Billdo
Registered User
Valid points although I think his offensive element is a little overstated. With Hamilton, Nemec, and Hughes being all together, most likely next year, we don't particularly need another offensive defenseman.
Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - offseason part III
- Thread starter NJDevs26
- Start date
- Status
He's not an offensive defenseman, but he can score some goals. He's 33rd in goals/60 among D over the last 3 years, and 33rd in shot rate as well. He's involved in the offense more than most defensemen.
Billdo
Registered User
Oh I don't disagree and I wasn't saying anything you said was wrong, just that if they move him I don't necessarily think the offense he brings won't be replaced internally. I like Graves but with Siegenthaler signed, Hughes on the way, and then Okhotiuk and Bahl pushing, I don't see Graves wanting to sign here and be that far down the totem pole.
Poppy Whoa Sonnet
J'Accuse!
- Jan 24, 2007
- 7,613
- 8,272
Would Graves re-sign for 4m x 2? Don't really think the market will be that strong for him next year, and it would be nice to have him for a couple more years I think (while Luke plays out his ELC).
I like Okhotyok and Bahl, but don't really think they should be planned for and should be just treated as useful depth unless they blow Graves away this year. Would like to have a veteran LD for this + 2 more years to play with Luke Hughes while he adjusts to the NHL.
I like Okhotyok and Bahl, but don't really think they should be planned for and should be just treated as useful depth unless they blow Graves away this year. Would like to have a veteran LD for this + 2 more years to play with Luke Hughes while he adjusts to the NHL.
Last edited:
- Dec 1, 2019
- 5,283
- 11,296
I’m exhausted. I won’t rest well until Z signs.
ChicksDigTheTrap
No quick fixes, no cutting corners and no cheating
The OP I responded to said the Devils would bring Bratt back and look to sign another high end wing next off season. Bratt not coming back would obviously change the equation.
ChicksDigTheTrap
No quick fixes, no cutting corners and no cheating
How could it go well? We need 2 of 3 with respect to Shara, Mercer and/or Holtz to play as top 6 wings this year. Shara needs a new deal next year and if the Devils do not think they can rely on Holtz for the 23-24 season at the end of this season that is bad for the Devils.
Last edited:
OlfactoryHughes
Registered User
Such an exciting time to be a devil fan… the patience we’ve shown as an organization (not as a fan base lmao) it about to really start defining our success.
So excited to see If Holtz can be to the nhl what he was to the ahl last year. If he shows that type of potential our need for a top winger dramatically drops.
But really it comes down to Bratt’s season going well and the devils showing him the money. We could easily have a great season, and still need a winger next year….
((I can definitely see scenarios playing out where Bratt extends long term on a 8m+ deal and is happy staying a devil, without testing free agency. BUT, I can scenarios going the other way too))
- May 1, 2011
- 133,274
- 62,671
I think this is a borderline playoff team (90-something points) as currently constructed, barring no injuries to key players and average goaltending to above average goaltending.
The two biggest questions are goaltending and Ruff. If things go bad it won’t be long before they pull the alarm on Ruff.
My confidence that goaltending will be average to above average is not at all high. Does that surprise anyone? Surely not. I also have little confidence that Blackwood sympathizer Lindy Ruff won’t load him up with a bunch of starts early. Especially if Vanecek has some poor games.
I could really see Ruff being done in by about 15 games if the record isn’t better than 6-7-1.
I wouldn’t have thought that before the Andrew Brunette hiring.
On second thought, 6-7-1 isn’t THAT bad. So let’s say 4-7-3. That might be enough to do him after 15 games. If it weren’t for Brunette they’d probably try to get more mileage out of him than that.
The two biggest questions are goaltending and Ruff. If things go bad it won’t be long before they pull the alarm on Ruff.
My confidence that goaltending will be average to above average is not at all high. Does that surprise anyone? Surely not. I also have little confidence that Blackwood sympathizer Lindy Ruff won’t load him up with a bunch of starts early. Especially if Vanecek has some poor games.
I could really see Ruff being done in by about 15 games if the record isn’t better than 6-7-1.
I wouldn’t have thought that before the Andrew Brunette hiring.
On second thought, 6-7-1 isn’t THAT bad. So let’s say 4-7-3. That might be enough to do him after 15 games. If it weren’t for Brunette they’d probably try to get more mileage out of him than that.
I think you're misunderstanding my point. This was all in response to what scenario would result in the Devils' needing all their cap space next season. The answer is that all the young players played well enough to think they could be a cup contender and we want to add one more great player to set us over the edge while we have cap space from Luke and Nemec ELCs. It's not about needing a player because the prospects failed, it's about wanting to take advantage of your free cap space.
KHL season starts September 1. Orlov, Barabosha, Badarkov, Mukhamadullin, Gritsyuk. Also Misyul and Zaitsev I guess.
Devils731
Registered User
- Jun 23, 2008
- 12,950
- 18,419
September 14-20 is the Buffalo rookie tournament the Devils are in.
This Tuesday is USA’s first world juniors game. Hughes should be playing.
Billdo
Registered User
- May 1, 2011
- 133,274
- 62,671
- May 1, 2011
- 133,274
- 62,671
@MVP Zacha
In response to your post in the Wood thread, which I've moved here, so to not derail the Wood thread.
And I'm sure if he sucks again it'll be ''Oh, he's still injured!'' or ''Oh but he finally started to turn the corner the last 10 games of the season with his .930% in that span! Who cares about the first 20-30 games he played where he was an .895%!''.
I've seen this movie before with Cory and that's why I still have a stick up my ass about that and am admittedly incredibly pompous and arrogant over it.
By the way, I do give him a better chance than I ever gave Cory just because he's 25 and not 32-33, but I still think there's a pretty good chance that he's not a particularly good goalie.
But goalies get overrated. That's why when one has a BIG game (remember Ben Scrivens 800 save shutout?) or even a big streak, you hear about it for a very long time. Just like the CLOWN that played here for 7-8 games or whatever it was a few months ago. That stupid FLUKE streak he had in 2015. Kevin Weekes couldn't stop talking about how great Mike Condon was, only less than two years before he washed out of the league for good.
You can say goalies get underrated by me or that I give them too short a leash, but really there's actually a contingent that gives them more rope than they should get. They also get more points when they play on a stacked team even if they aren't all that great. Is Jordan Binnington still elite? Remember when Martin Jones was elite or at the very least considered ''Good'' because the Sharks made the playoffs all the time and a Stanley Cup Finals and another conference finals? Of course Chris Osgood got the opposite treatment of this, as did Corey Crawford during his career. And then you see all these guys getting deals after bad season after bad season. Craig Anderson is 41 and hasn't had a good season in 5 years and keeps getting deals. Brian Elliott keeps getting signed despite sucking everywhere he played that wasn't St. Louis. A team that aspires to win the cup just traded for Matt Murray's young but charred cremains and signed non-tendered RFA Samsonov as the safety net. I could really go on and on with those examples.
In the end, Blackwood was a solid goalie before these problems started, but he was never Cory Schneider or even as good as Shesterkin or Sorokin have looked since coming into the league. And that mediocre AHL resume happened before covid, before injuries. He had maybe one average season in the AHL, which was his rookie year. Then an astronomically bad one and then a below average one. The argument after the really bad 17-18 AHL season was there's not really a list of goalies that went on to have a successful NHL career after a year like that in the minors. I wasn't one of the people arguing that. I didn't participate in those arguments. Just observed them, but that argument is looking like it could prove true.
Carter Hart has also had a miserable last two years as well, but also has a much higher ceiling. At the same time, that higher ceiling may not be met and the fact that he was rushed (hello Nico Daws!) into the league earlier than he should have been might cost him a better career or at least sort of make him a very late bloomer in the way Marc Andre Fleury was.
In response to your post in the Wood thread, which I've moved here, so to not derail the Wood thread.
And I'm sure if he sucks again it'll be ''Oh, he's still injured!'' or ''Oh but he finally started to turn the corner the last 10 games of the season with his .930% in that span! Who cares about the first 20-30 games he played where he was an .895%!''.
I've seen this movie before with Cory and that's why I still have a stick up my ass about that and am admittedly incredibly pompous and arrogant over it.
By the way, I do give him a better chance than I ever gave Cory just because he's 25 and not 32-33, but I still think there's a pretty good chance that he's not a particularly good goalie.
But goalies get overrated. That's why when one has a BIG game (remember Ben Scrivens 800 save shutout?) or even a big streak, you hear about it for a very long time. Just like the CLOWN that played here for 7-8 games or whatever it was a few months ago. That stupid FLUKE streak he had in 2015. Kevin Weekes couldn't stop talking about how great Mike Condon was, only less than two years before he washed out of the league for good.
You can say goalies get underrated by me or that I give them too short a leash, but really there's actually a contingent that gives them more rope than they should get. They also get more points when they play on a stacked team even if they aren't all that great. Is Jordan Binnington still elite? Remember when Martin Jones was elite or at the very least considered ''Good'' because the Sharks made the playoffs all the time and a Stanley Cup Finals and another conference finals? Of course Chris Osgood got the opposite treatment of this, as did Corey Crawford during his career. And then you see all these guys getting deals after bad season after bad season. Craig Anderson is 41 and hasn't had a good season in 5 years and keeps getting deals. Brian Elliott keeps getting signed despite sucking everywhere he played that wasn't St. Louis. A team that aspires to win the cup just traded for Matt Murray's young but charred cremains and signed non-tendered RFA Samsonov as the safety net. I could really go on and on with those examples.
In the end, Blackwood was a solid goalie before these problems started, but he was never Cory Schneider or even as good as Shesterkin or Sorokin have looked since coming into the league. And that mediocre AHL resume happened before covid, before injuries. He had maybe one average season in the AHL, which was his rookie year. Then an astronomically bad one and then a below average one. The argument after the really bad 17-18 AHL season was there's not really a list of goalies that went on to have a successful NHL career after a year like that in the minors. I wasn't one of the people arguing that. I didn't participate in those arguments. Just observed them, but that argument is looking like it could prove true.
Carter Hart has also had a miserable last two years as well, but also has a much higher ceiling. At the same time, that higher ceiling may not be met and the fact that he was rushed (hello Nico Daws!) into the league earlier than he should have been might cost him a better career or at least sort of make him a very late bloomer in the way Marc Andre Fleury was.
glenwo2
JESPER BRATWURST
- May 1, 2011
- 133,274
- 62,671
Looks like he's retiring due to injuries. This is what it translates to.
As many know, I have been away from ice hockey for a long time due to injuries and therefore had to make the decision to end my career as an ice hockey player. It has been a very tough decision to make, but over time I have realized that it is the only right thing to do. In the time I've been away from hockey I've been reflecting a lot on my career and where do I start?
I have hockey to thank for so much, what a journey. I've been thinking about all the players and wonderful people I've met who have also become my closest friends. I could also write a book about all the memories. Everything from when I started skating as a two-year-old to today. From the first moment I have loved playing hockey and my dream was always to play in Djurgården, NHL and represent Tre kronor and these dreams came true. All those memories, experiences and lessons are something that made me who I am today and something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
I am so grateful that I got to experience all of this and also for all the people who helped me get there. I am forever grateful that my mother and father have always stood up and driven and been there both through and through. I also want to thank my brothers who early on were able to guide me to good decisions as a young person. Hockey was my first love but my great love now is my wife and my children and I need my health to be there for them.
Finally, a big thank you to Djurgården IF and to the world's best supporters. You will always have a big place in my heart.
I came to Djurgården as a ten-year-old, and if I had been told even then that I would one day play in Djurgården's A team and be team captain, I would have pinched myself in the arm. It is something that I am extremely proud of and for me it is one of the finest things out there.
Something I learned as a Djurgårder is that you always get up when you are down and when things go against you. We will also do that now and come back to where we belong, stronger and better than ever.
So THANK YOU for everything.
Always no matter what
Jacob
Ripshot 43
Registered User
- Jul 21, 2010
- 14,230
- 12,181
I thought he died when I saw a date and - 2022
Cheddabombs
Status Quo
- Mar 13, 2012
- 25,550
- 34,487
I'm certainly no Swede but I think the long winded message plus pictures of him from both the SHL and NHL means he's retiring
Billdo
Registered User
- May 1, 2011
- 133,274
- 62,671
The Rags signed Vesey. What an outstanding bargain move for them. I'm sure he's very happy to go to a defending conference finalist that will only get better.
And we're so capped out that Fitz couldn't even afford to bring him back for $750k for a year. Terrible move to be capped out and let the Rags scoop him up for basically league minimum.
Thanks again Fitz.
NJDevs26
Once upon a time...
- Mar 21, 2007
- 68,481
- 33,966
- Status
