Devils 2018-19 team discussion (news and notes) - Preseason

[Goptor]

The real question is: How many years are you willing to wait to justify the theory?

I believe its at 8 seasons so far where Harris owned teams have been in the bottom 3rd spending of their respective league. Would two more years (12 seasons) at the bottom change people's opinions? Would it take 20 seasons?

 

[Billdo]

This post is not accurate at all. It seems very few are obsessed with this. Further, there are no signs that point away from this as speaking for myself, I have acknowledged several times that the owners spend tons of money on their physical plant, the surrounding area and their real estate development at large in both of their major sports properties but have yet to spend it on player contracts.

This would obviously not be because they couldn't afford it, I would assume, if true, because they didnt believe it was smart, or presented a good ROI, or something along those lines. They would not be the first (read Moneyball for example), if this was indeed the case, to approach this with a view other than "he who spends the most wins".

The Devils are now last in Projected Cap (without a Wood contract - will likely move up to 2nd to last

CapFriendly - NHL Salary Caps

The Sixers seem to be in the same position in the projected 2018-2019 NBA rankings

NBA Contracts Summary | Basketball-Reference.com

So you don't have to agree - and you obviously don't, but to say "all signs point" in the other direction is not the case.

And why do I keep posting about it? Because people keep posting the same stuff back at me. Difference is it is many people posting the same thing back at me while its just me posting the same stuff back at them.

This literally makes no sense. Having space doesn't mean you're not willing to use it.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

The real question is: How many years are you willing to wait to justify the theory?

I believe its at 8 seasons so far where Harris owned teams have been in the bottom 3rd spending of their respective league. Would two more years (12 seasons) at the bottom change people's opinions? Would it take 20 seasons?

Harris has owned the team since August 2013. Thats 5 years, not 8.

in 2013-14, the Devils were less than a million under the cap. In 14-15, they were ~$3.3 million under the cap. But sure, lets not let facts get in the way!

SOURCE- New Jersey Devils Team Salary Cap 2018-2019

 

[Devilsfan992]

The real question is: How many years are you willing to wait to justify the theory?

I believe its at 8 seasons so far where Harris owned teams have been in the bottom 3rd spending of their respective league. Would two more years (12 seasons) at the bottom change people's opinions? Would it take 20 seasons?

Sixers have a ton of young studs now. We'll see what happens.

 

[njdevil26]

The Devils AND the 76ers are in different stages of REBUILDING.

Take a look at Capfriendly. The three teams with the least cap space are the Red Wings, Blues, and Oilers. What have they won recently?

Skipping over the Pens and Caps then we have the Sharks, Wild, Panthers. Again... won nothing.

The Kings won championships 5 years ago... but no one is predicting them to win now.

Then we have the Flames and Sabres who have also won nothing.

There is absolutely no evidence that spending=success.

The Leafs, Knights, and Jets are in the lower half of the league as far as salary commitments and they are three of the better teams in the league.

The owners (and Shero and whoever the Sixers GM is) are trying to build teams practically from scratch.

If anyone is going to complain about the owners not spending money on players then I have to ask WHO were the Devils going to sign? You would have to assume that Carlson, Tavares, Neal, and others had NJ at the top of their lists if an offer came their way. PROBABLY NOT. Carlson had no reason to leave DC and never made it to July 1st without a contract. Tavares clearly wanted to go home. James Neal is 31 and signing him would be the opposite of everything Shero has been trying to do.

Some people here are insanely short sighted and impatient that they are confusing building a team the smart and right way with being cheap.

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

Why are we talking about the ****ing Sixers? Jesus...

 

[Devils Dominion]

Why are we talking about the ****ing Sixers? Jesus...

It's highly annoying

 

[BahlDeep]

The owners paid the debt of our franchise,and there's people calling them cheap LOL

 

[RangerDoggo]

I think the spending on players onus is on Shero and not the owners, who own a Premier League and an NBA team. I’m of the opinion that it takes two of tango and both sides are being unreasonable.

 

[NJDevs26]

Yeah enough with the Sixers here, we shouldn’t need to make another separate ownership thread to talk about the owners but if you guys are going to keep bringing up the Sixers that isn’t team talk.

 

[Devils Dominion]

The owners paid the debt of our franchise,and there's people calling them cheap LOL

If fans only knew how much of a mess they had to clean up in infrastructure, hockey and building ops.

Ray does NOT have an internal cap.

 

[Devil X]

Enough with the ownership talk. We have an ownership thread for a reason. If you want to continue that conversation do it there.

 

[Triumph]

Getting back to HBK's post about Studenic, I'm curious how he'll do tonight - he was impressive in Montreal from what little I saw, but I don't get why the numbers weren't there in junior. He seems to do a lot of little things right but maybe the big things just aren't there.

 

[Billdo]

Getting back to HBK's post about Studenic, I'm curious how he'll do tonight - he was impressive in Montreal from what little I saw, but I don't get why the numbers weren't there in junior. He seems to do a lot of little things right but maybe the big things just aren't there.

I'm a big fan of Studenic. He's got a decent amount of potential IMO. Looking forward to seeing if he continues to progress.

 

[njdevils1982]

Last year he was not the 13th fwd. He started the year as like the 3rd liner.

Yes as an extra fwd he'd prob get a couple games if a regular misses a game or two, but if there are longer term injuries that is when they would dip into the Bingo pool, which should have better options this year then it did last year.

So I have no problem with Stafford as an extra.

thats reasonable….do not want him suiting up the majority of the season

 

[devilsblood]

thats reasonable….do not want him suiting up the majority of the season

Agree. 4th line RW I'd much rather see Lappin. though he does have to earn that spot.

 

[Bologna 1]

Quote from Elliotte Friedman on his 31 Thoughts Podcast regarding Doug Wilson:

“But Wilson is a salesman. He knows what he’s got around him, and he finds a way to do it. They call him the dentist - when he gets you in the chair and starts talking trade with you... I’ve had other GMs who tell me that the worst feeling in the NHL is when you’ve got only one team to trade with, and that guy is Doug Wilson - because you’re not getting out of there alive. Like, you know you’re probably going to lose the deal. Because he can talk up his players and make it sound like, ‘Boy, you’re getting a hell of a prospect here,’ and everyone else is going to say, ‘What? What are you doing.’

Seems like maybe Shero got roped into that with Mueller.......

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

Seems like maybe Shero got roped into that with Mueller.......

Not enough evidence to conclude either way.

 

[Tanaka]

can wood get this own thread or is that frowned upon in this group

 

[Bologna 1]

Not enough evidence to conclude either way.

i agree with that. but just stuck out as an interesting statement to me.

 

[RangerDoggo]

It was a bad trade regardless. Bad at the time and even worse when Butcher panned out and Ray got Vats.

 

[tailfins]

nonsense

Ok Ray.

This is all small potatoes, but it's pretty clear that Ray lost the Mueller trade.

Wilson definitely sold Ray on Mueller being a former first rounder with a ton of upside. But, giving up a 2nd for a guy who was on a downward trajectory in SJ and who couldn't crack their line-up was an overpay. Especially when the Devils had to do the trade before the expansion draft. Mueller was a guy the Sharks could have lost for free - instead they got draft picks. The Devils, meanwhile, could have protected another player, but had to protect Mueller.

It could still turn out ok. Maybe Mueller steps up this year. He showed flashes last year, and reportedly had a good World Championships tournament. But, given that similar value has brought back Palms, Johansson, Maroon, (and for other teams, Kempny, Cole), it seems like we can reasonably say that Ray overpaid on this one.

It's ok. No one bats 1.000

 

[Nubmer6]

Funny. I was dead set against the Mueller trade when it came down. People on this board convinced me that a 2nd round pick is "Literally nothing". So how do we lose a trade if we gave up literally nothing for a player?

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Ok Ray.

This is all small potatoes, but it's pretty clear that Ray lost the Mueller trade.

Wilson definitely sold Ray on Mueller being a former first rounder with a ton of upside. But, giving up a 2nd for a guy who was on a downward trajectory in SJ and who couldn't crack their line-up was an overpay. Especially when the Devils had to do the trade before the expansion draft. Mueller was a guy the Sharks could have lost for free - instead they got draft picks. The Devils, meanwhile, could have protected another player, but had to protect Mueller.

It could still turn out ok. Maybe Mueller steps up this year. He showed flashes last year, and reportedly had a good World Championships tournament. But, given that similar value has brought back Palms, Johansson, Maroon, (and for other teams, Kempny, Cole), it seems like we can reasonably say that Ray overpaid on this one.

It's ok. No one bats 1.000

Mueller was playing quite well and then suffered a serious injury. He then wasn't able to find his footing at the tail end of the season.

Who would we have protected in the expansion draft? We lost Merrill who stinks as it is.

making a definitive conclusion either way on that trade, at this point in time, is nonsense.

 

[My3Sons]

I recall reading something about Buffalo having offered a third for Mueller already so NJ had to beat that offer. I’m not convinced Wilson sold Shero on Mueller. If two teams were after him it sounds to me like they both identified Mueller as undervalued in SJ and a poaching opportunity. So far the jury is still out but Muller hasn’t paid any real dividends yet.