Confirmed with Link: PTO: Tim Erixon

[tailfins]

Some of this is forehead-slappingly obvious. Even if Mueller was better than Schlemko last year in the San Jose organization, which I doubt, Schlemko was on the first year of a 4 year deal and was being paid over $2M a season. That's how NHL teams make decisions. Follow the money and who has waiver ineligibility.

Schlemko is 30 years old. There is no future with him.

It's cool that Dyblenko, a player who has never played a game in a Devils uniform, is listed as a failure, but Will Butcher gets no mention at all.

Good point on Butcher. Bad omission on my part.

What's the better quote here..."In the long run, we're all dead" or "the long run is a series of short runs". Both apply IMO.

 

[Zippy316]

I'm not sure why we're denigrating Mueller. I think we all hope Mueller does well. Same with Merrill. It's' irrelevant to the people on this board if Merrill ends up an NHL washout.

Jim's point (and I've made the same before) is simply that Shero is making perplexing decisions in building our D.

Shero's approach seems akin to buying lottery tickets - he's bringing in low cost guys who:

- had good draft pedigrees but haven't panned out: Moore, Mueller, Erixon, Gormley
- he won with before: Lovejoy
- are overseas wildcards: Auvitu, Dyblenko

None of these have worked out. Meanwhile, he's let go of guys who are already on the team, but who are slower developing: Merrill, Schlemko. Merrill and Schlemko are better than all of the other D listed above.

(Yes, Shero gets credit for bringing in Schlemko - but we didn't resign him, and we didn't pick him up this offseason when he got traded for a 5th. And this is the guy who was so good, per other posters, that Mueller - who Shero traded a 2nd and 4th for - was blocked by him.)

To bring this back on topic, while the Erixon PTO is clearly a minor move, Shero's recent track record with the Devils D doesn't suggest that there's a lot of upside here.

I'm still holding out hope that there will be a chance for more significant improvements to the D toward the end of training camp.

What other options does Shero have?

Look at what was traded for Hamonic, Scandella, Kulikov, or the other young top-four quality defenders. Devils are not in a position to match any of those deals.

Merrill has been injury prone for years and has been far too inconsistent. He hasn't figured it out yet and was looking more like a bottom-pairing guy. You can find those guys anywhere, he's not worth losing sleep over. Mueller is essentially a re-do of Merrill three years ago.

Schlemko is a solid, but not great bottom-four defender. Sure it would've been nice to keep him around, but he likely chased the money and stability after how much he moved around. Even then, he wasn't worth keeping at that price with his age where the Devils are at.

Shero is building up the assets and trying to capitalize on the buy-low options. Hopefully, soon enough we will have enough forward talent that we can trade an Ennis and Foligno or afford to part with first round picks to acquire a quality defender. Right now, we can't.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

So, like Merrill most likely?

Thanks; happy to finally know what the size of the stakes are here.

Sure. Do you think I was a Merrill cheerleader? lol he was one of the most mediocre player ever. He's not a guy that moves the needle for this team one bit. Mueller probably won't be either, doesn't look like he has the skill set. I'm hoping for just a decent shutdown bottom pairing guy. Butcher looks like he could be a boom or bust guy. Same with Walsh. Those are guys I can get excited about. If they hit, they move the needle for this team, but there's a good chance they don't.

 

[JimEIV]

Mueller apparently wasn't even good in the AHL by most accounts. I doubt he'll be anything.

I think that is being glazed over big time... there are reports as recently as THIS year of his poor decision making, poor passing/handling of the puck and getting lost in the defensive zone.

January 2017 -
"He is still out of his element in the NHL, but looking more capable in a sheltered deployment and serviceable as a callup in emergency situations"

October 2016 -
Mueller’s skating is excellent, and size is enviable. However, the decisions with the puck are limited and his propensity for turnovers while trying to exit the defensive zones are predictable. Seemingly, he either passes the puck to his defensive partner behind him (and into their skates) once he gets a forechecker on him or throws it up the side boards. Confidence with the puck and skating with the biscuit on his stick does not look to be an option that is even considered.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.dobberprospects.com/mirco-muller/amp/

Now remember that this is a player that brings almost no offense...when you have a player that brings no offense you should at least expect high quality defense.... Mueller has had trouble with defense in the AHL.

And to even suggest THAt is or might be on par with Merrill is beyond ludicrous.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Do you think I was a Merrill cheerleader? lol he was one of the most mediocre player ever. He's not a guy that moves the needle for this team one bit. Mueller probably won't be either

That's the thing...... then why is this such a hotly and heatedly contested issue every time it comes up?

Frankly, as I said, I have no idea how either Merrill or Mueller will pan out.

But I DO know enough about development of young NHL defenseman to know that a-year-in-the-life is so critically important given how "improvement" can be dramatic from one year to the next, that if forced to choose, I'd rather have Mueller than Merrill.

The decision process is:

A) the loss of something highly likely to not be special (Merrill).

versus

B) the loss of something highly likely to not be special, but there is still a chance (Mueller).

 

[Lou is God]

Shero has helped develop our forwards prospects to maybe the best in the league, that's a BIG step. From here on out we'll focus on defense I'm sure and it's a much smaller unit than forwards. No one should be complaining about our defense or Shero when you consider where we were when Lou left.

 

[Triumph]

Good point on Butcher. Bad omission on my part.

What's the better quote here..."In the long run, we're all dead" or "the long run is a series of short runs". Both apply IMO.

Neither applies. The Devils are probably going to be bad this year. They were going to be bad with Schlemko or without him. He has 2 more years left on his deal after this one - how's he going to be in 2 years? I don't like the Mueller trade - they paid too much - but the Devils are simply not in a position to get married to bottom-pairing D. They should be trying as many guys as possible there.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Can the name Merrill be banned in these parts like the Russian once was/is?

Over

It.

 

[JimEIV]

Neither applies. The Devils are probably going to be bad this year. They were going to be bad with Schlemko or without him. He has 2 more years left on his deal after this one - how's he going to be in 2 years? I don't like the Mueller trade - they paid too much - but the Devils are simply not in a position to get married to bottom-pairing D. They should be trying as many guys as possible there.

The problem with this approach is it almost always puts extra pressure on the top 4....our top 4 can't handle extra pressure.

So when you're playing expiremrntal games with Gelinas, Urbom, Auvitu, Warsofsky...et Al. For 10 minutes a game most of the time...the top 4 is picking up those extra 4 or 5 minutes a real Defenseman should be playing. It strains the entire defense.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Can the name Merrill be banned in these parts like the Russian once was/is?

Kovalchuk's name was banned here? I dont remember that.

The only name I know that has been officially banned on the Devils HFBoards is, and I'll safely put it in an anagram form, Infrared Oats.

 

[Triumph]

The problem with this approach is it almost always puts extra pressure on the top 4....our top 4 can't handle extra pressure.

So when you're playing expiremrntal games with Gelinas, Urbom, Auvitu, Warsofsky...et Al. For 10 minutes a game most of the time...the top 4 is picking up those extra 4 or 5 minutes a real Defenseman should be playing. It strains the entire defense.

There's absolutely no reason for 3rd pairing D with a future to play 10 minutes a game on a non-competitive team. And of course the notion that any of these people played 10 minutes a game 'most of the time' is absurd. The 3rd pairing on this team should be getting 15 minutes a game.

 

[JimEIV]

There's absolutely no reason for 3rd pairing D with a future to play 10 minutes a game on a non-competitive team. And of course the notion that any of these people played 10 minutes a game 'most of the time' is absurd. The 3rd pairing on this team should be getting 15 minutes a game.

I was talking 5v5 time and I should't have said 10 minutes that was a bit of an exaggeration.

But it doesn't negate the fact that those low minutes require someone to play more.

 

[My3Sons]

it is sad that defense in the NHL as currently constructed is so complicated and demanding that a borderline prospect like Mueller garners a second round pick plus in trade. You'd think in that environment the league would be awash in goals with forwards well ahead of defenders but even the pitiful D the Devils iced last season managed to keep the puck out of the net more often than not.

 

[217 Forever]

it is sad that defense in the NHL as currently constructed is so complicated and demanding that a borderline prospect like Mueller garners a second round pick plus in trade. You'd think in that environment the league would be awash in goals with forwards well ahead of defenders but even the pitiful D the Devils iced last season managed to keep the puck out of the net more often than not.

With the emphasis on shot-blocking and the goalies being bigger and better than ever even weak defenses can get by but trying to find defensemen who are difference makers with a great all around game is near impossible these days.

 

[devilsblood]

Some of this is forehead-slappingly obvious. Even if Mueller was better than Schlemko last year in the San Jose organization, which I doubt, Schlemko was on the first year of a 4 year deal and was being paid over $2M a season. That's how NHL teams make decisions. Follow the money and who has waiver ineligibility.

Schlemko is 30 years old. There is no future with him.

It's cool that Dyblenko, a player who has never played a game in a Devils uniform, is listed as a failure, but Will Butcher gets no mention at all.

Well yeah, but SJ went out and signed Schlemko. Clearly they didn't have faith in Mueller, or even worse, flat did not want him on the NHL squad, so they brought in solid but unspectacular veteran. Then they traded Mueller.

 

[devilsblood]

Can the name Merrill be banned in these parts like the Russian once was/is?

Over

It.

The board has been dead lately, why kill the one topic that has gotten any sort of traction?

 

[Devils Dominion]

I have very low expectations for Mueller.

Erixon can be effective in Bingo.

 

[devilsblood]

I'm not sure why we're denigrating Mueller. I think we all hope Mueller does well. Same with Merrill. It's' irrelevant to the people on this board if Merrill ends up an NHL washout.

Jim's point (and I've made the same before) is simply that Shero is making perplexing decisions in building our D.

Shero's approach seems akin to buying lottery tickets - he's bringing in low cost guys who:

- had good draft pedigrees but haven't panned out: Moore, Mueller, Erixon, Gormley
- he won with before: Lovejoy
- are overseas wildcards: Auvitu, Dyblenko

None of these have worked out. Meanwhile, he's let go of guys who are already on the team, but who are slower developing: Merrill, Schlemko. Merrill and Schlemko are better than all of the other D listed above.

(Yes, Shero gets credit for bringing in Schlemko - but we didn't resign him, and we didn't pick him up this offseason when he got traded for a 5th. And this is the guy who was so good, per other posters, that Mueller - who Shero traded a 2nd and 4th for - was blocked by him.)

To bring this back on topic, while the Erixon PTO is clearly a minor move, Shero's recent track record with the Devils D doesn't suggest that there's a lot of upside here.

I'm still holding out hope that there will be a chance for more significant improvements to the D toward the end of training camp.

It is interesting the path Shero has taken in regards to the D. Def a bunch of wildcard options.

And the drafting of D is similar. Only one d-man drafted above the 5th round in the past 2 drafts, none higher then the 3rd. So one d-man out of 11 icks in rounds 1-4. Only 2 d-man higher then the 7th. Meanwhile, all 4 of our 7th rounders have been d-men, 2 of which were +1 players.


And Sev's is unsigned.

 

[devilsblood]

I have very low expectations for Mueller.

Erixon can be effective in Bingo.

Mueller seems to have a similar profile to Moore. Skates great but not very effective.

 

[JimEIV]

Mueller seems to have a similar profile to Moore. Skates great but not very effective.

What troubles me is jhe is coming from an organization where Larry Robinson is the Director of Player Development...He currently is still not up to speed for the NHL by most accounts.

The sharks with two legendary defensemen in their organization with Larry Robinson and Doug Wilson couldn't get Mueller up to speed but Nasreddine will?

Maybe he just needs time?

 

[NjDevsRR]

The board has been dead lately, why kill the one topic that has gotten any sort of traction?

 

[My3Sons]

What troubles me is jhe is coming from an organization where Larry Robinson is the Director of Player Development...He currently is still not up to speed for the NHL by most accounts.

The sharks with two legendary defensemen in their organization with Larry Robinson and Doug Wilson couldn't get Mueller up to speed but Nasreddine will?

Maybe he just needs time?

That's actually a really good point and very sobering for those looking for a breakout by Mueller. Not sure how many here will recall it, but when Robinson was added to the staff, no less a luminary than Scott Stevens raved about how even that far into his career Robinson was teaching him subtle but important lessons about how to properly defend. I'm not sure about Wilson but if Robinson can't teach Mueller he may just be unteachable. Ugh.

 

[devilsblood]

If the horse is dead, why does anyone care if we beat on it?

 

[NJDevs26]

The prospects camp is coming up today and actual camp next week, it won't be dead around here for long. We don't need to have the same arguments when nothing's changed since the last time we had it for the sake of having any discussion. Especially when like 10/80 posts in a topic are actually about the topic.

 

[JimEIV]

That's actually a really good point and very sobering for those looking for a breakout by Mueller. Not sure how many here will recall it, but when Robinson was added to the staff, no less a luminary than Scott Stevens raved about how even that far into his career Robinson was teaching him subtle but important lessons about how to properly defend. I'm not sure about Wilson but if Robinson can't teach Mueller he may just be unteachable. Ugh.

He is still pretty young... He just turned 22. I think perhaps an arguement could be made the Sharks made a mistake putting him in the NHL in his draft year and not allow him to go back to junior.

I really hope he can succeed but I think some of this board are under a false impression of what he is and where he is right now. So I think even if he does succeed we are going to have to go through a development process with him.