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

[My3Sons]

I think most 4 year collegiate players that sign still sign with the organization that drafted them. Very few that go UFA get ELCs. It still makes the most sense to sign with the drafting organization, usually - they have the most familiarity with the player's game.

Mark Fayne went UFA and ended up signing with the Devils anyway.

Do we know if NJ even offered him an ELC?

 

[Triumph]

Do we know if NJ even offered him an ELC?

We don't know, no. I doubt they did, I think it's rare for someone in Shlaine's position to turn one down, but who knows.

 

[glenwo2]

Wow, you folks are prolific posters in this thread over the last day or so. Difficult to catch up and I went to reply to a few things but realized it would be digging up zombies.

Why did I think of the second verse of this song when you said "zombies"?

 

[NjDevsRR]

Our resident Frank the Tank is down to 333 pounds. He was 500+ rolling around in a scooter at Devils games. Good for him, always great to see people working hard to get healthy

 

[NjDevsRR]

Heres the money shot from Wednesday

And is Mac like Janssen with no underarmour? Lmao

 

[Bleedred]

Our resident Frank the Tank is down to 333 pounds. He was 500+ rolling around in a scooter at Devils games. Good for him, always great to see people working hard to get healthy

I remember a study that people tend to eat more when their favorite sports team loses or aren’t doing well.

I can definitely see how this season may speed up one’s metabolism because it feels like running up several mountains.

 

[Guttersniped]

The reason why it could be the Devils' choice is precisely because the need is so high that it seems like it's a good fit, and it could only be the team thinking that maybe it isn't a good fit for it not to happen. There's no shortage of opportunity in Utica and there's good wingers to play with, so unless e.g. the Devils didn't want him to transfer or something else went awry in their relationship, it doesn't fully add up. I forget if Shlaine was at dev camp this past summer.

Schlaine was at Development Camp this summer.

From an All About the Jersey article on the camp

Takeaway 2: Artem Shlaine Should Earn An ELC ​

One should be hesitant to read too much into prospect camp, but after a strong break-out collegiate season producing career highs in goals and points, Artem Shlaine seems to be picking up where he left off. During the 3 on 3 round robin scrimmage last week. Shlaine seemed to find instant chemistry with Lenni Hameenaho, scoring a hattrick in the final game for Team Stevens to earn the victory. Throughout camp, one could really see the confidence in Shlaine’s game that hasn’t been there before.

Shlaine is 21-years-old and will be entering his fourth year of college. If I were the Devils, especially with the lack of center depth in the system even after signing Chris Tierney to a two-way deal last week, I would strongly consider inking Shlaine to an ELC this summer. Utica would be the perfect place for Shlaine to work on rounding out his game. The Devils currently only have 39 players under contract, second lowest in the NHL, so burning a contract spot on the roster should Shlaine not pan out, is a very small risk and one that I believe is worth taking.

New Jersey Devils Prospect Update: Five Takeaways from Development Camp

Development camp is a good chance to compare prospects at various stages of development. Here are five takeaways from camp.

www.allaboutthejersey.com

 

[NjDevsRR]

I remember a study that people tend to eat more when their favorite sports team loses or aren’t doing well.

I can definitely see how this season may speed up one’s metabolism because it feels like running up several mountains.

Hes a Mets fan sooooo….

Lmao

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

I'm hoping we can have a Vancouver Canucks like offseason where we make some tweaks to the roster but keep the core intact.

 

[theoptimist]

I'm hoping we can have a Vancouver Canucks like offseason where we make some tweaks to the roster but keep the core intact.

We need a 2/3C in the worst way. Lindholm, Stephenson, Monahan...I am not against Henrique, but he's not the center I'm looking for on Day 1 of free agency. After that, we need more bottom 6 help (Joshua, Trenin, etc.) as other posters have mentioned.

My first choice is Lindholm, if we can trade Haula.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

We need a 2/3C in the worst way. Lindholm, Stephenson, Monahan...I am not against Henrique, but he's not the center I'm looking for on Day 1 of free agency. After that, we need more bottom 6 help (Joshua, Trenin, etc.) as other posters have mentioned.

My first choice is Lindholm, if we can trade Haula.

Haula has a NTC, and I don't think he would accept a trade elsewhere. I also think Lindholm is too expensive 3C for the Devils. Same thing probably with Stephenson and Monahan.

But I agree that the Devils need a 3C. Maybe Ross Colton from the Avs if they have to move a contract of two this offseason?

 

[My3Sons]

Our resident Frank the Tank is down to 333 pounds. He was 500+ rolling around in a scooter at Devils games. Good for him, always great to see people working hard to get healthy

I rode about 7 to 8 miles yesterday with the gearing cranked up.


Then my wife brought me home a piece of chocolate mousse cake that probably weighed 10 pounds. It was a shame I had to eat almost the whole piece. Thankfully the dogs demanded I share some of it to save me from myself.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

Shayna from the Athlectic gave her take on what went wrong in NJ this year. One thing I found interesting is that by the Athlectic model the Devils depth forwards actually produced fine compared to expectations coming into the season. Obviously it is just a model and far from perfect, but I thought it was worth posting tis chart from the article. The model really was in line with the "eye test" with respect to how much McLeod improved this year.

What went wrong with the New Jersey Devils in 2023-24?

The worst-case scenario for the Devils was even worse than anyone could have imagined.

theathletic.com

 

[Billdo]

I don’t know if it even makes sense getting into the nuances this year.

Inexperience, injuries, bad system, bad goalies, slower roster, depth guys stalled out, were criminals or regressed hard for long stretches. I’m happy it’s ending like this as sick as it is. Change is coming to the system and the roster and whoever is teaching Luke, Bahl and Nemec will be better than what we’ve had, knock on wood. Taking the medicine is good.

1. Everyone was too young or disappeared for too long, via bad luck or inconsistency.Like Nico and Bratt are the only two I can sort of absolve this year - they both played hard and improved in many areas. But even they went too long without contributing given their stature.

I was talking about this last night. Nico and Bratt are the only guys you can't really give crap about this year. I know people here will but they've played well all year.

 

[theoptimist]

Haula has a NTC, and I don't think he would accept a trade elsewhere. I also think Lindholm is too expensive 3C for the Devils. Same thing probably with Stephenson and Monahan.

But I agree that the Devils need a 3C. Maybe Ross Colton from the Avs if they have to move a contract of two this offseason?

Sure, depends on what the new coaching staff wants to do with Hughes. Could be injury-related this season, but to imagine Hughes permanently moving to LW is troubling. If they see Hughes as LW, then I agree, Hughes-Lindholm would be expensive, but still very nice to have considering Meier-Hischier. Stephenson is the ideal fit, I just like right handed centers. Team needs more right handed RWs. I don't trust Holtz.

 

[Guttersniped]

Sure, depends on what the new coaching staff wants to do with Hughes. Could be injury-related this season, but to imagine Hughes permanently moving to LW is troubling. If they see Hughes as LW, then I agree, Hughes-Lindholm would be expensive, but still very nice to have considering Meier-Hischier. Stephenson is the ideal fit, I just like right handed centers. Team needs more right handed RWs. I don't trust Holtz.

It’s injury-related, he still hasn’t taken a single face-off since Feb 8.

We don’t have that much cap space considering all the players they have to sign. Those UFA centers will get massive deals because there’s not much on the market.

It’s about finding cheaper, smarter solutions now, you can’t just look at the top UFAs and say “gimme”.

Forwards by ice-time

 

[Guadana]

We need a 2/3C in the worst way. Lindholm, Stephenson, Monahan...I am not against Henrique, but he's not the center I'm looking for on Day 1 of free agency. After that, we need more bottom 6 help (Joshua, Trenin, etc.) as other posters have mentioned.

My first choice is Lindholm, if we can trade Haula.

Stephenson is bad defensively. Lindhol is expensive. Its a matter of price about Monahan.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

It’s injury-related, he still hasn’t taken a single face-off since Feb 8.

We don’t have that much cap space considering all the players they have to sign. Those UFA centers will get massive deals because there’s not much on the market.

It’s about finding cheaper, smarter solutions now, you can’t just look at the top UFAs and say “gimme”.

Forwards by ice-time
View attachment 846984

I expect him to get shut down after the next loss that puts us out, it's basically pointless to trot him out there now with the season fully cooked

We need a 2/3C in the worst way. Lindholm, Stephenson, Monahan...I am not against Henrique, but he's not the center I'm looking for on Day 1 of free agency. After that, we need more bottom 6 help (Joshua, Trenin, etc.) as other posters have mentioned.

My first choice is Lindholm, if we can trade Haula.

Jack is gonna go back to center next year, the bigger issue is getting Haula back to the 22/23 form. Even if he's a lousy finisher, he still needs to get back to being a line driver with Jack. At this point, it's obvious why the guy jumps around a ton from team to team, guy was a 25+ goal scorer in Vegas and they let him go quickly.

I was talking about this last night. Nico and Bratt are the only guys you can't really give crap about this year. I know people here will but they've played well all year.

100%, I said it the other day that I have no issue with the core. They're the only ones actually scoring and contributing anything offensively

 

[JimEIV]

Talk about schtick....this came in the mail today...I guess I'm kind of glad, I ran out of fire starter for the fireplace.

 

[Ol Dirty Bstrd]

Idk what people are expecting from Erik Haula? Guy is what he is and is producing similar results to last year. Depending what we do in free agency, he’s our best bet for 3C next year assuming Hughes moves back to center (idk why people don’t think he will, he’s clearly nursing an injury).

This is hindsight with the whole McLeod situation but I would have loved to sign Geekie last year to the contract Boston got him for. Would be solid 3C insurance on a great deal.

 

[theoptimist]

It’s injury-related, he still hasn’t taken a single face-off since Feb 8.

We don’t have that much cap space considering all the players they have to sign. Those UFA centers will get massive deals because there’s not much on the market.

It’s about finding cheaper, smarter solutions now, you can’t just look at the top UFAs and say “gimme”.

Forwards by ice-time
View attachment 846984

Bringing on Lindholm would mean other moves happened to create the cap space. He would make the team better. I think most people are aware there's a salary cap. Can't use a credit card in free agency.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Sure, depends on what the new coaching staff wants to do with Hughes. Could be injury-related this season, but to imagine Hughes permanently moving to LW is troubling. If they see Hughes as LW, then I agree, Hughes-Lindholm would be expensive, but still very nice to have considering Meier-Hischier. Stephenson is the ideal fit, I just like right handed centers. Team needs more right handed RWs. I don't trust Holtz.

I agree with @Guttersniped that Hughes playing as LW is injury-related. And the Devils should find cheaper solutions than Lindholm, Stephenson or other UFA centers.

Bringing on Lindholm would mean other moves happened to create the cap space. He would make the team better. I think most people are aware there's a salary cap. Can't use a credit card in free agency.

They probably will trade for an expensive goalie and maybe a top4 defenseman. It would be quite difficult to make room for all of them and Lindholm. I also wouldn't be surprised if Lindholm's next contract is too expensive for what he brings to the table.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

We need a 2/3C in the worst way. Lindholm, Stephenson, Monahan...I am not against Henrique, but he's not the center I'm looking for on Day 1 of free agency. After that, we need more bottom 6 help (Joshua, Trenin, etc.) as other posters have mentioned.

My first choice is Lindholm, if we can trade Haula.

Lindholm isn't going to be cheap. He hasn't really played well with the Canucks either. Seems like every top player on that team is on their game this year but he's been underwhelming for them. It would be alot of money tied up to our top 3 centers too. Stephenson would be the one I would target the most of those 3.

 

[Andre Palot]

Talk about schtick....this came in the mail today...I guess I'm kind of glad, I ran out of fire starter for the fireplace.

View attachment 846994

NJ jumped the shark years ago. Trade him for a half eaten Jimmy Buffs double

 

[Mgd31]

Shayna from the Athlectic gave her take on what went wrong in NJ this year. One thing I found interesting is that by the Athlectic model the Devils depth forwards actually produced fine compared to expectations coming into the season. Obviously it is just a model and far from perfect, but I thought it was worth posting tis chart from the article. The model really was in line with the "eye test" with respect to how much McLeod improved this year.

What went wrong with the New Jersey Devils in 2023-24?

The worst-case scenario for the Devils was even worse than anyone could have imagined.

theathletic.com

View attachment 846967

This checks out. Marino and Siegenthaler were total ass and Mercer, Meier and Hughes were too. If they have normal seasons, we make the playoffs. Losing McLeod was also huge. He was our best defensive forward this year.