Confirmed Trade: [VGK/NJD] Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid for Paul Cotter and 2025 3rd round pick

[Smitty426]

It’s amazing. Holtz could score a goal and make some nice plays and then Get benched for being offside. If it was Alexander Hughes and NOT Holtz he would’ve scored 30 goals this year with some opportunity. If Luke wasn’t jacks brother he would’ve sitting in the press box for his bonehead plays every game.


Nice how you avoid my point. mercer had a down year and that’s okay, yet Holtz never was given a fair chance and never had the opportunity to have an UP year and you’re okay with just trading him. Lol.
And we never drafted him to defend or play along the boards. We drafted him to shoot and thats a major issue on this team

Just like we didn't draft Luke for his defensive side of the game!

You say that as if there isn't multiple top 10 draft picks that bust every year who all had "great offensive skills". If Holtz turns into waiver fodder and Cotter turns into a solid bottom 6 option then it's a good trade no matter what Holtz's draft position was.

If my aunt had a dick....

 

[Lou Bloom]

Just like we didn't draft Luke for his defensive side of the game!


If my aunt had a dick....

How is Holtz not also a what if?

 

[Smitty426]

How is Holtz not also a what if?

What if they gave him the same leash as Jack or Luke? Put him in top 6 to just get in a scoring position and do so. Thr guy produced with crsp linemates. Yes the other intangibles thx Fitz we know. Cotter probs coukd have Bern gotten for Schmid alone. That's bad asset management, whether you like Holtz or not. It's not the trade for Holtz that bothers me, it's the return, made less by interim coach and GM, and that's how I'll stay with this move

 

[Forge]

Fans are just trying to stay positive and not wanna admit VGK totally fleeced them. It happens with all fan bases on here when their teams make a headscratching trade.

There are tons and tons of Cotter type guys every season so it's odd NJ would do this deal and move Holtz for such an underwhelming return

I do agree that this is sort of a weird trade for Holtz....I'd rather continue trying to work with a guy that has an upside that made you want to take him in the top 10 of a pretty solid draft. I don't think the value is as off as some would suggest, but even if you even the value, I'd rather have the side with the greater potential. That's not the Devils side in this trade with Cotter and a third.

But I disagree that the bagging of Holtz is tied to the trade itself. Lots of people have been slagging holtz for a long time and most devils fans have assumed he was just going to go. The fit was just so clearly not there. The fact that this trade was reported as Akira Schmid being traded to VGK for like 20 minutes and then it was like, "oh yeah, Alex Holtz is getting traded to VGK too" feels like a really great encapsulation of where i think the perception of Holtz was league wide

I was always annoyed that they seemed to only hold Holtz accountable for his mistakes and I thought there deployment of him was beyond weird (I thought they really mishandled him in 22-23 and kudos to Holtz for asking to go down to the AHL to play that year so he can work on his game)....that certainly didn't mean that he actually wasn't just bad and making those mistakes though. I did think he found some creativity in his offensive game last year. It didn't work, but he definitely was getting crafty with the puck a couple of times. The rest of the stuff is going to be his compete and effort and I really think it's a mental / personality thing for him. Maybe getting traded will make it click for him, but I'm not going to bank on it. I think it's worth the gamble of a random 4th liner though.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

How is Holtz not also a what if?

I liked the kid. However, he wasn’t the right pick for the Devils or at pick 7. Good release and shot. Not the fastest or slowest. He was or is still trying to learn defensive and positional hockey. He’s not soft, but not the biggest or strongest. He needs to play in the top six to succeed as he grows and he’s definitely not lazy. I wish him well.

 

[vtdevils2k]

I liked the kid. However, he wasn’t the right pick for the Devils or at pick 7. Good release and shot. Not the fastest or slowest. He was or is still trying to learn defensive and positional hockey. He’s not soft, but not the biggest or strongest. He needs to play in the top six to succeed. I wish him well.

Devils were trying to find that elite goal scorner next to Jack Hughes....unfortunately wasn't the right fit, couldn't keep up, or play defense.

We all wish he best for him. Hope he does well for Vegas.

 

[Lou Bloom]

What if they gave him the same leash as Jack or Luke? Put him in top 6 to just get in a scoring position and do so. Thr guy produced with crsp linemates. Yes the other intangibles thx Fitz we know. Cotter probs coukd have Bern gotten for Schmid alone. That's bad asset management, whether you like Holtz or not. It's not the trade for Holtz that bothers me, it's the return, made less by interim coach and GM, and that's how I'll stay with this move

Jack and Luke were much better players overall and had a much higher impact on the game. The Devils are trying to be contenders, not gift players spots in the lineup when they're barely NHL caliber.

Do you not understand that players bust? Do you think every single player with "potential" will figure it out if you just force them into a top 6 role without having them earn it? It's fine to admit that Holtz was a bust of a pick and the Devils are choosing to move on now and trade him for a player they think can fill a bottom 6 role moving forward.

How do you know what Cotter could have been had for? You do realize that Holtz's value isn't much right? Go look at some other underperforming top 10 picks and what their value was (Zadina, Kravstov, Jost, Puljujarvi, Alex Nylander, etc...), you just don't seem to have much grasp on what underperforming top 10 picks go for in the market.

 

[Petes2424]

Don’t think Vegas doesn’t know what type of goaltenders fit that system. Big goaltenders who take the outside away. Schmid is built for Cassidy’s system. Don’t be surprised if he’s near the top of the NHL statistically next season.

 

[Forge]

Don’t think Vegas doesn’t know what type of goaltenders fit that system. Big goaltenders who take the outside away. Schmid is built for Cassidy’s system. Don’t be surprised if he’s near the top of the NHL statistically next season.

My understanding is that they want him in Henderson to start, but I do agree with you here. I Think Vegas' history so far has really shown that they know how to get the team to really help prop up the goaltending.

If Schmid plays in Vegas, he's going to put up damn good numbers. He may not actually be as good as the numbers (the same way Kevin Bahl won't be nearly as bad as his numbers are going to look the next couple of years in Calgary) suggest, but those numbers will be good.

 

[Devils Trap]

lol

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

So the trade was Holtz for Cotter + 3rd.

 

[Sergei Shirokov]

Why would they just let Schmid walk? Seems odd

 

[red devil]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807519258781659351

 

[Forge]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1807519258781659351

I suspected that something had to be in the hopper. I wonder if it's a muti year deal

 

[Smitty426]

Jack and Luke were much better players overall and had a much higher impact on the game. The Devils are trying to be contenders, not gift players spots in the lineup when they're barely NHL caliber.

Do you not understand that players bust? Do you think every single player with "potential" will figure it out if you just force them into a top 6 role without having them earn it? It's fine to admit that Holtz was a bust of a pick and the Devils are choosing to move on now and trade him for a player they think can fill a bottom 6 role moving forward.

How do you know what Cotter could have been had for? You do realize that Holtz's value isn't much right? Go look at some other underperforming top 10 picks and what their value was (Zadina, Kravstov, Jost, Puljujarvi, Alex Nylander, etc...), you just don't seem to have much grasp on what underperforming top 10 picks go for in the market.

I have no problem with trading either Holtz or Schmid
I had no problem with adding Cotter
Schmid for Cotter absolutely could have happened 1 for 1. Holtz had the same year Mercer did with shittier linemates. Holtz going to a yearly contender, good for him. Hopefully Cotter will make me forget this dumb trade but not likely. Fitz going for nothing but tree trunks, I guess we will see how that works out.

I do agree that this is sort of a weird trade for Holtz....I'd rather continue trying to work with a guy that has an upside that made you want to take him in the top 10 of a pretty solid draft. I don't think the value is as off as some would suggest, but even if you even the value, I'd rather have the side with the greater potential. That's not the Devils side in this trade with Cotter and a third.

But I disagree that the bagging of Holtz is tied to the trade itself. Lots of people have been slagging holtz for a long time and most devils fans have assumed he was just going to go. The fit was just so clearly not there. The fact that this trade was reported as Akira Schmid being traded to VGK for like 20 minutes and then it was like, "oh yeah, Alex Holtz is getting traded to VGK too" feels like a really great encapsulation of where i think the perception of Holtz was league wide

I was always annoyed that they seemed to only hold Holtz accountable for his mistakes and I thought there deployment of him was beyond weird (I thought they really mishandled him in 22-23 and kudos to Holtz for asking to go down to the AHL to play that year so he can work on his game)....that certainly didn't mean that he actually wasn't just bad and making those mistakes though. I did think he found some creativity in his offensive game last year. It didn't work, but he definitely was getting crafty with the puck a couple of times. The rest of the stuff is going to be his compete and effort and I really think it's a mental / personality thing for him. Maybe getting traded will make it click for him, but I'm not going to bank on it. I think it's worth the gamble of a random 4th liner though.

great reply

 

[Janvonpobben]

Probably you. Maybe read the initial, quoted response again. Or don't, because I'm not even really sticking up for Kakko here.

Holtz had the better season

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

How was Cotter minus-11 playing with Vegas? First thing that jumps out at me.

 

[VEGASKING]

How was Cotter minus-11 playing with Vegas? First thing that jumps out at me.

He's not a good hockey player. Good speed and scores a beautiful goal once every 20 games or so but for a bottom six guy he is lost in his own zone and drags down whatever line he plays on.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Figured as

He's not a good hockey player. Good speed and scores a beautiful goal once every 20 games or so but for a bottom six guy he is lost in his own zone and drags down whatever line he plays on.

Figured as much. If these are the players the Devils' analytics value perhaps the algorithms need adjustments.

 

[Forge]

Figured as much. If these are the players the Devils' analytics value perhaps the algorithms need adjustments.

The models don't really like him much either lol.

He just seems like typical 4th line fodder. But he's a decent skater and he hits things and that's what Fitz is looking for right now.

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

The models don't really like him much either lol.

He just seems like typical 4th line fodder. But he's a decent skater and he hits things and that's what Fitz is looking for right now.

Careful. Wait for it.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

Careful. Wait for it.

What are they waiting for?

 

[Sticktape]

Why is Schmid still unsigned?

 

[Peasy]

Cotter just scored a nice goal and has had a solid first 2 games so far for the Devils. Anyone hating this trade for the Devils will change their tune by the end of the season.

I look at this trade very similarly to the Savoie one. People just love to hone in on the high draft status and tantalizing junior stats and automatically assume that dude is going to turn into a stud.

Cotter is going to provide the Devils a lot more use than Holtz ever would have.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Cotter tracking at an 82 goal season