Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - season begins!

[devilsblood]

they are going to need to make a move once Pesce is ready

Still getting used to the new roster, so I had forgotten about Pesce.

But yeah, that is clearly what they are waiting for on Casey.

Luke being Kovacevic's replacement, not that Kova need's a replacement.

 

[Guttersniped]

Actually, looking at palat's contract.... Buy out isn't out of the question next year

These cap hits/dead money suck, particularly the first one, and it also sucks to drag it out for 4 years:


Hopefully we can gut out next year and get to this:

He’ll have a 10 team trade list next off-season, it’s unlikely he’ll have a cap dump-friendly location on it.

If you buy out Palat who is playing better than him for any aporeciable discount?

It’s not hard to use the money better than paying a forward 6m to play on your 4th line.

The Cotter-Haula-Noesen line has outperformed Palat-Haula-Noesen, so he’s rightfully off that.

Does Palat get moved up? Not seeing how until the other lines get shaken up or someone is injured.

 

[Forge]

He'd be dead money in all 4 years. Yes you save money in 2 of them, but it's still dead money, and then tack on an additional 2 years.

Instead of just paying him to playing for 2 years.

I know there are cap ramifications, and we have to get other guys signed, but if we can get those guys signed without buying him out, that is what I would rather do.

The dead money in the first two years is implied given the fact that you don't save the same amount of his cap hit. Figured I didn't have to explain that.

These cap hits/dead money suck, particularly the first one, and it also sucks to drag it out for 4 years:
View attachment 916191

Hopefully we can gut out next year and get to this:
View attachment 916192

He’ll have a 10 team trade list next off-season, it’s unlikely he’ll have a cap dump-friendly location on it.



It’s not hard to use the money better than paying a forward 6m to play on your 4th line.

The Cotter-Haula-Noesen line has outperformed Palat-Haula-Noesen, so he’s rightfully off that.

Does Palat get moved up? Not seeing how until the other lines get shaken up or someone is injured.

If we can keep him through next year without major issues, I think the we can probably find a taker for the last year of his deal.

 

[My3Sons]

These cap hits/dead money suck, particularly the first one, and it also sucks to drag it out for 4 years:
View attachment 916191

Hopefully we can gut out next year and get to this:
View attachment 916192

He’ll have a 10 team trade list next off-season, it’s unlikely he’ll have a cap dump-friendly location on it.



It’s not hard to use the money better than paying a forward 6m to play on your 4th line.

The Cotter-Haula-Noesen line has outperformed Palat-Haula-Noesen, so he’s rightfully off that.

Does Palat get moved up? Not seeing how until the other lines get shaken up or someone is injured.

If you buy him out at the end of this season you don’t get $6 mil to replace him. You get $2.4 mil according to your chart. So maybe you can get a better player for $2 mil but maybe you get an equivalent player? I just think if they are going to buy him out it’s after next season. Unless TB decides they want him back next year I think he stays with NJ for this year and next and if it’s as a bottom six tweener so be it.

 

[devilsblood]

It’s not hard to use the money better than paying a forward 6m to play on your 4th line.

The Cotter-Haula-Noesen line has outperformed Palat-Haula-Noesen, so he’s rightfully off that.

Does Palat get moved up? Not seeing how until the other lines get shaken up or someone is injured.

Those 2 lines have each played around 16 minutes together.

Obviously, following this past game that line is getting more run in the short term, and Cotter's start suggests he should is more a top 9 guy then a 4th liner, but this is all very small sample stuff at this point.

 

[My3Sons]

Those 2 lines have each played around 16 minutes together.

Obviously, following this past game that line is getting more run in the short term, and Cotter's start suggests he should is more a top 9 guy then a 4th liner, but this is all very small sample stuff at this point.

Small sample size? Cotter has proven beyond any doubt that he is good for 82 goals. Small sample size. Yeah right.

 

[devilsblood]

The dead money in the first two years is implied given the fact that you don't save the same amount of his cap hit. Figured I didn't have to explain that.

It's not about explaining as it is about the presentation. Those that want to buy out, want to showcase the benefits. Sure you save money the first 2 years, but it's still dead money in those years. And then tack on 2 additional years of dead money.

I'm just not a fan of the idea in general. Even moreso when he was a solid player last year, and we are only 3 games into this year.

 

[NJDevs26]

It feels like trying to retcon using advanced stats to say Palat was 'good' last year when he had 11 goals and 31 points in 71 games. That isn't good for anyone that was exclusively in the top nine and had a lot of top six time. If he's even worse than that this year, hoo boy...

 

[devilsblood]

Small sample size? Cotter has proven beyond any doubt that he is good for 82 goals. Small sample size. Yeah right.

On a 50% shooting percentage. Definitely sustainable.

And I say this as one of the posters who liked the trade when it happened and wants Cotter in the top 9.

But it's 4 games.

 

[My3Sons]

On a 50% shooting percentage. Definitely sustainable.

And I say this as one of the posters who liked the trade when it happened and wants Cotter in the top 9.

But it's 4 games.

“Definitely sustainable” your words so clearly you agree with me. I’m sure that shooting percentage will normalize and maybe go up but not more than 75%.

 

[Bleedred]

If Palat doesn't score enough this year then I think he's gone next year. If you're making $6 million you gotta score, I don't know..... 40 points? Close to it at least?

I don't think he's getting bought out (maybe in 2026 he might) this summer. We've seen way worse contracts get unloaded somewhere else. If someone took 4 years of Korpisalo (still at $3 million per year) and even traded a better goalie (though one with an expiring contract) away on top of that, I'm pretty sure someone will take Palat if we don't want him after this year. It's just a matter of how much we have to retain and/or if we have to also give up something of value/take back something questionable to get rid of him.

 

[Eggtimers]

Past hasn’t been great but who knows what he brings to the team as far as intangibles go. No , not 6 mil worth , but if we buy him out next year , I don’t see how a 2 mil player that replaced him brings more to the table than him in the big picture. Tossing him away may screw up the dressing room and cause some animosity? I guess after we win the cup this year we don’t need to worry so much about having playoff vets on the roster for the following season lol .

 

[devilsblood]

It feels like trying to retcon using advanced stats to say Palat was 'good' last year when he had 11 goals and 31 points in 71 games. That isn't good for anyone that was exclusively in the top nine and had a lot of top six time. If he's even worse than that this year, hoo boy...

I had to google what "retcon" was, but Palat's on ice numbers last year are not some new piece of information. If you weren't aware that he was one of our best on ice guys 5v5 then that's on you.

 

[devilsblood]

If Palat doesn't score enough this year then I think he's gone next year. If you're making $6 million you gotta score, I don't know..... 40 points? Close to it at least?

I don't think he's getting bought out (maybe in 2026 he might) this summer. We've seen way worse contracts get unloaded somewhere else. If someone took 4 years of Korpisalo (still at $3 million per year) and even traded a better goalie (though one with an expiring contract) away on top of that, I'm pretty sure someone will take Palat if we don't want him after this year. It's just a matter of how much we have to retain and/or if we have to also give up something of value/take back something questionable to get rid of him.

If he were to go, trading him and retaining half his contract sounds a lot better then buying him out and then have his contract linger for 2 additional years.

I think at 2 years $3mil we might even get a little something back.

 

[Triumph]

It feels like trying to retcon using advanced stats to say Palat was 'good' last year when he had 11 goals and 31 points in 71 games. That isn't good for anyone that was exclusively in the top nine and had a lot of top six time. If he's even worse than that this year, hoo boy...

He was fine. Counting numbers were not great but he was responsible defensively on a team that largely was not. The 2nd PP, which he was on, was a mess after Hamilton went down with injury. Obviously if he can't replicate that season it's a big problem.

 

[devilsblood]

“Definitely sustainable” your words so clearly you agree with me. I’m sure that shooting percentage will normalize and maybe go up but not more than 75%.

Well yeah, this is Paul Cotter we are talking about.

 

[Guttersniped]

Those 2 lines have each played around 16 minutes together.

Obviously, following this past game that line is getting more run in the short term, and Cotter's start suggests he should is more a top 9 guy then a 4th liner, but this is all very small sample stuff at this point.

Sure, but I don’t want see Palat-Haula-Noesen anytime soon either.

They were a weak point in the first Buffalo game and part of the problem vs Toronto.

They seemingly aren’t better defensively, and definitely worse offensively, than Cotter-Haula-Noesen.

Oddly enough Palat-Lazar-Bastian might make more sense too, as a shutdown line.

 

[TrufleShufle]

Well yeah, this is Paul Cotter we are talking about.

People out here trying to Cott block our excitement.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Didn’t Palat just have a kid a few days ago? If he’s the same player he was last year I really don’t care. He had a positive goal differential. Most of our “good” players didn’t.

Jack Hughes stinking it up has been more of a storyline than a mid player being not good.

 

[Guttersniped]

If Palat doesn't score enough this year then I think he's gone next year. If you're making $6 million you gotta score, I don't know..... 40 points? Close to it at least?

I don't think he's getting bought out (maybe in 2026 he might) this summer. We've seen way worse contracts get unloaded somewhere else. If someone took 4 years of Korpisalo (still at $3 million per year) and even traded a better goalie (though one with an expiring contract) away on top of that, I'm pretty sure someone will take Palat if we don't want him after this year. It's just a matter of how much we have to retain and/or if we have to also give up something of value/take back something questionable to get rid of him.

The Korpisalo trade was basically nonsensical, but Boston did get a 1st and cheap bottom six center back as well. And reportedly the Bruins goalie coach thought Korpisalo was workable.

But it was a head scratcher (from my perspective).

Palat 10 team trade list makes it harder to find “someone” to take him. (Korpisalo had a 10 team no trade list and Boston was presumably not on it.)
And
Not a lot of worse contracts moved with multiple years so I don’t see a trade happen next off-season.

Nashville traded Ryan Johansen at 1/2 price (4m) with 2 years left but that was a team taking a gamble to fill a need at center and a lot of salary eaten.

An older non-productive winger isn’t exactly a need. I don’t see it. Not sure a team would be interested even with some salary retained.