Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2023-24 season part II

[Satans Hockey]

Maybe so.

@Unknown Caller

I didn't particularly mean you as you that was more a knee jerk response as a general sense. I should probably rephrase my last bit of previous post. Apologies.

I meant we as fans should expect the GM/pres to think of this team in big picture. The resign measure was short sighted. McLeod was a potential Trainwreck for pr back a year ago (we all knew and talked about it and deep down but we're hoping it wasn't true). But definitely now isn't worth what we see and have to deal with. I wish we took the Ottawa route and just didn't participate the second round of signings.

Just shitty all around.

I'd assume Mike told them the same thing his lawyer said, that he didn't do anything wrong. In that case it's not surprising Fitz kept him around. He comes out and simply says Mike told us he didn't do anything wrong and until charges were pressed we choose to wait and see.

It's not a great answer but Team Canada and the police up there are the ones to blame for this whole thing taking this long.

 

[Devs3cups]

Jack chose Jesper in the ASG draft. You love to see it!

 

[britdevil]

What's the actual likelihood of us ever getting a public answer from Fitz about this?

2026 is a long time away, no idea how long the trial will even take...

Hell, Fitz might not even be around at that point.

Jack chose Jesper in the ASG draft. You love to see it!

I don't watch any of the allstar crap. Is that f***ing Michael Bublé???

 

[jkrdevil]

I'd assume Mike told them the same thing his lawyer said, that he didn't do anything wrong. In that case it's not surprising Fitz kept him around. He comes out and simply says Mike told us he didn't do anything wrong and until charges were pressed we choose to wait and see.

It's not a great answer but Team Canada and the police up there are the ones to blame for this whole thing taking this long.

The question to the agent always should have been “Is your client a potential weather of this investigation.” Now who knows if that was asked by the team and if they got an honest answer back.

That said publicly McLeod gave the most lawyered nonanswer when we was asked about it when the story first hit. That’s why all of us suspected him. And as it turned out it was for good reason, it looks like he was the player with the most legal exposure.

 

[Better Call Sal]

I'd assume Mike told them the same thing his lawyer said, that he didn't do anything wrong. In that case it's not surprising Fitz kept him around. He comes out and simply says Mike told us he didn't do anything wrong and until charges were pressed we choose to wait and see.

It's not a great answer but Team Canada and the police up there are the ones to blame for this whole thing taking this long.

Which is also exactly what Foote’s agent I believe came out saying back in 2022 when things first came to the public light.

And they’re all continuing to maintain their innocence. Foote obviously didn’t need to be signed, but he’s one of the ones who actually had an immediate statement out there stating there was no wrongdoing on his part.

It’s shameful that was done and he’s one of the five involved in the initial charges.

 

[jkrdevil]

What's the actual likelihood of us ever getting a public answer from Fitz about this?

2026 is a long time away, no idea how long the trial will even take...

Hell, Fitz might not even be around at that point.



I don't watch any of the allstar crap. Is that f***ing Michael Bublé???

The team will put out a statement on Monday and that will be it. There is a reason they rushed out the Fitzgerald extension announcement last week.

 

[HersheyBob27]

What's the actual likelihood of us ever getting a public answer from Fitz about this?

2026 is a long time away, no idea how long the trial will even take...

Hell, Fitz might not even be around at that point.



I don't watch any of the allstar crap. Is that f***ing Michael Bublé???

I wonder if that 2026 date is correct. They have the right to trial in a reasonable amount of time. Trial by judge the standard is 18 months or they walk

 

[Satans Hockey]

I think the McLeod stuff is important to talk about, but I'd rather it get its own thread so I can avoid it when I don't feel like reading it. Just a thought to take that conversation off of this all-encompassing Devils thread, which looks like the only place we will talk over the next week.

I’m heartbroken over this WJC stuff. Can we move it to its own thread?

Agreed, it really does need it's own thread, over on njdevs we have a separate thread for it. With him being off the team cause he isn't coming back and won't be signed again and this trial not even starting until 2026 it's gonna be years of talk about it.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Yikes McLeod......

What's the actual likelihood of us ever getting a public answer from Fitz about this?

2026 is a long time away, no idea how long the trial will even take...

Hell, Fitz might not even be around at that point.



I don't watch any of the allstar crap. Is that f***ing Michael Bublé???

I believe so lol

 

[HersheyBob27]

Agreed, it really does need it's own thread, over on njdevs we have a separate thread for it. With him being off the team cause he isn't coming back and won't be signed again and this trial not even starting until 2026 it's gonna be years of talk about it.

I too am heartbroken by what has happened. It does need to be a conversation here though and at this point is more important than hockey

 

[My3Sons]

Maybe so.

@Unknown Caller

I didn't particularly mean you as you that was more a knee jerk response as a general sense. I should probably rephrase my last bit of previous post. Apologies.

I meant we as fans should expect the GM/pres to think of this team in big picture. The resign measure was short sighted. McLeod was a potential Trainwreck for pr back a year ago (we all knew and talked about it and deep down but we're hoping it wasn't true). But definitely now isn't worth what we see and have to deal with. I wish we took the Ottawa route and just didn't participate the second round of signings.

Just shitty all around.

I have no doubt that the decision to extend McLeod was made as a group. Post Shero that seems to be how NJ operates. If you think Fitz needs to go then everyone involved needs to go including ownership and probably all the coaches and analytics people and anyone who could have asked “what do we know about McLeod’s involvement?” but chose not to ask. I don’t know what the real answer is but I don’t think we will ever know what happened at the league and team level.

 

[Bleedred]

For as much of a joke as Ottawa has been in recent years, they did do away with Formenton as soon as this was becoming a pretty big story, which was around the summer of 2022, if I'm not mistaken.

And I'm not even taking a shot at us or other organizations who let guys continue to play, but I'm just saying for as much as I laugh at Ottawa and as bad as things were with the Dorion regime, at least they were the first team to really do away with one of these guys and banish them.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I'm not sure why Ullmark isn't a thing we talk about here.

But for some reason washed up sack of shit Gibson and old Markstrom with their 3 and 2 remaining years at $6+ million are.

I'm somewhat intrigued by Markstrom, but not Gibson. I wish that name would just go away.

There's a zero percent chance Boston breaks up that tandem before the playoffs. It's the best 1a1b in hockey.

 

[Satans Hockey]

I too am heartbroken by what has happened. It does need to be a conversation here though and at this point is more important than hockey

Yeah that's fine but he's not currently a Devil and he's never going to be again at this rate so it needs it's own thread so we can actually talk about the current team as well.

We also don't know if we have any posters here who have been sexual assaulted and maybe don't want to read about this topic every day on a thread about the current team.

 

[JrFischer54]

What is intolerable is how we got two of them on the team when it was clear we already had one. The re-sign was never necessary for McLeod and the foote was a double in.

If you enjoy cheering for trashy guys you can keep a GM who will look the other way to larger matters for the organization as a whole.

Def can see Fitz making a tdl deal soon a splash to distance the questions

 

[Bleedred]

Cal Foote is a REALLY BAD PLAYER and it's definitely quite possible the league caught on.

But is it at all possible that the reason he wasn't given a deal sooner than August 9th or even a deal for the purpose of being on someone's opening night NHL roster, is because of all this? Like people in front offices actually knew?

He's a pretty bad player, but we've seen guys like him constantly get picked up immediately or several days into UFA, and even get signed with the purpose of being on the NHL roster (even while we're laughing about it) and especially given how young he still is.

 

[My3Sons]

Which is also exactly what Foote’s agent I believe came out saying back in 2022 when things first came to the public light.

And they’re all continuing to maintain their innocence. Foote obviously didn’t need to be signed, but he’s one of the ones who actually had an immediate statement out there stating there was no wrongdoing on his part.

It’s shameful that was done and he’s one of the five involved in the initial charges.

That’s the part that disappoints me (as a lawyer looking at another lawyer’s public position). I’d have to go back and read the statement. If the lawyer said “Foote maintains his inmocence” that’s just typical lawyer speak. I’m sure Foote claims he didn’t do anything wrong. But if he went further that’s getting over line.

 

[Better Call Sal]

 

[Satans Hockey]

For as much of a joke as Ottawa has been in recent years, they did do away with Formenton as soon as this was becoming a pretty big story, which was around the summer of 2022, if I'm not mistaken.

And I'm not even taking a shot at us or other organizations who let guys continue to play, but I'm just saying for as much as I laugh at Ottawa and as bad as things were with the Dorion regime, at least they were the first team to really do away with one of these guys and banish them.

Probably has more to do with the Ottawa owners at the time being two younger woman who when they heard the story didn't want any even remote possibility of dealing with him being on the team vs the other teams being owned and mainly run by older men (not knocking any of the older guys here) that were more of the belief of we'll deal with it if there are charges.

 

[Mgd31]

Does Jack move his left arm in that video? I feel like he didn’t move it in all the videos from the Sweep the Deck event

 

[billingtons ghost]

I have no doubt that the decision to extend McLeod was made as a group. Post Shero that seems to be how NJ operates. If you think Fitz needs to go then everyone involved needs to go including ownership and probably all the coaches and analytics people and anyone who could have asked “what do we know about McLeod’s involvement?” but chose not to ask. I don’t know what the real answer is but I don’t think we will ever know what happened at the league and team level.

I also think there's an innocent until proven guilty thing, and I am just ignorant of the legal ramifications of *not* signing him. A free agent is a free agent, but could all teams collude before any of this stuff came out, and just nobody sign him? What if it turns out he is actually innocent and it costs him prime years of his sports career?

I mean, just saying that I don't think there are any easy answers for Fitz here, and you probably don't let your inexpensive former first rounder, and arguably best playoff performer last year entering his prime walk without taking a chance. here.

 

[Satans Hockey]

Cal Foote is a REALLY BAD PLAYER and it's definitely quite possible the league caught on.

But is it at all possible that the reason he wasn't given a deal sooner than August 9th or even a deal for the purpose of being on someone's opening night NHL roster, is because of all this? Like people in front offices actually knew?

He's a pretty bad player, but we've seen guys like him constantly get picked up immediately or several days into UFA, and even get signed with the purpose of being on the NHL roster (even while we're laughing about it) and especially given how young he still is.

I just figured we signed him to be an AHL guy and because we have his brother. He only even got on the main team because our injuries have been ridiculous this season.

 

[Bleedred]

There's a zero percent chance Boston breaks up that tandem before the playoffs. It's the best 1a1b in hockey.

I agree on both counts, but I was talking about more for the offseason? Ullmark has one more year on his deal, but I believe Swayman is an RFA and due for another raise.

I could realistically see a scenario where they decide to trade the last year of Ullmark's deal and extend Swayman for a pretty decent amount, which would tie up too much cap space if they were to keep Ullmark's last year?

 

[My3Sons]

I also think there's an innocent until proven guilty thing, and I am just ignorant of the legal ramifications of *not* signing him. A free agent is a free agent, but could all teams collude before any of this stuff came out, and just nobody sign him? What if it turns out he is actually innocent and it costs him prime years of his sports career?

I mean, just saying that I don't think there are any easy answers for Fitz here, and you probably don't let your inexpensive former first rounder, and arguably best playoff performer last year entering his prime walk without taking a chance. here.

The other reality is the team is going to get past this. It’s a short term publicity hit but how many season ticket holders are canceling over this? Look at the Blackhawks the one time they got questioned about it the owner threw a tantrum and got away with it.

 

[HersheyBob27]

I have no doubt that the decision to extend McLeod was made as a group. Post Shero that seems to be how NJ operates. If you think Fitz needs to go then everyone involved needs to go including ownership and probably all the coaches and analytics people and anyone who could have asked “what do we know about McLeod’s involvement?” but chose not to ask. I don’t know what the real answer is but I don’t think we will ever know what happened at the league and team level.

Im sure Tom chatted with kate madigan before he made his decisions