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

[Monsieur Verdoux]

From The Athletic, grades for each team's early offseason moves:

"New Jersey Devils

A-​

General manager Tom Fitzgerald checked every box he could this summer. He traded for Jacob Markstrom to be the starting goalie without giving up the No. 10 pick in the draft, and he rounded out the defensive core with the additions of Brett Pesce and Brendan Dillon. Paul Cotter, Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar all should help the forward group, too. If the Devils don’t rebound after a difficult 2023-24 season, it won’t be for a lack of effort on Fitzgerald’s part. The only reason this is an A- and not an A is that the Devils didn’t get more in return for Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid than Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick. Holtz was the No. 7 pick in the 2020 draft, so a mid-round draft pick and a bottom-six wing isn’t a thrilling return, even if Cotter should help the roster. — Peter Baugh"

NHL free-agency report card: Grades for each team’s early offseason moves

Five days into NHL free agency, the list of impact players remaining on the market is … not lengthy. How's your favorite team doing so far?

www.nytimes.com

 

[ZYXWVUT]

I think if he can rebound per se, Mercer can be a great fit on Hughes wing. Had to include someone who is a responsible defensively and also will help do some dirty work in the ozone (prolly be trying Palat if it were me). With Mercer, he can keep up with Hughes on the rush, has skill to make some plays and also seems to be able to get himself to areas where he can get passes or clean things up.

 

[Guadana]

n.b. - this is probably not on topic with this thread so much any more but . . .

I am still concerned with the youth and inexperience of Luke Hughes and Nemec and - paradoxically - the fact that we have nearly too many skilled players.

There is only one puck. Jack, Luke, Simon, Meier, Hamilton. and Bratt all want it on their sticks a lot of the time. Keefe’s job is to reduce all of these guys under the same regime.

I worry about Jack Hughes above all. Health and how he fits in. Because he’s been the team. It’s been his club and as goes Jack so have gone the Devils the past two years. Does that continue under the new dispensation and under what conditions? I also worry how to incorporate Hamilton with Luke and Simon.

All my pre season . . . worries? Not really, rather questions I pose myself. I do think that barring injuries we will be around 100 points and not out of the hunt this year like last one but will we blend together under a Keefe system well enough to be 5 games better than that and to be a lock on a playoff spot?

We have enough experienced defensemen, Luke and Simon are raw but very talented players, it will only help.

Keefe had his own skilled players and they were the best version of themselves. I believe he will figure it out how he can use all of our players who love to manage the puck.
Etc. Most of problems are good you are mentioned. Using the talent and finding the way to put every talented player on the spot were never a problem. Sometimes its a problem to find good complimentary piece, will see how they will play together. If Dougie, Luke and Simon will play on different lines, may be they should start to think about third line and who will control the play, may be they should sign JVR from the market for secondary scoring role and for the slot on the second PP brigade.

With healthy roster I don't see how they can't win playoffs spot. But I dont think they will play the best of Keefe system in the first year.

 

[JimEIV]

Rempe is there to do two things. And the fighting isn’t all that important. Tell me next time the best player in the world wins the cup. Until then the league prioritizes the slower styles of play. It is what it is but either a team embraces the reality or they will only be so good. NJ will be better this season than last if they just stay healthy and if Markstrom is decent. Not great just decent will be enough. They will hit a bit more overall and fight a bit more overall. But if they want to win they’d be better off with sociopath instead of some guy who lives by some sort of code as MacDemrid appears to do.

Individuals don't win cups, teams do. No more perfect illustration of that than the 2024 Finals...

And that is precisely why you need every element on a team.

 

[JimEIV]

I went and got a shave and haircut from my old barber. Feel like a new man!

 

[Gurglesons]

Just admit you’re a closet devils fan. Now that you can’t post here under the guise of being a former Marino anti-truther, you’re planting the seeds with Dillon. Just let the warm feeling of devils fandom wash over you.

I started following you guys off and on since Shero and Fitz moved over.

Hischer is one of my favorite players in the league.

 

[TrufleShufle]

So let’s say Dawson Mercer plays 60% of his minutes on Jack or Nico’s wing and 40% as the 3rd line center. Tatar plays half his minutes with Nico, half on the 3rd line. Haula does the same with Jack. How is that not a top 9 instead of a well defined top 6 and 3rd line?

No one is pretending to do anything. It’s an accurate description of how the team is deployed. You are using an inaccurate description.

Because if you move either Jack or Nico down to the 3rd line, everyone would take notice, because they were out of the top 6.

Certain guys move between 3rd and 4th and no one bats an eye, then get moved up to the top 6 randomly and everyone says WTF. There is a difference.

Certain guys move between 2nd and 3rd, randomly getting some 1st line time. Some guys do the same but never see 1st and can hit 4th with out it being too weird.

You have players certain years like Tatar and Mercer who can literally be put on any line and it doesn't get more than a hmm.

But you have a pretty distinct top 6 on any team regardless of minutes, than you have a bottom 6. 3rd like and 4th line a lot of times play different roles depending on the players available and the coach.

If you want to die on the hill there is a top 9, then so be it. But it's not as simple as a top 9 and 4th line. And to be fair its not as simple as top 6 and bottom 6 either, even though admittedly my previous post made it seem like I was saying that.

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

I kind of forgot we have a new coach. I'm glad we signed him so early. He's got the whole summer now to figure out the team.

 

[Devils Pride 26]

Jfc the top 6, bottom 6, top 9, middle 6 is a fluid situation. The fact is that all of them are true.

Over the course of a game you have all of the above. It’s about deployment. There’s never going to be an iron clad “these are the top 6 guys” and a divider down half the roster. You can’t win that way.

Time of game, time of season, back to back, winning, losing, tied; all come into play. Seem a lot of silly stuff here but this may take the cake

 

[Clam Jensen]

I started following you guys off and on since Shero and Fitz moved over.

Hischer is one of my favorite players in the league.

Yes yes, you’re getting closer.

 

[Hisch13r]

The sad thing is that pretty much all of this is fine if the Devils had last year's 3rd/4th line C. I'm going to be wondering about AHL types who for whatever reason can't get a chance a la Loktionov in 2013 if any of the top 3 centers miss any time. I know someone here mentioned Peyton Krebs, who is not quite that, but who definitely seems like someone on the outside looking in for Buffalo this year. Juuso Parssinen could also be a target.



Him getting tossed for that fight was an absolute joke, there's absolutely no way he started that fight with that expectation. If the NHL wants to get rid of off-the-faceoff fights, and it should, don't enforce a rule in a way it has no business being enforced.

I’d be fine taking the flyer on Krebs if he’s cheap. He’s pretty awful offensively to this point but has been solid defensively. Parssinen had a rough year but solid the prior year

I was thinking before the game they’d have the staged fight and either get kicked out for it or that’d be the end of it rather than him actually going out and taking runs

 

[JimEIV]

So let’s say Dawson Mercer plays 60% of his minutes on Jack or Nico’s wing and 40% as the 3rd line center. Tatar plays half his minutes with Nico, half on the 3rd line. Haula does the same with Jack. How is that not a top 9 instead of a well defined top 6 and 3rd line?

No one is pretending to do anything. It’s an accurate description of how the team is deployed. You are using an inaccurate description.

That's an interesting way to prove your point...

You are literally talking about certain players that are backfilling gaps because there isn't a better solution.

At the end of the day there's going to be players that Jack and Nico will play almost no time with. Some combination of Jack, Nico, Bratt and Meier will play together 75% of the time.... that's the top 6 with 4 mainstays...if there was a better winger there would be 5 mainstays like Toffoli was pretty much last year.

Two or three wingers backfilling a gap doesn't prove your point at all.

 

[Nubmer6]

This is all going to depend on how Keefe wants to roll. He has a choice of going to heavy, putting our best scorers in the top 2 lines, or he can spread the wealth and have 3 more balanced lines. I think his history on the Leafs suggests he'll go top heavy, but that may be because of the way the leafs were constructed.

If we were to go balanced lines, I could see Nico anchoring a line, Jack another, and Bratt + Timo anchoring a third.

Otherwise, I still like the Nico+Timo and Jack+Jesper pairs with supporting linemates.

 

[theoptimist]

The only reason this is an A- and not an A is because the Devils brought back Tomas Tatar and still have not found a new home for Jonas Siegenthaler.

 

[TrufleShufle]

The only reason this is an A- and not an A is because the Devils brought back Tomas Tatar and still have not found a new home for Jonas Siegenthaler.

Yea it was an A the day before we brough in Tatar lol.

As for Jonas, you gotta give him another year IMO. Was a rough year for a lot of guys, he was a rock when at his best prior. If he can get back to form, that contract will be a huge help going forward.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Hope this helps out the guys:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1809380623313760744

 

[RSeen]

Yea it was an A the day before we brough in Tatar lol.

As for Jonas, you gotta give him another year IMO. Was a rough year for a lot of guys, he was a rock when at his best prior. If he can get back to form, that contract will be a huge help going forward.

We are deep enough that we can reduce his minutes and role difficulty if we have to. If he is #5/#6 on our depth chart after the season, you can consider trading him for increased cap flexibility.

This is all going to depend on how Keefe wants to roll. He has a choice of going to heavy, putting our best scorers in the top 2 lines, or he can spread the wealth and have 3 more balanced lines. I think his history on the Leafs suggests he'll go top heavy, but that may be because of the way the leafs were constructed.

If we were to go balanced lines, I could see Nico anchoring a line, Jack another, and Bratt + Timo anchoring a third.

Otherwise, I still like the Nico+Timo and Jack+Jesper pairs with supporting linemates.

I believe all 4 will be in the top 2 lines, with 2 on each line.

I am sure we will try different combos but I can see those two being the most successful. Mercer you can try one either line and same with a player like Palat. Tatar could be with Nico at points in the season.

I definitely hope to see us settle in with 3rd line combo of Palat-Haula-Noesen that can play a more defensive role late in the year/playoffs, provided we acquire a top 6 player.

 

[Hisch13r]

This is all going to depend on how Keefe wants to roll. He has a choice of going to heavy, putting our best scorers in the top 2 lines, or he can spread the wealth and have 3 more balanced lines. I think his history on the Leafs suggests he'll go top heavy, but that may be because of the way the leafs were constructed.

If we were to go balanced lines, I could see Nico anchoring a line, Jack another, and Bratt + Timo anchoring a third.

Otherwise, I still like the Nico+Timo and Jack+Jesper pairs with supporting linemates.

I mean we’re built pretty similarly to the Leafs up front with how top heavy the scoring would be. I think you can try something like going back to the Tatar-Nico-Mercer line and going Palat-Jack-Noesen with a Bratt-Haula-Meier line.

I think if we had another scoring threat like a Sprong it’d be a lot easier to envision. Jack can do a lot by himself but putting both Palat and Noesen with him might be leaving that line lacking too much. If Jack-Mercer were better together I’d feel more comfortable spreading things out by keeping Timo-Nico together, and having both Jack and Bratt driving their own line. I just really haven’t like the Jack-Mercer fit much at all

 

[megajake]

As well as Fitz size fetish



Why not? We signed Dillon for quite a bit more to play on the 3rd pair.

Eh that's different to me. I think our defensive mins are going to be way more spread out compared to other teams. Our 3rd pairing of Dillon/Nemec would be a 2nd pairing on most teams. 4th liners don't play nearly as much as the top 9.

 

[JimEIV]

Today I learned that lacking a top 6 winger...and throwing shit at the gap hoping it sticks is a top 9.

Because deployment or depth or something or other.

 

[Patrik26]

I think it’s more than player policing though. The supplemental discipline sucks and the refs game manage their way to irrelevancy. There is little reason not to just send some thugs out to intentionally injure the other team. Worst case scenario your player sits for a game while the other team loses guys for a month or more

But, but, but, the power play. Score on the power play. That'll show 'em.

 

[Devils731]

Hope this helps out the guys:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1809380623313760744

Skating is something you never stop improving at; having a full time coach focused on that area is a good way to spend in a cap league.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Today I learned that lacking a top 6 winger...and throwing shit at the gap hoping it sticks is a top 9.

Because deployment or depth or something or other.

Why is Tkachuk-Bennett-Rodrigues a good “top 6” line but Tatar-Nico-Timo not? Two guys that have never cleared 50 points. But that’s okay because of toughness, or something.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Hope this helps out the guys:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1809380623313760744

If anything this will do wonders for Holtz.

 

[Hisch13r]

If anything this will do wonders for Holtz.

The thing that’ll really do wonder for Holtz is a coach to trust him and put him with talent. Don’t know if he’ll find that though. We had the perfect talent for him but not the coaches. They wouldn’t even give a shot with Jack in a lost year