Confirmed with Link: Weekesbomb: Palat to NJ for five-year deal

[Azathoth]

Probably not the right thread...But I don't think I understand the B. Smith signing. Doesn't really make sense to me.

I assumed he will be taking over the Geersten role? Sit a few games, play a few games and at least he seems to be an actual 6/7 defensemen instead of an ahl level guy.

 

[devilsblood]

dont you think we have to actually wait and see these guys play an nhl game before we worry about their 2nd contracts that are literally years away?

I think when guys are drafted in the top 5, you do need to be more forward looking.

 

[Normal Devil]

I wonder if Palat can post career best numbers in NJ playing a little higher in the lineup? I like that he's grittier than our usual addition and I think he might wind up being a really good fit. I don't like the contract, but that seems to be the price of doing business these days.

 

[JK3]

Too much for too long but whatever. We REALLY need some vet presence at forward. I can’t take seeing these kids stumble around trying to find their way, he’ll be good for them.

 

[Blackjack]

the only positive about this one is with the cap set to probably jump quite a bit within the next few years, hopefully $6 million right now is the equivalent of $4 million in the near future.

The cap would need to go to $125 million.

 

[NJDevs26]

I think when guys are drafted in the top 5, you do need to be more forward looking.

Except neither guy who was drafted in the top five is going to be due to make any real money until at least year four for Nemec and year five for Luke since he's staying in college another year. And even then it won't exactly be close to UFA money unless both sign long-term straight away a la Nico and Jack.

 

[Unknown Caller]

I wonder if Palat can post career best numbers in NJ playing a little higher in the lineup? I like that he's grittier than our usual addition and I think he might wind up being a really good fit. I don't like the contract, but that seems to be the price of doing business these days.

Palat rode shotgun with Stamkos/Kucherov caliber guys in Tampa in their prime. He's not going to get much higher in the lineup than playing with hall of famers. He is what he is.

 

[JimEIV]

Depth guy, but I think it opens the door to a B Smith-Nemec bottom pair. And he acts as a placeholder until Bahl or OK are truly ready to overtake him.

I have heard for the last 3 years that LHD was our position of strength in terms of prospects....And we are going to sideline Ty Smith, Bahl and Okhotyuk for Brendan "hasn't averaged more than 16 minutes a game for the last 4 years" Smith?

I am all for keeping a rookie defender with a stable vet...But I am not sure this was the right or needed solution? Not steadfast on that and not going to argue the point it just seems like a senseless signing to me?

 

[Call Me Al]

once the owners are paid back the cap is going to get an enormous boost - the amount of added revenue from the tv deals alone is going to blow up the cap, never mind the pent up boosts from however many years of stagnation and the (hopefully) added popularity to the league from having real exposure to casual fans on tnt and espn.

i am not worried about this contract even a little bit. happy we got this player

 

[Blackjack]

It’s like people want to be the smart guy that knew the deal wouldn’t work because a chart said it wouldn’t.

You really, really don’t need a chart to understand that signing a 31 year old complimentary winger to a $30 million contract is a terrible idea

 

[OmNomNom]

Palat rode shotgun with Stamkos/Kucherov caliber guys in Tampa in their prime. He's not going to get much higher in the lineup than playing with hall of famers. He is what he is.

even if he "rode shotgun" he didn't have a lot of powerplay time, but had a ton of points in '20-'21. if we use him on PP1, he probably could get higher points

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Probably not the right thread...But I don't think I understand the B. Smith signing. Doesn't really make sense to me.

From the main forum:

"Good team player. Will sit. Will play. Will fight. Will provide leadership. Will make mistakes. Will not complain. Low risk signing."

"The guy is a warrior. If he had half the talent he had heart...wow."

"Det fan/member of the B Smith fan club. Good for Smith and enjoy NJ. He’s as advertised but pretty effective when sheltered."

"Pissed as a NYR fan. Love Smitty"

"Yea, I always will have a soft spot in my heart for him."

He also can play both LD and RD, so I think he's a cheap and reasonable 7th D.

 

[Unknown Caller]

even if he "rode shotgun" he didn't have a lot of powerplay time, but had a ton of points in '20-'21. if we use him on PP1, he probably could get higher points

Again, this is just overvaluing a guy who has hit 20 goals once and isn't an offensive dynamo. Why are we putting him on PP1 over elite offensive guys like Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Hamilton, etc.?

 

[devilsblood]

Except neither guy who was drafted in the top five is going to be due to make any real money until at least year four for Nemec and year five for Luke since he's staying in college another year. And even then it won't exactly be close to UFA money unless both sign long-term straight away a la Nico and Jack.

I leave breathing room for this possibility.

And Palat's 5 year may not be too much of a hindrance on that, but a 7 year to whoever would be moreso.

 

[Blackjack]

Again, this is just overvaluing a guy who has hit 20 goals once and isn't an offensive dynamo. Why are we putting him on PP1 over elite offensive guys like Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Hamilton, etc.?

Because he makes $6 million, you think Ruff wants to show up Fitz like that?

 

[OmNomNom]

Again, this is just overvaluing a guy who has hit 20 goals once and isn't an offensive dynamo. Why are we putting him on PP1 over elite offensive guys like Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Hamilton, etc.?

why would he be in over them? he would be playing w them

 

[The Macho King]

I wonder if Palat can post career best numbers in NJ playing a little higher in the lineup? I like that he's grittier than our usual addition and I think he might wind up being a really good fit. I don't like the contract, but that seems to be the price of doing business these days.

Palat's always been on the top line (with some small exceptions when we loaded up Stamkos/Point/Kuch but that was always for short stints). Didn't get top PP time most of the time though.

Also don't sleep. He's probably tops in my entire fandom of the guy who created the play but didn't get points for it. Fantastic forechecker and space creator. He'll win 75% of 50/50 pucks. He can be the defensive conscience for your offensive top line or a key component of your shutdown line.

He's a great player.

 

[OmNomNom]

Because he makes $6 million, you think Ruff wants to show up Fitz like that?

if he puts up points on PP, doesn't that help prove your assumption wrong (which would be good), that he can't live up to his contract? shouldn't we want him to do well on there?

 

[NJDevs26]

From the main forum:

"Good team player. Will sit. Will play. Will fight. Will provide leadership. Will make mistakes. Will not complain. Low risk signing."

"The guy is a warrior. If he had half the talent he had heart...wow."

"Det fan/member of the B Smith fan club. Good for Smith and enjoy NJ. He’s as advertised but pretty effective when sheltered."

"Pissed as a NYR fan. Love Smitty"

"Yea, I always will have a soft spot in my heart for him."

He also can play both LD and RD, so I think he's a cheap and reasonable 7th D.

Yeah $1.1 million doesn't scream every-game starter. Maybe it works out that way but I don't see it unless they trade Ty, the younger guys can't win a job and they don't bring in anyone else

Siegs-Hamilton
Graves-Severson
Smith-Okhotiuyk/Bahl/later offseason signing
Smith

But yeah this is more a team thread discussion topic. Or in the actual Smith thread

Confirmed with Link: - Devils sign Brendan Smith 2 yrs 1.1m per

He can also fight and we don't have much of that. Fine with this.

forums.hfboards.com

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

so for everyone freaking the f*** out for some reason, what contract should he have gotten? I need to know the "amount" of overpay that it is in your eyes, even though by basically most of the big contract estimators its right in line with his value.

 

[Traitor Zach]

I’m not seeing the similarities. Watching the players play helps.

Also, if you look there's a clear regression trend in Johnsson now over a five year period after one good season. The problem is when you sign a UFA, fans assign a bias to some degree and expect player to not just meet the value, but exceed it, and do so consistently within seasons and Year over Year over entire life of contract.

Palat's had some streakiness on goal scoring, but his overall peripherals and metrics are quite excellent and hold up even when broken down between various linemates when he was moved up and down in the lineup. Cooper moved Palat up and down based on needs and matchups. He kind of was a swiss army knife at forward. I think Lightning are hoping that Nick Paul can take what he showed in playoffs and kind of provide the kind of consistency and impact Palat had with so many linemates, but remains to be seen, and I think Paul is still more of a 3rd/4th line guy.

I watched Johnsson enough to know, while he he's a smart guy who plays positionally and coaches trust him even when he can't score to save his life, he's not particularly useful given he is not physical, his board play is weak, and he's not the best puckhandler/passer. Palat may not excel in a particular area, but he generally does these things well and thus is a better well rounded and I firmly believe will be a more impactful forward.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

You really, really don’t need a chart to understand that signing a 31 year old complimentary winger to a $30 million contract is a terrible idea

You don’t need a chart to understand that a player coming off a down year and playoff benching (Tatar) isn’t the same as a guy coming off a solid year and 21 points in 23 playoff games. Why is he falling off a cliff?

 

[devilsblood]

I have heard for the last 3 years that LHD was our position of strength in terms of prospects....And we are going to sideline Ty Smith, Bahl and Okhotyuk for Brendan "hasn't averaged more than 16 minutes a game for the last 4 years" Smith?

I am all for keeping a rookie defender with a stable vet...But I am not sure this was the right or needed solution? Not steadfast on that and not going to argue the point it just seems like a senseless signing to me?

I've soured on Ty Smith, so B Smith would be pushing OK and Bahl back down to the minors. For one year, give those guys the time to really earn the spot? I'm not sweating that. And maybe one of those guys is so good, and Nemec is so good that we just role OK/Bahl with Nemec. This doesn't preclude that, but it does give us options.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Maybe he takes Bastian's spot on PP1? What role did he serve in TB on the PP? Looks like he got some PP time but not on their PP1 when Point was healthy.

 

[Comparison Ford]

Probably not the right thread...But I don't think I understand the B. Smith signing. Doesn't really make sense to me.

from what i’ve read, he plays both sides and i think they want to have him paired with Ty, Bahl, Okhotyuk or even Nemec. my sneaky feeling is Okhotyuk is our 7th defenseman and Nemec plays his way onto the team. ty gets traded for a forward.