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

[Triumph]

Chris Ryan and the Seney quote made it sound like he would have become a free agent in August.

Yeah, he would've. Going UFA isn't always best, though - I think for Seney, a guy who played for a weak college program and wasn't drafted high, it's a safer bet to go with the team that drafted him. He got to play in the AHL right away, he gets paid his bonus on July 1, and he gets to go to development camp.

 

[My3Sons]

One person suggested it and it was universally shot down.

A broad brush is often used as a straw man I notice

 

[glenwo2]

would you take cammaleri.....

Uhh....no.

 

[devilsblood]

To go even further. If you feel comfortable with Palms and Bratt as your top 6 RWs (which isn’t bad at all if you have faith in Bratt) then the only open forward spot is 3RW.

One of Anderson, McLeod, Speers, Lappin can easily fill that spot. Hell Noesen could fill it and you put one of the above at 4RW.

We really don’t need to be wasting a contract on wingers outside an extra to sit in the press box, so the kids that don’t get a regular spot can get every day time in Bingo.

Personally I start the season with Coleman Zajac Noesen as a line. They were very good together last year. Shutting down top lines, thus easing the work loads of the Nico and Zacha lines, and chipping in goals themselves. I find it a pretty easy call at this point.

I have to disagree with the bolded. Zajac cannot be our 2C this season if we want to have any sort of success up front.

That's not to disparage Zajac as a player overall, but we need the second line to score. He won't facilitate that. We have to have him at 3C as a Madden-esque shutdown center who can occasionally chip in but not be counted on to score regularly.

Can't have him bring down his wingers on the second line imo.

Whatever you want to call the Zajac line, whether 2nd or 3rd, I don't think it matters, but they played very important important minutes last year. The hope is Zacha can produce at a more typical 2nd line level, produce more then Zajac's line, but I'm not positive they will be more important then Zajac's line.

Still I agree, we want the Zacha line to be the "2nd" line.

 

[dzubrus8]

What would it take to get Mark Stone in NJ? Currently a 26-year old RFA, arbitration can only get him a 1-year contract. Could become a UFA next week if Ottawa's ownership is really that penny-pinching. Even if they do bring him back on a 1-year, he's a UFA next year and probably doesn't wanna go back to a team that sent him all the way to arbitration and undervalued him.

Could Devils start the talks with 2019 1st and Marcus Johansson?

This got lost in the shuffle. What do you guys think?

 

[Tretyak 20]

This got lost in the shuffle. What do you guys think?

I think it's utterly ridiculous. Look up Stone's career numbers and compare them to Johansson's. They're nearly identical. And you want us to throw in a 1st too?

 

[Blender]

This got lost in the shuffle. What do you guys think?

While I think Stone is better than Johansson, paying a premium for a marginal upgrade in a position that isn't a need is horribly stupid.

 

[dzubrus8]

I think it's utterly ridiculous. Look up Stone's career numbers and compare them to Johansson's. They're nearly identical. And you want us to throw in a 1st too?

Couldn't agree any less. Mojo has never had 60 points in a season. Mark Stone did that in 55 games last year and 3 times in his career. He's an elite two-way right winger. Would give the Devils' forward corps the final piece and perhaps one of the league's best top lines with Hall (MVP), Hischier (#1 pick 2018) and Stone (perhaps the best two-way forward right wing in the NHL)

Hall - Hischier - Stone
Bratt - Zacha - Palmieri
Coleman - Zajac - Noesen
Wood - Boyle - Anderson

That's a top-10 forward corps in the NHL.

(Add-on: one reason why Ottawa could bite is that they get another good forward to replace Stone. They also lack a 1st round pick next year because of the Duchene trade even though they are going to be a bottom-3 team so that'll certainly help. Also pure conjecture but perhaps another Swede could help Erik Karlsson a little happier in Ottawa)

 

[njdevils1982]

One person suggested it and it was universally shot down.

at least we we let 'em down easy right?

 

[njdevils1982]

Your satire has become so accurate that you're predicting future posts.

i do know one of the bat signals for bleed is "jason ryznar"

 

[RememberTheName]

I nearly spat out my drink at ‘marginal upgrade over Johansson’. I would do MoJo + 1st EASILY for Stone. He is that good. By far the top two way winger in the game, and is usually good for about 60 points a year, something MoJo has never come close to. I don’t care if it isn’t a position of need, you get offered that trade, you take it no questions asked

 

[A91]

Oilers fan not sure why im here

But Cammaleri is complete and utter garbage at this point. The only reason he had the abysmal point total he did was due to our coach playing him with Draisaitl/McDavid around the deadline.

 

[OmNomNom]

Oilers fan not sure why im here

But Cammaleri is complete and utter garbage at this point. The only reason he had the abysmal point total he did was due to our coach playing him with Draisaitl/McDavid around the deadline.

we knew it, but i guess chia didn't

 

[RememberTheName]

Oilers fan not sure why im here

But Cammaleri is complete and utter garbage at this point. The only reason he had the abysmal point total he did was due to our coach playing him with Draisaitl/McDavid around the deadline.

Lol. I remember when he was with us in his final year, he had something like 1 goal in 41 games, and utterly useless whenever he stepped on the ice

 

[A91]

we knew it, but i guess chia didn't

Congratulations?

 

[A91]

Lol. I remember when he was with us in his final year, he had something like 1 goal in 41 games, and utterly useless whenever he stepped on the ice

Not sure how he earned a contract with the Kings last season, or how he stuck around with the Oil as long as he did. Our coach liked him a lot I suspect.
We traded Jokinen for him early into the season, another terrible player.

 

[OmNomNom]

Congratulations?

no that wasn't a backhanded comment, i mean chia decided to just take a gamble on him. i assume most GMs now know who he is, but his age was starting to show, which is why we dropped him

 

[A91]

no that wasn't a backhanded comment, i mean chia decided to just take a gamble on him. i assume most GMs now know who he is, but his age was starting to show, which is why we dropped him

Yea sorry that comment was a little bitter lol. Still uneasy with Devils fans-Chia comments I guess
You were right though it was a dumb acquisition, was evident the moment he arrived.

Are Devils fans worried that the lack of moves this summer will lead to missing the playoffs? Or are ya'll pretty confident you will be back?

 

[dzubrus8]

I nearly spat out my drink at ‘marginal upgrade over Johansson’. I would do MoJo + 1st EASILY for Stone. He is that good. By far the top two way winger in the game, and is usually good for about 60 points a year, something MoJo has never come close to. I don’t care if it isn’t a position of need, you get offered that trade, you take it no questions asked

Would love to somehow convince Dorion that he's just a marginal upgrade over Mojo. I would throw in a conditional 2020 1st if he re-signs. I think we wouldn't need to make one addition to the forward corps for the next 5+ years if we bring in Stone and then just re-sign our own guys.

Interested to see what the arbitration #'s are. I could see Stone asking for 8 (seeing as how Ryan once upon a time got 7.25) and Ottawa countering with <6. Purely speculation. If that's the case, I wouldn't mind Ray "Cap Space is our Friend" Shero coming in at the 11th hour to make something happen.

 

[My3Sons]

Couldn't agree any less. Mojo has never had 60 points in a season. Mark Stone did that in 55 games last year and 3 times in his career. He's an elite two-way right winger. Would give the Devils' forward corps the final piece and perhaps one of the league's best top lines with Hall (MVP), Hischier (#1 pick 2018) and Stone (perhaps the best two-way forward right wing in the NHL)

Hall - Hischier - Stone
Bratt - Zacha - Palmieri
Coleman - Zajac - Noesen
Wood - Boyle - Anderson

That's a top-10 forward corps in the NHL.

(Add-on: one reason why Ottawa could bite is that they get another good forward to replace Stone. They also lack a 1st round pick next year because of the Duchene trade even though they are going to be a bottom-3 team so that'll certainly help. Also pure conjecture but perhaps another Swede could help Erik Karlsson a little happier in Ottawa)

Unless PZ takes a significant step forward it’s not enough of an upgrade. I agree it’s betyer than current but you need the 2C to solidify the top 6.

 

[dzubrus8]

Unless PZ takes a significant step forward it’s not enough of an upgrade. I agree it’s betyer than current but you need the 2C to solidify the top 6.

Fair enough, but I think just by nature of the fact that Zacha will have better linemates and he'll be one year further in his development, he should see an uptick in production. Whether that's 30 points or 40 points I don't know yet. (Besides, a lot of them can and likely will be determined by how much opportunity he gets 5-on-4.) With those wingers and Zajac – a truly elite defensive center – as 3C, Zacha can be the weak point of the top-6 and the offense will still be a top-10 unit.

 

[glenwo2]

we knew it, but i guess chia didn't

I wonder if Chia knows NOW what ONE-FOR-ONE is? #TaylorHart

 

[Bleedred]

Your satire has become so accurate that you're predicting future posts.

I've always had a knack for somehow predicting the future, although it's usually been nothing groundbreaking!

I feel like there will be some movement of some kind in the coming week, involving some mediocre player(s) or prospects. People will then be outraged about why we didn't do that, just because a move was made somewhere around the league and it wasn't made by us. We already had one or two people that were not happy with us not picking up Hossa's dead cap hit.

I remember when there was one or two people who weren't very happy that we didn't pick up Lawson Crouse for whatever Florida (LOL) got from Arizona (LOL again) in that trade a year or two ago.

 

[OmNomNom]

Yea sorry that comment was a little bitter lol. Still uneasy with Devils fans-Chia comments I guess
You were right though it was a dumb acquisition, was evident the moment he arrived.

Are Devils fans worried that the lack of moves this summer will lead to missing the playoffs? Or are ya'll pretty confident you will be back?

after seeing our prospects, i think we've kind of settled down. it was annoying at first, since shero was radio silent, but he opened up about who he went for, and ultimately, i think we came to terms that this crop of free agents wasn't THAT great. there's still some time to get people via trade, anyway.

 

[Nico the Draft Riser]

Unless PZ takes a significant step forward it’s not enough of an upgrade. I agree it’s betyer than current but you need the 2C to solidify the top 6.

You consider solidifying the 2C spot as more valuable than getting a severely underrated top line talent??