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

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Kind of weird the graphic creator felt the need to project his numbers for each year? It almost looks deceptive if you don't know any better and glance quick.

No, it isn't Literally at all.

 

[Bleedred]

I do think those players cards overinflate a player's market value and salary, simply because I don't think there are any players being paid $16 million dollars a year? Or at least not in AAV, maybe in actual salary one or two players could be getting that much this year? Regardless, yes, Hughes is definitely worth one of the highest paying salaries in the league for sure.

But that makes me think of the ''League minimum'' value for Miles Wood and since everything is overvalued, I keep thinking Miles Wood is probably really in the $150k-$200k range, which is probably the average AHL salary lol.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I have a little on my head, but maybe it's more than a little. I shave the sides to a zero every couple of weeks, so it never grows in enough to really notice much of it, but I see the tiny strands, especially when light or the sun shines on it. I don't shave the top of my head, but I don't see many up there, but I do have a few really long pieces assorted throughout the top of my head. They're not even in patches, but just weird assorted ones in different spots on top, which I can really only see if I look at myself for a really long time.

My beard is really gray though. Not that I grow it much, but there's a ton of gray stubble. There wasn't much in my 2012 playoff beard from what I remember, but just a few pieces. Normal for a 30-something year old. I noticed it a lot in my 2018 playoff beard a lot and I'm sure the 2023 one will really be brutally gray. My sideburns are also really gray, but I keep those shaved down, along with the rest of the side of my head.

At least my hands still look really young. That's one compliment I always get when people see my hands. ''your hands look like a kid's!''.

I hear there is great work as a hand model.

 

[Hisch13r]

I do think those players cards overinflate a player's market value and salary, simply because I don't think there are any players being paid $16 million dollars a year? Or at least not in AAV, maybe in actual salary one or two players could be getting that much this year? Regardless, yes, Hughes is definitely worth one of the highest paying salaries in the league for sure.

But that makes me think of the ''League minimum'' value for Miles Wood and since everything is overvalued, I keep thinking Miles Wood is probably really in the $150k-$200k range, which is probably the average AHL salary lol.

It's meant more as an impact value and what they should be valued at. Stars are underpaid across the board.

 

[JK3]

What's Utica schedule, shouldn't we send down Holtz to get a few games, kid has been sitting around forever.

 

[Guttersniped]

Well yeah if they're demanding Casey as a big piece that's one thing and I don't know if anyone is really arguing against that. I think the issue is that he wouldn't be viewed as a big piece and at that point you'd be better off adding say Muk instead. From what I've seen people say Grier seems to be in the Ranger mold of valuing size so I can't imagine he'd be super high on Casey.

I know Casey-mania has swept the board but I’m not sure he’s even the guy SJ would target.

I will point out that San Jose drafted 5’10” 175 RHD Mattias Havelid at #45 right before we drafted Casey at #46.

So if they wanted Casey they could have drafted him and they already have a 19 year old small offensive defenseman RHD in their not great defensive prospect pool.

Wheeler’s SJ Prospect pool (#17) had the now traded away RHD Ryan Merkley at #3 (lol he can’t quit him) and Havelid at #6 [out of 15], then:

12/ 19 year old RHD Gannon Laroque (2021 Rd 4 #103) 6’2” 201 WHL

14/ 18 year old LHD Jake Furlong (2022 Rd 5 #140) 6’1” 190 QMJHL

15/ 22 year old LHD Santeri Hatakka (2019 Rd 6 #184) 6’1” 192 AHL

Plus a shout-out to
18 year old RHD Michael Fisher (2022 Rd 3 #76) 6’2” 198 USHL

In September Elite Prospects had San Jose at #11.
3/ Havelid

6/ 22 year old LHD Artemi Knyazev (2019 Rd 2 #48) 6’0” 181 AHL

7/ Michael Fisher
10/ Santeri Hatakka

It’s a bit tough because there’s a drop off between our two Untouchables and the rest.

Mukhamadullin might work. A Sharks fan on the main board liked Vilén and he might work to since his stock rose.

Bahl or Okhotyuk might be a way to upgrade our bid if we become really aggressive about it. SJ has… stuff and they could play those guys now. (Not exactly thrilled about losing cheap defensive depth but trading older prospects/ELCs while the value is still high has become a Fitz signature move.)

I don’t have the slightest sense of where anything is at with Meier though lol.

 

[Mgd31]

What's Utica schedule, shouldn't we send down Holtz to get a few games, kid has been sitting around forever.

Yea Idk why they didn't do that, he could have gotten in 3 games this week. Its not like the Devils are practicing all week. I mean Bratt is in Puerto Rico and I'm sure others are taking the time off as well.

 

[Cheddabombs]

What's Utica schedule, shouldn't we send down Holtz to get a few games, kid has been sitting around forever.

Maybe Grier wants to give him a chance in the NHL first, so we're saving him the hassle of calling Holtz back up

 

[Bleedred]

I really do think Holtz is trade bait at this point.

I don't think we're definitely trading him, but I think he's absolutely on the table for some kind of a deadline acquisition.

And I don't think anyone is really gonna object if he's part of a deal for Timo.

Then we can all laugh about how the offseason champions year/Shero, Hynes, Hall, Cory swan song season got us Timo Meier.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Jim when he sees a Jack or Nico chart

 

[Guttersniped]

I wish I could find video of the old cow tunnel so the new generation of NJ fans could experience it. The thing literally feeling like it could collapse over the highway with thundering chants after big wins. Feet stomping and banging on the sides in unison. Groups of guys mooing when it crawled to a standstill. Smell of the pretzels guys were hawking at the end of the tunnel.

High Point: pretzels and bootleg shirts

Low Point: The arctic winds that blew across the barren chemical wastelands cut through you like a knife.

 

[Bleedred]

I never realized he used the 3rd person MORE than once. "The Vitek" AND "Stay me, stay my Vitek"

I thought it was only one time....

I would probably pay money to see him come on some hockey based show (like on NHLN or something) dressed in a suit and maybe with his hair looking slightly different. Just to make it somewhat less obvious that it's really him. Like where people know it's the real Vitek Vanecek, but like they're not supposed to?

And he comes on the program breaking down all the many reasons why Vitek or The Vitek is better than The Blackwood.

''See this right here? Yes? This one of many reasons shot hit Vitek but shot turn into goal on the Blackwood, cause his just not good on this kind play like the Vitek is''.

I know no one else would find this amusing, but I'm making myself laugh really hard thinking about it.

 

[MasterofGrond]

I do think those players cards overinflate a player's market value and salary, simply because I don't think there are any players being paid $16 million dollars a year? Or at least not in AAV, maybe in actual salary one or two players could be getting that much this year? Regardless, yes, Hughes is definitely worth one of the highest paying salaries in the league for sure.

But that makes me think of the ''League minimum'' value for Miles Wood and since everything is overvalued, I keep thinking Miles Wood is probably really in the $150k-$200k range, which is probably the average AHL salary lol.

They're not meant to be predictions for how much a player would make because, like in the NBA, the best players in the league generally don't make as much as they're actually worth and the middle and low end guys make more than they're worth. Salary structure just doesn't reflect actual on-ice value for structural reasons.

In a "fair" league Mcdavid would be making league max.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Yea Idk why they didn't do that, he could have gotten in 3 games this week. Its not like the Devils are practicing all week. I mean Bratt is in Puerto Rico and I'm sure others are taking the time off as well.

maybe Holtz is enjoying some time in St. Barts or somewhere himself and after sitting so long that's part of the compensation for him. Let him have his break like everyone else after all the red eye flights and practices and doing what he's told and asked. I can imagine him not exactly being anxious to go back to Utica when everyone else is having their eight days off. I would like to think our club treats its guys well. It's something I like about Lindy. He's a straight shooter with them and honest and not a game player. I think that now that we are winning we are a good place to play.

 

[Bleedred]

maybe Holtz is enjoying some time in St. Barts or somewhere himself and after sitting so long that's part of the compensation for him. Let him have his break like everyone else after all the red eye flights and practices and doing what he's told and asked. I can imagine him not exactly being anxious to go back to Utica when everyone else is having their eight days off. I would like to think our club treats its guys well. It's something I like about Lindy. He's a straight shooter with them and honest and not a game player. I think that now that we are winning we are a good place to play.

That's fair to let him have the break right now. He has been doing everything but playing, as he's traveling, practicing, taking flights, etc.

I'm more mad that he's been on the NHL roster for almost the entirety of the year, than the fact he's getting the bye week with everybody else that's been on the NHL roster the entire year.

They really should think about sending him to the AHL after the break ends though.

Regardless, I really think he's heading into his final month in the Devils organization. I think he'll be used in a deadline deal.

 

[MachoDiablo]

Too many people making playoff projections right now in some of the threads around here. Like, yeah, of late the Devils' depth hasn't really been showing up well enough, I agree, but let's get this young team through their bye, maybe get Marino back, maybe make a trade, and let's also not assume that the Canes and Rangers are going to be fantastic the whole way through, because just like the Devils they'll have more ups and downs before the season's over.

We tend to get a bit too caught up (myself included) in what's happening super recently; let's get towards March before we start thinking that the current state of play will reflect what April will go like.

 

[Nubmer6]

At least my hands still look really young. That's one compliment I always get when people see my hands. ''your hands look like a kid's!''.

Wait... Aren't you a carpenter? How does that happen? Slacker!

I was here this night and I got hit with a bottle...100% true story. Bled a lot too.

Freaking car was on fire and two dudes jumped from the top section into the lower bowl during the show.

Man I miss that arena.

I missed that show. Saw them a few days earlier at Stabler Arena in Allentown (was going to Lehigh at the time).

Does anybody remember when the Devils used to do a skills competition around all star break, with just our players? We may have also used the AHL players, I can't remember. Apparently some teams are doing this nowadays, as I saw something the other day where some team was having one at their arena for fans.

I went to at least one of them. I remember being shocked when Randy McKay beat Corey Mullen in the speed competition.

High Point: pretzels and bootleg shirts

The pretzels always smelled better than they tasted.

 

[Mgd31]

maybe Holtz is enjoying some time in St. Barts or somewhere himself and after sitting so long that's part of the compensation for him. Let him have his break like everyone else after all the red eye flights and practices and doing what he's told and asked. I can imagine him not exactly being anxious to go back to Utica when everyone else is having their eight days off. I would like to think our club treats its guys well. It's something I like about Lindy. He's a straight shooter with them and honest and not a game player. I think that now that we are winning we are a good place to play.

I mean yea I was just thinking he would be happy to get in some games as well after not playing for over 3 weeks. He was pretty happy to play when he got sent back to Utica for 3 games earlier this year.

Also I am not sure Ruff has done the best in handling Holtz, but don't feel like getting into that.

 

[JimEIV]

High Point: pretzels and bootleg shirts

Low Point: The arctic winds that blew across the barren chemical wastelands cut through you like a knife.

I have two friends from Idaho and one from Montana and while having dinner one night all 3 agreed that the coldest they have ever been was in the parking lot at the Meadowlands...

Those are two states that hit 20below regularly, in fact the temp today in Idaho where my friend lives is -15 and if I called him right now he'd still say that parking lot is the coldest place he's ever been.

Most brutal wind ever.

 

[Killing Joke]

The Devils have better d prospects, 2 of which they won’t be willing to trade. And they would have to be willing to part with Casey on top of that, otherwise you’re just throwing in Mukhamadullin.

We have better d prospects beyond the two we won’t trade. Buffalo doesnt

 

[Camille the Eel]

Too many people making playoff projections right now in some of the threads around here. Like, yeah, of late the Devils' depth hasn't really been showing up well enough, I agree, but let's get this young team through their bye, maybe get Marino back, maybe make a trade, and let's also not assume that the Canes and Rangers are going to be fantastic the whole way through, because just like the Devils they'll have more ups and downs before the season's over.

We tend to get a bit too caught up (myself included) in what's happening super recently; let's get towards March before we start thinking that the current state of play will reflect what April will go like.

This. Totally. Any team above the Isles and even including Detroit that wins five, six or seven straight and any team that loses five or six in a row etc. will see its fortunes alter greatly in the standings. The fact that everyone is bunched up and playing each other makes it very hard to do this and to crash too much. I do think we are highly likely to make the playoffs. But beyond that it’s too early to figure anything with confidence. You really need to get doen to about 15 or less games left to see the picture coming increasingly into focus.

 

[Bleedred]

Wait... Aren't you a carpenter? How does that happen? Slacker!

Not no more. Haven't really been for just about 12 years now. I'm like a maintenance guy at a small beachfront resort and have been for 11.5 years since moving here.

I basically did that from age 18-35 and put away enough cash to move down here and buy this house in cash and not have to do that shit anymore. My back would have been gone if I was still doing that. I had kind of planned to still do it upon moving down here in 2011, but that was a period where the building trades and economy were pretty poor down here and I had no tenure down here. By the time things got back to normal, I was much more happier doing this than having to commute to god knows where for however long a particular job/project was going to take. Like the stuff I was doing in Jersey. Commuting to PA and driving 50k miles a year to commute to work some years.

Been doing this ever since. Cleaning the pool every day, power washing once in a while and taking care of the grounds is much easier on the body than the stuff I was doing in my late teens, 20's and first half of my 30's.

The bottoms of my hands are a bit rough, but they've also repaired themselves a bit from those days. It's the top of my hands that have extremely fine lines and are smooth.

 

[JimEIV]

I missed that show. Saw them a few days earlier at Stabler Arena in Allentown (was going to Lehigh at the time).

They were at MSG a couple of days later and I went to that show too. They were making kids take anything with spikes on them off and leave them on a table. Like studded jackets, belts, braclets and rings... couldn't go in with any spikes.

 

[Camille the Eel]

I have two friends from Idaho and one from Montana and while having dinner one night all 3 agreed that the coldest they have ever been was in the parking lot at the Meadowlands...

Those are two states that hit 20below regularly, in fact the temp today in Idaho where my friend lives is -15 and if I called him right now he'd still that parking lot is the coldest place he's ever been.

The winds along the Hudson are bitter. We tend to forget the ocean wind chill but the delta of the Hudson is one windy region.

 

[njdevil26]

Please let me know if anyone wants to play Warzone and be invited to my Discord server either this afternoon or tonight because work is slow and I am spending WAY too much time realizing that Timo Meier is currently in Tulum Mexico and so is Nico, Siegs, Tatar, and Haula via their wife/girlfriends IG stories.