Devils team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - 2023 offseason

[NJDevs26]

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[Whaddagoal]

Sad face.

 

[Devs3cups]

Off-season should be good. Fitz is our god.

In for a legendary thread.

BUCKLE UP BUCKAROOS

 

[RyGuy]

Is someone going to make a Severson Appreciation thread or are we waiting until it's official?

 

[Eggtimer]

A few good positives we found out about the playoff run.
McLeod impressed me. His hustle and how hard he plays is one. Good 4C for sure . I wasn’t sure if he should be a long term piece for us , but now I believe he should 100% be. Marino was a warrior , same with Meier. Schmid showed he can probably be a 1a or 1b option. His salary helps us to be able to add elsewhere.

Luke was amazing. Looks like our version of Heiskanen, possibly even better.
Identified what we need to add and subtract from our roster (this is going to be debated amounts us here on who should stay and who should go).

 

[Emperoreddy]

Is someone going to make a Severson Appreciation thread or are we waiting until it's official?

Wait until its official

 

[Emperoreddy]

A few good positives we found out about the playoff run.
McLeod impressed me. His hustle and how hard he plays is one. Good 4C for sure . I wasn’t sure if he should be a long term piece for us , but now I believe he should 100% be. Marino was a warrior , same with Meier. Schmid showed he can probably be a 1a or 1b option. His salary helps us to be able to add elsewhere.

Luke was amazing. Looks like our version of Heiskanen, possibly even better.
Identified what we need to add and subtract from our roster (this is going to be debated amounts us here on who should stay and who should go).

I honestly liked the heart and hustle a lot of our young core guys showed, even if thr counting stats weren't where we would have liked.

Jack, Nico, and Timo all left everything they had out there. I think all of them and Bratt will come back next year with a greater appreciation on where they need to improve to go further in the playoffs and they will be able to execute much better.

 

[Eggtimer]

Possible UFA targets ?
Bertuzzi - my first choice but highly unlikely due to cap space
Barbachev
O’Reilly ) 3C or too much $$?
J Staal 3C - shutdown C
Zucker - 3 LW
Bjugstad
Dadonov - playjg very well for Dallas . Surprisingly plays a heavy game with skill.
Gudas
Fast
Perry
Nosek
Hathaway
Acciara
Donato

 

[Nubmer6]

Is someone going to make a Severson Appreciation thread or are we waiting until it's official?

Did we ever make a DevilsDoggo appreciation thread, or was that never official?

 

[RyGuy]

Did we ever make a DevilsDoggo appreciation thread, or was that never official?

It's official that it was officially not official.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Possible UFA targets ?
Bertuzzi - my first choice but highly unlikely due to cap space
Barbachev
O’Reilly ) 3C or too much $$?
J Staal 3C - shutdown C
Zucker - 3 LW
Bjugstad
Dadonov - playjg very well for Dallas . Surprisingly plays a heavy game with skill.
Gudas
Fast
Perry
Nosek
Hathaway
Acciara
Donato

Please no J Staal. He's only getting older, and we have plenty of guys that can fill that role who are much younger, including McLeod/Lazar/Boqvist

Gudas has had a good playoff, but we already have trouble with finding space for our D. I'd rather keep Severson than sign someone like Gudas.

Fast (Maybe?)
Acciara (Maybe?)
Hathaway (Maybe?)
Zucker (Maybe?)

I'm still upset at how Bratt performed this playoffs, but if he's willing to stay without us overpaying, I'd keep him. As people have said in the recent threads, you can't find 70 point players everywhere.

 

[Tundra]

 

[NJDevs26]

If the Devils didn’t have room for both they wouldn’t have given up what they did for Timo AND continued negotiations with Bratt. They have room for both, it’s just a matter if they play ball or not

 

[mdj12784]

I choose Meier 100x’s over.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

In Devils franchise history, there have been 30 seasons with higher point totals than Bratt’s last two seasons. 15 of them came before the year 2000.

 

[Emperoreddy]

This still remains untrue. We can afford them both

 

[Play]

Kings fan coming in peace

This team is not going away. It was its first run and Carolina’s 5th rodeo. It’s obvious this young core will only continue to grow

I fully expect our teams to meet in the finals the next 3 years…

We’ll see you out on the ice..

 

[Camille the Eel]

I honestly liked the heart and hustle a lot of our young core guys showed, even if thr counting stats weren't where we would have liked.

Jack, Nico, and Timo all left everything they had out there. I think all of them and Bratt will come back next year with a greater appreciation on where they need to improve to go further in the playoffs and they will be able to execute much better.

Wonder what the injury to Hughes was/is? Ruff said “upper body” post game and that he honestly didn’t think before the game that Jack would be able to play. And that he showed guts just strapping on the skates. Jack himself said “it is what it is.” Sooner or later we may learn exactly what happened.

 

[Emperoreddy]

 

[Camille the Eel]

Please no J Staal. He's only getting older, and we have plenty of guys that can fill that role who are much younger, including McLeod/Lazar/Boqvist

Gudas has had a good playoff, but we already have trouble with finding space for our D. I'd rather keep Severson than sign someone like Gudas.

Fast (Maybe?)
Acciara (Maybe?)
Hathaway (Maybe?)
Zucker (Maybe?)

I'm still upset at how Bratt performed this playoffs, but if he's willing to stay without us overpaying, I'd keep him. As people have said in the recent threads, you can't find 70 point players everywhere.

I’m in the vast minority I think but I felt Bratt’s effort was there all playoff long and that he made the key plays in game 3 against the Rangers that helped turn the series around. So I’m not holding it against him. His game didn’t translate that well to the Carolina series that’s all.

 

[Alex NJD]

Bratt should get something similar the Fiala deal, if he's asking for significantly more than he and his agent are delusional. Haven't watched a ton of Fiala but their production is very similar. Bratt has better possession numbers but other analytics are all similar. Fiala did have a better contract season.

Bratt last 2 years
Regular Season PPG: .92
6 points in 12 playoff games

Fiala 3 years in Minn prior to his current deal
Regular Season PPG: .91
9 points in 17 playoff games

 

[StevenToddIves]

Great season, folks. I'm only sad it's over. There are good things to come. The Devils have the most talented young core in the league and a top-3 prospect pool.

We're going to see some changes in the line-up, of course. Here are some guesses:

GOAL:
Akira Schmid is going to get a shot at the 1G job in camp, but the likely scenario remains a 1A/1B situation with Vitek Vanecek. I think it's a pretty sure bet that Mackenzie Blackwood's RFA rights are traded. The fact he did not get a shot in Game 5 despite Vanecek/Schmid struggles vs. Carolina says a mouthful. Ideally, a team desperate between the pipes, like San Jose or Ottawa, might be willing to give up a B-prospect or 3rd rounder for Blackwood.

It is important to consider that, in the playoffs, the Devils goaltending was outplayed by the opposition in both series. Though there will be temptation to trade for a top netminder, I'm not sure any of the big names will be up for sale, and therein lies the conundrum. I think the Devils are still a playoff team next year with Schmid/Vanecek, and Schmid's upside might be higher than we yet know.

DEFENSE:
A lot of certainties here but also some questions. We can probably surmise with some confidence that the top 4 will be (left to right):

Siegenthaler - Hamilton
L. Hughes - Marino
Bahl - ???

Beyond that, there are questions. Damon Severson and Ryan Graves are both UFAs, and Brendan Smith is under contract for another year but probably better served as a 7D on a contender. Though Simon Nemec is one of the top 2 RD prospects on earth right now, there's no guarantee he will make the team out of camp. Furthermore, do the Devils want to start the season with 2 rookie defensemen?

Severson has probably priced his way out of New Jersey. He'll get his money somewhere else, and best of luck to the longtime Devils RD. Ryan Graves is also unlikely to be back -- though his combination of size and mobility will get him a good offer somewhere, the Devils are best suited not giving valuable cap term to a player with his inconsistencies on the back end.

Bahl's emergence was huge for the Devils this year -- I feel he's a big part of the future. But I feel the Devils would be smart to sign a veteran 3RD to a short deal next season. My personal preference would be Radko Gudas -- he's one of the most physical players in the league, and he's also very sound defensively and competent with the puck. He would make the Devils much tougher to play against, for certain.


CENTER:
The Devils are blessed to have a 1/2 center punch of Hughes/Hischier for many years to come. Mikey McLeod is a UFA, and I think he'll get a reasonable raise to be the 4C for the foreseeable future. 3C is a question -- and most of us realize Dawson Mercer is best suited as a top-6 wing, not the 3C. It is possible the Devils sign Haula to a 1-year deal at a reduced rate. Curtis Lazar will be back, but he's probably better suited to a 4th line W role who can fill in at 4C in case of injury. Do the Devils think Jesper Boqvist could be the 3C?

Personally, my 3C fantasy would be to sign a guy with grit and two-way ability like JT Compher, I think he'd be an outstanding fit in NJ.

As center is the only position where the Devils have literally nothing coming up through the prospect pool, they pretty much have the choice of either promoting McLeod to 3C and using Boqvist/Lazar at 4C, or sticking with McLeod at 4C and finding a 3C outside the organization.


WING:
Our only top 6 wings certain to be back is Dawson Mercer and Ondrej Palat.

Timo Meier is a free agent, but you can bet your bottom dollar that, after all the Devils gave up to acquire him, GM Tom Fitzgerald will make signing Meier his top priority.

Tomas Tatar is a UFA, as is Erik Haula -- I could see both of these players being offered 1 year deals at a reduced salary, but do they accept or look elsewhere?

Lesser RFAs include Yegor Sharangovich and Nathan Bastian. Bastian could probably be had at close to the league minimum, so I'd expect him back. Sharangovich is a different question, and he might be trade bait.

Miles Wood is a UFA and I doubt he'll be back. Some team will overpay for his combination of elite skating and toughness.

The bazillion dollar question is, of course, Jesper Bratt. Without getting into all the nuances of his contract wars with GM Tom Fitzgerald, there may be some bad blood there. That bad blood may have been exacerbated by the fact Bratt was the Devils very worst forward in the 2023 playoffs. I love the guy, but he was awful all playoffs long, and there's really no nicer way to put it.

Let's say Meier gets paid in the $8-$8.9 million range, which is realistic. The Devils would then have $31 million+ wrapped up in Hughes/Hischier/Meier/Palat through at least 2027. Bratt is not going to be paid much more than the $6.5-$7.0 million range if he wants to stick around. If he's asking in the $8 million+ range, he's gone, it's simple as that.

Jesper Bratt needs to make a decision, and if his agent disagrees he needs to get a new agent. Does he want to stay on the most up-and-coming young team in the NHL for the next 5-8 years? If so, he's going to have to be realistic in his contract demands. However, if he wants to make every penny possible, I doubt Fitzgerald will have the patience for it.

Ultimately, it's up to Jesper Bratt. I'd love to see him sign a 7 year, $7 million deal. But if he wants more, you can bet your boots Fitzgerald will use him as trade bait at the 2023 draft.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Haula already said he wants to be back. He played well. He is going to be the 3C next year

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Hopefully he's giving his agent the whole "he can't get more than Jack" spiel, and once he caves this gets done.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I’m in the vast minority I think but I felt Bratt’s effort was there all playoff long and that he made the key plays in game 3 against the Rangers that helped turn the series around. So I’m not holding it against him. His game didn’t translate that well to the Carolina series that’s all.

For me its more he didn't adapt his game a lot. It clearly just wasn't working. Yes he did key in on a few good moments, but overall he should have been way more effective for the skill he comes with.

Maybe the effort was there, but he didn't adapt it too much that I saw. I don't know if its on him, coaching, or just the opposition playing his line, I just expected him to battle harder.

The last game (yes, its an emotionally charged reaction) really put me off.

I respect your view of course.