Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - offseason part I

[dgibb10]

Haula’s not a play driver though. At least not much of one. Kind of funny that McLeod is now considered one, but i guess he was this year. Nico is and Holtz has been lousy on his wing. Of course Nico, unlike McLeod early this season, doesn’t play against 4th line competition.

End of the day I don’t think its about who Holtz plays with, it’s about him improving his overall game. Guys who have some scoring skills but need to play in very specific situations alongside really good hockey players in order to succeed, aren’t very good hockey players themselves.

Holtz played 37 minutes with Hischier all year.

At no point was Mcleod playing easy minutes.

If you want to dunk on Alex Holtz because for some reason you wanted him to be Patrice Bergeron at age 22, go ahead.

Alex Holtz is a sniper. He was a sniper when we drafted him. If you stick him with 4th round scrubs he won't be able to provide value.

When he was with competent linemates however, he scored goals at a better rate than every other player on NJD, and points at a rate better than everyone but Bratt.

 

[Bleedred]

We know Allen is not in the long term plans, so the obvious choice is to trade Allen and bring in a true starter.

No need to rush on a decision to choose Schmid or Daws yet when both are capable of being the NHL back up behind a guy like Ullmark/Markstrom.

If Daws falters, bring up Schmid. If Schmid falters, bring up Daws. Between the 2 of them, they can handle AHL starter duties and 30 NHL back up games.

Similar to Binnington/Hofer this past season, Ullmark/Markstrom can play 50 games, Daws/Schmid play 30.

No pressure on either to carry the load in this scenario and gives the Devils more time to make a decision on their future starter.

We tried this last year with Daws/Schmid (Daws after Schmid faltered last year) behind Vanecek and it’s a good way to be sitting here again next Spring and discussing trying to get it right on the third try, after two straight years of this put us right back out of the playoffs.

 

[dgibb10]

I will be shocked if he scores 30 because nobody is going to do these things, just hand him a ton of ice time and responsbility. Holtz is a soft-minute scorer who has massive liabilities elsewhere, he's not getting 17 minutes a game outside of San Jose. If he can figure out the boards a bit, he's got a future, but otherwise he will be the kind of player who bounces around the league with teams hoping to figure out how to use him but not getting what they want out of him.

McLeod had crazy good results with everyone this year, Holtz is a particularly good fit because McLeod could carry the puck all over the place for him.

There are plenty of places with needs for a 22 year old guy who can simply score.

But you want to give up on a sniper at 22 years old because he didn't succeed when shoved into an incredibly stupid role for him.

If you wanted to know that a sniper wouldn't fit with AHL scrubs playing a defensive role I could have told you that for free. Same shit would have happened if you stuck Toffoli down there

 

[Guttersniped]

Names that are interesting from that list:

• Mercer 6/6.5. Seems....high....
• DeBrusk 5/5.8
• Lindholm 5/6.75
• Pesce 5/6.25
• Lundell (RFA) 6/5.75
• Stephenson 5/5.6
• Bertuzzi 4/5.2
• Tanev 3/4.4
• Duclair 3/4.3
• Domi 2/3.5
• Amadio 3/3.2
• Dillon 2/2.8.
• Kakko 1/2.5 (RFA) wink wink

Duclair & Domi aren’t interesting to me.

We would be Domi’s 8th and Duclair’s 9th team and they’re 28-29 years old.

Please no.

 

[ZYXWVUT]

no thanks on Stephenson at what his price will be.

 

[JrFischer54]

Names that are interesting from that list:

• Mercer 6/6.5. Seems....high....
• DeBrusk 5/5.8
• Lindholm 5/6.75
• Pesce 5/6.25
• Lundell (RFA) 6/5.75
• Stephenson 5/5.6
• Bertuzzi 4/5.2
• Tanev 3/4.4
• Duclair 3/4.3
• Domi 2/3.5
• Amadio 3/3.2
• Dillon 2/2.8.
• Kakko 1/2.5 (RFA) wink wink

devils would be smart to lock mercer into the longest deal both sides are willing to go. deal will be a sweetheart in a few years.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Free agent priorities (And draft priorities, tbh) should be centers. We have two incredible ones in Jack and Nico, we have Haula who can do it but who knows where he'll play, then...nothing. Not in the NHL, not in the minors, nothing.

Re-signing Nosek on the cheap, after an injury-write-off season, would be shrewd. Can play 4C or bottom-six wing for little dinero.

 

[njdevil26]

devils would be smart to lock mercer into the longest deal both sides are willing to go. deal will be a sweetheart in a few years.

As much as that makes sense for us, I wonder if Mercer would want a chance to have a bounce back season to add a little to that deal.

 

[JrFischer54]

As much as that makes sense for us, I wonder if Mercer would want a chance to have a bounce back season to add a little to that deal.

yeah agreed he knows best in the locker room what the problems were but man i wouldn't even hesitate to ink him to a long term deal at say 6

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Holtz played 37 minutes with Hischier all year.

At no point was Mcleod playing easy minutes.

If you want to dunk on Alex Holtz because for some reason you wanted him to be Patrice Bergeron at age 22, go ahead.

Alex Holtz is a sniper. He was a sniper when we drafted him. If you stick him with 4th round scrubs he won't be able to provide value.

When he was with competent linemates however, he scored goals at a better rate than every other player on NJD, and points at a rate better than everyone but Bratt.

Yeah. He scored goals at a better rate than others.

But he also turned the puck over constantly. Lost every board battle. Lost coverage in the D zone. etc. There's a lot more to the game than points per 60.

 

[A1LeafNation]

We tried this last year with Daws/Schmid (Daws after Schmid faltered last year) behind Vanecek and it’s a good way to be sitting here again next Spring and discussing trying to get it right on the third try, after two straight years of this put us right back out of the playoffs.

They are a year older. Look at Daws last year and in the Stadium series and Schmid with playoff experience beating a contender. Schmid with a possible sophomore slump or Daws with some game management has to count for something. These two are NHL goalies, possible future starters. They currently made their international teams. They are more than AHL goalies at this point.

Progression isn't staying the same and it's also not linear.

Put a legit starter in front of them and not Vanacek this time, NJ will make the playoffs easily.

 

[My3Sons]

They are a year older. Look at Daws last year and in the Stadium series and Schmid with playoff experience beating a contender. Schmid with a possible sophomore slump or Daws with some game management has to count for something. These two are NHL goalies, possible future starters. They currently made their international teams. They are more than AHL goalies at this point.

Progression isn't staying the same and it's also not linear.

Put a legit starter in front of them and not Vanacek this time, NJ will make the playoffs easily.

The GM made his comments and after the tumultuous past few seasons starting when Schneider’s hip exploded and guys retired annd got hurt annd underperformed he’s unlikely to trust the young guys. My guess is one is traded as part of a deal for a name goalie and the other one is given full time NHL duty the year after next. I’d expect whoever is kept to get some games but likely kept in thr AHL until needed for an injury fill in. Maybe they keep both and they have such tremendous camps they keep one or the other but I think that’s unlikely.

 

[A1LeafNation]

The GM made his comments and after the tumultuous past few seasons starting when Schneider’s hip exploded and guys retired annd got hurt annd underperformed he’s unlikely to trust the young guys. My guess is one is traded as part of a deal for a name goalie and the other one is given full time NHL duty the year after next. I’d expect whoever is kept to get some games but likely kept in thr AHL until needed for an injury fill in. Maybe they keep both and they have such tremendous camps they keep one or the other but I think that’s unlikely.

I like the Devils, I think your GM is kind of an idiot. No two scenarios are going to be the same year to year. Have to account for variable change.

- 21

 

[Alex NJD]

Names that are interesting from that list:

• Mercer 6/6.5. Seems....high....
• DeBrusk 5/5.8
• Lindholm 5/6.75
• Pesce 5/6.25
• Lundell (RFA) 6/5.75
• Stephenson 5/5.6
• Bertuzzi 4/5.2
• Tanev 3/4.4
• Duclair 3/4.3
• Domi 2/3.5
• Amadio 3/3.2
• Dillon 2/2.8.
• Kakko 1/2.5 (RFA) wink wink

I find it odd Lundell would get less then Mercer, especially with the playoffs he's having rn.

Not a fan of either, but I'd rather Lindholm over Stepehenson at those prices

 

[Bleedred]

I like the Devils, I think your GM is kind of an idiot. No two scenarios are going to be the same year to year. Have to account for variable change.

- 21

The GM would definitely be an idiot to go into next season with Daws/Schmid on the roster.

I don’t think it was a bad idea last year, it just didn’t work out.

But it would be a fatal decision for this year.

The GM would end up a fired idiot if he went into the year the way you want him to.

 

[Forge]

I find it odd Lundell would get more then Mercer, especially with the playoffs he's having rn.

Not a fan of either, but I'd rather Lindholm over Stepehenson at those prices

They have lundell getting less.

6.5 for Mercer, 5.75 for lundell. The numbers tend to bleed together, I know

 

[theoptimist]

I find it odd Lundell would get more then Mercer, especially with the playoffs he's having rn.

Not a fan of either, but I'd rather Lindholm over Stepehenson at those prices

We’d be talking about 5-6M for Mercer too had we made the Conference Finals.

 

[My3Sons]

I like the Devils, I think your GM is kind of an idiot. No two scenarios are going to be the same year to year. Have to account for variable change.

- 21

I think his planning is to have two veteran guys with NJ and at least one of the young guys ready to move up just in case but that way he has at least three goalies at the ready rather than two. We will see. With the goalie market being what it is he may have to settle for a veteran stop gap for another season if teams overplay their hands like they did this past season.

 

[Alex NJD]

They have lundell getting less.

6.5 for Mercer, 5.75 for lundell. The numbers tend to bleed together, I know

We’d be talking about 5-6M for Mercer too had we made the Conference Finals.

I meant less initially, his current playoff run definitely surpasses Mercer

 

[OmNomNom]

our boy did it! marrying a jersey girl ayyyy

https://x.com/i/web/status/1792978174881468524

 

[My3Sons]

our boy did it! marrying a jersey girl ayyyy

https://x.com/i/web/status/1792978174881468524

It's a good thing they had the torch there or we wouldn't have been able to see anything. Best of luck to him and his fiancé. If they want to save a few bucks and some grey hairs and buy some somewhat pre-owned children I know where they can get three.

 

[A1LeafNation]

The GM would definitely be an idiot to go into next season with Daws/Schmid on the roster.

I don’t think it was a bad idea last year, it just didn’t work out.

But it would be a fatal decision for this year.

The GM would end up a fired idiot if he went into the year the way you want him to.

I respectfully disagree. I think they weren't ready this year for the workload they got. The two of then are more than ready for next year and you should keep both this year, best training camp gets the back up spot. A legit starter will ease up alot on a young back up.

Our dumbass GM traded a young goalie once bc he thought he had the better one in Pogge, turns out Rask is basically a hall of famer. I wouldn't want NJ to repeat that.

 

[Cheddabombs]

I respectfully disagree. I think they weren't ready this year for the workload they got. The two of then are more than ready for next year and you should keep both this year, best training camp gets the back up spot. A legit starter will ease up alot on a young back up.

Our dumbass GM traded a young goalie once bc he thought he had the better one in Pogge, turns out Rask is basically a hall of famer. I wouldn't want NJ to repeat that.

I don't think anyone is saying to trade one of Daws or Schmid, just that they shouldn't be on our roster next season because we should be adding an actual starter.

This team is supposed to be contending right now, wasting another year because we didn't add a legit goalie would be stupid beyond belief and I'd lose faith in Fitz instantly if he didn't address the goaltending in some way. Relying on Daws and/or Schmid again next season is a disaster waiting to happen. Let them play in the AHL, maybe come up for a few games if there are injuries, that's it.

 

[A1LeafNation]

I don't think anyone is saying to trade one of Daws or Schmid, just that they shouldn't be on our roster next season because we should be adding an actual starter.

This team is supposed to be contending right now, wasting another year because we didn't add a legit goalie would be stupid beyond belief and I'd lose faith in Fitz instantly if he didn't address the goaltending in some way. Relying on Daws and/or Schmid again next season is a disaster waiting to happen. Let them play in the AHL, maybe come up for a few games if there are injuries, that's it.

I'm saying add a legit starter. Like Ullmark or Markstrom or Saros.

Im also saying Allen is not that great, and he is not going to be better next year than Daws/Schmid.

I would like to see this in terms of the depth chart.

Markstrom
Daws
Schmid

This gives you a legit starter for a few years while the two young guys figure out which one is better.

 

[My3Sons]

I respectfully disagree. I think they weren't ready this year for the workload they got. The two of then are more than ready for next year and you should keep both this year, best training camp gets the back up spot. A legit starter will ease up alot on a young back up.

Our dumbass GM traded a young goalie once bc he thought he had the better one in Pogge, turns out Rask is basically a hall of famer. I wouldn't want NJ to repeat that.

If they sign a veteran and keep both young guys they really have little in the way of downside. Both young goalies have some games remaining before they need waivers and can play in the AHL. Presumably one or both veterans play well enough but if not they would have both younger guys ready to go. I'm sure that appeals much more to NJ than what they did last season. It's clear you have a rooting interest in the younger goalies but forcing them to earn it after last season is not a bad strategy. I don't see any actual NJ fans pounding the table for this and both young goalies are perceived positively but it's shown so far they are inconsistent.