GDT: Albany Devils Games (PART II)

[DatBoyJPP]

Adding Frazee to a trade does almost nothing. He's not going to be an asset to put us over the top to acquire anything significant

 

[Devils731]

Damphousse was a first round pick, who was 21 at the time and had put up a ~.917 save percentage in ~80 games.

Frazee is a second round pick, who is 25 and has put up a ~.911 save percentage in ~150 games.

Considering save percentages are higher now than in 2000, I think it's safe to say Damphousse was a more valuable piece then than Frazee is now...and Damphousse was worth next to nothing then.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm not expecting to get a big name in this trade, It could be a second line player with Frazee packaged with one of the defensemen we don't need, and possibly a prospect.

Remember Stephane Vielleux, and the other crap we packaged for Zidlicky?

I'd like to say Frazee is a step above Veilleuax or whatever his name was.

I'm not even proposing a trade anyway. Just saying it's a possibility. The only way he leaves will be a trade cause I can't see him being demoted to the E unless he really falls apart. At this point though I don't even want him gone. He's been pretty good, and he's good depth at this point. I could see Frazee being able to keep the ship afloat in the NHL for at least a short time if something happens to one of our guys.

 

[CerebralGenesis]

Gotta clear a path for Mini Brodeur eh? amirite!?

 

[Bleedred]

Gotta clear a path for Mini Brodeur eh? amirite!?

That would be funny if we drafted him.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDN-90rMSwU


Alright, if we could all take a second, let's hop in a time machine back to Thursday, December 27th in Springfield, Massachusetts, so that this doesn't appear totally out of place.

This was a really fun game to watch, at least from a Devils fan's perspective. The first period was a little dull until Springfield took a penalty towards the end. Devils were able to get both units on the ice throughout the PP. I was a little surprised at the makeup of the first unit.

Butler - Zalewski - Tedenby
Whitney - Larsson

Whitney was playing the point with Larsson, and Zalewski was on instead of Josefson. Tedenby was mostly parked in the crease. He ended the night with 0 shots, which I was surprised to see 'cause he got a few good whacks on some loose pucks in the crease. Whitney functions surprisingly well on the point. He's got good vision and patience and a surprisingly good slapshot for such a little guy.

The second unit was:
Anderson - Yayo - Pesonen
Hrabarenka - Urbom

This unit didn't play as well, but towards the end of the PP they got the momentum going which carried on to the goal. Burlon had a pretty good luck to find Pesonen entering the crease, but it was a little behind and it went in off his skate. Took the refs like 3 minutes to decide it was a good goal.

Anyway, the rest of the game is pretty self-explanatory from the highlights. I'll just try and recall some notes as best as possible.

• Nothing really needs to be said about Josefson that hasn't been said. He looks phenomenal. His line seemed like it was the second shutdown line. It mostly started in the defensive zone and it was usually out against either Johansen or Calvert/Atkinson.

• Gionta's line is a mess. They were essentially the shutdown line, almost always starting in the D zone. Tedenby honestly looked pretty good. He gets pucks to Gionta and Sestito and then they get turned over. I don't think Gionta or Sestito completed a pass all game. Tedenby's minus was all on the D around the net, though in their defense, Ryan Johansen isn't easy to defend.
• Gionta's line was also the line on the ice for both of Springfield's goals with their goalie pulled, except Zajac was in for Tedenby. They looked lost together and I think the two goals scored in less than 2 minutes against them are enough evidence of that.
• Macpherson and Burlon both had good and bad moments. Mac made some really good breakups in the neutral zone and Burlon did as well, but when it comes to clearing the zone, they're lost. They don't even look bad setup in the O-zone, but they're lost in transition.
• Urbom was godly on the PK. I watched him pick pocket a forward skating into the slot, shield the puck from 3 Falcons hounding him, turn away and skate a few steps and still had his head up to PASS the puck out of the zone. He used his size well ALL game and also looked pretty poised on the PP and in the O-zone. His mobility looked excellent for his size, as well.
• Whitney has a lot of plus attributes but I was surpised at his hands and puck control looking below average. He had trouble controlling the puck on the rush and he didn't look great possession-wise on a 1-on-1 basis. He's still a very effective-looking player though and he's meshed real well with his linemates.
• Butler looks like the real deal. Good skating, good puck handling, good along the boards, really good at finding open lanes and open ice to receive passes. One thing I noticed though, he made a lot of questionable passes, and a lot of his passes didn't find the mark. From this game, it looked like he likes to pass the puck to covered players. He made a terrible pass to a covered defender at the point which lead to a partial break the other way. Can't say if this sorta thing is a normal occurrence or not.

Anyway, feel free to ask me some questions. I got a good look at most of the players and was trying to keep a general track of zone starts and matchups, and I was particularly trying to pay attention to Burlon, Urbom, Macpherson, Tedenby, and Butler. Hope this wasn't too arduous to get through, I'd be happy to go over any other stuff you can think of.

 

[DatBoyJPP]

I'm not expecting to get a big name in this trade, It could be a second line player with Frazee packaged with one of the defensemen we don't need, and possibly a prospect.

Remember Stephane Vielleux, and the other crap we packaged for Zidlicky?

I'd like to say Frazee is a step above Veilleuax or whatever his name was.

I'm not even proposing a trade anyway. Just saying it's a possibility. The only way he leaves will be a trade cause I can't see him being demoted to the E unless he really falls apart. At this point though I don't even want him gone. He's been pretty good, and he's good depth at this point. I could see Frazee being able to keep the ship afloat in the NHL for at least a short time if something happens to one of our guys.

Veileux has proven he can at least hold his own in the NHL, Frazee hasn't. Plus the Wild didn't have much leverage in that trade because not only did Zidlicky want out but he all but called his destination.

 

[Bleedred]

Thanks for the post and review!

Do you think there is a good chance if Lou, and Pete aren't happy with Tedenby should the lockout end that Whitney could be a candidate? He's got the highest PPG average on the team though I'm sure Butler could have passed him by now with 3 goals in the last 2 games. He led the team in points last year too. Think he's better than a guy like Palmeri who saw significant NHL time with us? He screams Gionta to me though closer to Stephen than Brian of course. I think there's a chance he could be even better.

 

[Bleedred]

Veileux has proven he can at least hold his own in the NHL, Frazee hasn't. Plus the Wild didn't have much leverage in that trade because not only did Zidlicky want out but he all but called his destination.

I think you might be underrating Frazee a bit. He's been phenomenal, and I even wanted him out before watching him this year. He could be packaged with Tallinder, and a defensive prospect for someone just as spare parts in a trade. The Ducks sent us that Pielmier guy with Foster last year. All we did with him was throw him in the E.

Not saying Frazee needs to go, but someone could want him as part of a package. Just saying it's possible. I'm not sure why you act like it's impossible if Frazee was used as spare parts in a package is all I'm saying.

 

[JerseyGuy276]

Who is this Pesonen fellow? I had no idea he was in the system till he suddenly showed up in my NHL 13 as an 80 overall. Is he any good? Any top6 potential?

 

[DatBoyJPP]

I think you might be underrating Frazee a bit. He's been phenomenal, and I even wanted him out before watching him this year. He could be packaged with Tallinder, and a defensive prospect for someone just as spare parts in a trade. The Ducks sent us that Pielmier guy with Foster last year. All we did with him was throw him in the E.

Not saying Frazee needs to go, but someone could want him as part of a package. Just saying it's possible. I'm not sure why you act like it's impossible if Frazee was used as spare parts in a package is all I'm saying.

I'm not underrating him at all. None of the other 29 GMs care about him. The only way he gets included in a trade is if the AHL GM asks his boss to trade for a backup goalie. He's not going to be a player that anyone asks for and certainly won't be a dealbreaker when it comes to a package for an NHL player.

To add to that if any GM is gonna try to trade for one of our minor league goalies he's certainly going to be 3 on the pecking list to ask for.

 

[DatBoyJPP]

Who is this Pesonen fellow? I had no idea he was in the system till he suddenly showed up in my NHL 13 as an 80 overall. Is he any good? Any top6 potential?

He was a summer signing from Finland. Has potential to be a 3rd liner in the NHL, 2nd line is a stretch. My guess is he is AHL depth.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Who is this Pesonen fellow? I had no idea he was in the system till he suddenly showed up in my NHL 13 as an 80 overall. Is he any good? Any top6 potential?

I dunno about top 6, but he COULD potentially be a complimentary Zubrus type player (though he's much smaller) on a second line. First off, he skates like the wind. He's real good along the boards and he plays with a bit of an edge. He can control and protect the puck alright, but I'd say his overall offensive skills are mostly average. Average hands, average shot, average vision. I think he'd be a little outclassed in an NHL scoring role.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Thanks for the post and review!

Do you think there is a good chance if Lou, and Pete aren't happy with Tedenby should the lockout end that Whitney could be a candidate? He's got the highest PPG average on the team though I'm sure Butler could have passed him by now with 3 goals in the last 2 games. He led the team in points last year too. Think he's better than a guy like Palmeri who saw significant NHL time with us? He screams Gionta to me though closer to Stephen than Brian of course. I think there's a chance he could be even better.

Whitney is a little hard to gauge. I'm not sure he has the puck possession skills to make up for how ridiculously small he is. He's two inches shorter than St. Louis and he looks like he'd blow away if you turned up the AC. He's definitely got the hockey sense, though. He knows where to go to give his teammates options and he's a pretty good distributor. I was really surprised to see him and Larsson running the first powerplay unit but he didn't look out of place at all.

Between him and Tedenby, Tedenby clearly has more talent. He's got that "puck on a string" sort of control and he was easily the best skater on the ice all night when I saw him. I really don't know what's up with him. He was on the shutdown line all night and he looked lost trying to make something out of nothing with Gionta and Sestito on his line.

I get the feeling Tedenby was specifically tasked to work on his defense or something. That line has been pretty bad defensively since its inception and it's still intact. And Kowalsky apparently likes Teddy's offense because he's on the top powerplay unit. So I dunno. I think it's gonna come down to what happens in camp for Tedenby. I've always been a huge supporter of him, and I saw a whole lot of promise (and improvement) in Teddy's game last Thursday night. But I understand the doubts, and if he can't produce when put with moderately skilled linemates (read: not who he's currently playing with) then there's no reason to have him in New Jersey. Trade him to some team that'll give him a chance to score because that's where his value will be.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm not underrating him at all. None of the other 29 GMs care about him. The only way he gets included in a trade is if the AHL GM asks his boss to trade for a backup goalie. He's not going to be a player that anyone asks for and certainly won't be a dealbreaker when it comes to a package for an NHL player.

To add to that if any GM is gonna try to trade for one of our minor league goalies he's certainly going to be 3 on the pecking list to ask for.

Fair enough, and I agree with what you're saying. He won't be a dealbreaker, and no one would ask for him I don't think. The only reason I'm thinking a trade is a possibility is Wedgewood. I don't think they'd send him or Kinkaid to the ECHL cause they're above that. Wedgewood is only there because he just turned pro, and the other guys are already in Albany. If they wanna get Wedgewood up to the A then they've gotta clear Frazee or Kinkaid, and Frazee would be the best bet. I don't know how waivers work up there, but that's the only way to get rid of him I can think of is a trade. Even a trade for another AHL player or players.

 

[Bleedred]

Whitney is a little hard to gauge. I'm not sure he has the puck possession skills to make up for how ridiculously small he is. He's two inches shorter than St. Louis and he looks like he'd blow away if you turned up the AC. He's definitely got the hockey sense, though. He knows where to go to give his teammates options and he's a pretty good distributor. I was really surprised to see him and Larsson running the first powerplay unit but he didn't look out of place at all.

Between him and Tedenby, Tedenby clearly has more talent. He's got that "puck on a string" sort of control and he was easily the best skater on the ice all night when I saw him. I really don't know what's up with him. He was on the shutdown line all night and he looked lost trying to make something out of nothing with Gionta and Sestito on his line.

I get the feeling Tedenby was specifically tasked to work on his defense or something. That line has been pretty bad defensively since its inception and it's still intact. And Kowalsky apparently likes Teddy's offense because he's on the top powerplay unit. So I dunno. I think it's gonna come down to what happens in camp for Tedenby. I've always been a huge supporter of him, and I saw a whole lot of promise (and improvement) in Teddy's game last Thursday night. But I understand the doubts, and if he can't produce when put with moderately skilled linemates (read: not who he's currently playing with) then there's no reason to have him in New Jersey. Trade him to some team that'll give him a chance to score because that's where his value will be.

I haven't really liked the guy since around the 20 game mark last season in the NHL. It's like he has the talent, but he's too fancy or passes when he should shoot. I remember him having quite a few breakaways, and partial breakaways last year in the NHL, and he would hit the glass, or get too fancy, and waste time, and the defender would catch up to him, and knock him off the puck. I want him to do good if it will help our NHL team. Rick should put him with Josefson cause they've played before, but I know Josefson is on the shutdown line, and he don't trust him there yet, so he's got him with Gio, and Sestito on this new shutdown line like you said.

Gio, and Tedenby just don't go together, and Sestito well... is Sestito.

Speaking of Sestito we should have some pretty good call ups that we don't need to use him anymore. He's not bad in the A, but just isn't for the NHL. Same with Mills who is no longer there. I like the idea of someone like Whitney, or Pesonen as an NHL call up more than Sestito right now. And LOL at Whitney blowing away if the AC is turned up!

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

HE LOOKS SO TINY! And regarding the Gionta comparison, I didn't really get to see Whitney in the D zone much because Kowalsky always had Butler's line starting in the offensive zone. It's tough to say how he'd fair as a bottom-6 guy in New Jersey.

 

[Bleedred]

HE LOOKS SO TINY! And regarding the Gionta comparison, I didn't really get to see Whitney in the D zone much because Kowalsky always had Butler's line starting in the offensive zone. It's tough to say how he'd fair as a bottom-6 guy in New Jersey.

So you think Butler is the real deal? Think he can be a 20+ goal scorer in the NHL? During an 82 game season of course. He was on pace for that in 10/11 had he played 82 games, and ripped it up in the AHL with the Sens too. Maybe he's on a hot streak, but I can't believe he's where he was early in the season. Just a slump I think, It's not like he was doing nothing, It was just like he was ringing it off the pipe so much, I remember the one game he hit the post twice in OT alone, and the when it was his turn in the shootout he hit the pipe too. Glad he's shown what he can do since Henrique has been out.

 

[Devils1029]

Frazee won't be a centerpiece of any deal but I think could be something to sweeten the pot for a team in need of goaltending depth. If NJ wanted to clear room for Wedgewood then I could certainly see a move, perhaps at the draft.

I was looking at Vancouver as a possibility as we all know that with Schneider, Luongo will likely be moved. They have Eddie Lack as their top goaltending prospect but not much depth at all in nets. They also don't have a ton of depth on D.

So, lets say, Tallinder and Frazee for Mason Raymond (upcoming UFA) and a 3rd round pick.

 

[Getzo5]

Raymond? No thanks.

 

[Saugus]

The more I watch him the more I think he has NHL potential. Maybe not in a starting role, but he's a pretty solid goaltender. Just look at his stats, they are tops in the league when he lost 8 out of the 11 games. If that doesn't say anything, then I don't know what does.

He's not likely to be a long term starter, and that's what we're looking for. Developing a backup is nice, but nobody is paying a premium for one.

Gotta clear a path for Mini Brodeur eh? amirite!?

I really hope we don't draft him. All the pressure and hoopla that would come with it isn't worth the jokes.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

So you think Butler is the real deal? Think he can be a 20+ goal scorer in the NHL? During an 82 game season of course. He was on pace for that in 10/11 had he played 82 games, and ripped it up in the AHL with the Sens too. Maybe he's on a hot streak, but I can't believe he's where he was early in the season. Just a slump I think, It's not like he was doing nothing, It was just like he was ringing it off the pipe so much, I remember the one game he hit the post twice in OT alone, and the when it was his turn in the shootout he hit the pipe too. Glad he's shown what he can do since Henrique has been out.

He really does look like a quality prospect who should succeed in the NHL. His physical skills are kid and his offensive smarts look off the charts. He was finding open ice all night and he's got a real good release.

Butler's shooting 16.3% right now. That's high, but it's not off the charts high. On top of that, Butler managed to maintain a 16.2 SH% over 47 games when he was with Binghamton in the 10-11 season. He shot 13.7% when he was up with Ottawa that year, but then the season after that (11-12) he dipped to 7%. So we can likely expect (which is obvious since we're seeing it now) to see better results than his most recent NHL stint, which is a good to know.

On top of all that, I had read some criticism that he'd be lost without Spezza or something along those lines, or that he was just lucky with his linemates. However, his AHL linemates really don't look all that great. We know Whitney's talented, but he's not half the player (literally...) Spezza is. And regarding Zalewski, I have NO idea what is going so right for him on that line, because he's looked average every game I've seen of him since he came to Albany, and last Thursday was no exception. I mean he's a good AHL player and all, but I feel like he's kinda the "Palmieri" of that line. I think he lucked into a spot when Butler and Whitney were starting to heat up.

All in all, I think Butler was a real smart pickup by Lou, but that doesn't really surprise me anymore. It'll be real interesting to see where he fits if and when the league starts back up.

 

[njdevils1982]

Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDN-90rMSwU


Alright, if we could all take a second, let's hop in a time machine back to Thursday, December 27th in Springfield, Massachusetts, so that this doesn't appear totally out of place.

This was a really fun game to watch, at least from a Devils fan's perspective. The first period was a little dull until Springfield took a penalty towards the end. Devils were able to get both units on the ice throughout the PP. I was a little surprised at the makeup of the first unit.

Butler - Zalewski - Tedenby
Whitney - Larsson

Whitney was playing the point with Larsson, and Zalewski was on instead of Josefson. Tedenby was mostly parked in the crease. He ended the night with 0 shots, which I was surprised to see 'cause he got a few good whacks on some loose pucks in the crease. Whitney functions surprisingly well on the point. He's got good vision and patience and a surprisingly good slapshot for such a little guy.

The second unit was:
Anderson - Yayo - Pesonen
Hrabarenka - Urbom

This unit didn't play as well, but towards the end of the PP they got the momentum going which carried on to the goal. Burlon had a pretty good luck to find Pesonen entering the crease, but it was a little behind and it went in off his skate. Took the refs like 3 minutes to decide it was a good goal.

Anyway, the rest of the game is pretty self-explanatory from the highlights. I'll just try and recall some notes as best as possible.

• Nothing really needs to be said about Josefson that hasn't been said. He looks phenomenal. His line seemed like it was the second shutdown line. It mostly started in the defensive zone and it was usually out against either Johansen or Calvert/Atkinson.

• Gionta's line is a mess. They were essentially the shutdown line, almost always starting in the D zone. Tedenby honestly looked pretty good. He gets pucks to Gionta and Sestito and then they get turned over. I don't think Gionta or Sestito completed a pass all game. Tedenby's minus was all on the D around the net, though in their defense, Ryan Johansen isn't easy to defend.
• Gionta's line was also the line on the ice for both of Springfield's goals with their goalie pulled, except Zajac was in for Tedenby. They looked lost together and I think the two goals scored in less than 2 minutes against them are enough evidence of that.
• Macpherson and Burlon both had good and bad moments. Mac made some really good breakups in the neutral zone and Burlon did as well, but when it comes to clearing the zone, they're lost. They don't even look bad setup in the O-zone, but they're lost in transition.
• Urbom was godly on the PK. I watched him pick pocket a forward skating into the slot, shield the puck from 3 Falcons hounding him, turn away and skate a few steps and still had his head up to PASS the puck out of the zone. He used his size well ALL game and also looked pretty poised on the PP and in the O-zone. His mobility looked excellent for his size, as well.
• Whitney has a lot of plus attributes but I was surpised at his hands and puck control looking below average. He had trouble controlling the puck on the rush and he didn't look great possession-wise on a 1-on-1 basis. He's still a very effective-looking player though and he's meshed real well with his linemates.
• Butler looks like the real deal. Good skating, good puck handling, good along the boards, really good at finding open lanes and open ice to receive passes. One thing I noticed though, he made a lot of questionable passes, and a lot of his passes didn't find the mark. From this game, it looked like he likes to pass the puck to covered players. He made a terrible pass to a covered defender at the point which lead to a partial break the other way. Can't say if this sorta thing is a normal occurrence or not.

Anyway, feel free to ask me some questions. I got a good look at most of the players and was trying to keep a general track of zone starts and matchups, and I was particularly trying to pay attention to Burlon, Urbom, Macpherson, Tedenby, and Butler. Hope this wasn't too arduous to get through, I'd be happy to go over any other stuff you can think of.

great post. thanks.

 

[Bleedred]

Here's a good question. Does Whitney have more potential offensively that Palmieri had? I was high on Palmieri after his first year, but speaking of products, he seemed to be a product of Kovy that year he looked so good for that half season in 10/11. We know Palmieri is much larger, and won't be blown over when the AC is turned up!

 

[DatBoyJPP]

It's tough to compare the two. Palmieri is more of a grinder that plays physically then what Whitney plays. I think Whitney is capable of having a larger impact at the NHL than Palmieri though.