Devils 2018-19 team discussion (news and notes) - part XIX

[Stephen Gionta]

I honestly don’t think you can approach this offseason that much different from previous ones.

If deals are there for a guy of the right age and skill level, you make it. Otherwise you keep drafting and developing young players.

It’s easy to throw pieces away to build a fool’s gold playoff team like Columbus. It’s harder to build a real contender.

Retweet times 100000. Absolutely agree.

Good thing is this offseason seems to have a lot more options to improve, as opposed to last summer.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I honestly don’t think you can approach this offseason that much different from previous ones.

If deals are there for a guy of the right age and skill level, you make it. Otherwise you keep drafting and developing young players.

It’s easy to throw pieces away to build a fool’s gold playoff team like Columbus. It’s harder to build a real contender.

With all deals, whether a trade or signing a free agent, it takes two to tango. With that being said, the approach absolutely cannot be build through the draft and maybe do the old 2nd and 3rd for a middle six forward. Ray needs to be as aggressive as possible in bringing in another top flight forward and/or a legit top pairing defenseman at a bare minimum.

And if the Devils find out they have one of the top two picks on Tuesday night, Ray has to take things to level 11 the second the season is over. The team’s 2020 first should immediately put on the table if that happens.

 

[Bleedred]

That lineup isn’t good enough. Have to add via trade or free agency if we aren’t getting a top 2 pick.

Agreed.

I think we can find a Mojo-like guy from a cap strapped team for cheap.

I think we all liked the Mojo trade at the time we made it, despite underwhelming early on.

Maybe even another Kyle Palmieri type, that's still mid-20's or so.

 

[Ripshot 43]

With all deals, whether a trade or signing a free agent, it takes two to tango. With that being said, the approach absolutely cannot be build through the draft and maybe do the old 2nd and 3rd for a middle six forward. Ray needs to be as aggressive as possible in bringing in another top flight forward and/or a legit top pairing defenseman at a bare minimum.

And if the Devils find out they have one of the top two picks on Tuesday night, Ray has to take things to level 11 the second the season is over. The team’s 2020 first should immediately put on the table if that happens.

You trade the 1st and we immediately run the risk of being this year Ottawa Senators. A team picking top 2 in your scenario doesn’t immediately turn around and become a perennial playoff contender. You trade 1sts if and only if you are locked into the playoffs and you can secure a top player, otherwise you continue building slowly.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Just dream with me for a moment

Hughes, Hischier, Zacha - best center depth in the league in five years

PLEASE BABY JESUS

 

[Emperoreddy]

You need franchise cornerstones to truly contend. We have acquired some, but we need more. Especially on the blue line.

End of the day the best way to acquire that is through the draft.

 

[BurntToast]

Quick props to Travis Zajac for ending the season with the second best faceoff percentage. He has evolved into one of my Favorite Devils player Past/Present. He was a good 2C, but he is a great 3C/PKer.

 

[Blender]

Quick props to Travis Zajac for ending the season with the second best faceoff percentage. He has evolved into one of my Favorite Devils player Past/Present. He was a good 2C, but he is a great 3C/PKer.

Really Zajac had a great season, but he gets no recognition. #1 in faceoff percentage among players who took over 1,000 faceoffs (58.2%), 63 takeaways (as unreliable as this stat is), 2:43 SH TOI/game (2nd among forwards), respectable 47.6% corsi on our garbage team while playing against top lines and starting only 36% of the time in the offensive zone, while putting up a respectable 46 points in 80 games.

 

[Maine Fan]

I agree with those that are saying the following players won't or shouldn't return next season: Nick Lappin; Micro Mueller, Kurtis Gabriel, Egor Yakovlev, and Drew Stafford. That's for starters.

 

[BurntToast]

I agree with those that are saying the following players won't or shouldn't return next season: Nick Lappin; Micro Mueller, Kurtis Gabriel, Egor Yakovlev, and Drew Stafford. That's for starters.

I wouldn’t mind seeing the Devils resign Yakovlev to another 2-Way, but I can also see him leaving for better opportunities (NHL or KHL).

 

[Whaddagoal]

I agree with those that are saying the following players won't or shouldn't return next season: Nick Lappin; Micro Mueller, Kurtis Gabriel, Egor Yakovlev, and Drew Stafford. That's for starters.

Why not Mueller again? Also wouldnt mind seeing Yaks kept in organization as depth, but as someone mentioned above, he probably can get a better deal for himself in KHL or another team. Perhaps he wants to stay NHL side...

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

View attachment 210239

You trade the 1st and we immediately run the risk of being this year Ottawa Senators. A team picking top 2 in your scenario doesn’t immediately turn around and become a perennial playoff contender. You trade 1sts if and only if you are locked into the playoffs and you can secure a top player, otherwise you continue building slowly.

1,000 likes for this post. I always find it amazing that fans want to do what bad teams do.

 

[Bleedred]

Yes to Mueller (I’m taking him over Carrick, but there probably isn’t much difference), no to Gabriel (unless it’s AHL only, then I don’t care), and it’s time for Stafford to hit the trails to retirement.

I’m okay with Yakovlev, but we can’t keep hoarding bottom pairing defensemen and expect to have a better or upgraded defense. We can’t re-sign every bottom pairing guy, then complain that the defense sucks next year after gushing over and thinking it’s imperative that we bring back all of or even most of Mueller, Carrick and Yakovlev or getting butt hurt when we don’t bring them back. I mean, some of the posts I saw suggesting we should have brought back John Moore at various times this year. Yeah, he’s just what we needed, another bottom pairing defenseman.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Really Zajac had a great season, but he gets no recognition. #1 in faceoff percentage among players who took over 1,000 faceoffs (58.2%), 63 takeaways (as unreliable as this stat is), 2:43 SH TOI/game (2nd among forwards), respectable 47.6% corsi on our garbage team while playing against top lines and starting only 36% of the time in the offensive zone, while putting up a respectable 46 points in 80 games.

He’s one of the few guys that deserve an A grade for this season. Coleman is another.

 

[Bleedred]

He’s one of the few guys that deserve an A grade for this season. Coleman is another.

Yeah, I'd probably give Zajac an A, Coleman probably an A-. Hischier probably gets a B+, Blackwood gets a B+. I'd have to think about Bratt, but it would be no lower than a B+, maybe even an A-. Zacha probably gets a B-. I'd give Severson a B. Palmieri gets a B. Butcher probably gets a B-. Everyone else probably gets lower than that. I can't think of anybody else that deserves higher than a C+. Wood is maybe borderline between C+ and B-, same with Vatanen. Agostino gets an A, but he wasn't here all season. Hall probably gets a B, but he hasn't played in what already feels like a year ago.

I'd give Greene a C+. If he were in his prime, he'd probably get lower than that, but I'm grading on a bell curve.

Schneider gets a D. He was completely unplayable before February and why we had to go with Kinkaid for months, which was a massive failure.

Kinkaid gets a D- and not an F because Kinkaid is not a starting goaltender and he was asked to be one. If he really were a starting goaltender and performed like that, he'd get a huge F.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Yes to Mueller (I’m taking him over Carrick, but there probably isn’t much difference), no to Gabriel (unless it’s AHL only, then I don’t care), and it’s time for Stafford to hit the trails to retirement.

I’m okay with Yakovlev, but we can’t keep hoarding bottom pairing defensemen and expect to have a better or upgraded defense. We can’t re-sign every bottom pairing guy, then complain that the defense sucks next year after gushing over and thinking it’s imperative that we bring back all of or even most of Mueller, Carrick and Yakovlev or getting butt hurt when we don’t bring them back. I mean, some of the posts I saw suggesting we should have brought back John Moore at various times this year. Yeah, he’s just what we needed, another bottom pairing defenseman.

I'm the Moore guy. He still better than all those mentioned.

I agree we shouldn't hoard all bottom pairing guys, but we should keep one. Mueller is young and could improve. He has size, fiesty, can move the puck into ozone reasonably well. I still think we should move away from Greene as soon as we can. I liked him im org,for long time, but its time to move on, IMO. I don't see him as right leader for this team.

If we somehow dont get upgrade for some reason no one signs with us, you gotta hold onto more, for injury depth. Look at this seasons worth of injuries.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm the Moore guy. He still better than all those mentioned.

I agree we shouldn't hoard all bottom pairing guys, but we should keep one. Mueller is young and could improve. He has size, fiesty, can move the puck into ozone reasonably well. I still think we should move away from Greene as soon as we can. I liked him im org,for long time, but its time to move on, IMO. I don't see him as right leader for this team.

If we somehow dont get upgrade for some reason no one signs with us, you gotta hold onto more, for injury depth. Look at this seasons worth of injuries.

I'm okay with one more year of Greene, but it should be in a role similar to what Lovejoy was doing the last two years.

I think it's alright to keep one of those guys or even two if one of them is used in a depth #7 role, but we already have Superstar Steve Santini probably tied to that spot to at least start next season.

Keep Mueller, let Carrick be this year's Warsofsky and walk (he's better than Warsofsky, but I'm just using the comparison of how Warsofsky walked as an RFA) and Yakovlev probably doesn't wanna come back to be the #7-#8 guy, so he's probably done.

 

[Whaddagoal]

I'm okay with one more year of Greene, but it should be in a role similar to what Lovejoy was doing the last two years.

I think it's alright to keep one of those guys or even two if one of them is used in a depth #7 role, but we already have Superstar Steve Santini probably tied to that spot to at least start next season.

Keep Mueller, let Carrick be this year's Warsofsky and walk (he's better than Warsofsky, but I'm just using the comparison of how Warsofsky walked as an RFA) and Yakovlev probably doesn't wanna come back to be the #7-#8 guy, so he's probably done.

Maybe package Santini in a trade of sorts, either at draft or before season starts. That solves his space. Then sign or bring up someone better .

 

[BahlDeep]

25 points, #1 dman on the PK with one of the best PK in the league (I think it's number 1).

Greene doesn't deserve a C+, this is foolish

 

[Bleedred]

Greene a C+, okay... lol

And Mueller is better than Butcher and Santini is better than Severson too.

Why should Greene get anything better than a C+? You've ripped this defense so much, that you've cited it as the reason that career backup Keith Kinkaid can't produce average numbers as a starter, but you think Andy Greene at 36 years old deserves better than a C+? Next thing you'll be telling me Schneider deserves a C+ because of how good he was for 17 games to end the season.

C is an an average grade and I gave him a C+. How is Andy Greene anything better than an average defenseman in the year 2019? HOW?!

 

[Bleedred]

Maybe package Santini in a trade of sorts, either at draft or before season starts. That solves his space. Then sign or bring up someone better .

Santini isn't good though. I don't think anyone wants him with 2 years remaining. If he were waiver exempt, maybe? But he no longer is.

 

[Blender]

And Mueller is better than Butcher and Santini is better than Severson too.

Why should Greene get anything better than a C+? You've ripped this defense so much, that you've cited it as the reason that career backup Keith Kinkaid can't produce average numbers as a starter, but you think Andy Greene at 36 years old deserves better than a C+? Next thing you'll be telling me Schneider deserves a C+ because of how good he was for 17 games to end the season.

C is an an average grade and I gave him a C+. How is Andy Greene anything better than an average defenseman in the year 2019? HOW?!

Grades are relative to expectations. Greene is definitely an A.

 

[MartyOwns]

dammit i had us finishing 24-27 this year. so close. i’m glad i was wrong though for the sake of the draft,we’re going to get a nice acceleration in this rebuild no matter where we pick. even conte wouldn’t be able to f*** this up

Devils 2018-19 team discussion (player news and notes) - offseason part VI

 

[Bleedred]

Grades are relative to expectations. Greene is definitely an A.

I'll give him this much, he played better this year than I thought he would. But we (management and coaching staff) can't be content with that and rely on that as some kind of indication that he'll be exceed expectations again next year.

But it's 2019 and players get old. A lot of our favorite and long tenured players (the ones who stuck around long enough) weren't themselves by the end of their time here. Not that they were all terrible, not all of them were Jay Pandolfo or Colin White bad by the end of their time here. Marty, Dano, Randy McKay, Madden and countless others (including the aforementioned White and Pandolfo) weren't really themselves anymore by the end of their time here. I think Scott Stevens and maybe Elias were the two guys who didn't drop off much and even in Stevens case, I think it's safe to say 2003 Scott Stevens wasn't as good as 2000 Scott Stevens.

Even Elias dropped off a bit in his second to last season (last full season here) here, but it wasn't too bad. I think it's fair to say Greene is probably in that territory right now. He's not twilight Daneyko, McKay, Pandolfo or White bad, but I don't think it's an insult to say this 36 year old player that's probably in the last two or three years of his career (he might play one more year after next, but I don't think it should be here) is not nearly what he was in say pre-2015 or so.

 

[Blender]

I'll give him this much, he played better this year than I thought he would. But we (management and coaching staff) can't be content with that and rely on that as some kind of indication that he'll be exceed expectations again next year.

But it's 2019 and players get old. A lot of our favorite and long tenured players (the ones who stuck around long enough) weren't themselves by the end of their time here. Not that they were all terrible, not all of them were Jay Pandolfo or Colin White bad by the end of their time here. Marty, Dano, Randy McKay, Madden and countless others (including the aforementioned White and Pandolfo) weren't really themselves anymore by the end of their time here. I think Scott Stevens and maybe Elias were the two guys who didn't drop off much and even in Stevens case, I think it's safe to say 2003 Scott Stevens wasn't as good as 2000 Scott Stevens.

Even Elias dropped off a bit in his second to last season (last full season here) here, but it wasn't too bad. I think it's fair to say Greene is probably in that territory right now. He's not twilight Daneyko, McKay, Pandolfo or White bad, but I don't think it's an insult to say this 36 year old player that's probably in the last two or three years of his career (he might play one more year after next, but I don't think it should be here) is not nearly what he was in say pre-2015 or so.

Greene is still being overplayed, but that isn't his fault. For a 36 year old that was being asked to play like a #1 shutdown defenseman despite the fact that he's more of a depth guy now, he gets an A for how he performed. That is completely separate from the fact that we need to add better defensemen to this team so he is pushed down the lineup and has his work load lightened.