2013 New Jersey Devils (Team/Player Discussion)- Offseason FA and trade talk Part V

[Semak]

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[apice3*]

I'm pretty sure Lou said he has 4 main UFA's he wants to get signed prior to July 5. I don't think he specified which, but I vaguely recall seeing TG tweet that he has spoken the agents of Elias, Clarkson, Zubrus, and Harrold. Zidlicky and Poni were not mentioned, and he has said he is going to let Sullivan walk.

 

[Devils Trap]

I'm pretty sure Lou said he has 4 main UFA's he wants to get signed prior to July 5. I don't think he specified which, but I vaguely recall seeing TG tweet that he has spoken the agents of Elias, Clarkson, Zubrus, and Harrold. Zidlicky and Poni were not mentioned, and he has said he is going to let Sullivan walk.

Lou said he wants Elias,Clarkson,Zubrus,Harrold and Zid signed before July 5th

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said he has begun contract talks with the team’s key potential unrestricted free agents – a group headed by forwards Patrik Elias, David Clarkson and Dainius Zubrus.

“We’re talking to all of them and we’ll try and expedite that as best as possibly can,” Lamoriello said.

Lamoriello also has been talking with the representatives for defensemen Marek Zidlicky and Peter Harrold and he said he would like to bring both of them back next season as well.

Because of the lockout, which delayed the start and end of the season (the Stanley Cup Finals could end as late as June 28), players do not become unrestricted free agents until July 5 this season (It is usually July 1). Lamoriello said his objective is to get Elias, Zubrus, Clarkson, Zidlicky and Harrold signed before July 5.

“In my opinion, they have to be done before that,” Lamoriello said.

 

[apice3*]

I missed the Zid part

 

[SixStringAddict]

Wait why is he trying to sign both Zids and Harrold. Are we seriously rolling with 8 defensemen again? (barring a buyout)

 

[Classic Devil]

Wait why is he trying to sign both Zids and Harrold. Are we seriously rolling with 8 defensemen again? (barring a buyout)

Wait and see what we do before jumping to conclusions. I certainly hope we aren't.

 

[SeidoN]

well, it means we either have 8 D, or Tally/Volch are gone.

which is preferable to not resigning them and having 6 D including Tally and Volch, thats for sure

 

[Bleedred]

I just said in the last thread that I believe Tallinder or Volchenkov will be gone if we bring back Zidlicky. I hope we don't use 8 again, and I don't think we will. Nothing good came from that, and I'm sure Lou knows it.

I'm still kinda iffy on Harrold. He's a solid number 7, but I'm afraid as soon as Fayne or Larsson make one mistake then in comes Harrold. He's kind of a Deboer favorite it seems.

We need a 7th defensemen that is not a Deboer favorite like Mark Fraser maybe?

 

[Holtz My Bahls]

I just said in the last thread that I believe Tallinder or Volchenkov will be gone if we bring back Zidlicky. I hope we don't use 8 again, and I don't think we will. Nothing good came from that, and I'm sure Lou knows it.

I'm still kinda iffy on Harrold. He's a solid number 7, but I'm afraid as soon as Fayne or Larsson make one mistake then in comes Harrold. He's kind of a Deboer favorite it seems.

We need a 7th defensemen that is not a Deboer favorite like Mark Fraser maybe?

nice new avi and the slogan above it.

 

[Classic Devil]

I just said in the last thread that I believe Tallinder or Volchenkov will be gone if we bring back Zidlicky. I hope we don't use 8 again, and I don't think we will. Nothing good came from that, and I'm sure Lou knows it.

I'm still kinda iffy on Harrold. He's a solid number 7, but I'm afraid as soon as Fayne or Larsson make one mistake then in comes Harrold. He's kind of a Deboer favorite it seems.

We need a 7th defensemen that is not a Deboer favorite like Mark Fraser maybe?

Which would you rather have, Tallinder or Zidlicky?

 

[Bleedred]

Which would you rather have, Tallinder or Zidlicky?

Zidlicky for sure. Tallinder wasn't bad this year aside from a few games, but Zidlicky fills more of a need in my opinion. Tallinder is more than a stay at home guy, but I think we need the offense on our blue line and for the PP. Tallinder just doesn't really bring it. I'd also rather have Zidlicky than Volchenkov too, and I'm sure everyone would at this point.

Unless you mean as a 7th? I'd rather have Harrold, I was just joking about Fraser.

I don't like that he was played over Larsson and Fayne a lot though.

I also look at it this way. If we get rid of Tallinder we'll have Zidlicky at roughly the same salary. I think Zidlicky will take a slight pay cut from last year. He'll probably get $3-$3.5. Tallinder's hit is $3.375 I think.

 

[apice3*]

Harrold has been signed for 130 games and has played in 34.

 

[Bleedred]

Harrold has been signed for 130 games and has played in 34.

You can't deny that he was not played over Fayne and Larsson at times later last year though. Most of those 130 games were in the AHL on a two way contract too. He only had the one way for last year. He was in the AHL for almost all of 11-12 aside from a couple mid season call ups, and the one at the end when he joined full time.

I like Harrold in the lineup though. I just wish he was in for the Kone, not the young guys.

 

[apice3*]

I think that has more to do with DeBoer not liking young players than it has to do with a man crush on Harrold.

 

[Classic Devil]

Harrold has been signed for 130 games and has played in 34.

Yeah, he's the perfect #7, because he can do that, always play well when he comes in, and never complain.

 

[Bleedred]

I think that has more to do with DeBoer not liking young players than it has to do with a man crush on Harrold.

That's true, but he has enough confidence in throwing Harrold in the first time one of them slightly screws up, or has a bad game. Or I should say that I think he likes the option of Harrold enough to throw him in there when that situation arises.

I don't mind Harrold in the lineup. In fact I would take him over Volchenkov in almost any game, and I really mean that. No hesitation at all to put him in over Volchenkov.

Volchenkov for most of the season looked like a 7th defensemen, and then eventually an 8th on a team with 8.

 

[apice3*]

In 34 games, Peter Harrold is a -8. Over 82 games, that's a -20. Volchenkov is around a +2 per year as a Devil. I think this board underrates Volchenkov and overrates Harrold.

I hope Volch gets amnestied, but I don't think he's worse than Harrold. They just play different roles and I'd rather hav Harrold at 600k as a #7 that Volch as a regular at 4.25.

 

[Classic Devil]

I guess my real question is I can easily see a situation where we buy out Volchenkov and re-sign Harrold, and then have six defensemen under contract:

Greene
Fayne
Larsson
Salvador
Tallinder
Harrold

The question at that point is do we bring back Zidlicky and make it seven, or go with a Gelinas/Urbom/Burlon with the last roster spot?

 

[KohoDonuts88]

I guess my real question is I can easily see a situation where we buy out Volchenkov and re-sign Harrold, and then have six defensemen under contract:

Greene
Fayne
Larsson
Salvador
Tallinder
Harrold

The question at that point is do we bring back Zidlicky and make it seven, or go with a Gelinas/Urbom/Burlon with the last roster spot?

We bring back Zidlicky, and package Fayne in a deal for Yandle.

Greene - Larsson
Yandle - Tallinder
Sal - Zids
Harrold

cup.jpg

 

[Semak]

I guess my real question is I can easily see a situation where we buy out Volchenkov and re-sign Harrold, and then have six defensemen under contract:

Greene
Fayne
Larsson
Salvador
Tallinder
Harrold

The question at that point is do we bring back Zidlicky and make it seven, or go with a Gelinas/Urbom/Burlon with the last roster spot?

I would hope for a 1year contract for Zids, a trade with Tallinder and open up at least one spot for a young player.

 

[Benedict Parisechuk]

I guess my real question is I can easily see a situation where we buy out Volchenkov and re-sign Harrold, and then have six defensemen under contract:

Greene
Fayne
Larsson
Salvador
Tallinder
Harrold

The question at that point is do we bring back Zidlicky and make it seven, or go with a Gelinas/Urbom/Burlon with the last roster spot?

I would definitely bring back Zidlicky since our offensive production and creativity from the blueline would be extremely poor without him. We'd basically be going back to the 2007-2012 days of having a slow, uncreative defense.

Resign Zidlicky and dump Tallinder for a 4th or 5th assuming that's possible.

 

[Classic Devil]

We bring back Zidlicky, and package Fayne in a deal for Yandle.

Greene - Larsson
Yandle - Tallinder
Sal - Zids
Harrold

cup.jpg

Phoenix wants a center for Yandle.

 

[apice3*]

Not bringing Zid back would be a disaster to our already poor PP. My thought is to call up Urbom, and roll with 8 D-men to start. Use Harrold and Tallinder as scratches. At the 10 game mark, we evaluate Urbom. If he sucks, flip him for Gelinas. At the 20 game mark, evaluate Gelinas. If he sucks, send him to the AHL and use Tallinder the rest of the way. If one of the two sticks, try to move him before the deadline. In the first 20 games, Tallinder fills in for anyone who gets hurt.

Tallinder is the backup plan to the kids, and ideally we're down to 7 D-men around 20-30 games without jeopardizing using an unprepared kid for a full season.

 

[Classic Devil]

Not bringing Zid back would be a disaster to our already poor PP. My thought is to call up Urbom, and roll with 8 D-men to start. Use Harrold and Tallinder as scratches. At the 10 game mark, we evaluate Urbom. If he sucks, flip him for Gelinas. At the 20 game mark, evaluate Gelinas. If he sucks, send him to the AHL and use Tallinder the rest of the way. If one of the two sticks, try to move him before the deadline. In the first 20 games, Tallinder fills in for anyone who gets hurt.

Tallinder is the backup plan to the kids, and ideally we're down to 7 D-men around 20-30 games without jeopardizing using an unprepared kid for a full season.

I think keeping a veteran like Tallinder around in that capacity is a disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Bleedred]

I'd want Larsson to get some PP time too. If he does great then we're far ahead if Zidlicky is also still producing.

I cringe when I see Fayne or Tallinder on the power play.