Confirmed with Link: Hall (50% retained) and Speers to Arizona for 1st, conditional pick, Bahl, Merkley and Schnarr

[HugeInTheShire]

Is this true or does Seattle get a special dispensation? Seems unfair to an expansion team to be able to pick and build a bit of a pipeline if you can't keep the guys at least a year...

I'm not 100% sure but I'd imagine that would be something they'd have to consider while making their selections

 

[Triumph]

Is this true or does Seattle get a special dispensation? Seems unfair to an expansion team to be able to pick and build a bit of a pipeline if you can't keep the guys at least a year...

Seattle doesn't get special dispensation - what Vegas did was trade a lot of players elsewhere (Schlemko, Methot, TVR, Emelin, Pickard) and they also drafted 3 UFAs who left July 1.

What Seattle should want are players who don't require waivers, and sadly because of the 2018 draft the Devils are kinda short on these, organizationally. I would trade them Zetterlund for them to draft from a list of UFAs to be, but Zetterlund only has one more year of waiver-ineligibility.

 

[Guttersniped]

I would be in a state somewhere between very pleasantly surprised and completely stunned if Seattle took Johnsson. I’m guessing Johnsson and Butcher are exposed since they are already signed and then Fitz will then presumably sign a RFA forward to expose them. (Unless trading for and then exposing Siegenthaler was Fitz’s 4D chess move to keep all his forwards lol.)

There’s a reason Fitz specifically named dropped Bastian pre-season. If you’ve read the updates the quarterly updates and comments about Bing players on AllAboutTheJersey.com Bastian had quietly developed into an impressive AHL middle winger/power forward who suddenly looked pretty promising as future NHL bottom six winger. I thought it was immediately clear, out of all of these guys, that he was a NHL player this season. A bottom six winger isn’t the most competitive spot in the line-up but Bastian brings a lot to it. He’s a real physical force, he’s very good defensively already and enough offense is there. He’s gotten, along with McLeod and Boqvist, the toughest defensive assignments with the weakest teammates so comparing stats straight up isn’t fair. (Zajac didn’t do the heavy lifting defensively this season, Ruff often had him function more as two-way forward leaning towards the scoring side with Nico out.)

I actually think Bastian is a bit better than McLeod right now* but center is obviously a more important job so I can’t see McLeod losing out in terms of getting protected.

I will discuss Merkley being the easiest to lose because he is. He still feels a bit like a tweener. A classic tweener is a player not quite good enough for the NHL top six who doesn’t quite work on the NHL bottom six so they go off to play in a top six in a different league. His defense isn’t terrible but it isn’t good either so it’s hard to give him a role on a checking line until he stops doing dumb shit with the puck. Sharagovich’s defense isn’t good either but his offensive upside and his terror of shot obviously easily make up for it.

Part of it isn’t his fault as injuries stalled his development but he is the oldest in the borderline group (AJ isn’t borderline lol) having been drafted in 2015. The comparison to Seney is off-base not only Seney because was drafted in the 6th round but also Seney was an overager, he qualified for the 2014 draft class and is 25. Merkley will be 24 in May though, he’s about run out of runway so this late season tryout is big for him. (And people need to stop using Coleman to create fairy tale endings for every stalled forward prospect, 24 is about the end of the line for forwards.)

Merkley’s kamikaze style and hustling really endeared him to me in his call-up last year, he’s one of those Johnny Hustle little guys that’s particularly fun in person. When Elite Prospects ranked our pool in the preseason they had Kuokkanen 6th and they said this about Merkley:

Merkley is a high-pace playmaker, with an arsenal of one-touch and two-touch passes to pick apart a defence with relative ease. He can problem-solve his way through secondary and tertiary defensive variables. He's proficient on the forehand and backhand alike, and even avails himself of the odd reach-adjusting pass, too. The checklist for an NHL level playmaker doesn't leave many empty spaces.

The question, for us, is whether there's enough substance in the rest of Merkley's game to project to an NHL level. He's about an NHL average skater, suffering a poor posture, and a wide stride recovery. He's feisty as all hell, but not exactly an overwhelming physical presence. His shot doesn't project as a reliable weapon at the next level, and that's going to limit his efficacy as a distributor in a league where everyone is pre-scouted to a bordering on excessive degree.

That seems pretty accurate actually. (Their enthusiasm for Kuokkanen was pretty spot on too and they had Studenic at 9th, one spot ahead of Merkley lol)

*This is a subjective opinion that I will preemptively refuse to debate or defend lol. Seriously they are bottom six wingers and we might lose one in the Expansion Draft (Nate *sob*), I’m good with people not agreeing with me about my boy Bastian.

 

[billingtons ghost]

I would be in a state somewhere between very pleasantly surprised and completely stunned if Seattle took Johnsson. I’m guessing Johnsson and Butcher are exposed since they are already signed and then Fitz will then presumably sign a RFA forward to expose them. (Unless trading for and then exposing Siegenthaler was Fitz’s 4D chess move to keep all his forwards lol.)

There’s a reason Fitz specifically named dropped Bastian pre-season. If you’ve read the updates the quarterly updates and comments about Bing players on AllAboutTheJersey.com Bastian had quietly developed into an impressive AHL middle winger/power forward who suddenly looked pretty promising as future NHL bottom six winger. I thought it was immediately clear, out of all of these guys, that he was a NHL player this season. A bottom six winger isn’t the most competitive spot in the line-up but Bastian brings a lot to it. He’s a real physical force, he’s very good defensively already and enough offense is there. He’s gotten, along with McLeod and Boqvist, the toughest defensive assignments with the weakest teammates so comparing stats straight up isn’t fair. (Zajac didn’t do the heavy lifting defensively this season, Ruff often had him function more as two-way forward leaning towards the scoring side with Nico out.)

I actually think Bastian is a bit better than McLeod right now* but center is obviously a more important job so I can’t see McLeod losing out in terms of getting protected.

I will discuss Merkley being the easiest to lose because he is. He still feels a bit like a tweener. A classic tweener is a player not quite good enough for the NHL top six who doesn’t quite work on the NHL bottom six so they go off to play in a top six in a different league. His defense isn’t terrible but it isn’t good either so it’s hard to give him a role on a checking line until he stops doing dumb shit with the puck. Sharagovich’s defense isn’t good either but his offensive upside and his terror of shot obviously easily make up for it.

Part of it isn’t his fault as injuries stalled his development but he is the oldest in the borderline group (AJ isn’t borderline lol) having been drafted in 2015. The comparison to Seney is off-base not only Seney because was drafted in the 6th round but also Seney was an overager, he qualified for the 2014 draft class and is 25. Merkley will be 24 in May though, he’s about run out of runway so this late season tryout is big for him. (And people need to stop using Coleman to create fairy tale endings for every stalled forward prospect, 24 is about the end of the line for forwards.)

Merkley’s kamikaze style and hustling really endeared him to me in his call-up last year, he’s one of those Johnny Hustle little guys that’s particularly fun in person. When Elite Prospects ranked our pool in the preseason they had Kuokkanen 6th and they said this about Merkley:


That seems pretty accurate actually. (Their enthusiasm for Kuokkanen was pretty spot on too and they had Studenic at 9th, one spot ahead of Merkley lol)

*This is a subjective opinion that I will preemptively refuse to debate or defend lol. Seriously they are bottom six wingers and we might lose one in the Expansion Draft (Nate *sob*), I’m good with people not agreeing with me about my boy Bastian.

I think you nailed it with this and I'm not just saying that because I've been in disagreement with you recently, lol.

Everything above reflects my thoughts and sentiments, and I think 'The Merkley Conundrm' as it will be heretofore known, reminds me of Butcher's situation. Put Nick in the exactly perfect ecosystem and he is an attractive player, but the upside just might not be there to warrant overlooking his faults as a player...and he's not THAT important that we should bother building lines around him.

 

[Devils Army]

Bastian is one of the only guy on the team how to properly use his size and knows his role. He's big, plays physical, gets to the front of the net, and has pretty good hands, good at deflecting pucks etc.

 

[hidek91]

I think it depends on:

1. Who else is exposed?
2. How do they want to build their team?

Seattle picks Bastian because they intend to keep him. Bastian needs waivers to be sent down, and has minimal value around the league (i.e., he's not someone that a playoff team would look to rent at the deadline). So, if Seattle doesn't think Bastian has a long term future with the team, there's not really any point to picking him.

If Seattle is looking to accumulate future draft capital, on the other hand, picking up Butcher or Johnsson makes more sense. There's a higher probability either of those guys could be flipped for a pick at the deadline (even if it's just for a 3rd or 4th).

Well, based on this season alone, I believe that both Bastian and McLeod are regular 4th line players even on contender because:

a) Bastian has size but also a defensive awareness and hockey IQ that is quite high for bottom six player. Not to mention cheap contract and young age. He needs waivers to be sent down but why sent down a player like this? Even if in the extreme case he's your 13th player, waivers still aren't necessary.

b) McLeod has compete level, grit, speed and can be used on PK. Again, I believe that he's good enough to be 4C on all teams in NHL including contenders. Rest of my point is the same as for Bastian.

Now, regarding Butcher and Johnsson, I think they are different cases (Butcher could be useful at the team that hasn't PP QB) but it boils down to the same problem, both are not really worth their contracts. The idea that you've suggested doesn't make sense for Seattle because this return wouldn't be worth keeping Butcher's cap hit for a year nor Johnsson's cap hit for 2 years, if they were willing to rent cap space they'd get much more (vide Teravainen/Bickell swap or Marleau/1st swap). Cap space is only one part of the problem, the second one is that by claiming Bastian or McLeod, they'd claim asset that is more valuable than 3rd/4th.

Maybe that's because we suck but I think that people (that's not pointed at you, just in general) overlook the fact that Wood-McLeod-Bastian is one of the best 4th lines in NHL.

 

[AfroThunder396]

I wasn't very impressed with McLeod or Bastian early in the season but they've both played very well lately.

 

[Devils Army]

McLeod and Bastian are both good 4th liners who add size and grit to this team. McLeod has scored a surprising amount of goals this year and Nate has good feel around the net. I'd way way rather give up Johnsson or Butcher or Merkley.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

when we gonna see Bahler?

 

[TheDuke93]

Bastian is one of the only guy on the team how to properly use his size and knows his role. He's big, plays physical, gets to the front of the net, and has pretty good hands, good at deflecting pucks etc.

But he needs to do this consistently, I don't need him going around chasing hits but he needs to consistently finish checks when it makes sense. He needs to consistently get to the front of the net, get pucks in deep and win a board battle then get to the net. This is how he will become an effective offensive player in his role.

 

[TheDuke93]

when we gonna see Bahler?

2 years would be my guess.

 

[FooteBahl]

I wasn't very impressed with McLeod or Bastian early in the season but they've both played very well lately.

Maybe I’m old school and showing my age, but Wood/McLeod/Bastian remind me of a poor man’s crash line. Perhaps the need for a line like this is no longer necessary in today’s NHL, but they can change momentum with the way they play. I know there’s no fancy stat to gauge momentum yet, but this lines momentum/60% would be pretty high lol.

 

[Devils731]

Maybe I’m old school and showing my age, but Wood/McLeod/Bastian remind me of a poor man’s crash line

Is there something lower then poor man’s?

The crash line didn’t get enough credit for being as talented as that line was. It was a bunch of “4th line” guys somehow performing well.

They were credited for being a unique and complimentary 4th line, which was partly true, but they were good mostly because it was a 4th line with a top 6 center and top 9 winger on it.

 

[Blackjack]

Maybe I’m old school and showing my age, but Wood/McLeod/Bastian remind me of a poor man’s crash line. Perhaps the need for a line like this is no longer necessary in today’s NHL, but they can change momentum with the way they play. I know there’s no fancy stat to gauge momentum yet, but this lines momentum/60% would be pretty high lol.

They can be a little inconsistent, but when they're on they're an absolute terror, and Bastian is far from a passenger on that line.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

If you have to choose to protect one of Kuokannen or Bastian which one would you protect?

Kuokkanen 100/100.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Yeah pretty much this. I like kuokanen but he is easier to replace then bastian. Kuokanen also plays soft and doesn’t throw his body around. He really doesn’t do anything special but he’s a decent player. I think it’s a forgone conclusion that bastian will be selected if exposed however I don’t feel the same way about kuokanen

This is absurd lol

Bastian is a dime a dozen fourth liner. You can find players like him every year in free agency for like $1 million.

 

[Guttersniped]

I think you nailed it with this and I'm not just saying that because I've been in disagreement with you recently, lol.

Everything above reflects my thoughts and sentiments, and I think 'The Merkley Conundrm' as it will be heretofore known, reminds me of Butcher's situation. Put Nick in the exactly perfect ecosystem and he is an attractive player, but the upside just might not be there to warrant overlooking his faults as a player...and he's not THAT important that we should bother building lines around him.

 

[hidek91]

This is absurd lol

Bastian is a dime a dozen fourth liner. You can find players like him every year in free agency for like $1 million.

I disagree but it seems that we have extremely different opinions on Kuokkanen and Bastian.

Bastian has the highest hockey IQ I've seen on Devils' 4th line since Brian Boyle and the player with actual high hockey IQ on 4th line is silently very valuable because he can make grinders who are playing with him produce. If you couple that with solid defence, I think he's a pretty valuable 4th liner, his comeback to the lineup was very noticeable, especially given that currently it was AHL tweener taking his place.

If I had to choose between two, I'd rather have Kuokkanen but I don't think it's an absurd comparison.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I disagree but it seems that we have extremely different opinions on Kuokkanen and Bastian.

Bastian has the highest hockey IQ I've seen on Devils' since Brian Boyle and the player with actual high hockey IQ on 4th line is silently very valuable because he can make grinders who are playing with him produce. If you couple that with solid defence, I think he's a pretty valuable 4th liner, his comeback to the lineup was very noticeable, especially given that currently it was AHL tweener taking his place.

If I had to choose between two, I'd rather have Kuokkanen but I don't think it's an absurd comparison.

okay come on now

 

[Blackjack]

Happy Day

 

[Lou is God]

This is absurd lol

Bastian is a dime a dozen fourth liner. You can find players like him every year in free agency for like $1 million.

I agree keeping Kuokkanen over Bastian but I do think you're selling Bastian short, he's a pretty darn good hockey player.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I agree keeping Kuokkanen over Bastian but I do think you're selling Bastian short, he's a pretty darn good hockey player.

I mean, hes a fine enough 4th liner. But I am not going to get worked up about losing a guy who turns 24 this year and is scoring at a 20 point pace even if he hits everything that moves. Those players are easily replaceable.

 

[hidek91]

okay come on now

hahah, forgot to add "4th line" there, edited my post to fix that!

 

[Lou is God]

I mean, hes a fine enough 4th liner. But I am not going to get worked up about losing a guy who turns 24 this year and is scoring at a 20 point pace even if he hits everything that moves. Those players are easily replaceable.

Even 4th liners can be keepers and I like his potential, and 23 still young. It's not like we're talking 27 years old here, my rule has always been 25 years old is when an pro athlete hits their potential.

 

[MakoSlade]

I remember the Vegas expansion draft when we literally didn't have to worry about losing anyone remotely important. I guess we're moving up in the world, now we have to worry about which fourth liner we'll lose. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be worrying about 3rd liners by the next expansion.

I hope we don't lose Bastion...I think Merkley will be the odd man out.