Confirmed with Link: Palms and Zajac traded to Isles for 2021 1st, AJ Greer, Mason Jobst, 2022 conditional 4th

[Emperoreddy]

Some comments from Lebrun regarding the trade - goes along with what I've been speculating about a 1st rounder not being available from Boston or Toronto...

LeBrun: Inside how the NHL trade deadline is shaping up as deals begin to go down

The deal is also reflective of what is shaping up to be a buyer’s market. There are some who criticized the Devils for not getting more for Palmieri and Zajac.

Could the Devils be the only team to net a first-round pick at this deadline? Or at least one that’s not conditional. I could be wrong, and yes the Buffalo Sabres hope to net a first-rounder for Taylor Hall, and if the Columbus Blue Jackets decide to move Foligno, maybe they do as well.

But are we sure?

The sellers outnumber the buyers right now as far as I can tell. I’ve got this weird feeling that prices may crater come Monday and some decent players may be available for cheaper prices.

I strongly believe if Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald had waited until Monday on Palmieri, the return drops to a second-round pick. He was wise to act now. I don’t think the deal gets any better. And remember that Palmieri had a partial no-trade which limits the market to some degree.

While teams like Boston and Toronto had shown interest in Palmieri, I’m not convinced a first-round pick was attainable from either of those teams.

What will fascinate me now is the fallout for Buffalo on Hall. In losing the Islanders as a potential trade partner (I mean, we assume Lamoriello is out on Hall now, right?), the Sabres likely missed out on the one buyer that had ample cap room to take on Hall’s $8 million AAV or at least half. Now, whatever teams try to step up on Hall either need a third party broker or have to send Buffalo a contract or two to make it all work. All the other buyers on the market now are close to the cap.

One team executive I spoke with Thursday said if Hall was still sitting there Monday he could see a team get him for a second- or third-round pick plus send Buffalo a contract to make it work. No question the Sabres want to do better than that. But remember that Hall has a full no-move, he gets to say yes or no to any deal.

Good lord if that would be an awful return for Buffalo if that is all Hall can bring.

 

[billingtons ghost]

That Kings team had elite goaltending in Quick, Doughty playing in his prime and a three headed monster down the middle in Kopitar, Carter and Richards. That doesn't even factor in Brown and Williams who still were great 50pt players or the fact that they had Martinez, Mitchel and a very good Voynon. That team was f***ing stacked. Quick going on a run just cemented them winning the whole thing.

His assertion was it was "the most talented team" and in no way was it that. I could almost go thru the entire list of playoff teams and make a similar list of very good players.

 

[TheDuke93]

His assertion was it was "the most talented team" and in no way was it that. I could almost go thru the entire list of playoff teams and make a similar list of very good players.

That team was extremely talented. That's not a team with very good players. They had at the time an elite goalie/center/dman and bonafide top6/top4 players through out the lineup.

 

[Unknown Caller]

His assertion was it was "the most talented team" and in no way was it that. I could almost go thru the entire list of playoff teams and make a similar list of very good players.

No, my assertion was “talent wins.” Not the most talented team wins. In fact, I specifically stated, word for word, that the Presidents Trophy winner or the top team in the league doesn’t always win.

I then laid out in multiple posts to clarify that my statement “talent wins” means that you need a collection of elite talent to win a Cup. You need to be a Chicago, LA, Pittsburgh, Washington, Tampa, barring a miracle run once a decade (see St. Louis).

You get that elite talent by collecting high picks in terms of draft position and a high volume of picks in general. There’s the synopsis in one post.

 

[billingtons ghost]

That team was extremely talented. That's not a team with very good players. They had the time an elite goalie/center/dman and bonafide top6/top4 players through out the lineup.

My God, man. They were literally the eighth seed in the west and perhaps the 10th most talented team in the league that year. I think we're done with this topic.

 

[Unknown Caller]

My God, man. They were literally the eighth seed in the west and perhaps the 10th most talented team in the league that year. I think we're done with this topic.

Stop. That Kings team only lost 2 of their last 13 regular season games in regulation and Eric Tulsky (and other analysts) knew before the playoffs that they could win a Cup.

They had a slow start to the season, but they were absolutely one of the most talented teams in the league.

Let’s table this and talk after we see how far your championed Islanders go compared to Colorado, Toronto, etc.

 

[Hisch13r]

Stop. That Kings team only lost 2 of their last 13 regular season games in regulation and Eric Tulsky (and other analysts) knew before the playoffs that they could win a Cup.

They had a slow start to the season, but they were absolutely one of the most talented teams in the league.

Let’s table this and talk after we see how far your championed Islanders go compared to Colorado, Toronto, etc.

With basically the same roster they went to the WCF the following season and won the Cup again the year after that. The fact that anyone would think the regular season was more indicative of the talent level of the team rather than the playoffs and the following 2 seasons is... Really makes you question how some people think

 

[Triumph]

My God, man. They were literally the eighth seed in the west and perhaps the 10th most talented team in the league that year. I think we're done with this topic.

They traded their worst defenseman for a 1st line forward at the deadline. They were playing like an elite team not getting the bounces for much of the season before that.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

I did not know if this was posted or where to put it, but Seravelli said the Leafs had interest in Palms. Not sure if he was willing to wave or if the Leafs offer was not as good,

Well, Dregs, I think as we all try and sort out exactly what that market for Taylor Hall does look like, a lot of people are wondering could the Toronto Maple Leafs be in the mix for Taylor Hall? I’m told the answer to that is no. Now, could that change? Yes, of course the Maple Leafs are going to monitor what the price on Hall continues to be until the deadline hits. If he’s not traded before then, they’ve been interested in Mikael Granlund, they’ve been interested in Kyle Palmieri. It seems like those two guys may not work out and all things could add up to a pretty quiet trade deadline for the Leafs. But one thing that they continue to explore are opportunities on the goaltending market and what that may look like leading up to Monday at 3 p.m. as they potentially look for some insurance for Frederik Andersen and Jack Campbell.

Insider Trading: Taylor Hall market heating up - TSN.ca

 

[Guttersniped]

I don't think anyone said the Islanders can't win "because they're the Islanders." The Islanders are very unlikely to win the Cup because of their personnel and roster construction. When you look at true Stanley Cup champions, except for very rare outlier years, those teams all have components in common. A collection of true, high-end, elite talent is one of them. Outside of Barzal who is elite, Stanley Cup champions almost never look like Jordan Eberle, Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and Anthony Beauvilier.

They look like MacKinnon, Landeskog, Rantanen and Makar. They look like Kucherov, Stamkos, Point and Hedman. They look like Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares. That's a very short explanation without getting into depth players and underlying analytics, which also aren't very favorable for the Islanders beating the truly elite teams.

At the end of the day, they have to hang their hat on the 5% chance that they can get red hot and have certain matchups and game 7 bounces fall their way.

Ryan Pulock is without question a 1D and should be on that list if Landeskog and Nylander get to be on it too. And Adam Pelech, playing with Pulock, and Jordan Eberle are having a career years.

What shape the players are actually in will have have a huge effect on the playoffs, the regular season will end up feeling likes a war of attrition, never mind the playoffs. This could end up being very flukey so I actually don’t blame Lou taking a chance on a weird shortened season. Hey, it worked out once for him.

 

[Whaddagoal]

If the rest of the games (offensively look like the buffalo game).... I am going to temper my previous concerns here about vet presence....

Perhaps the kids needed to be given the reigns.

 

[NJDevs26]

I'd like to see them do it at home at some point, and against a non-Sabre team first lol

 

[Emperoreddy]

If the rest of the games (offensively look like the buffalo game).... I am going to temper my previous concerns here about vet presence....

Perhaps the kids needed to be given the reigns.

They have a vet presence in guys like Subban and a vet coach.

I am just not terribly worried about 18 games with the vets we have.

 

[Whaddagoal]

They have a vet presence in guys like Subban and a vet coach.

I am just not terribly worried about 18 games with the vets we have.

Ruff helps alot... But yesterday i was freaking out. But after this game..seeing how our new vets handled this game, their tune in pre and post game interviews...i think i am more upbeat today.


I think they want this team to rise up fast and are ready for challenge.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I'd like to see them do it at home at some point, and against a non-Sabre team first lol

Been an awful stretch at home...... Yep hope to see it change soon.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Ruff helps alot... But yesterday i was freaking out. But after this game..seeing how our new vets handled this game, their tune in pre and post game interviews...i think i am more upbeat today.


I think they want this team to rise up fast and are ready for challenge.

I also expect new vets to be brought in during the offseason to help out next year.

So even if the remaining vets weren't enough, it's for a short time.

I don't think it's a bad thing to ask your core young guys to start stepping up in leadership roles though.

 

[NJDevs26]

Been an awful stretch at home...... Yep hope to see it change soon.

And while they have played better defensively the last few games, how does that change if they trade Kulikov and Murray?

 

[devilsblood]

Some comments from Lebrun regarding the trade - goes along with what I've been speculating about a 1st rounder not being available from Boston or Toronto...

LeBrun: Inside how the NHL trade deadline is shaping up as deals begin to go down

The deal is also reflective of what is shaping up to be a buyer’s market. There are some who criticized the Devils for not getting more for Palmieri and Zajac.

Could the Devils be the only team to net a first-round pick at this deadline? Or at least one that’s not conditional. I could be wrong, and yes the Buffalo Sabres hope to net a first-rounder for Taylor Hall, and if the Columbus Blue Jackets decide to move Foligno, maybe they do as well.

But are we sure?

The sellers outnumber the buyers right now as far as I can tell. I’ve got this weird feeling that prices may crater come Monday and some decent players may be available for cheaper prices.

I strongly believe if Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald had waited until Monday on Palmieri, the return drops to a second-round pick. He was wise to act now. I don’t think the deal gets any better. And remember that Palmieri had a partial no-trade which limits the market to some degree.

While teams like Boston and Toronto had shown interest in Palmieri, I’m not convinced a first-round pick was attainable from either of those teams.

What will fascinate me now is the fallout for Buffalo on Hall. In losing the Islanders as a potential trade partner (I mean, we assume Lamoriello is out on Hall now, right?), the Sabres likely missed out on the one buyer that had ample cap room to take on Hall’s $8 million AAV or at least half. Now, whatever teams try to step up on Hall either need a third party broker or have to send Buffalo a contract or two to make it all work. All the other buyers on the market now are close to the cap.

One team executive I spoke with Thursday said if Hall was still sitting there Monday he could see a team get him for a second- or third-round pick plus send Buffalo a contract to make it work. No question the Sabres want to do better than that. But remember that Hall has a full no-move, he gets to say yes or no to any deal.

Hall turning down a deal to go to a playoff team, at this point in his career, would be a really bad look.

 

[Whaddagoal]

And while they have played better defensively the last few games, how does that change if they trade Kulikov and Murray?

I really hope they can extend one of them..... I like em both... But not necessarily for too long. I like Kulikov more but he is older so..... Not as certain.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

They vetted the vets and then the vets veered into a vast abyss of vettedness. Now you vet the youth to see how they do without the vets and if they need more vets they’ll get more vets in the off season.

So vet vets vet vets and vets, vets? Vetted.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I also expect new vets to be brought in during the offseason to help out next year.

So even if the remaining vets weren't enough, it's for a short time.

I don't think it's a bad thing to ask your core young guys to start stepping up in leadership roles though.

Right... That is a good point.

 

[devilsblood]

Ruff helps alot... But yesterday i was freaking out. But after this game..seeing how our new vets handled this game, their tune in pre and post game interviews...i think i am more upbeat today.


I think they want this team to rise up fast and are ready for challenge.

Zacha's post game talking about the things he needs to work on, D-zone, puck battles and getting shots on goal, pretty much nailed it.

 

[devilsblood]

They vetted the vets and then the vets veered into a vast abyss of vettedness. Now you vet the youth to see how they do without the vets and if they need more vets they’ll get more vets in the off season.

So vet vets vet vets and vets, vets? Vetted.

Ya I've already turned to hoping guys like Boqvist can fill roles so that we don't need to bring in vet fwds.

Think it is unavoidable on D though, whether we keep the ones we have or bring in new ones.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Ya I've already turned to hoping guys like Boqvist can fill roles so that we don't need to bring in vet fwds.

Think it is unavoidable on D though, whether we keep the ones we have or bring in new ones.

But but the poetry was wasted on you

Seriously though, I agree let that Bing D keep developing and hopefully the draft brings in a stud RD. They now have two cracks at it.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

2x post.

See above and look below.