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

[My3Sons]

@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.

Given my incredible humility it’s inportant that you are pompous and arrogant to offset that so my transcendent brilliance doesn’t completely offset the natural balance of things.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Or it went very well and we're looking to add one more piece to push us into a cup contender.

Exactly. This team most likely will need another top 6 winger and I would guess a new starting goalie to get over the top and that assumes Holtz works out.

It's not some accident Fitz was big game hunting all summer.

 

[Bleedred]

One thing I've consistently just kept striking out on was the Ruff stuff.

I really thought he was on the hot seat in December and maybe had a month left, which would mean a January termination. When he wasn't, I thought ''Ahh, maybe the covid stuff, a new player going on the list every day, game postponements, Ruff going on the list himself, his father dying'' saved him and that he would definitely be out by season's end. I even said ''Don't panic if he isn't fired the day after the season ends! Highly doubt he's here by the end of May''. And he still was.

If not for the Brunette hiring, I think I'd be skeptical that he's really on the hot seat yet, after bombing out on all my other predictions about it.

 

[Guttersniped]

If we have Holtz on the team and he hits his bonuses, they would go over to the next season, given how tight we are against the cap? If that is the case, we should definitely be getting rid of a Johnsson/Tatar.

We should be preserving the cap space the following year, there is no reason for us to be over this year due to bonuses.

If you finish over the cap, yes the bonuses care over.

The bonuses are also a headache this season if we’re using LTIR.

Because with LTIR all the ELCs are now viewed as their potential annual value rather than salary value so:
Bahl 795k > 902k
Mercer 894k > 1.29m
Holtz 894k > 1.74m
Nemec 950m > 4.2m

 

[Bleedred]

Is it possible that if Fitz could do it over again, maybe he buys out the last year of Johnsson (or Tatar?) instead of Kuokkanen, as it would have opened up a bit more room?

Or just maybe he might not have qualified Wood if he had to do it over?

Honestly, I'm just spitballing myself here.

 

[Guttersniped]

I don’t really worry about this, teams pay people to figure out how to make this work the best way.

I just always want to point out that it’s a lot more complicated than just signing Zetterlund and then throwing Bernier on the LTIR.

Being slightly over the cap and then putting a big salary on it at the start of the season will lower ACSL (Accruble Cap Space Limit) in an significantly bad way.

Teams do all sorts of moves to make sure that specific number is as close to the upper limit (82.5m) if they’re starting the season over the cap with LTIR.

This stuff is very headachy once you start trying to get into the details and all of it isn’t even covered in the CBA.

Obviously, if you’re taking about moves he could have made earlier, spilt milk is spilt. We can still buy out Tatar (until 8/9? I think?) but I don’t like that move much and the savings aren’t much.

 

[Triumph]

Is it possible that if Fitz could do it over again, maybe he buys out the last year of Johnsson (or Tatar?) instead of Kuokkanen, as it would have opened up a bit more room?

Or just maybe he might not have qualified Wood if he had to do it over?

Honestly, I'm just spitballing myself here.

No. Johnsson just won't be on the team this year.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

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.

sweet, looking forward to watching Luke play.

 

[Diehard Devil]

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.

Who qualifies for the rookie tournament?

 

[MauDevils]

They picked the same move 6 times.

 

[Cheddabombs]

They picked the same move 6 times.

Lol I saw this the other day. I swear he must have plays just as good that weren't the same breakaway move.

It was also funny to hear Dano say nearly every replay that it's a vintage Bratt move

 

[Goptor]

They picked the same move 6 times.

Yes but half of them are from a Severson pass behind his own goal line and half are shootout attempts.

so top 2 plays?

 

[MadDevil]

Yes but half of them are from a Severson pass behind his own goal line and half are shootout attempts.

so top 2 plays?

None of them count because those two players playing how they want to sets a bad example for the rest of the kids who've won in Utica.

 

[njdevils1982]

They picked the same move 6 times.

cant watch.....


as soon i saw the first 3 seconds and realized it was a shootout i shut it off..


we need disclaimers for this shootout garbage if clips like this are posted...



*shootout free since 2013....i cant even do replays.......its even hard to watch legit penalty shots during the game*

ps...f*** gary

 

[NJDevs26]

cant watch.....


as soon i saw the first 3 seconds and realized it was a shootout i shut it off..


we need disclaimers for this shootout garbage if clips like this are posted...



*shootout free since 2013....i cant even do replays.......its even hard to watch legit penalty shots during the game*

ps...f*** gary

0-13 kept us out of one last playoff berth in the Lou era lol

 

[njdevils1982]

0-13 kept us out of one last playoff berth in the Lou era lol

comical....glad i missed every failed attempt and half assed contrived slow skating that should really be more like a breakaway instead of.....well, shit thats not entertaining at all

 

[MauDevils]

I remember the Parise/Kovalchuk/Elias shootouts. Those were automatic wins.

Edit: Just went back and looked, Kovalchuk scored on 58% of his attempts and Parise was 46%. Just absurd.

 

[Bad Goalie]

What the Hell is taking Fitz so long to sign Z. Just freaking do it. They won't be the only team over cap at this time. Those other teams have plans to get to the cap. My fear is that they don't plan to sign him, but plan instead to use him as an extra piece in a trade for another wing.

I at least hope Fitz has has had a talk with him on whatever his reasoning is. If not, this kid has to be going out of his mind wondering just WTF is going on.

Don't accuse me of paranoia either. After all the hysteria I followed throught he book of posts dealing with Bratt, I'm entitled to my moment of insecurity.

 

[My3Sons]

What the Hell is taking Fitz so long to sign Z. Just freaking do it. They won't be the only team over cap at this time. Those other teams have plans to get to the cap. My fear is that they don't plan to sign him, but plan instead to use him as an extra piece in a trade for another wing.

I at least hope Fitz has has had a talk with him on whatever his reasoning is. If not, this kid has to be going out of his mind wondering just WTF is going on.

Don't accuse me of paranoia either. After all the hysteria I followed throught he book of posts dealing with Bratt, I'm entitled to my moment of insecurity.

Who knows if it’s Fitz or Zetterlund that might be thr hold up. I’m not sure what the standard deal is for a guy of Zetterlund’s age and experience is but maybe he’s looking for a bump beyond that? Thompson wanted something more and even came close to arbitration. It does seem odd.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Who knows if it’s Fitz or Zetterlund that might be thr hold up. I’m not sure what the standard deal is for a guy of Zetterlund’s age and experience is but maybe he’s looking for a bump beyond that? Thompson wanted something more and even came close to arbitration. It does seem odd.

Very odd indeed.

 

[Triumph]

What the Hell is taking Fitz so long to sign Z. Just freaking do it. They won't be the only team over cap at this time. Those other teams have plans to get to the cap. My fear is that they don't plan to sign him, but plan instead to use him as an extra piece in a trade for another wing.

I at least hope Fitz has has had a talk with him on whatever his reasoning is. If not, this kid has to be going out of his mind wondering just WTF is going on.

Don't accuse me of paranoia either. After all the hysteria I followed throught he book of posts dealing with Bratt, I'm entitled to my moment of insecurity.

You're paranoid. Boqvist took the qualifying offer the Devils gave him and Zetterlund did not. The Devils would probably like for Zetterlund to sign a two year deal like the ones signed by McLeod, Bastian, and Thompson, and it's not hard to see why Zetterlund's camp would be resistant to that - he looked like he was capable of more in his short time here. But absent an offer sheet from another team, a player in Zetterlund's spot has two options, sign what the Devils put in front of him or don't play.

 

[Bad Goalie]

You're paranoid. Boqvist took the qualifying offer the Devils gave him and Zetterlund did not. The Devils would probably like for Zetterlund to sign a two year deal like the ones signed by McLeod, Bastian, and Thompson, and it's not hard to see why Zetterlund's camp would be resistant to that - he looked like he was capable of more in his short time here. But absent an offer sheet from another team, a player in Zetterlund's spot has two options, sign what the Devils put in front of him or don't play.

I admitted to my paranoia.

Know all of what you detailed, but the deal needs to get done.

To be the only Devil unsigned after all of the other off season chaos simply seems goofy. If they can give Thompson what he got, no reason Z can't get a little more on the minor piece of his 2-way and the same 1-way for next season. He has certainly earned a tad more than Thompson's $175,000 after only having played 16 games while Z was the team's #2 scorer. Playing hardball with a top prospect after all of the BS that got the other unsigned guys good contracts makes no sense.

 

[devilsblood]

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.

one of Bahl or OK merely need to be good d oriented 3rd pairing guys. They need to prove they are capable but its not an incredibly high bar.

But Hughes and Siegs is going to be our top 4 next season and thus i just cant see the Devils looking to sign him.

Not that i think it possible but given Nemec is younger then Hughes id like to see Sevs brought back on a short term deal.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

one of Bahl or OK merely need to be good d oriented 3rd pairing guys. They need to prove they are capable but its not an incredibly high bar.

But Hughes and Siegs is going to be our top 4 next season and thus i just cant see the Devils looking to sign him.

Not that i think it possible but given Nemec is younger then Hughes id like to see Sevs brought back on a short term deal.

I see no chance Severson comes back, just too much money on the right side, I hope they take the long view and trade him at the deadline even if the team is in the playoffs/hunt.

I think the team should monitor Graves/Okhotyok/Bahl this season and at the deadline consider extending Graves (max 2 year term) if it looks like Bahl/Okhotyok can't be counted on as more than depth. That's probably preferred to trying to sign a veteran to a 2 year term deal in the offseason. Luke is talented but still a 19 year old and veteran LD depth I think makes sense to have around for his ELC.

 

[The Wumpus]

Lol I saw this the other day. I swear he must have plays just as good that weren't the same breakaway move.

It was also funny to hear Dano say nearly every replay that it's a vintage Bratt move

The team could save money by building a Dano-tron 5000 with pre-programed buttons for:
-what a pass cangi
-that was just vintage Jesper Bratt
-oh boy
-I fought his dad once an he was one tough customer