Confirmed with Link: Meier, Harrington, 3 prospects, Col's '24 5th to Devils for 2023 1st, Zetterlund, Johanson, Okhotiuk, Mukhamadullin, conditional 2024 1st, '24 7th

[Kranix]

We've followed these players since they got drafted, followed them in juniors, prospect camps, AHL, KHL, we know what they are and have grown an emotional bond with them. Even though they are no longer Devils' players, it's kinda insulting for someone who has no idea what they are talking about to just call them trash nothing return. I think a lot of Devils posters also wanted to chip in and give some insight on what you are getting. But hey by all means be miserable and hate on your own players.

Just take the win. Holy shit.

 

[WSS11]

The sky is falling!!

You keep up that naive act of everything that the sharks do is great and one step closer to he cup no matter what. The thing is, I can’t think of one thing Grier and staff have done that made me say “great move”. Maybe he’ll get better but his two biggest trades have been poor.

If you want to be cynical about it and dismiss good players for no reason then I'm not going to stop you. But for as happy as Devils fans are to have Timo, losing Big Z is a gut punch. Nearly everyone on the Devils board would have unanimously preferred to give up Alex Holtz, a guy who was the #7 overall pick three years ago, over Zetterlund. I would wager most of us would have preferred to give up Kevin Bahl over Okhotiuk as well. And personally, I would have rather given up Sheamus Casey over Mukhamadullin.

These are pieces we all like and didn't want to give up. The only reason we're okay giving them up is because we've been rebuilding for 8 years and have arguably the best prospect pool in the NHL (not anymore though).

Anyone who thought an unextended Meier would return a Dawson Mercer or Simon Nemec quality player was delusional. If you want to blame Grier for not allowing buyers to negotiate an extension then go ahead, but without an extension in place you just simply weren't going to get a better offer than this one.

Don’t be ridiculous, if Mercer or Nemec were made available then he would have let Fitz negotiate the extension with Lemieux. Also, the most valuable assets arguably will be those picks. Grier made two very nice concessions in giving Fitzgerald protection with both picks and retaining 50% on Timo.

Giving those concessions without additional assets being included is negligent in a negotiation. Without a blue chip prospect being included, the ‘23 and ‘24 picks needed to be unprotected, full stop. Without that, NJ has all the upside with close to zero risk of losing a blue chip asset. For as much crap as Dorian got for the Karlsson trade, he lucked out and got Stutzle because SJ had exposure. It was a low % chance but it hit.

 

[Lebanezer]

Grier is overhauling the entire organization at this point. I think anyone from the previous regime should be worried.

 

[Internazionale]

How is everyone feeling the morning after the big trade? Thoughts changed?

 

[LadyStanley]

 

[Alaskanice]

You keep up that naive act of everything that the sharks do is great and one step closer to he cup no matter what. The thing is, I can’t think of one thing Grier and staff have done that made me say “great move”. Maybe he’ll get better but his two biggest trades have been poor.



Don’t be ridiculous, if Mercer or Nemec were made available then he would have let Fitz negotiate the extension with Lemieux. Also, the most valuable assets arguably will be those picks. Grier made two very nice concessions in giving Fitzgerald protection with both picks and retaining 50% on Timo.

Giving those concessions without additional assets being included is negligent in a negotiation. Without a blue chip prospect being included, the ‘23 and ‘24 picks needed to be unprotected, full stop. Without that, NJ has all the upside with close to zero risk of losing a blue chip asset. For as much crap as Dorian got for the Karlsson trade, he lucked out and got Stutzle because SJ had exposure. It was a low % chance but it hit.

My naive act?
Boy, I’m not naive in thinking I know more than these people. How many trade negotiations in the National Hockey League have you accomplished? How many times have you talked to professional players and asked them what they want? How many evaluations of prospects have you done?

Yeah, me neither.

These guys have forgotten more hockey than you and I will ever know. To act as if we know better is… naive?

 

[themelkman]

How is everyone feeling the morning after the big trade? Thoughts changed?

About the same. I can understand that Grier probably viewed this as the best offer he got, but I still have major problems with the things he places value on.

Theres some pieces that are okay in here, but there isnt a sneaky good grab. Zetterlund seems interesting, but we are buying high on him doing ok while playing with amazing players on an amazing team.

 

[SJSharksfan39]

How is everyone feeling the morning after the big trade? Thoughts changed?

No, still sad and depressed and just confused. A lot of this thread is really talking about speculations and hope. We know what Meier is. We don't know how Zetterlund will turn out, or how the prospects will turn out. Hockey in the Bay Area is going to suck for at least 2, maybe 3 or more, years. Will San Jose even still have a franchise by the time they get good again? Warriors are good, 49ers are good, and I think the Giants are closer to the playoffs than rebuilding. The A's look like they are out the door, and College is not big around here like it is in the south. Hockey has always struggled for attention in this market and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

[Jargon]

How is everyone feeling the morning after the big trade? Thoughts changed?

I still am fairly optimistic about it. I think Mukh, on most teams that don’t have a Nemec, is a very high rated prospect and I think we desperately need guys like him in the system. I also think Zetterlund is interesting and very young - I’m curious what he can do on Hertl’s line. Sounds like he did really well in a Top 6 role and I like the idea of an Eklund - Hertl - Zetterlund line.

I wish that 2nd 1st wasn’t conditional - I find that irritating and it would’ve made the deal more palatable. I also wish we did get Holtz because I do think he has high end potential and I think being with Eklund could’ve gotten him there.

I want to see how the rest of the season goes, what other trades one in, how we draft, and who we sign. As I said previously, I think Grier has the monumental task of remaking a team that’s stuck with old guys on long contracts and a completely bare prospect pool - so what I want to see is not how individual moves work out but how he goes about putting together his vision of the team.

 

[LadyStanley]

LeBrun looks at machinations of Meier trade (and the other trade that went down).

 

[renodave]

It should have been Meier for Mercer and a 1st round pick - end of story. Short of that, I would have passed and either traded him to another team (Vegas/St Louis) at the deadline or waited until the draft/offseason to move him.

 

[TheBeard]

If Holtz were involved in the trade everyone would be raving about how good the trade was for us, but when he flames out spectacularly (which he will) no one will credit the FO for not falling for the high end prospect with so many red flags.

 

[themelkman]

If Holtz were involved in the trade everyone would be raving about how good the trade was for us, but when he flames out spectacularly (which he will) no one will credit the FO for not falling for the high end prospect with so many red flags.

Hey I am one of the people who said Holtz was very risky. However I dont think the answer to that issue was getting a meh D prospect instead.

Maybe thats where the extra "first" comes in to save value, I dont know

 

[TheBeard]

Hey I am one of the people who said Holtz was very risky. However I dont think the answer to that issue was getting a meh D prospect instead.

I get the criticisms of no fancy names in return, but I don’t hate Grier’s vision of bringing in guys with high floors even with lower than ideal ceilings. I think he sees Bordeleau and Ek and whomever we get in the 23 draft as the focal points of the team in the future and he doesn’t want us to be the Oilers during those years where they kept getting the top pick but never changed because they kept repeating the same mistake over and over because they never fixed the other areas that needed fixing.

 

[Alaskanice]

Hey I am one of the people who said Holtz was very risky. However I dont think the answer to that issue was getting a meh D prospect instead.

Maybe thats where the extra "first" comes in to save value, I dont know

Muk isn’t a meh prospect.

 

[DrFeelgood]

Hockey in the Bay Area is going to suck for at least 2, maybe 3 or more, years.

This was always the case before this trade, in fact it's why the trade is even happening in the first place. This team is gonna be a bubble team at best until we can get out of the cap hell that DW put us in.

 

[Arkansas Shark]

It's underwhelming that Grier retained salary and agreed to the conditional 2024 1st. I'm ok with the prospects acquired, but firsts in 2023 and 2024 without conditions packaged in the trade would be easier to stomach. We have to assume he took the best offer. Idk it's too early to tell, we won't know for three to five years maybe.

I'm a little disappointed to lose Hatakka. I remember DW Jr. speaking highly of him not too long ago. Apparently he either regressed or fell out of favor with the new regime. I remember DW Jr. comparing him to
Marcus Ragnarsson.

​

 

[Le Grand Quebecois]

How is everyone feeling the morning after the big trade? Thoughts changed?

Wishing we traded Grier instead.

 

[NWSharkie]

I don’t hate Grier’s vision of bringing in guys with high floors even with lower than ideal ceilings.

Agreed, and I'll point out that that was the same philosophy the Tim Burke/DW Sharks had for nearly two decades and it worked pretty well until the wheels fell off. If the Sharks can turn a few down seasons into one or two high-end drafted stars, then surround them with "high-floor guys with good hockey sense," they'll be successful again and we can go back to bitching about drafting Coutures instead of Kopitars

 

[BaileyMacTavish]

I'm crushed to be honest. The return was booty buttcheeks

 

[Makoshark]

This feels like the morning after where you look over and hoped it was all a bad dream... But it wasn't. You slowly walk over to the bathroom sink and wash your face in cold water but its still real.... It happened. Suddenly you feel nauseated and retch into the toilet... You crawl into the shower and quietly sob in the fetal position until your hip and shoulders are numb. After you air dry on the floor you call into work sick and burying yourself into bed you receive a text from your Devils fan buddy saying: "Well we had to give up a lot... Blah blah blah..." You wish it were sincere but you can almost taste the wicked bile on thier phone screen as they laugh through thier teeth at your mysery.... You immediately block them from all contact and try to move on with your life... You fall asleep but you are instantly in sleep paralysis a short time later... You awaken with a cold chill down your spine to a menacing figure cackling in a distorted inhuman voice saying: "Ths is a retool..." Your adrenaline surges as your heart fires awake to a chest wrenching pace yet you cannot move or speak... Another figure speaks spastically next your left "The DEVIL is in the details hahahahahaha....." Two more hulking figures appear fading from a cloaked darkness you recognize one to be about 6'0 220 & 6'4 190... They say in unison in foreign tounges: "Мы будем хорошо играть для вас.." & "Vi kommer att spela bra för dig..." The living nightmare persists and you know you are cursed to live out eternity having misplaced your trust in Mike Grier & having unwittingly bartered your franchises shining light... archangel Meier away for eternity by having made a deal with the (NJ) Devils...

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

No, what would have hurt is if you lost one of your top prospects for probably the 2nd best power forward in the game. You gave up a bunch of ‘meh’ prospects and a late 1st and most likely a late 2nd round pick. Not only that, but Grier bent over and spread his cheeks to give Fitz protection on his picks and retain 50% of the contract.

For the people on this board that were always saying “fire Doug Wilson”, you’re about to find out what it’s like to have a franchise crippling GM who has no idea what he’s doing.

Everything is open to debate and time will tell but Muk is not a meh prospect....Neither is OKY and if you draft right with the 23 you should get a player as it's a stacked class....This came with no extension in place there is risk for NJ that he walks

 

[TheBeard]

This feels like the morning after where you look over and hoped it was all a bad dream... But it wasn't. You slowly walk over to the bathroom sink and wash your face in cold water but it’s still real.... It happened. Suddenly you feel nauseated and retch into the toilet... You crawl into the shower and quietly sob in the fetal position until your hip and shoulders are numb. After you air dry on the floor you call into work sick and burying yourself into bed you receive a text from your Devils fan buddy saying: "Well we had to give up a lot... Blah blah blah..." You wish it were sincere but you can almost taste the wicked bile on thier phone screen as they laugh through thier teeth at your mysery.... You immediately block them from all contact and try to move on with your life... You fall asleep but you are instantly in sleep paralysis a short time later... You awaken with a cold chill down your spine to a menacing figure cackling in a distorted inhuman voice saying: "Ths is a retool..." Your adrenaline surges as your heart fires awake to a chest wrenching pace yet you cannot move or speak... Another figure speaks spastically next your left "The DEVIL is in the details hahahahahaha....." Two more hulking figures appear fading from a cloaked darkness you recognize one to be about 6'0 220 & 6'4 190... They say in unison in foreign tounges: "Мы будем хорошо играть для вас.." & "Vi kommer att spela bra för dig..." The living nightmare persists and you know you are cursed to live out eternity having misplaced your trust in Mike Grier & having unwittingly bartered your franchises shining light... archangel Meier away for eternity by having made a deal with the (NJ) Devils...

I can recommend a good therapist if you’d like.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

You keep up that naive act of everything that the sharks do is great and one step closer to he cup no matter what. The thing is, I can’t think of one thing Grier and staff have done that made me say “great move”. Maybe he’ll get better but his two biggest trades have been poor.



Don’t be ridiculous, if Mercer or Nemec were made available then he would have let Fitz negotiate the extension with Lemieux. Also, the most valuable assets arguably will be those picks. Grier made two very nice concessions in giving Fitzgerald protection with both picks and retaining 50% on Timo.

Giving those concessions without additional assets being included is negligent in a negotiation. Without a blue chip prospect being included, the ‘23 and ‘24 picks needed to be unprotected, full stop. Without that, NJ has all the upside with close to zero risk of losing a blue chip asset. For as much crap as Dorian got for the Karlsson trade, he lucked out and got Stutzle because SJ had exposure. It was a low % chance but it hit.

Grier did take Bystedt got criticized for it but he looks pretty smart now....Don't blame you being pissed though but time will tell....

 

[WTFetus]

Why are people mad over the retained salary? It comes out to such a negligible amount at this point in the season.