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

[JimEIV]

who cares what’s right for him? lol…he’s under team control

That's why we're 28 days from the start of the season and still no contract.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Buyer's remorse in 2020 from Fitz but can't fault him there

That's why we're 28 days from the start of the season and still no contract.

That's more of a commentary on the state of sports now than anything else. Guys are more willing to hold out or wait for whatever they believe their value is more now than ever before.

 

[JimEIV]

Buyer's remorse in 2020 from Fitz but can't fault him there



That's more of a commentary on the state of sports now than anything else. Guys are more willing to hold out or wait for whatever they believe their value is more now than ever before.

It's been going on forever. Remember when Niedermayer missed the first 3 weeks of the season in 98?

 

[Nubmer6]

Why three years deal? One year deal and two years deal, or just two years deal, or two years and one year like Bratt did. We already saw it.

Sorry to actually plan for the future as some (not you) seem to really hate to do, but I would prefer 3 years, as we have A few bigger contracts (i.e. Palat) coming off the books then, and we'll be able to gine him a large, long term contact.

I mean we could probably do it in 2 years too, but it would probably involve paying to have Palat or someone else off the books. Hell, we may do it anyway.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It's been going on forever. Remember when Niedermayer missed the first 3 weeks of the season in 98?

HOF dman v a guy who's a 25 goal scorer, come on Jim lol. The more average guys are doing it way more often now, I don't blame them but it's not like the older sports days.

 

[njdevils1982]

Sorry to actually plan for the future as some (not you) seem to really hate to do, but I would prefer 3 years, as we have A few bigger contracts (i.e. Palat) coming off the books then, and we'll be able to gine him a large, long term contact.

I mean we could probably do it in 2 years too, but it would probably involve paying to have Palat or someone else off the books. Hell, we may do it anyway.

-Mr Fusco, can I have an advance?

Payday is Monday.

-I know, but every place else pays on Friday or Saturday.

And they're broke on Monday. Booze, whores, pissing away their money. This way you've got money all week. You can save for the future.

-f*** the future!

No, Tony, you can't f*** the future. The future catches up with you, and it f***s you if you haven't planned for it.

-Tonight is the future, and I'm planning for it. There's a shirt I have to buy...

Sorry, Tony. No exceptions.

-Just wait until you need an advance, bigshot!

 

[My3Sons]

That's why we're 28 days from the start of the season and still no contract.

If NJ would be open to a long term deal I'd have him sign a one year deal. A bounce back season and say 25 plus goals and 60 points and they can probably agree on a long term contract value. it's difficult now coming off a down year. The team has control for essentially the next four years. If Dawson also wants something longer term I'd at least explore that. Given the cap this season they can pay him $3.5-4 mil for the one year and then revisit a long term deal next season. Of course both sides have to want that.

 

[MasterofGrond]

I presume he’d probably be looking for a 2 year bridge. Lock down some real cash just in case, and not really leaving that much on the table versus taking 1. situation with his down year and the team finances probably means a long term one is tough to agree on. So I bet we’ll see 2 years.

 

[MartyOwns]

That's why we're 28 days from the start of the season and still no contract.

which…is worse than spending that money to vastly improve the team in actual areas of need?

 

[Goptor]

Buyer's remorse in 2020 from Fitz but can't fault him there



That's more of a commentary on the state of sports now than anything else. Guys are more willing to hold out or wait for whatever they believe their value is more now than ever before.

What is that value though?

Mercer knows he had a bad year last year. His agent knows he had a bad year last year. The stats say he had a bad year last year.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

What is that value though?

Mercer knows he had a bad year last year. His agent knows he had a bad year last year. The stats say he had a bad year last year.

Beats me but if he thinks that then he's still allowed to do whatever to extract a contract he feels is deserving. I'll never be against a player wanting their money lol. It'll get resolved imo,

 

[MadDevil]

Mercer will be fine. Do a bridge deal, show everybody last season was an anamoly, cash out in 2-3 years. Although that cash out might be somewhere else, depending on how we handle the cap between now and then.

 

[Bcap88]

Mercer prob gets done this week

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Unfortunate

Askarov couldn't wait one year to backup and potentially two years to start?

Regardless, NJ didn't have the assets to better SJ offer

 

[JimEIV]

What is that value though?

Mercer knows he had a bad year last year. His agent knows he had a bad year last year. The stats say he had a bad year last year.

Value? Short term 3.5 to 4.

Buying UFA years on a long term deal 6.5

That roughly his worth.

 

[JimEIV]

Mercer will be fine. Do a bridge deal, show everybody last season was an anamoly, cash out in 2-3 years. Although that cash out might be somewhere else, depending on how we handle the cap between now and then.

How is that fine? There is no money now and there won't be after Luke signs a new contract in the future. There is no way around this... you're not going to be able to sign Mercer to a long term deal after Luke and Nemec get paid and everyone knows it...

That's not a good situation for Mercer. That means he has to go through the next however long hearing his name pop up in rumor after rumor.. until the inevitable.

You don't need a crystal ball to see how this is going to work. So if you're not going to get paid by this team at any point why in the world would you take a team friendly deal?

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I think we dodged a bullet with Askarov.

 

[Billdo]

I think we dodged a bullet with Askarov.

Why

 

[glenwo2]

I think we dodged a bullet with Askarov.

Why

Probably because knowing our luck, he'd end up being another Blackwood.

Just remember who the Goaltender Coach still is.....

 

[JimEIV]

HOF dman v a guy who's a 25 goal scorer, come on Jim lol. The more average guys are doing it way more often now, I don't blame them but it's not like the older sports days.

Pat Verbeek, Jason Arnott, Bill Guerin...they all held out and if I sat and really thought about I'm sure I can come up another half dozen.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Why

From what admittedly little I've seen of him I've been left unimpressed. It just seems like he's over hyped. It's subjective. Maybe he will be great. I guess we will find out because he is going to have a lot of opportunities to make saves in SJ.

 

[MadDevil]

How is that fine? There is no money now and there won't be after Luke signs a new contract in the future. There is no way around this... you're not going to be able to sign Mercer to a long term deal after Luke and Nemec get paid and everyone knows it...

That's not a good situation for Mercer. That means he has to go through the next however long hearing his name pop up in rumor after rumor.. until the inevitable.

You don't need a crystal ball to see how this is going to work. So if you're not going to get paid by this team at any point why in the world would you take a team friendly deal?

What's his alternative, sit out and not play at all? You think that's going to help his value? He has no leverage, which sucks for him but it's part of the business. He can either pout about how unfair it is, or go out there and force the Devils to either pay him or move him somewhere that will pay him.

 

[Lou Bloom]

How is that fine? There is no money now and there won't be after Luke signs a new contract in the future. There is no way around this... you're not going to be able to sign Mercer to a long term deal after Luke and Nemec get paid and everyone knows it...

That's not a good situation for Mercer. That means he has to go through the next however long hearing his name pop up in rumor after rumor.. until the inevitable.

You don't need a crystal ball to see how this is going to work. So if you're not going to get paid by this team at any point why in the world would you take a team friendly deal?

We're talking about 2+ years down the line assuming a bridge deal. Between the projected cap increase at that time and potential roster turnover there's always the possibility to make room for a player, The Golden Knights have been up against the cap for the last 3 seasons and still made room for Hanifin and Hertl this offseason. It's certainly possible Mercer won't be here long term but I don't see any reason the Devils or Mercer should see it as a foregone conclusion.

How is this not a good situation for Mercer? He has a clear avenue to a top 6 role on a team that has the potential to put up high end scoring numbers, which should buoy his stat line and put him in position for a big raise after his bridge deal.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Why no centers on PTO?

I've aske3d that so many times i think I'm a broken record. I'm speaking from a Comets viewpoint.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Mercer's probably our most expendable and replaceable "good young player", when you think about it.

He's a 40-50 point (As of now) winger who is fine defensively 5-on-5 and can PK or play PP. Our outstanding prospect forwards are all wingers who will be on the team in a year or two (Gritsyuk, Lenni, other guys maybe).

Bridge works well in this case. Two years at a reasonable rate, reevaluate then. Maybe we can sign him long term after that, or maybe we have a good trade chip / can replace from within. It's a win-win to me.