News Around the League: Preseason underway

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Kopitar is a superior player to Zajac, but Zajac has played a lot better this year than last season. Last season Zajac was brutal. If Zajac continues to play as he did at the beginning of the season, I won't complain about his contract--I did during the off-season because he was coming off an abysmal year. As far as Kopitar goes, he's being paid for the Cup wins, much as Toews and Kane in Chicago were. He is going to be overpaid, but there are Cup wins he's being rewarded for by the Kings. Zajac doesn't have any Cup wins to be rewarded for yet.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Kopitar is a superior player to Zajac, but Zajac has played a lot better this year than last season. Last season Zajac was brutal. If Zajac continues to play as he did at the beginning of the season, I won't complain about his contract--I did during the off-season because he was coming off an abysmal year. As far as Kopitar goes, he's being paid for the Cup wins, much as Toews and Kane in Chicago were. He is going to be overpaid, but there are Cup wins he's being rewarded for by the Kings. Zajac doesn't have any Cup wins to be rewarded for yet.

Kopitar is assuredly a superior player to Zajac. But he is not a player, at 28 years of age, that justifies a $9.75MM per year contract until he is 37.

Some concerning statistics:

ES Pts/60:
13-14: 1.95
14-15: 1.83
15-16: 1.51

ES Shts/60:
13-14: 7.18
14-15: 5.48
15-16: 4.15

Kopitar is actually bottom five percent in the league when it comes to even strength shots.

He's obviously a terrific possession and defensive player, and a player that you win with. However, giving him that contract is stupid.

I wouldn't be surprised if people would rather have Zajac and his contract in two years time than Kopitar.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Kopitar is assuredly a superior player to Zajac. But he is not a player, at 28 years of age, that justifies a $9.75MM per year contract until he is 37.

Some concerning statistics:

ES Pts/60:
13-14: 1.95
14-15: 1.83
15-16: 1.51

ES Shts/60:
13-14: 7.18
14-15: 5.48
15-16: 4.15

Kopitar is actually bottom five percent in the league when it comes to even strength shots.

He's obviously a terrific possession and defensive player, and a player that you win with. However, giving him that contract is stupid.

I wouldn't be surprised if people would rather have Zajac and his contract in two years time than Kopitar.

For sure Kopitar will be overpaid. I just think it was bound to happen since he won those Cups with LA.

 

[tr83]

I would take Kopitar at $7.5M TOPS.

He's a good player but he doesn't deserve any contract that comes close to Kane, Toews, Stamkos, Crosby, Malkin, etc.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

I don't really think Toews is superior to Kopitar. They are pretty comparable players in my opinion.

 

[Balance]

Toews has a terrible contract, Kane is much better.

Kopitar's contract is influenced by Toews. GM's overpay for "2 way" centers (as if no other centers are capable of making poke checks). GM's overvalue 2 way games and they pay the price.

It's like when the LA GM stated that he preferred Kopitar over Ovechkin. That is ridiculous. Ovechkin, by far,makes your team a lot better than Kopitar does. Kopitar/Toews fit a mold: It's not their defense that is really good, it's the fact that they play on really good teams. Put Ovechkin on LA/Chicago then come talking.

Zajac is so overvalued because of his defensive play but also because we've always lacked a center. If this franchise just had a #1C Zajac would have never got the money he got. It doesn't matter that much for NJ either way, we needed Zajac and we are no where near the cap. His contract doesn't do anything wrong, but Zajac is heavily overrated by some fans. He has had a struggle to hit .5 ppg for 5 years now and has never produced with anyone not named Jagr, Kovalchuk, or Parise.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Toews has a terrible contract, Kane is much better.

Kopitar's contract is influenced by Toews. GM's overpay for "2 way" centers (as if no other centers are capable of making poke checks). GM's overvalue 2 way games and they pay the price.

It's like when the LA GM stated that he preferred Kopitar over Ovechkin. That is ridiculous. Ovechkin, by far,makes your team a lot better than Kopitar does. Kopitar/Toews fit a mold: It's not their defense that is really good, it's the fact that they play on really good teams. Put Ovechkin on LA/Chicago then come talking.

Zajac is so overvalued because of his defensive play but also because we've always lacked a center. If this franchise just had a #1C Zajac would have never got the money he got. It doesn't matter that much for NJ either way, we needed Zajac and we are no where near the cap. His contract doesn't do anything wrong, but Zajac is heavily overrated by some fans. He has had a struggle to hit .5 ppg for 5 years now and has never produced with anyone not named Jagr, Kovalchuk, or Parise.

I would love to hear the contract Zajac "should have got"

 

[Scorcho]

I would love to hear the contract Zajac "should have got"

1 million per at 4 years

 

[Burner Account]

Zajac and his agent were negotiating from a position of uber strength

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

and he received a contract of a 2nd line center, which is ideally what he is.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

I've shifted my position more in favor of Zajac lately. He is not good offensively in the normal sense, however his effect on the possession game is huge.

Over the last three years at even strength:

When Zajac is on the ice - 27.5 shots/60, 24.8 shots against/60 (+2.7)
When Zajac is not on the ice - 25.4 shots/60, 27.2 shots against/60 (-1.8)

And that's with Zajac starting in the defensive zone quite a bit.

 

[NJDevs26]

Kopitar's contract is influenced by Toews. GM's overpay for "2 way" centers (as if no other centers are capable of making poke checks). GM's overvalue 2 way games and they pay the price.

I think conversely we undervalue two-way players. Somehow two-way player has become a euphenism here for checking-line forward with little offensive skill, which isn't what it means. It means a plus player offensively and defensively and those guys DO have value.

If anything Kopitar's probably this generation's Elias, underappreciated cause he's low-key and because the system and his role caps his stats.

 

[Rhodes 81]

Is Kopitar really only 28? It seems like he's been in the league for a decade.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Is Kopitar really only 28? It seems like he's been in the league for a decade.

I am surprised by some players ages.

Kinkaid for example is older than Sam Gagner.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

I think conversely we undervalue two-way players. Somehow two-way player has become a euphenism here for checking-line forward with little offensive skill, which isn't what it means. It means a plus player offensively and defensively and those guys DO have value.

If anything Kopitar's probably this generation's Elias, underappreciated cause he's low-key and because the system and his role caps his stats.

Except there are some very concerning trends in Kopitar's even strength production.

Elias was consistently above three shots per game for his age 26 through 33 seasons. While getting 2 minutes less ice time per game. His peripheral stats never cratered, and nor did his boxcar stats.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Wow, not one mention about a "knee" in that broadcast...unbelievable. Dubinsky really is a little turd out there too. I'm not the biggest Crosby fan, but the crosschecks Dubinsky kept giving him last time they played were such ********...and now he knees Voracek and only gets 2 minutes (plus 5 for fighting) while Simmonds gets the instigator?

I never liked the Instigator rule...and man would I like to have Simmonds as a Devil.

Yeah, Simmonds would fit in nicely with this Devils team and we could use his toughness and hands around the net.

Makes it more frustrating that we had a chance to draft him but took Mike Hoeffel instead.

 

[mtnet]

I've always kinda liked Simmonds play as well, plus he's got some grit and presence out there

 

[MadDevil]

Is Kopitar really only 28? It seems like he's been in the league for a decade.

You're not wrong. This is his 10th season in the NHL. He's been remarkably healthy too. I think he's only missed like 20 something games in his entire career.

 

[Zippy316]

I would take Kopitar at $7.5M TOPS.

He's a good player but he doesn't deserve any contract that comes close to Kane, Toews, Stamkos, Crosby, Malkin, etc.

Kopitar is not on the same level as those guys, but he is definitely one of the better players in the league. 9.75 million is definitely pushing it, especially for the length LA committed to though.

Toews has a terrible contract, Kane is much better.

Kopitar's contract is influenced by Toews. GM's overpay for "2 way" centers (as if no other centers are capable of making poke checks). GM's overvalue 2 way games and they pay the price.

It's like when the LA GM stated that he preferred Kopitar over Ovechkin. That is ridiculous. Ovechkin, by far,makes your team a lot better than Kopitar does. Kopitar/Toews fit a mold: It's not their defense that is really good, it's the fact that they play on really good teams. Put Ovechkin on LA/Chicago then come talking.

I totally disagree about Ovechkin over Kopitar. Top centers make the players they have around them that much better. The entire game flows through the center position, which is why teams will pay a premium for guys like Toews, Kopitar, and to a lesser extent Zajac. They are far more important than wingers. A very good winger can make a center look better, but a very good center can make a winger look far better than the other way around.

Toews contract was absurd and Chicago is going to eventually pay for committing so much money to Toews and Kane. However, if you gave me two equal caliber players at both positions, I would choose the center every single time. In fact, if you gave me an elite winger versus a top-line center to build around, I would chose the center every single time as well.

If you look at teams in the last ten years, almost every team that has sustained success, especially in the playoffs, has had a strong center group.

2015: Toews - Richards - Vermette/Terravainen - Kruger
2014: Kopitar - Carter - Stoll - M. Richards
2013: Toews - Handzus - Bolland - Kruger
2012: See 2014
2011: Bergeron - Krejci - Kelly/Seguin - Campbell
2010: Toews - Sharp - Bolland - Madden/Fraser
2009: Crosby - Malkin - Staal - Talbot
2008: Datsyuk - Zetterberg - Hudler/Filpulla - Draper

Look at the teams that consistently flame out like Washington and Rangers, their center depth is not even close to up to par with those teams.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Had a dream that Minnesota traded Parise and Pominville to Tampa for Stamkos.

Bad trade for Tampa?

 

[njdevil26]

Had a dream that Minnesota traded Parise and Pominville to Tampa for Stamkos.

Bad trade for Tampa?

I think that's a great trade for Tampa if they end up winning the cup in the next 2-3 years.

 

[Richer's Ghost]

Did Zach's mom move to Florida?

 

[Wingman77]

Did Zach's mom move to Florida?

It was actually the Lightning that picked up and moved to Minnesota for Zach.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Connor Garland signs a 3yr entry deal with Arizona.

He has 80 points in 33 games so far this season in the Q.

Yeah he's 19 and smallish but I wish we took a chance on him with our 4th round pick.

I was not alone in hoping that we would draft him.

 

[Bleedred]

Zajac's contract at the time it was signed, was more than fair for what he brought up to that point.

And I wish the posts from pre 2012 were still here. The one's from before Zajac's contract was signed. The consensus around here was that Zajac was probably getting a $6-$6.5 million dollar per year contract. Now most people didn't think Lou would extend him months before he hit free agency, but most people here were prepared to pay Zajac around $6 million+ per year just to stay here. And $5.75 million at the time was called a ''Bargain'' by many. The thread when we re signed him is still archived in here. He had a few GREAT seasons before that. His only meh seasons were his sophomore season and the 10-11 season where the entire team played below their career average. And the 11-12 season was injury shortened, and he was in out and of the lineup two different times because of that injury. But he performed much like the Zajac of 08-09 and 09-10 in the playoffs that year.


Every UFA or UFA contract is paid for what they've already done, more than what they will do. There's some UFA contracts that are signed early on, where this is not the case. Like guys who sign for contracts early on that take away UFA years, those guys might be being paid on potential. Maybe like Henrique on this contract, as many people here thought he'd only get $3 millionish per season. But most assumed he would only get 3 years or so, maybe 4 at most.