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

[Mgd31]

Still no Meier.

What are you doing Tom Fitzgerald!?

Too many margaritas in Fort Lauderdale at the moment

 

[SETHROLLINS]

Then what was all the lip service about going back home to be close to his dad?

Halfway into Parise-Suter deals, here’s the full story of how it all went down

Those involved with the blockbuster signings in July 2012 share their memories of how Zach Parise and Ryan Suter ended up in Minnesota.

theathletic.com

I don't have a sub to The Athletic anymore but this was a great story by Russo of how everything went down.

Suter even took a meeting with Detroit after he had given Minny a verbal commitment.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Too many margaritas in Fort Lauderdale at the moment

Lock up your golf carts

 

[tailfins]

NHL rumors: Sharks want add goalie prospect depth at trade deadline

The Sharks need to add talent in the minors, and one position they reportedly are focused on is goaltender.

sports.yahoo.com

Well….unfortunately, Blackwood is not a prospect. Could the Sharks be interested in Schmid, Daws or Brennan?

I think most of this stuff is speculation.

But, if true, it’s not great for the Devils. Brennan hasn’t had a great year, and Daws / Schmid don’t have a lot of buzz.

I just don’t see anyone who could land Meier also having and trading a top goalie prospect.

I could see the Sharks taking a flier on a goalie as part of the deal. But I don’t think the value of that prospect would be make or break.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

That’s right, Jack.

 

[glenwo2]

Fitz should get ripped into shreds then, Bratt has fed it to him twice in contracts years. At some point, you use Nico's and Jack's deals to overpay a homegrown star. This team has been in the wilderness for a decade and you're going to let a player walk due a 0.5-1M difference just as we're getting good?

Not for nothing but I will lose all confidence in Fitz if he lets Bratt walk (or trades him).

ALL OF IT.

I don't care what else he does afterward or what other deals he does.

He would've let a true unicorn just leave because he refused to pay him what he was worth (even if it's a slight overpayment which is the norm in today's NHL) like a penny-pinching jackass.

 

[HBK27]

Well Parise 2.0 COULD have a different ending...but I don't see any way he signs by next offseason unless someone gives in (both sides have been intractable till this point) and I'm not sure the Devils can really trade him at this point now that they're in contender-land. Hence we sweat out him playing the last year on a one-year deal and hope the Devils make a deep enough playoff run to be worth it if he leaves.

If Fitz can't sign Bratt to an extension this offseason, I am 100% convinced he will be traded. Way too big of a risk to just let him walk for nothing and this team is in the early phases of the contention window, so it's not that huge of a kick in the balls if they trade him for some high upside prospects. Ultimately, I think the two work out an agreement though.

A) he was diagnosed at the end of 2013, but that doesn't mean his health wasn't declining. No matter, it was his hometown team, and he was

B) there in Minnesota at his lake house after one day in Toronto fielding offers from clubs. It took him a couple of phone calls and like a day to decide, bc they came to agreement and announced it on July 4th. That's hardly taking your time with the process. Your one chance at free agency, I think that it probably behoves you to spend a day in Toronto.

In any case HOMETOWN TEAM.

He and Suter were discussing it long before free agency started that they would go as a package deal and Zach said Suter was no go on NJ when he brought it up. They planned to play together and Minn had the cap space for both and desire to make a splash.

I think people make it into something it isn't. He could've stayed in NJ but the universe sure looked like it was telling him something.

According to The Athletic article that details there experiences, this is not at all true. Parise did ask Suter about NJ though:

 

[JimEIV]

Well...being on a bus and saying "let's go baby". Kinda makes sense

 

[Saugus]

Still no Meier.

What are you doing Tom Fitzgerald!?

Enjoying his vacation during the All-Star break like everyone else.

I would be surprised if any big deals happened this week. Lou pulling the trigger early on the Horvat deal isn't necessarily going to open the floodgates, that's just Lou being Lou.

 

[glenwo2]

I mean...this (Fitz) is the same guy who was willing to give Johnny Hockey 9 f'n million but he's not going to do the same(or close to it) to retain his OWN Homegrown star player? f*** off, Fitz, if that happens!

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

I'm sorry, but there's still almost half the season left. Why does everyone think Carolina's locked into 1st? Were those the same people who thought we were locked into 1st November?

Agreed.

Plus I want no part of the Rangers yet. They're still playoff tested of late. The team is better than some on our board will give credit. PLUS - I don't want to play Shesterkin. And Trouba will 100% injure one of our players.

 

[JimEIV]

Not for nothing but I will lose all confidence in Fitz if he lets Bratt walk (or trades him).

ALL OF IT.

I don't care what else he does afterward or what other deals he does.

He would've let a true unicorn just leave because he refused to pay him what he was worth (even if it's a slight overpayment which is the norm in today's NHL) like a penny-pinching jackass.

I wouldn't lose confidence in Fitz if he had to trade Bratt.

I like Bratt a lot...I loved Pat Verbeek and Claude Lemieux even more....some players force a GM's hand with their demands.

 

[glenwo2]

I wouldn't lose confidence in Fitz if he had to trade Bratt.

I like Bratt a lot...I loved Pat Verbeek and Claude Lemieux even more....some players force a GM's hand with their demands.

Well good for you, I guess.

I, on the other hand, would.

Fitz is willing to go 9 million plus for Johnny Hockey but not anywhere close (8.5, for example) for one of your own Homegrown players?

GTFO of here with that!

(not you personally but Fitz)

 

[Devs3cups]

Not for nothing but I will lose all confidence in Fitz if he lets Bratt walk (or trades him).

ALL OF IT.

I don't care what else he does afterward or what other deals he does.

He would've let a true unicorn just leave because he refused to pay him what he was worth (even if it's a slight overpayment which is the norm in today's NHL) like a penny-pinching jackass.

You seem to go back and forth on these ideas often (sometimes it’s Fitz, sometimes it’s Bratt), and I sympathize cause when my favorite guy (Parise) signed a 1-yr deal, I was torn between Lou and Zach. But the reality is that the possibility that Bratt is being unreasonable and is asking for way more than he’s worth is a real one. We got a report a few weeks ago from a connected source in Julie Robenhymer that Fitz offered Bratt a little under Jack’s deal as a starting point after 1 PPG season and that Bratt and his agent shut off negotiations afterwards. There was no negotiating with him.

We’ll see what happens and I’m fairly confident a deal will get done, but it takes 2 to tango and I see no reason not to give Fitz the benefit of the doubt right now after what he’s done in basically 2 years as GM.

Also, FWIW, I’d give 8.5-9mil to Bratt no problem.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I’m not worried about Bratt. I can’t imagine there are many teams that are higher on him than us and also have the ability to give him as much as us.

 

[JimEIV]

Well good for you, I guess.

I, on the other hand, would.

Fitz is willing to go 9 million plus for Johnny Hockey but not anywhere close for one of your own Homegrown players?

GTFO of here with that!

The landscape is not the same today and will be even more different at the end of this season than it was last summer.

You can't use a rumored Gaudreau deal from last summer to mean anything today...we added Palat and Smith and we'll probably add something at the deadline and we have a bunch of expiring contracts at the end of this season that will need to be signed or replaced....the landscape has completely changed. So whatever we "offered" last year is completely meaningless now.

 

[Devs3cups]

I’m not worried about Bratt. I can’t imagine there are many teams that are higher on him than us and also have the ability to give him as much as us.

Good point. I just really buy into the idea that Fitz needed to see 1 more year of PPG play before committing long term to 8+.

 

[JimEIV]

If Fitz can't sign Bratt to an extension this offseason, I am 100% convinced he will be traded. Way too big of a risk to just let him walk for nothing and this team is in the early phases of the contention window, so it's not that huge of a kick in the balls if they trade him for some high upside prospects. Ultimately, I think the two work out an agreement though.



According to The Athletic article that details there experiences, this is not at all true. Parise did ask Suter about NJ though:

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I don't believe a word that any player or agent says to the public during or in reference to a large contract negotiation...

Their goal is get the most and walk away from it without looking like a greedy asshole as not to jeopardize their image and future endorsements/opportunities.

 

[My3Sons]

I'm always looking for a reason to post this ..

Gee who could that be behind Delaney? And isn’t that Derek and the Dominos? Or is it the bluesier elements of All Things Must Pass? Or is it both? Or is it Clapton’s forst solo album? I’m so confused.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

well then

 

[Better Call Sal]

well then

Full circle moment from Mr. Mickey Mouse!

 

[Devils731]

You’re not fooling me Mr. Gretzky, no forgiveness!

 

[HBK27]

I don't believe a word that any player or agent says to the public during or in reference to a large contract negotiation...

Their goal is get the most and walk away from it without looking like a greedy asshole as not to jeopardize their image and future endorsements/opportunities.

I mean...it was 7 years after the deal that these comments were made (assuming you're talking about Parise and not Bratt) and Russo (who is one of the best in the business) spoke with many people involved in the Parise/Suter negotiations. I'm not really sure why I should doubt the accounts of how things went down in that article.

 

[Saugus]

well then

High praise from the Great One himself. I don't think Hughes will ever be better than McDavid, but he has a credible claim to being the second best forward in the league, probably for years to come.

 

[JimEIV]

Wayne is the greatest hockey player that ever lived....but he's a dolt.

I mean...it was 7 years after the deal that these comments were made (assuming you're talking about Parise and not Bratt) and Russo (who is one of the best in the business) spoke with many people involved in the Parise/Suter negotiations. I'm not really sure why I should doubt the accounts of how things went down in that article.

How much time needs to go by for a player to say "I was not going sign with a club on the verge of being taken over by the league or going to play second fiddle and take less than what they offered Kovalchuk"?