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

[Eggtimer]

I think / hope Fitz inquired about Horvat ONLY as a plan B or C and to not show we are looking at Meier and only Meier a it shows we are desperate for him and SJ would know this and squeeze us hard.
Also feigning interest in Horvat hopefully increases the price of him for teams like the Rags and Canes.

 

[billingtons ghost]

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?

Zucker, Killorn, Bertuzzi, Guentzel, mantha, toffoli, wennberg, eberle, necas, arviddson, neidereitter, Stephenson, Hegel. Are all contracts expiring this year or next.

Idk about teams that just suck and want to maximize return. Crowse would be cool AZ wants to do dumb things.

 

[Eggtimer]

Zucker, Killorn, Bertuzzi, Guentzel, mantha, toffoli, wennberg, eberle, necas, arviddson, neidereitter, Stephenson, Hegel. Are all contracts expiring this year or next.

Idk about teams that just suck and want to maximize return. Crowse would be cool AZ wants to do dumb things.

I can’t see any of the worthwhile guys being available and no one really as good as Meier IMO. Geuntzel Necas are the two that are worth while and no way in hell either would be available.

I want a young(ish) winger for Jack (or Nico and Bratt goes to Jacks wing) .
Meier is almost exactly the player I think would fit as close to perfect as possible

 

[Omar Little]

Zucker, Killorn, Bertuzzi, Guentzel, mantha, toffoli, wennberg, eberle, necas, arviddson, neidereitter, Stephenson, Hegel. Are all contracts expiring this year or next.

Idk about teams that just suck and want to maximize return. Crowse would be cool AZ wants to do dumb things.

Bolded are skillsets / age profiles / availability that could align. Stephenson in particular. Would be a very good complement to Hughes

 

[forceten]

I do not wish to trade 2023 first.

Assuming Meier agrees an extension of at least 6 years:

Timo Meier (50% retained)
1 or 2 AHL contracts that are on their 50 (at least 1 must be a good center who is not NHL talent)
SJ's 2024 3rd

NJ's 2024 1st
NJ's 2023 5th or 4th
Alex Holtz or Yegor Sharangovich
Kevin Bahl or Nikita Okhotiuk or McKenzie Blackwood
Andreas Johansson (salary dump)

Something like that.

 

[SKNJD9]

Im not shocked the names we're hearing are Meier an Horvat. Fitzy knows we need a cpl more interior players

 

[Blackjack]

If we strike out on Meier, Pasta should be the target. If we don’t get him offer sheet Lafreniere or Chytil.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I do not wish to trade 2023 first.

Assuming Meier agrees an extension of at least 6 years:

Timo Meier (50% retained)
1 or 2 AHL contracts that are on their 50 (at least 1 must be a good center who is not NHL talent)
SJ's 2024 3rd

NJ's 2024 1st
NJ's 2023 5th or 4th
Alex Holtz or Yegor Sharangovich
Kevin Bahl or Nikita Okhotiuk or McKenzie Blackwood
Andreas Johansson (salary dump)

Something like that.

you aren't getting Timo Meier then in all likelihood.

 

[bossram]

I think / hope Fitz inquired about Horvat ONLY as a plan B or C and to not show we are looking at Meier and only Meier a it shows we are desperate for him and SJ would know this and squeeze us hard.
Also feigning interest in Horvat hopefully increases the price of him for teams like the Rags and Canes.

I just hope he avoids Horvat.

I would imagine given how Carolina operates, they're not really that interested either.

you aren't getting Timo Meier then in all likelihood.

Yeah. I don't see how anyone can credibly say they want to trade for Meier and not have the 2023 1st on the table.

 

[Nubmer6]

I think / hope Fitz inquired about Horvat ONLY as a plan B or C and to not show we are looking at Meier and only Meier a it shows we are desperate for him and SJ would know this and squeeze us hard.
Also feigning interest in Horvat hopefully increases the price of him for teams like the Rags and Canes.

For all we know, these rumors are being spread by Vancouver to try to bump Horvat's trade value.

 

[Forge]

I do not wish to trade 2023 first.

Assuming Meier agrees an extension of at least 6 years:

Timo Meier (50% retained)
1 or 2 AHL contracts that are on their 50 (at least 1 must be a good center who is not NHL talent)
SJ's 2024 3rd

NJ's 2024 1st
NJ's 2023 5th or 4th
Alex Holtz or Yegor Sharangovich
Kevin Bahl or Nikita Okhotiuk or McKenzie Blackwood
Andreas Johansson (salary dump)

Something like that.

I would think that San Jose really wants that first this year. Other teams will certainly have put theirs on the table. If they do, I think the offer has to really wow them to get them to bypass that pick, and I'm not sure that this is it.

 

[tailfins]

Amazing what happens when the team gets NHL caliber goal tending.

This is super interesting to me.

I was on the side that the Devils defense needed to improve in order for the goaltending to improve. Others were saying that the team got down after a soft goal, so part of the poor play was a result of the poor goaltending.

I don't think VV's record is a definitive answer, but it does feel to me more likely that the others were right and that a goalie making a few key stops has helped the team play better.

It's a corollary to what @Bleedred had posted - that Vanecek has been our most important acquisition (not best, but most important). He's helped the whole team play better / with more confidence.

 

[Blackjack]

For all we know, these rumors are being spread by Vancouver to try to bump Horvat's trade value.

I like how they vault right over Nemec and go straight to Hughes and Siegenthaler.

 

[DerekDevils30]

Seems to be smoke there on both Horvat and Meier. Fitz is clearly going to be aggressive here and I‘m wondering how quickly something gets done. The situation here for Meier especially seems just perfect. A young, ascending team with two countrymen and the ability to make something long term happen.

 

[SKNJD9]

Seems to be smoke there on both Horvat and Meier. Fitz is clearly going to be aggressive here and I‘m wondering how quickly something gets done. The situation here for Meier especially seems just perfect. A young, ascending team with two countrymen and the ability to make something long term happen.

If Fitz wants to hit the market early the upcoming bye week makes a ton of sense.

 

[forceten]

I know. We just aren't in position to win a cup yet, and our center and interior winger depth sucks. 2023 pick can help address that. We aren't ready to trade that level of pick in a draft like this, IMHO.

 

[DerekDevils30]

I know. We just aren't in position to win a cup yet, and our center and interior winger depth sucks. 2023 pick can help address that. We aren't ready to trade that level of pick in a draft like this, IMHO.

We are a lot closer than you think. If you trade the 1st this year for an extended Meier, it’s a no brainer.

 

[Bleedred]

This is super interesting to me.

I was on the side that the Devils defense needed to improve in order for the goaltending to improve. Others were saying that the team got down after a soft goal, so part of the poor play was a result of the poor goaltending.

I don't think VV's record is a definitive answer, but it does feel to me more likely that the others were right and that a goalie making a few key stops has helped the team play better.

It's a corollary to what @Bleedred had posted - that Vanecek has been our most important acquisition (not best, but most important). He's helped the whole team play better / with more confidence.

And here we are, 47 games into this season and 13 games into his season and Mr. Elite Upside still can't hit .900% on the season, has been outplayed significantly by Vanecek, who is 11th in the league in GSAx behind the same team and even in some of his good games, plays just bad enough to allow a mind numbingly soft OT winner or a pathetic fan on a puck touch right to the other team. And he's still right around where he's been the last 2 seasons before this.

And while Blackwood has a positive GSAx now (it's like +1.23 or something), this would be the first season in his 5 NHL seasons that he is a plus at all in GSAx, as he was even a negative (just barely) in his first two good seasons, where he showed this ''Elite upside''.

 

[Devils731]

I know. We just aren't in position to win a cup yet, and our center and interior winger depth sucks. 2023 pick can help address that. We aren't ready to trade that level of pick in a draft like this, IMHO.

I’ll push back a bit, why aren’t the Devils in the second tier of teams that could possibly win the cup? I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say that this team could win with a little bit of luck, especially if you add pieces at the deadline.

Personally, I’m not adding any rentals that aren’t super cheap but a hockey trade that helps now and in the future will be fine to make.

 

[Lou Bloom]

I know. We just aren't in position to win a cup yet, and our center and interior winger depth sucks. 2023 pick can help address that. We aren't ready to trade that level of pick in a draft like this, IMHO.

Maybe not for a rental, but an extended Meier is easily worth a 2023 1st and more.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I know. We just aren't in position to win a cup yet, and our center and interior winger depth sucks. 2023 pick can help address that. We aren't ready to trade that level of pick in a draft like this, IMHO.

man come on.

Whomever we pick this summer (at the end of the first, remember) likely wont become a major contributor for another ~3 years. Why are we wasting 3 years of this corps if that player isnt going to help immediately? Why not get a guy like Meier who can help compete NOW?

No one is suggesting trading the pick for a rental.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I know. We just aren't in position to win a cup yet, and our center and interior winger depth sucks. 2023 pick can help address that. We aren't ready to trade that level of pick in a draft like this, IMHO.

Timo Meier might help our winger depth.

Anyway, I don’t believe the Horvat stuff. I think most of the shit that comes out of Vancouver is just made up nonsense.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Some wild takes on here today

 

[severian]

man come on.

Whomever we pick this summer (at the end of the first, remember) likely wont become a major contributor for another ~3 years. Why are we wasting 3 years of this corps if that player isnt going to help immediately? Why not get a guy like Meier who can help compete NOW?

No one is suggesting trading the pick for a rental.

We don’t know Meier wants to sign here. It’s being treated like a given that he does and will but that is anything but.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

We don’t know Meier wants to sign here. It’s being treated like a given that he does and will but that is anything but.

if Meier doesnt want to sign here, then the trade won't be made. No one is trading for him without an extension.