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

[PKs Broken Stick]

i hope everyone’s ready for how silly this is gonna get

View attachment 641250

This is so ridiculous, I can't even laugh.

 

[Nubmer6]

I don't care if he comes with an extension. Maybe I'm overly optimistic but I feel like if he's an RFA, the Devils would be acquiring him well aware with how much money they are going to have to pay him in the offseason.

I don't care either. In fact, it may lower SJs asking price.

If he didn't re-sign, I believe we'd get a significant return if we traded his final RFA year over the summer. Look at what Tkachuk and DeBrincat fetched. It would make up for a lot of what we pay for him.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Then you go Muk and add another pick or Edwards on top of Muk. Casey has something that’s worth maximizing as either an asset or part of our future top 6.

Some of these prospects might turn out to be players that would yield a package similar to what we send off for a guy like Timo. If you’re not going to see it through with a Holtz for example you don’t throw away unmaximized Casey on top of it.

One unmaximized guy in this deal is the cap of what id do. I like Timo a lot but we aren’t true contenders yet and we need to keep our asset options as open as possible. Even this years pick should be considered valuable. Our forward prospect depth is poor and we need to keep our pipeline on both the back end and up front filled.

I want perennial contention not all in on the next 2-4 years with Timo/Jack/Nico/Bratt core. That core has yet to be determined if it’s true cup contender worthy.

An extended Meier would 100% be part of the future core, and a really damn good one at that. The only question mark would be on defense going forward. If Nemec and Luke pan out the way we expect them to, the only thing left to do would be to keep repleneshing the depth around the core.

I'm not sure why you think it'd be only next 2-4 years? It'd be a lot more than that.

 

[njdevil26]

I don't care either. In fact, it may lower SJs asking price.

If he didn't re-sign, I believe we'd get a significant return if we traded his final RFA year over the summer. Look at what Tkachuk and DeBrincat fetched. It would make up for a lot of what we pay for him.

Agreed. Even if you meet his qualifier and give him an 8 year deal that looks like:

10, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25 that's a 8.47 cap hit.

I'm sure the breakdown would be insanely more complicated given big names are getting their money in bonuses nowadays.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

Dougie is definitely untouchable, Siegenthaler is on such a team friendly deal it's hard to see it happening, Graves and Severson are more likely to re-sign or just walk in UFA rather than be traded at the deadline. Marino could plausibly be traded, but it wouldn't be for Meier. Smith wouldn't be a positive asset in a trade.

I'm not sure a plausible deal exists currently where it makes sense to include a roster defenseman.

There's 0 reason to trade Marino, unless your name is Ray Shero.

 

[TrufleShufle]

I think any Meier trade will be a little more complicated than just the 1 for 3 thrown around. Not complicated in the sense that it can't be worked out but in the sense that multiple rosters player will have to move.

As much as we want to see Holtz playing, he mostly isn't meaning Meier would knock someone else out we would like to see play, Zetterlund can't be waived and from what I understand Sharks are capped out on roster slots (correct me if I'm wrong.)

So to make it work I'd imagine we would send someone over who is actually currently playing on a nightly basis, and they would send back one or two guys that would be AHL/ waiver fodder. This is all on top of the package that everyone seems to think is most likely, just to make it all work.

 

[DevilsHughes86]

Agreed. Even if you meet his qualifier and give him an 8 year deal that looks like:

10, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25, 8.25 that's a 8.47 cap hit.

I'm sure the breakdown would be insanely more complicated given big names are getting their money in bonuses nowadays.

Yup, his RFA year can be a positive outcome for which ever team acquires him.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

You can't give up a 1st, Holtz, and Mukhamadullin for Meier with a 10m qualifying offer -> UFA and Bratt unsigned a year away from UFA. Downside risk is just too high given the Devils cap situation.

If you can get a 5 year window with both players signed under 9m each I think I do it though. If that means Meier and Bratt both sign only 4 year extensions I'd still probably do it.

 

[Nubmer6]

Just a thought...

If we strike out on Meier, what are the possibilities of another scoring power forward becoming available in the next year or two? Who else could possibly be on the move?

 

[RSeen]

You do what you have to do to keep Mercer.

Sign me up for something similar as:

Holtz
1st
Mukhamadullin

Or

Shara
1st
Bahl

We have assets and if we lose out on Timo we are going to be losing him to the Rags, Canes, or a Buffalo team that is getting scary enough.

If we could do a Holtz+Yegor/Boqvist package, I would rather do that. I acknowledge you likely need to add more if it is Boqvist, but regardless if we add Meier, these players are getting less time likely.

 

[Guttersniped]

I think any Meier trade will be a little more complicated than just the 1 for 3 thrown around. Not complicated in the sense that it can't be worked out but in the sense that multiple rosters player will have to move.

As much as we want to see Holtz playing, he mostly isn't meaning Meier would knock someone else out we would like to see play, Zetterlund can't be waived and from what I understand Sharks are capped out on roster slots (correct me if I'm wrong.)

So to make it work I'd imagine we would send someone over who is actually currently playing on a nightly basis, and they would send back one or two guys that would be AHL/ waiver fodder. This is all on top of the package that everyone seems to think is most likely, just to make it all work.

I’m not worried about who won’t play if we get better.

And yes, they would theoretically need to send AHL contracts back, but those guys go to Utica or get terminated/moved.

Their contract issue doesn’t concern me as much the cap issue, with people just assuming SJ will be happy to accommodate us by both retaining on Meier and taking Johnsson.

Not saying we can’t find a way to make this work in terms of the cap but that might be more problematic. I can’t worry about that too much when the TDL is over a month away. Meier might not be going anywhere for quite a while.

 

[Guttersniped]

Just a thought...

If we strike out on Meier, what are the possibilities of another scoring power forward becoming available in the next year or two? Who else could possibly be on the move?

Troy Terry isn’t a power forward but he’s an arbitration eligible RFA.

The Ducks might give him a big long deal to stay but he’s in his 5th season and has never been in the playoffs.

I am curious what happens with him.

 

[TrufleShufle]

I’m not worried about who won’t play if we get better.

And yes, they would theoretically need to send AHL contracts back, but those guys go to Utica or get terminated/moved.

Their contract issue doesn’t concern me as much the cap issue, with people just assuming SJ will be happy to accommodate us by both retaining on Meier and taking Johnsson.

Not saying we can’t find a way to make this work in terms of the cap but that might be more problematic. I can’t worry about that too much when the TDL is over a month away. Meier might not be going anywhere for quite a while.

Oh yea, I'm not concerned in the slightest. I can't imagine Fitz would do anything to make us worse just to get Meier, I'm just saying, based on what we know, there should be a lot of moving parts in this trade.

 

[NJDevs26]

I can't imagine Lindy not playing Blackwood in one of the two games. I am not saying I agree with that, it's just seems to be the Lindy way.

That and it isn’t necessary at this point to play Vitek four in six nights (especially with the back to back at the end) now that we have a cushion again

 

[NJDevs26]

Why wouldn't they? They have to rebuild. If that's the best offer they get, they'd be crazy not to do it. Who knows what people will offer though, because of Meier's contract situation.

Unless Timo pulls a DeBrincat and refuses to extend with anyone you aren’t getting him at a rental price

 

[Eggtimer]

Johnsson has a limited no-trade so I hope that doesn't make things difficult... but his actual salary this season is 750k. He was paid out a bonus on July 1st so trading him to get him off the books should actually be pretty easy since whatever team takes him will only have to pay him 300k or less in actual cash.

I can’t see Johnson refusing a trade where he goes from riding a bus in the minors to playing in SJ for a NHL team.
However , it might not be SJ where we try to dump Johnson to as SJ is at the max amount of contracts , so the fewer contracts back the better it may be but …. It would be easy for them to include one or more marginal no name players to make the number of contacts work.

I would HATE to add Mercer but it might come to that if :
1. Lou goes full old man, do or die , make the playoffs mode.
2. Rags do what they do best and pay for he shiniest toy available , even though it makes no sense for them to do so.
3. Canes use their cap room and assets on Meier ,even though they need a D and a C more so.
4. Buffalo decides to go for it , but they need D and dept bottom 6 guys more so.
5. Detroit thinks Meier is the piece that pushes them into the playoffs this year and /or think he is the needed piece moving forward. But … they need C . Especially if Larkin is not extended.

 

[HBK27]

FWIW:

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I really don't have any interest in paying the price for Horvat and then extending him longterm

 

[Eggtimer]

I don't care either. In fact, it may lower SJs asking price.

If he didn't re-sign, I believe we'd get a significant return if we traded his final RFA year over the summer. Look at what Tkachuk and DeBrincat fetched. It would make up for a lot of what we pay for him.

This is why it worries me that the Rags might try for Meier . They cant extend him plus Chytil Miller Laff ets. so maybe they just go rental and see what happens after . If they decide he’s not the missing piece after he playoffs , they can trwde him and get whatever assets back they can .
You would have to think they will do what they can to prevent us from gettig him as well . I don’t think the are pumped about the possibility of maybe having to play us with Meier riding shot gun with Jack .

 

[DevilsHughes86]

I really don't have any interest in paying the price for Horvat and then extending him longterm

Well it just doesn't make sence for us, unless he can magically play wing and we don't know about it..

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Would seem odd to go after the C. Plus, Horvat is having a career year. No interest in that route.

And while we’re at it, sending Mercer the other way for Meier would be a crime. No way I’d pay that.

 

[HersheyBob27]

Please bring on horvat

 

[Mgd31]

 

[Eggtimer]

Just a thought...

If we strike out on Meier, what are the possibilities of another scoring power forward becoming available in the next year or two? Who else could possibly be on the move?

That’s the thing. No one really . Dubois is the only one i can think of but he is a C .

 

[Saugus]

I really don't have any interest in paying the price for Horvat and then extending him longterm

Agreed. I don't even understand the logic of bringing in another top 6 center when we have Hughes and Hischier, two of the best in the game currently.

Unless all that time playing Jack with Haula has warped Fitz and Ruff's brains into thinking that Hughes is a winger long term, and they want Horvat to center him instead, so Haula can go back to the third line where he belongs.

Meier fits our need better. I hope this talk of Horvat is just meaningless noise.