blackwood is so frigging misplaced.

There's going to be a real surprise for the section of the peanut gallery who believe that Vanacek alone will elevate us to a playoff team.

This is a young team that is a goaltender killer. Putting them in front of absolute garbage made them a true bottom feeder.

I'm not sure why my take on this is such a hard thing to swallow for people.

You bring up valid points but so do they....In the end I hope both goalies do well and elevate themselves and the team but you are right too the team as a whole needs to be better for the goalies as well.....

 

[Zippy316]

I can’t see the Devils going to arbitration with Bratt if those are the numbers.

I think Fitzgerald would easily cave and offer a one year deal at 5.5 before the hearing if they can’t agree on a long-term deal before then.

Only reason he hasn’t so far would be they want to lock Bratt up long-term. Bratt’s only bargaining chip right now is threatening a one year deal on arbitration so he’s going to play that until Fitz offers a long-term deal he likes.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

okay lol f*** us

That’s actually pathetic.

 

[ninetyeight]

Funny how quickly the narrative flips here with new info. First Bratt was a money hungry prick asking for 8x8m and now Fitz is lowballing prick

I still believe in 8years 7.25-7.5m

 

[Unknown Caller]

More than one thing can be true - obviously they aren’t offering 4 on a long term deal but it wouldn’t surprise me if that number was 6.5…we can’t be lauding Fitz for all these team friendly deals and then assume he’s offering Jesper UFA value for eight years

We shouldn’t be offering Jesper UFA value for eight years. I love the player, but he’s done it consistently for one season and you never get true UFA value signing a long term deal as a 24 year old RFA. They need to meet in the middle.

 

[FinnishDevil]

Yes but jespers is also a high number than which most is us we’re willing to go above on

Yes but thats a one year deal. Theres chance that he doesnt want to sign long term for whatever reasons. Its his right to walk to UFA if he wants to. I'm certain that on a long term deal Fitz is willing to go to 6.5 and Bratt wants more than 6.5 which both make sense. But one year deal, youre supposed to get it as low as you can.

 

[Rhodes 81]

More than one thing can be true - obviously they aren’t offering 4 on a long term deal but it wouldn’t surprise me if that number was 6.5…we can’t be lauding Fitz for all these team friendly deals and then assume he’s offering Jesper UFA value for eight years

I have no inside knowledge, but my guess is that we've offered $6.5x8 and Bratt wants $8.5x4, and the disagreement has been on how many more dollars we have to give vs. how many more years Bratt has to give.

 

[TrufleShufle]

Funny how quickly the narrative flips here with new info. First Bratt was a money hungry prick asking for 8x8m and now Fitz is lowballing prick

I still believe in 8years 7.25-7.5m

It's almost like it might be a good idea to wait for at least some information before forming a very stern opinion on something. Almost....

 

[glenwo2]

Called it. Had a feeling we were lowballing him. This team upsets me sometimes. Just pay him. He is worth it.

Yeah.


I mean I get that arbitration doesn't say it ALL but the numbers ARE pretty indicative on where both sides stand.

AND we see that it wasn't Bratt asking for the moon.

It was Fitz asking for Bratt to take a shit offer after having a breakout year.

At least now I know who to blame if(when?) Bratt leaves the Devils.

WTF, Fitz?

W....T....F?

It's obvious Fitz wants him on the cheapest contract possible so he can trade him for the most value possible (that's what I would do as a GM).

After saying he believes Bratt to be a part of the core, he turns around and tries to lowball him?

F that clown then!!!

 

[Nicomo Cosca]

Between this and the Watson stuff I’m so annoyed with sports right now.

 

[ninetyeight]

Yeah.


I mean I get that arbitration doesn't say it ALL but the numbers ARE pretty indicative on where both sides stand.

AND we see that it wasn't Bratt asking for the moon.

It was Fitz asking for Bratt to take a shit offer after having a breakout year.

At least now I know who to blame if(when?) Bratt leaves the Devils.

WTF, Fitz?

W....T....F?

This doesn't change much we still have no idea what the longterm offers were. Right now Fitz is doing the right thing trying to make arbitration as less profitable as possible, to motivate Bratt signing before the hearing.

 

[Billdo]

Some of you really don't get how this works. I'd bet my left foot that NJ never tried signing him to a long term deal with that salary.

 

[Better Call Sal]

More than one thing can be true - obviously they aren’t offering 4 on a long term deal but it wouldn’t surprise me if that number was 6.5…we can’t be lauding Fitz for all these team friendly deals and then assume he’s offering Jesper UFA value for eight years

Which is why I'm willing to actually see how things play out before assuming anything about what has taken place negotiation wise, given we have no actual information to go off of.

 

[jkrdevil]

More than one thing can be true - obviously they aren’t offering 4 on a long term deal but it wouldn’t surprise me if that number was 6.5…we can’t be lauding Fitz for all these team friendly deals and then assume he’s offering Jesper UFA value for eight years

If to guess right now the number on a long-term deal is $7 million. Bratt likely doesn’t want to sign for that long term as if he has another year like last year that number is much higher. The Devils don’t want to go much more than $7 million right now because he is has basically been a 50pt player outside this season. They also don’t want a to sign a short term deal thus probably lower offers for a 1-year deal. So you get this contract negotiation.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Some of you really don't get how this works. I'd bet my left foot that NJ never tried signing him to a long term deal with that salary.

Yes, of course they didnt offer him a longterm deal at $4.15 AAV

But do you see them offering him a longterm deal at close to double what their arb. offer is? Because I don't, and thats what his value is.

 

[glenwo2]

Funny how quickly the narrative flips here with new info. First Bratt was a money hungry prick asking for 8x8m and now Fitz is lowballing prick

I still believe in 8years 7.25-7.5m

Well the speculation along with Bratt and his agent's past history with contract issues lent it toward the former.

Now that we have actual proof that it's Fitz who is the one F'ing things up, one has to wonder if he F'ed things up THE FIRST TIME around?

Remember the first holdout? Perhaps Bratt wasn't to blame entirely for that after all. (as Fitz himself said : "It takes two to tango". I guess Fitz doesn't know how to dance)

 

[NJDevs26]

I have no inside knowledge, but my guess is that we've offered $6.5x8 and Bratt wants $8.5x4, and the disagreement has been on how many more dollars we have to give vs. how many more years Bratt has to give.

I think this could be a fair read assuming Bratt even wants the Laine deal

 

[FinnishDevil]

After saying he believes Bratt to be a part of the core, he turns around and tries to lowball him?

F that clown then!!!

When it gets to arbitration, its GMs job to lowball the player. If it comes down to one year contract, you want Bratt at the lowest possible cap hit. This 4 million offer has nothing to do with long term offers, just so we can get Bratt closer to 5 million AAV rather than 7 million AAV on a one year deal if it came down to that.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Yeah.


I mean I get that arbitration doesn't say it ALL but the numbers ARE pretty indicative on where both sides stand.

AND we see that it wasn't Bratt asking for the moon.

It was Fitz asking for Bratt to take a shit offer after having a breakout year.

At least now I know who to blame if(when?) Bratt leaves the Devils.

WTF, Fitz?

W....T....F?


After saying he believes Bratt to be a part of the core, he turns around and tries to lowball him?

F that clown then!!!

We don't know that for sure yet but I bet he wasn't offering him the moon for one year of production at a high level....I think he will continue and get better but in the end he might regress....

 

[devilsfan35]

 

[glenwo2]

Okay...which one of you tweeted that out?

 

[None Shall Pass]

I'm kinda more shocked that Bratt's number for himself is so low. My dude you just put up 73 points in 76 games. Ask for more.

 

[glenwo2]

I'm kinda more shocked that Bratt's number for himself is so low. My dude you just put up 73 points in 76 games. Ask for more.

Agreed.

Apparently at its core, he's still taking a hometown discount so to speak.....and it seems Fitz still wants him to basically sign a contract well below what he has earned (at least that's what I gather from everything I've seen/heard combined with this new info).

One thing is for sure, though :

If we end up losing Bratt, I will know who to blame and it won't be Bratt. #FitzDamnYou