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

[Devs3cups]

I hate that bottom 6. And I don't think Mercer is a top 6 player. At least not yet.

That defense though. It's sexy.

Don’t mind Mercer in the top 6 but yeah, that bottom 6 is kind of rough.

Still lots of off-season to go though. Fitz is cooking.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Fitz FA score D+ .... being generous

This is good. Winning the offseason guarantees an awful year.

 

[HoliksGhost]

Fitz FA score D+ .... being generous

According to NHL network we had probably the 2nd best off season under Nashville

 

[Jersey Fresh]

According to NHL network we had probably the 2nd best off season under Nashville

I’m on board with what Fitz did yesterday, but if Nashville “won” yesterday I want no part of that rubric lol. Nashville screwed themselves hard and we’ll see that inside of two years. Not even a safe bet it entirely works out for them this upcoming season, let alone any subsequent ones.

 

[Darkauron]

Yeah even Bruce B said we had an amazing day yesterday and he loved what Fitz has been doing with the trades and signings

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Fitz FA score D+ .... being generous

Please elaborate. What would the all-knowing Dylan have done instead?

 

[Lou is God]

I’m on board with what Fitz did yesterday, but if Nashville “won” yesterday I want no part of that rubric lol. Nashville screwed themselves hard and we’ll see that inside of two years. Not even a safe bet it entirely works out for them this upcoming season, let alone any subsequent ones.

As I said yesterday, Nashville pulled a page out of the Rangers playbook, reminded me of 2007 when they signed Gomez and Drury to insane contracts.

 

[MasterofGrond]

I honestly don't think that bottom 6 is bad. If we had one more middle 6 winger to push Bastian to a 13th forward role it'd be fine.

Haula is good, Noesen is good, Lazar is good for their roles. Cotter has underlyings that point to a little upside, and Foote is a mystery box we need to open at some point. Those guys won't make the bottom 6 a massive advantage, but they won't drag you down either. Long as Mercer rebounds and the D/goaltending fixes work out, that top 6 is more than enough to carry them.

Bastian was bad last year, though, and really shouldn't be seeing the ice 82 games a year. I'm fine to rotate him in for rest or injuries, but he shouldn't be a staple unless he looks a lot more like 2023 Bastian than 2024 Bastian.

And then so what we need is a dumpster diving middle 6 winger, or maybe try and snag a guy in a nice little trade. I'm sure somebody somewhere is willing to move off a guy for a pick, they don't have a ton of value. Maybe you get the Blues to retain on Saad, maybe the Avs actually move off Colton, maybe you just sign Sprong and live with the warts because you're just gonna play him next to Lazar.

I think you have options, and i'm sure fitz has a plan to explore them.

 

[Edmonton East]

I’m on board with what Fitz did yesterday, but if Nashville “won” yesterday I want no part of that rubric lol. Nashville screwed themselves hard and we’ll see that inside of two years. Not even a safe bet it entirely works out for them this upcoming season, let alone any subsequent ones.

Sure, they overpaid. But despite knee jerk reactions, they aren't in cap trouble at all really.

Based on the age of their roster it makes sense to go for it the next 2 years, rather than just flounder in the middle. They have 7 picks in the first 3 rounds in 2025 and the Johansen retention comes off the books. Then after that, the Duchene buyout drops $5m.

They have a decent prospect pool and trade chips. If they draft well, they'll be fine.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I honestly don't think that bottom 6 is bad. If we had one more middle 6 winger to push Bastian to a 13th forward role it'd be fine.

Haula is good, Noesen is good, Lazar is good for their roles. Cotter has underlyings that point to a little upside, and Foote is a mystery box we need to open at some point. Those guys won't make the bottom 6 a massive advantage, but they won't drag you down either. Long as Mercer rebounds and the D/goaltending fixes work out, that top 6 is more than enough to carry them.

Bastian was bad last year, though, and really shouldn't be seeing the ice 82 games a year. I'm fine to rotate him in for rest or injuries, but he shouldn't be a staple unless he looks a lot more like 2023 Bastian than 2024 Bastian.

And then so what we need is a dumpster diving middle 6 winger, or maybe try and snag a guy in a nice little trade. I'm sure somebody somewhere is willing to move off a guy for a pick, they don't have a ton of value. Maybe you get the Blues to retain on Saad, maybe the Avs actually move off Colton, maybe you just sign Sprong and live with the warts because you're just gonna play him next to Lazar.

I think you have options, and i'm sure fitz has a plan to explore them.

If Foote can stay healthy I feel like he could be a good candidate to play up the lineup when needed too. We’ve seen so little of him on the big club, but he’s got a good shot, size to play along the boards with some of our more skilled forwards, and he might not be ~fast~ but should be able to keep up with our top guys.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Basically what I think is, I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to fully lock in the forward corps. Devils are counting on recoveries of different kinds from Mercer and Dougie and Meier and Jack, and have a new coach, and some big changes on D (for the 2nd year running).

I don't think it's unreasonable to let the dust settle a bit and see what the team truly needs to take the next step before committing to anything serious. I know the whole "missing the playoffs" thing has everybody justifiably spooked, but as it stands right now this is still a good roster.

 

[Bcap88]

As I said yesterday, Nashville pulled a page out of the Rangers playbook, reminded me of 2007 when they signed Gomez and Drury to insane contracts.

That or a modern 2012 Minnesota

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I don't understand why Foote gets a pass for not being a good player when other guys like Boqvist are crucified.

If Foote ever slides up into the top 6, we are in trouble.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

I like Ross Colton but I think people around here definitely overrate him because he’s a Jersey kid.

If we’re adding to the top 6, it shouldn’t be a 28 year old whose career high is 40 points.

He only had 1 more goal that Holtz did last year, I’m not sure why everyone is so convinced he’s the answer. If we didn’t sign Noesen I’d be all over him as a 3rd line option but he’s redundant now IMO.

Yeah, in an ideal world you'd want more production from your top 6 forward. But because the Devils have only 3.5–4 million cap space after re-signing Mercer and Foote/other player, they have to find cheap solutions to play with Hughes or Hischier.

It's also good to remember that you don't need the best and most expensive players to make the line click. Sometimes you just have to find a right complementary player who can do the dirty work for the better players. For instance, Pius Suter has been really good with Miller and Boeser in the Canucks. Colton could be similar player to the Devils. Or maybe another former Lightning player Mathieu Joseph could be that player (I mention him because he has been on the trade block lately). Or someone similar.

I hope Fitzgerald can make a trade or two to improve the forward depth.

One addition: Blake Coleman would be a perfect addition to the to the middle six. Of course, he is too expensive. Unfortunately.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Sure, they overpaid. But despite knee jerk reactions, they aren't in cap trouble at all really.

Based on the age of their roster it makes sense to go for it the next 2 years, rather than just flounder in the middle. They have 7 picks in the first 3 rounds in 2025 and the Johansen retention comes off the books. Then after that, the Duchene buyout drops $5m.

They have a decent prospect pool and trade chips. If they draft well, they'll be fine.

Which is fine if you think those three guys are putting you over the top. I kinda doubt it. After that, even with a rising cap, you’re stuck carrying ~$20M in cap space for players that won’t be contributing at that level.

Not totally familiar with their pool, but I’m not aware of any blue-chip forwards they have and any 2025 picks aren’t going to be stable contributors for another three years at least.

I don't understand why Foote gets a pass for not being a good player when other guys like Boqvist are crucified.

If Foote ever slides up into the top 6, we are in trouble.

But somehow if Boqvist is we’re not??

Foote might not be a “good” player, but he’ll at least offer something they don’t really have with his size and board play. Boqvist is just a milquetoast player with speed. That alone isn’t a net positive.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Which is fine if you think those three guys are putting you over the top. I kinda doubt it. After that, even with a rising cap, you’re stuck carrying ~$20M in cap space for players that won’t be contributing at that level.

Not totally familiar with their pool, but I’m not aware of any blue-chip forwards they have and any 2025 picks aren’t going to be stable contributors for another three years at least.


But somehow if Boqvist is we’re not??

Foote might not be a “good” player, but he’ll at least offer something they don’t really have with his size and board play. Boqvist is just a milquetoast player with speed. That alone isn’t a net positive.

They’re also ensuring that the value of their own 2025 picks are middling to bad by trying to “win” with an expensive aging roster. They’re just solidifying that they’ll be mediocre for a long long time.

 

[NJDevs26]

I don't understand why Foote gets a pass for not being a good player when other guys like Boqvist are crucified.

If Foote ever slides up into the top 6, we are in trouble.

Foote’s been injured a lot, at least this year when he was supposed to take the next step. Boqvist is a borderline NHL’er who’s bounced around the league because he’s good enough to play twelve minutes a night but not good enough to be in a top nine and doesn’t do many of the things top fourth liners do (play physical, face off winning, kill penalties) so he’s basically a tweener who’s bouncing around. Too good for the AHL, not good enough to be a long term solution for an NHL team

 

[Unknown Caller]

Basically what I think is, I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to fully lock in the forward corps. Devils are counting on recoveries of different kinds from Mercer and Dougie and Meier and Jack, and have a new coach, and some big changes on D (for the 2nd year running).

I don't think it's unreasonable to let the dust settle a bit and see what the team truly needs to take the next step before committing to anything serious. I know the whole "missing the playoffs" thing has everybody justifiably spooked, but as it stands right now this is still a good roster.

The offense is very thin and not all that impressive. It’s fallen off a lot since 2023 when we had so much depth that we were scratching guys like Sharangovich in the playoffs.

They need at least one more top 6 player for the lines to be balanced and deep enough to truly contend.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Which is fine if you think those three guys are putting you over the top. I kinda doubt it. After that, even with a rising cap, you’re stuck carrying ~$20M in cap space for players that won’t be contributing at that level.

Not totally familiar with their pool, but I’m not aware of any blue-chip forwards they have and any 2025 picks aren’t going to be stable contributors for another three years at least.


But somehow if Boqvist is we’re not??

Foote might not be a “good” player, but he’ll at least offer something they don’t really have with his size and board play. Boqvist is just a milquetoast player with speed. That alone isn’t a net positive.

Foote is just as milquetoast but is slow as molasses. All he is capable of is pinning the puck on the boards.

 

[britdevil]

Please elaborate. What would the all-knowing Dylan have done instead?

These guys never ever offer a solution. They pop on, throw out some absurd obscure shite and the waddle off again.

 

[Clam Jensen]

Fitz FA score D+ .... being generous

You clearly crave the engagement this scorching hot take will generate, so please do elaborate on this brilliance.

 

[Edmonton East]

Which is fine if you think those three guys are putting you over the top. I kinda doubt it. After that, even with a rising cap, you’re stuck carrying ~$20M in cap space for players that won’t be contributing at that level.

Not totally familiar with their pool, but I’m not aware of any blue-chip forwards they have and any 2025 picks aren’t going to be stable contributors for another three years at least.

Prob a consensus top 10 pool. Doesn't matter if people think it needs more forwards or the picks won't be ready for years. Assets are assets. Askarov and picks can be moved to upgrade the lineup.

Everyone on HF seems to agree the Avs are in trouble finally. That removes one major contender in the West. So on paper, you have Oilers, Canucks, Knights, Dallas, and then....prob Nash. Plus, the only team better than them in the division is Dallas imo.

Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't. But the point is, again, their moves 100% make sense based on how the roster in constructed. With Forsberg, Josi, and Saros there's virtually no chance they could tank, so any good GM should go for it after the overperformance of last year.

I really don't think HFdevs in particular should be throwing stones at an org that just massively outperformed the Devils with a 1st year coach, has a stronger prospect pool, and has significantly more draft capital.

 

[Zippy316]

The offense is very thin and not all that impressive. It’s fallen off a lot since 2023 when we had so much depth that we were scratching guys like Sharangovich in the playoffs.

They need at least one more top 6 player for the lines to be balanced and deep enough to truly contend.

I think this is a bit overblown, to be honest.

Team was 12th in scoring last year with Hughes playing half injured, Hamilton out for 75% of the year, and Meier not having two working knees until March.

While I would like some more depth up front, scoring shouldn’t be this teams issue. I do think we’re in line for one more forward addition, I’d be willing to be we lost out on Henrique last night.

Fitzgerald made an effort (and invested accordingly) to improve goaltending and defense. He did just that and arguably left us with one of the better defensive groups + goaltenders in the league. That alone should make a massive difference now that the team doesn’t have to outscore its problems.

 

[Dylan9z9]

Please elaborate. What would the all-knowing Dylan have done instead?

He got bitch-slapped by the other GM's

You clearly crave the engagement this scorching hot take will generate, so please do elaborate on this brilliance.

I know you all love Fitz but to me he is a mediocre GM sorry if I hurt your feelings

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

He got bitch-slapped by the other GM's


I know you all love Fitz but to me he is a mediocre GM sorry if I hurt your feelings

Again, please elaborate. We would like details of what you're talking about.