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

[SKNJD9]

Hossa’s equipment allergy was a real thing, just FYI.

 

[njdevils1982]

This one belongs on Holiday Road.

 

[bossram]

If he scores goals while playing bottom 6 it's not ludicrous.

Only thing we need to look at are the goals and points columns.

 

[Guttersniped]

Hossa would have played if he could, he was still productive. He had 45 points, with 26 goals, in 73 GP in his last season.

‘Body says you have to stop’: Marian Hossa speaks about the painful skin condition that ended his career

Marian Hossa is no longer a Blackhawk, but he will always love his years with Chicago

theathletic.com

 

[Bleedred]

I think a lot of people joked about the Hossa skin condition in regards to LTIR at least right after it was announced, but I’m pretty sure there’s been much more questionable LTIRements. That one only seemed questionable due to a “Skin condition” sounding like something of not much severity.

 

[NjDevsRR]

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Hossa would have played if he could, he was still productive. He had 45 points, with 26 goals, in 73 GP in his last season.

‘Body says you have to stop’: Marian Hossa speaks about the painful skin condition that ended his career

Marian Hossa is no longer a Blackhawk, but he will always love his years with Chicago

theathletic.com

HOLY
f***ING
SHIT

That is absolutely insane, unfortunate and very sad.

 

[Guttersniped]

I think a lot of people joked about the Hossa skin condition in regards to LTIR at least right after it was announced, but I’m pretty sure there’s been much more questionable LTIRements. That one only seemed questionable due to a “Skin condition” sounding like something of not much severity.

Oh, I get why people jokes but these guys don’t want to quit and I get tired of people imaging these are all elaborate cover stories.

People accused Johnny Boychuk of faking his reason of retiring too. I watched his Zoom press conference, it was pretty emotional, he wasn’t faking anything.

Boychuk got cut in the eye with a skate in March 2020 and then came back for 3 games in the bubble playoffs. When he was concussed by a check from a player he didn’t see coming he realized doctors underestimated how much of his peripheral vision was effected by the eye surgery.

There were dumb debates about this on the main board, like the concussion and lost peripheral vision was some made-up cover story for some Lou’s LTIR cap shenanigans. As opposed to, you know, just the truth. Boychuk was crying at his press conference and I doubt it was over the joy he had from blessing the Isle’s with more cap flexibility.

If Mr Robidas Island could LTIR anyone he wanted then Andrew Ladd’s useless ass wouldn’t have been sitting on his roster for two years and he wouldn’t have had to pay the Coyotes a 2022 2nd & 2023 3rd to take him for the last two years of his deal.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Oh, I get why people jokes but these guys don’t want to quit and I get tired of people imaging these are all elaborate cover stories.

People accused Johnny Boychuk of faking his reason of retiring too. I watched his Zoom press conference, it was pretty emotional, he wasn’t faking anything.

Boychuk got cut in the eye with a skate in March 2020 and then came back for 3 games in the bubble playoffs. When he was concussed by a check from a player he didn’t see coming he realized doctors underestimated how much of his peripheral vision was effected by the eye surgery.

There were dumb debates about this on the main board, like the concussion and lost peripheral vision was some made-up cover story for some Lou’s LTIR cap shenanigans. As opposed to, you know, just the truth. Boychuk was crying at his press conference and I doubt it was over the joy he had from blessing the Isle’s with more cap flexibility.

If Mr Robidas Island could LTIR anyone he wanted then Andrew Ladd’s useless ass wouldn’t have been sitting on his roster for two years and he wouldn’t have had to pay the Coyotes a 2022 2nd & 2023 3rd to take him for the last two years of his deal.

I mean I think personally I got more mad how the Devils got treated with Kovalchuk with their contracts and teams like Chicago with the Hossa bent the rules the same way just like we did and we got penalized while Chicago got everything out of Hossa and then got out of his contract without a problem.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Luke is gonna be a huge addition on the backend because we lack high end skating defensmen. We have alot of strong skaters back there but not one who really is a burner. Really want to see how involved in the rush Luke can be at the NHL level. Having him and Jack as puck carriers could be a nightmare for other teams 5 on 5 and especially on the penalty kill when trying to prevent zone entries.

 

[FooteBahl]

Luke is gonna be a huge addition on the backend because we lack high end skating defensmen. We have alot of strong skaters back there but not one who really is a burner. Really want to see how involved in the rush Luke can be at the NHL level. Having him and Jack as puck carriers could be a nightmare for other teams 5 on 5 and especially on the penalty kill when trying to prevent zone entries.

3 on 3 OT is going to be glorious to watch as well

 

[SJinNewJersey]

After watching the third period last night, I really don't want the Devs to deal Holtz.

 

[TBF1972]

It gets into semantics, but if a GM is willing to offer Bratt a certain contract and he wants to accept that contract, NJ's choice is to more or less match or lose him. With respect to Hamilton, the Canes would seem to agree with you. They only offered him about $7 mil per if I recall? The problem with any UFA deal is they are bad values. Do you really think even MacKinnon is a $12.6 mil per player or Barkov at $10 mil per or Karlsson at $11.5 mil per for four more years at 32 years old? The Palat deal was not a great one to me. If Palat is worth $6 mil per to NJ at 31 what should Bratt get? The market dictates those big UFA deals and it will almost certainly dictate what Bratt will accept. If there was any way Bratt was going to play in the ballpark Fitz tried to establish my guess is that it would have happened already. At a certain point the ball is in Bratt's court and he can take it and leave if he chooses (I enjoy a mixed metaphor).

agreed on palat.

i like the way carolina operates. they don't overpay their own free agents, just to please the crowd. if the ask is too big they move on. i think their front office has realized earlier than most, that cap space itself is a valuable asset.

 

[TBF1972]

And there was no guarantee he would do so. Fitz took a huge risk extending Hughes for that amount when he did, and he took a lot of criticism for it. Hughes was not prioritizing money any less than Bratt is.

Once again, the guy that prioritizes money makes less than the guys that don’t? Makes no sense.

i clearly stated signing long term deals have risk and reward for both sides. hughes prioritized security over max earnings. higher floor, lower ceiling from a money perspective. but he also seemed to be fine to spend most of his career with the devils. both sides committed to each other. it takes trust between the two parties.

making less (this season) is a function of not signing long term. or do you believe fitz offered bratt 6/7/8 x 5.5m?

 

[hidek91]

Wood is probably not even worth his current salary. I don’t think there’s a 4th liner in the NHL that doesn’t play special teams that is worth that, actually. Bastian would have a better argument, and he isn’t.

I don't want to give Wood 5M but come on, Wood's value comes from being able to turn below average 4th line to a very good one just by putting him there, this is extremely helpful. There are injury concerns and his style isn't going to age well but we shouldn't underestimate what he brings.

 

[Blackjack]

i clearly stated signing long term deals have risk and reward for both sides. hughes prioritized security over max earnings. higher floor, lower ceiling from a money perspective. but he also seemed to be fine to spend most of his career with the devils. both sides committed to each other. it takes trust between the two parties.

Hughes took the 8x$8 over a bridge to maximize his earnings. That was the max he could get at the time based on his production and potential. Anything else you say is just trying to talk around that inconvenient fact standing between the “Bratt greedy, Nico and Jack good and noble” theory and reality.

making less (this season) is a function of not signing long term. or do you believe fitz offered bratt 6/7/8 x 5.5m?

I believe Fitz offered less than what Bratt was worth based on his production, age, and leverage.

 

[Nocashstyle]

I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but besides Marino, I think Sevs has been the most defensively consistent Dman on the team this year. It’s crazy what the correct usage does for a player.

Siegs is either still hurt or was abducted by aliens after his injury. Graves has been mostly good, but he has his moments - usually a few times a game. Smith has actually been better than expected, but he has his moments too. Dougie is elite at what he does, but no one is ever going to mistake him for a defensive stalwart. Bahl is a rookie with a bright future, but still figuring it out.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I don't want to give Wood 5M but come on, Wood's value comes from being able to turn below average 4th line to a very good one just by putting him there, this is extremely helpful. There are injury concerns and his style isn't going to age well but we shouldn't underestimate what he brings.

Bastian is the guy that has the noticeable impact. Defensively at 5 on 5 and some value on the PP. 3+ million is just a ton for a guy that plays 13 minutes and doesn’t contribute much when he isn’t scoring.

 

[Triumph]

I don't want to give Wood 5M but come on, Wood's value comes from being able to turn below average 4th line to a very good one just by putting him there, this is extremely helpful. There are injury concerns and his style isn't going to age well but we shouldn't underestimate what he brings.

This isn't what Wood does. It's what a GM might think he does, but it isn't what he does. Wood brings a few more goals to a 4th line like that, the line still gets destroyed overall, and what Wood gives in goals, he mostly gives back in assists.

Worth noting that last night's primary assist to Holtz might be the best pass of his career to date.

 

[Omar Little]

I'd be great if we could lock up the whole BMW line for something around $6m (+/- $1m). A fourth line which are basically all pacing for 30ish points is a great asset.

 

[glenwo2]

*patiently waits for Chevy Chase to make an appearance*

 

[Blackjack]

I'd be great if we could lock up the whole BMW line for something around $6m (+/- $1m). A fourth line which are basically all pacing for 30ish points is a great asset.

I’d keep McLeod (assuming he’s cheap), and Bastian obviously, but I’d try to get an upgrade on Wood.

 

[Eggtimer]

I missed all the post game interviews after the Wings game . Did Ruff and the players say / think they played well ? It would be somewhat worrisome if they did because they played like shit in my opinion . Passing was off , didn’t look that fast etc etc . VV made some huge stops and they capitalized on their chances , otherwise they didn’t play the way they usually play . Was pretty mediocre effort from what I seen ?

 

[Rhodes 81]

Hossa is my favorite player I've ever watched, it really pissed me off the way people just dismissed the skin thing. Even my mild psoriasis is enough to really annoy me if it flares up on my fingers or something. I can't imagine dealing with what he did.

After watching the third period last night, I really don't want the Devs to deal Holtz.

You can see why he's highly thought of when he actually gets playing time. Young players like him that aren;t speedsters need to learn how to play angles to minimize the impact of their lack of speed. faster prospects can make up for their inexperience by skating fast to get back into position. He's only going to get over that hump by playing, but we don't have the luxury of spoon feeding him minutes like we did in past years.

I've been fine with dealing him for a while, but that's mostly only if it is in a package to bring back an elite goal scorer already in their prime. If he was shipped off for a pure rental or someone that's more of a 2nd liner, I'd be pretty disappointed.

I’d keep McLeod (assuming he’s cheap), and Bastian obviously, but I’d try to get an upgrade on Wood.

I think both Wood and McLeod could be upgraded pretty well. Wood really doesn't do much aside from score on the rush. I'd keep him if he was going to sign very cheap, but I think a vintage Pat Maroon type on the 4th line would provide more value for a similar or lesser cost to what Wood will likely get. McLeod is fine as a PKJ specialist, but I think Boqvist may be able to grow into a similar role by the end of the season and I'd like to get an upgrade at 3C moving forward.

 

[Zippy316]

agreed on palat.

i like the way carolina operates. they don't overpay their own free agents, just to please the crowd. if the ask is too big they move on. i think their front office has realized earlier than most, that cap space itself is a valuable asset.

They also have the luxury to do that with some of their core guys signed to terrific deals. On top of that, they’re a competitive team which makes them a desirable place to play.

Devils may be entering that territory with Hughes-Hischier deals up front and specifically Siegenthaler-Marino defensively.

Devils absolutely needed a Palat even though it is definitely an overpayment. We didn’t have any veteran holdovers from the previous regime that almost every team that retooled/rebuilt has had.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

I'd be great if we could lock up the whole BMW line for something around $6m (+/- $1m). A fourth line which are basically all pacing for 30ish points is a great asset.

Bastian is probably one of the few athletes that will get a better contract because he was hurt. I was probably more of a fan of his than most and I was surprised how noticeable his absence is

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Hossa would have played if he could, he was still productive. He had 45 points, with 26 goals, in 73 GP in his last season.

‘Body says you have to stop’: Marian Hossa speaks about the painful skin condition that ended his career

Marian Hossa is no longer a Blackhawk, but he will always love his years with Chicago

theathletic.com

I had mentioned before that I had to take a drug in the same class as cyclosporine. for 8 months I was amazed that Hossa could play NHL level hockey while taking that stuff. That stuff makes you feel miserable. It was amazing how much better I felt after I was off that stuff. Not to mention the potential long term sided effects from long term use.