Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - season begins!
- Thread starter NJDevs26
- Start date
At some point people will realize that soft-minute scorers aren't that important. Like yes, Labanc has good micros and is also getting exceptionally lucky, but if he's playing at all in the playoffs something has gone wrong.
AfroThunder396
[citation needed]
That's why I'm hopeful we won't made too many deadline adds - no 1st but three 2nds. G taken care of, D taken care of, and a decent 4th line C shouldn't be too expensive. I would much rather keep those 2nds and use them to draft prospects, specifically forwards.
We have traded a LOT of draft capital the past few years, and while it was definitely the right move to improve the NHL roster it's starting to bite us now.
Killing Joke
Registered User
- Dec 2, 2017
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You do not keep draft picks when you are a team looking to win a cup. You use them to grab players that are already nhl ready instead of drafting projects that don’t fit the timeline even if they workout.
Maine Fan
Defense Wins Chanpionships
You are talented NjDevsRR, I enjoy your humor. Thank you.
- May 1, 2011
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Yes there is reason. Yzerman is both a Canadian and Detroit hockey hero! And Tampa won back to back cups 2-3 years after he left there!
As I keep saying, Holland left them in a brutal position and they didn’t have any lottery luck, but the drafting has been subpar under him and the UFA moves are baffling.
I think Chiarot’s deal is done after next year and they did say 3 years, so maybe 2026-2027 will be a step in the right direction.
- Dec 20, 2018
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Our lack of forward depth was a problem going into the season. Fitz made an error not addressing it more aggressively and sooner than giving LaBanc a PTO.
Something to improve on next off-season, the same with the trashfire that is Utica.
- Feb 5, 2010
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And thank f***ing god he didn’t get that. Trotz saved him from himself
SteveCangialosi123
Registered User
Lorentz felt like a no brainer guy to sign. Cheap 4th line depth with C ability in a pinch (which we’re currently in).
- Feb 5, 2010
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Agreed, though I don't he was talking the numbers Trotz threw out there. I think Trotz was throwing around offers that players could not refuse. Fitz was probably thinking something more reasonable.
This Preds team makes me think of the 2023 Mets. Just YOLO’d during the offseason and hope it works out.
this is probably going to be Nolan Footes last look with the Devils. he’s gonna have to show something NHL quality besides just his shot if he wants to stick it out in our bottom 6.
i wanna give him the benefit of the doubt because if im not mistakes his tenure here has only been under Lindy Ruff. If Keefe can push him to skate and be way smarter in the defensive zone, he will be on his way to potentially replacing a Lazar/Bastian/Dowling.
i think the goal for him should be to make sure that even when these guys are healthy options, he still gets the nod.
put him in Palats spot and get Palat on the 4th line with Tatar and whoever else.
it would be awesome to see a Marchand-Hughes-Bratt line
i wanna give him the benefit of the doubt because if im not mistakes his tenure here has only been under Lindy Ruff. If Keefe can push him to skate and be way smarter in the defensive zone, he will be on his way to potentially replacing a Lazar/Bastian/Dowling.
i think the goal for him should be to make sure that even when these guys are healthy options, he still gets the nod.
for what it’s worth, and i know this is definitely a hot take, but our team would be incredible with a guy like Marchand.
put him in Palats spot and get Palat on the 4th line with Tatar and whoever else.
it would be awesome to see a Marchand-Hughes-Bratt line
Even then I think it would’ve been a mistake. I thought we needed a quantity of guys rather than one quality guy (and he doesn’t even look like that lol). I remember wanting like a middle 6er, 3rd liner, and a 4C. Preferably one of the middle 6er or 3rd liner would’ve had some ability to play in the middle. Some other league min tweener guys would’ve been nice as well since we’re so lacking organizationally. Marchessault would’ve made it basically impossible to do more than him. Noesen’s looked liked the middle 6er and Tatar’s the 3rd liner and we ended up with no 4C or center help in general
Jack Hughes is 23 years old. The timeline is the next decade
Yes and no. I understand your point and it isn't wrong, but is NJ really ready to win a cup? Beyond that you need to have a supply of prospects trying to push up to the NHL and those are the guys you can move up and down to the AHL as needed without exposing them to waivers while they develop. NJ has Foote and maybe Stillman eventually? They need more than that. There should be a top 6 upside type of center or two developing and to me that's as important as any right handed defender. The only realistic way to get those types of prospects is to draft them.
Exactly, NJDs depth at forward is currently limited by a lack of prospects who can play in the NHL but have waiver exemption
You cannot simply sign 3 extra 1 mill players. They'll get claimed on waivers.
- May 1, 2011
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He may have early on, but I think before the contract ends we'd have Palat and Palat as two of our left wingers. The other Palat being Marchessault.
Between that and the fact that people are already talking about the possibility of dumping Dougie in the offseason, I'm glad we didn't go near Marchessault. Or I'm glad he wanted to go honky tonking more than he wanted to come to Jersey.
- May 1, 2011
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It kind of reminds me of almost every Rangers offseason and sometimes in-season between about 1996 (when they signed Gretzky) and 2003.
A lot of those guys were brought in via trade, as some of them were younger (though not much younger) than the 31 year old UFA age at the time.
