If your defense is worse than ours in Nashville, then yikes... it has been a long long time since we had good defense in Nashville, that reputation is definitely from a bygone era. Saros and even going back to Rinne have been carrying the team through these poor defensive years.
I believe he's a "I just want to spend my entire career in Nashville" type (or a "I want to follow in the footsteps of Rinne" type), and you will see a contract extension with no NMC. He may get some weak NTC protection in there, but that's it. Askarov will still be looked at as the future hope in goal even after Saros is re-signed. Askarov hasn't really shown enough to get a strong enough trade offer yet from another team either. A Saros/Askarov tandem will be an asset for the Preds for the next few years. Then we'll see how Saros ages, how Askarov progresses, and if or when expansion appears on the horizon. Lots of time to wait this one out.
Don't forget Curtis Lazar.imo the devils have four untouchables (and most devils fans agree):
- hischier
- j.hughes
- l.hughes
- nemec
every other player from a team perspective can be discussed in trade proposals.
now we will enjoy offers like gallagher for bratt ++
I am not even exaggerating, I would be too. I absolutely love Lazar.
Fair enough. It won’t cost less than Mercer.
I don't think he'd be in the AHL
I think that's likely a pass for NJ then. Saros is coming off an ok year and an ok playoff. What he may have done in the past is helpful to a new team only insofar as it translates into the future. Maybe he rebounds going forward but he's not at an age where his underlying ability will improve and it might start to erode a bit depending upon his health. He will need a contract that kicks in after 30 and I doubt he signs some sort of team friendly deal. It makes the most sense for these guys looking for that big UFA deal to stay with their team who will likely be most willing to take care of them given the past performance. A new team shouldn't pay anything for a past performance that didn't benefit them.
Sadly, Holtz probably would have been sent to the AHL if he was on Nashville this year, just like Tomasino and Parssinen were. Just by virtue of being waiver-exempt. Not by his own short-coming particularly, rather just because the organization preferred older tweener types of players to round out the roster (Jankowski, Smith, McCarron, Sherwood) over younger NHL-ready prospects.
Andrew Brunette was Alex Holtz' biggest supporter in NJD so that doesn't quite check out.Sadly, Holtz probably would have been sent to the AHL if he was on Nashville this year, just like Tomasino and Parssinen were. Just by virtue of being waiver-exempt. Not by his own short-coming particularly, rather just because the organization preferred older tweener types of players to round out the roster (Jankowski, Smith, McCarron, Sherwood) over younger NHL-ready prospects.
Hard to say for next season... but still being waiver exempt wouldn't bode well for Holtz, from what we've seen so far under Brunette/Trotz.
There are always other goalies to acquire. NJ seems to want the wildly inconsistent and older Markstrom for some odd reasons.
Saros is 28.
I am starting to think they are pretty happy with their group of Gs coming up. Daws/Schmid/Brennan/Poultier and now Malek (who they are really high on). Maybe the 2 yr place holder of Markstrom is the plan all along!
See Smitty’s post above. They have a log jam of young goalies and I don’t think their team building plan includes paying a goalie $8.5-$9 per. They even asked for retention on Markstrom. My guess is they figure one or more make the full time jump in thr next three years so they are looking for a stopgap more than a top dollar guy.
Sons, it does make sense as you say. Think back to TDL JM would have been a 2+ yr piece. Limp into the playoffs maybe etc etc. Mercer payday, Luke up next. Honestly try and get some stability on left side D (smart trade, maybe mcnabb or similar)
Which blows my mind because outside of Evangelista in Nashville he seemed to want to do anything but play a young guy.
They worked very closely together all of last year. It's most of why Holtz is suggested. Potentially a swap of prospects could make sense as a part of a larger trade
I'd say based on the comments from today that Tomasino is definitely going to be there for someone to pick up. He was on pace for 40p even with Brunette not wanting to play him.
Tomasino+Askarov for Holtz+10th overall would be my blockbuster proposal as a devils fan, or at least the base of it.
Only way I see Askarov being included in any deal is if its for a center especially until we know what the outcome with Saros is.
Oh yeah I doubt Askarov gets moved for sure.
Not sure it’s the same thing for an assistant tasked with working with younger players vs a head coach tasked with winning hockey games? Or how much of what happened in Nashville was Trotz and not Brunette. But anyway, unless Holtz was very hard-working, defensively consistent, and capable of playing physically, I’m not sure what would have been different for him than it was for say Tomasino.
