Bad Goalie is baaaak!....I see Dougie Hamilton was felled in tonight's game, joining Jack Hughes on the sidelines for the Devils.
They've been linked to Boeser in the past. Maybe this latest setback increases their interest to include a guy like Soucy as well.
Any prospects in Utica the Canucks might benefit in asking for, if they did do a deal with New Jersey?
Lots of talk on the Boards as to Soucy, Joshua, and Suter. They think 2 seconds, Simon Nemec, and Dawson Mercer would pry 2 of them loose and they would be willing to also add all of Haula, Bastain, Tatar, and Lazar that Vancouver could keep or include as trade pieces themselves.
Boeser has come up a lot lately as well.
The majority is convinced that as soon as Quinn's contract is done, he won't even consider anything other than signing as a free agent in NJ in order to play with his brothers and take a run at the Cup. I'm still laughing even though it's a remote possibility. LOL
As to Prospects in Utica, that's a touchy question with Utica Fans.
You may recall I was always critical of the Canucks not acquiring any top level AHL centers. Well NJ has been worse if that was possible. In 4 seasons the Devils haven't drafted any centers that made it either to NJ or Utica. Thus, you would assume they would acquire at least a couple good ones annually. Here's what we have watched here. the 21-22 team was loaded up front with top prospects who led the Comets to a 1st place finish for the regular season. By playoff time the Team was reduced to rubble by injuries, callups andd crap goaltending.
They barely made the Playoffs in season 2 and were out in the 1st round after winning a 3-game playin.
Did not qualify in season 3.
Started this season with 13 losses and are currently still 3 games below .500 and are 10 points out of a playoff spot.
'21-22 - the first season they brought in 2 mid level AHL guys,
- Frederik Gauthier (32Pts 51 GP
- Brian Flynn 26Pts/61 GP
They both got hurt and have never played another game in North America since.
They had 2 previously drafted prospects in
-Nate Schnarr 26 Pts/43GP, who was traded by NJ for Andrew Hammond (the Hamburgler)
-Aarne Talvitie, who was on year 2 of 3-yr ELC
- Ryan Schmelzer was never drafted but was signed as free agent and given an ELC contract in 18-19. He was considered a really good 4th line AHL centerI, but with Talvitie on board he was #3 penciled in at #3/4 the 21-22 seaoson. As the season progressed he became #3 as a regular and then into the #2 spot where he payed the rest of the season and played several games at #1.
- Chase DeLeo ( a 1-yr NHL 2-way was their best center for the last part of the regular season and the playoffs. For most of the season he was the team's top LW, 56Pts/55GP.
- Joe Gambardella (NHL 2-way see him in 22-23)
The rest of the Comets centers have been;
22-23:
- Joe Gambardella (LW, NHLdeal and then an AHL. He's been a Comet all 4 seasons. Hurt for a lot of the 2nd half of 22-23. Not re-signed by NJ, but the Comets signed him to a 2-yr ending this season)
- Nolan Stevens (2 AHL deals, '22-23 and last part of '23-24 after release from Detoit)
- Nick Hutchinson ('22-23 AHL deal. Moved on to Europe)
- Filip Engaras (ECHL promotion to Utica. in 22-23 Then a 2-way AHL deal in 23-24 and 24-2525 and has been a Comet for 2 and 1/2 seasons because they couldn't stay healthy enough in the middle so it seemed he was always here. This season since from the start the 3/4 Center)
- Brian Pinho (2022-23 NHL 2-way. What a mistake! Got moved to a wing. He wasn'r re-signed and was then signed by the Islanders and assigned to AHL Bridgeport.)
- Tyce Thompson (NJ draft selection. In 22-23 Were trying to make him a center-total failure. Traded November, 2023 to NY Islanders for wing Arnaud Durandeau, who was good for the Comets , but also traded by NJ to Montreal in March '24 for Nathan Legare in what was an AHL deal between the 2, scoring for Laval and "toughness:|" for Utica.
- Ryan Schmelzer
- Aarne Talvitie
'23-24
We were told that Max Willman, Xavier Parent, Ryan Fitzgerald, Shane Bowers, and Kyle Criscuolo were Centers.
Willman and Fitzgerald didn't play a single game there.
- Parent played a handful and
- Stillman even less.
- Bowers played a lot as well at RW and LW. He did end up a regular in the middle in the last 1/4 of the season.
- Kyle Criscuolo (NHL 2-way '23-24. Probably the best of their acquisitions since coming to Utca, but didn't re-sign him. Too small.)
- Justin Dowling (signed by NJ to a 2-yr NHL 2-way in '23-24. I asked you guys for an evaluation and was advised he would be an excellent #2 and could probably be a #1 if necessary. He filled that exact bill, but as I was also told he had a tendency to get injured. So he put up 40Pts in 57GP.
That forced Criscuolo and Schmelzer to handle #1 while he was out.
-Ryan Schmelzer had been penciled in at #3 at the start of the 1st 3 seasons and ended up the #1/2 center.
- Joe Gambardella
- Nolan Stevens
24-25
- Ryan Schmelzer I've already cataloged his progression over the first 3 seasons and he is back this season on an NHL 2-way contract and is now the undisputed #1.
Last season he was the team's leading scorer 12 points ahead of in again out again Justin Dowling.
- Justin Dowling was supposed to be #1, but he has been in NJ for the entire season except the 1st 6 games and a single game on 11/16 (4Pts/7GP). He has played 42 games for the Devils and has accumulated 5Pts with 2Goals.
- Shane Bowers back again on a new 2-yr NHL 2-way. 13 Pts in 47 GP. Yeah, what a contract, huh?
- Filip Engaras
- Jack Malone A free agent out of Boston College signed to 2-yr AHL contract. 10 pts/41 GP
- Joe Gambardella a few games in the middle, but mostly LW.
There have been a couple emegency situations in which someone has played a game or 2 in the middle (Legare, Willman, Parent, Hartman, Stillman), but mainly parent has come off his LW and Legare off his RW in those situations. NJ has done nothing to provide them with anything resembling top level AHL centermen this year.
* I've got a Comets game right now. I'll finish this up later.
Sorry if I've rambled, but it was good to voice this crap to somebody who didn't know. LOL
