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

[Devils Dominion]

I definitely think a game against the rangers or isles or flyers. Team could easily bring one set of unis and not be far from home.

I'd pick these games

11/23 vs NYb
12/23 vs Cbj
2/10 vs Rawly
3/19 vs Wash

 

[Bleedred]

Rank these players in order of their importance in Devils history

Ken Sutton
Anton Volchenkov
Steve Kelly
Jaromir Jagr
Kevin Dean

Almost sounds like a trick question or something underlying here, but I really can't think of anything important about Dean or Kelly. They were mostly just bodies. Same could be said for Ken Sutton.

Volchenkov was meh and his contract kind of sucked, but we got out of it via amnesty buyout.

Jagr wasn't really important for us, but it would be very disingenuous to say any of those other guys were more important in Devils history. Dean and Kelly didn't even bring back significant pieces in trade. Dean was taken by the Thrashers in the expansion draft (I think?) and Kelly was traded for Bob Corkum at the 2001 deadline. Sutton was just a bottom pairing and sometimes #7 defenseman.

 

[MadDevil]

My Mount Suckmore would probably be the goon of the year signings we used to make (Boulton, Peters, PL3, etc.). Fraser would be on it for defensemen. I would say post lockout Malakhov and McGillis, but neither played even 30 games for us that year. Ryder, Rolston, Cammalleri, Volchenkov, etc. regressed because of age, so it's kind of hard to hold it against them. Brunner was pretty useless though.

 

[theoptimist]

Anyone remember Jan Hrdina?

 

[Nubmer6]

Anyone remember Jan Hrdina?

That's "Funky Jan Hrdina" to you.

 

[Wingman77]

Almost sounds like a trick question or something underlying here, but I really can't think of anything important about Dean or Kelly. They were mostly just bodies. Same could be said for Ken Sutton.

Volchenkov was meh and his contract kind of sucked, but we got out of it via amnesty buyout.

Jagr wasn't really important for us, but it would be very disingenuous to say any of those other guys were more important in Devils history. Dean and Kelly didn't even bring back significant pieces in trade. Dean was taken by the Thrashers in the expansion draft (I think?) and Kelly was traded for Bob Corkum at the 2001 deadline. Sutton was just a bottom pairing and sometimes #7 defenseman.

Jagr being fun to have around aside and making those teams more bearable to watch, he significantly helped keep those otherwise bad teams more afloat than they should have been.

With Volchenkov, we got some of these gems (and a WOO from Chico)

 

[Cheddabombs]

I miss A-Train

 

[The Wumpus]

What comes next, on-ice hockey wise? The Buffalo rookie tournament?

 

[Bleedred]

Anyone remember Jan Hrdina?

He wasn't bad for us. Only played 13 regular season games and 5 playoff games. Had a combined 9 points in those 18 combined games. He also got rid of Mike Rupp who always sucked. Until we wound up getting Rupp back again. Thankfully we were without him for a while, due to this transaction.

My Mount Suckmore would probably be the goon of the year signings we used to make (Boulton, Peters, PL3, etc.). Fraser would be on it for defensemen. I would say post lockout Malakhov and McGillis, but neither played even 30 games for us that year. Ryder, Rolston, Cammalleri, Volchenkov, etc. regressed because of age, so it's kind of hard to hold it against them. Brunner was pretty useless though.

I hated the goon signings 25 years ago. I remember fighting with people online just as recent as a few years ago, that we need goons to protect guys like Kovalchuk, Parise, etc. So guys won't take runs at our stars, if we had players like that on our roster.

 

[AgentBrodeur]

Cam Janssen, Eric Boulton, Mark Fraser were all garbage players.

I have to beg to differ with Cam, He had so much heart, the game just changed.

 

[Davegarri]

I hated the goon signings 25 years ago. I remember fighting with people online just as recent as a few years ago, that we need goons to protect guys like Kovalchuk, Parise, etc. So guys won't take runs at our stars, if we had players like that on our roster.

You mean you didn't love signing Krys Barch and Tom Kostopoulos in the same offseason in 2012-13? They combined for 1 point that entire season lol

That roster was pretty horrible

 

[Davegarri]

I have to beg to differ with Cam, He had so much heart, the game just changed.

Cam Janssen had 6 goals and 8 assists in 336 games over his entire career. Big heart or not, he was a garbage player.

 

[AgentBrodeur]

How awesome would it be to see Hall raise the Stanley Cup while wearing the 3rd Jersey?

what were the rules (if any) on the 3rd jersey. I thought it was only 4 games. But playoffs was never mentioned. Have teams ever worn a third jersey in the playoffs? my memory is not too good.

 

[AgentBrodeur]

Cam Janssen had 6 goals and 8 assists in 336 games over his entire career. Big heart or not, he was a garbage player.

those are some pretty bad stats. Like i said, the game has changed, he was great for 4th liner in a rangers game.

 

[Devils Dominion]

Cam Janssen had 6 goals and 8 assists in 336 games over his entire career. Big heart or not, he was a garbage player.

He had his role and played it well most of the time

 

[Bleedred]

You mean you didn't love signing Krys Barch and Tom Kostopoulos in the same offseason in 2012-13? They combined for 1 point that entire season lol

That roster was pretty horrible

Ugh. We bought out Boulton (who was horrific) only to sign Barch for two years. Then we got the Panthers and Tallon to take the last year of his contract, despite the fact that Tallon was the one that wouldn't re-sign him before we did. That's who he was with before us, the Panthers.

Cam Janssen had 6 goals and 8 assists in 336 games over his entire career. Big heart or not, he was a garbage player.

Yeah, fun guy, but he sucked at NHL hockey. Like really bad.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Cam Janssen had 6 goals and 8 assists in 336 games over his entire career. Big heart or not, he was a garbage player.

Stupid take - and I fought many wars with Bleed on this as well.

To paraphrase Lou: Everyone has a role, play your role. We don't need 22 violinists.

Cam did exactly his job and did it well.

Dontari Poe, Chiefs offensive lineman, threw a touchdown pass. By your standards he's the best offensive lineman in history.

 

[Bleedred]

Stupid take - and I fought many wars with Bleed on this as well.

To paraphrase Lou: Everyone has a role, play your role. We don't need 22 violinists.

Cam did exactly his job and did it well.

Dontari Poe, Chiefs offensive lineman, threw a touchdown pass. By your standards he's the best offensive lineman in history.

I don't disagree that he did his job well.

I have just disagreed with the notion that we needed this kind of player in the game, and it looks like we're just about at the point where we no longer have these types of players, at least not in the NHL. They've been phased out just in the last 5-6 years.

 

[OmNomNom]

oh baby

gotta say, the zajac layup assist still amazes me

 

[billingtons ghost]

I don't disagree that he did his job well.

I have just disagreed with the notion that we needed this kind of player in the game, and it looks like we're just about at the point where we no longer have these types of players, at least not in the NHL. They've been phased out just in the last 5-6 years.

You haven't needed one for 5-6 years because we haven't been in the playoffs. If you've been watching the evolution, it's been turning nastier, cheaper and more violent. The first few rounds of the playoffs were a bloodbath.

I'm not saying that 'goons' are ever necessary, nor that 'enforcers' play a role. But 4th line guys who bring energy and make defensemen cringe and most importantly can make it so that guys like Hall and Nico don't have to fight are valuable.

How much did Tom Wilson sign that ridiculous contract for?
Why did Reaves demand any price at all on the trade market?

Tom Wilson, Ryan Reaves have perplexing presence at Stanley Cup final

If Wood keeps one guy from going on the DL because he steps in, he's proved his value. When we get to the playoffs and long series, it'll become more important to our team.

 

[Bleedred]

You haven't needed one for 5-6 years because we haven't been in the playoffs. If you've been watching the evolution, it's been turning nastier, cheaper and more violent. The first few rounds of the playoffs were a bloodbath.

I'm not saying that 'goons' are ever necessary, nor that 'enforcers' play a role. But 4th line guys who bring energy and make defensemen cringe and most importantly can make it so that guys like Hall and Nico don't have to fight are valuable.

How much did Tom Wilson sign that ridiculous contract for?
Why did Reaves demand any price at all on the trade market?

Tom Wilson, Ryan Reaves have perplexing presence at Stanley Cup final

If Wood keeps one guy from going on the DL because he steps in, he's proved his value. When we get to the playoffs and long series, it'll become more important to our team.

It's not just us, they've disappeared from the league as a whole over the last 5-6 years.

There's not many left anymore.

I consider Reaves one, but not really Tom Wilson. He seems to be more than a one dimensional facepuncher, as much as I personally consider him a goon. Even not counting last season, he still could play good 4th line minutes and not the 5-6 a game that facepunchers would get and he still put up good 4th line production.

 

[Triumph]

You haven't needed one for 5-6 years because we haven't been in the playoffs. If you've been watching the evolution, it's been turning nastier, cheaper and more violent. The first few rounds of the playoffs were a bloodbath.

I'm not saying that 'goons' are ever necessary, nor that 'enforcers' play a role. But 4th line guys who bring energy and make defensemen cringe and most importantly can make it so that guys like Hall and Nico don't have to fight are valuable.

How much did Tom Wilson sign that ridiculous contract for?
Why did Reaves demand any price at all on the trade market?

If Wood keeps one guy from going on the DL because he steps in, he's proved his value. When we get to the playoffs and long series, it'll become more important to our team.

Wilson isn't valuable because he protects anyone - he doesn't. He's theoretically valuable because he hurts people and the NHL turns a blind eye to the fact that he hurts people. So, you want a guy who can injure people as long as the NHL is going to overlook things, especially in the playoffs, and that's where Janssen might've had some value. As a deterrent, he held no value whatsoever.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

not to mention the fact that Wilson got the contract he did and the fact that Reaves had trade value does not mean that those things were/are smart.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Wilson isn't valuable because he protects anyone - he doesn't. He's theoretically valuable because he hurts people and the NHL turns a blind eye to the fact that he hurts people. So, you want a guy who can injure people as long as the NHL is going to overlook things, especially in the playoffs, and that's where Janssen might've had some value. As a deterrent, he held no value whatsoever.

This may be true - but certainly his value was two fold:
1. energy by crashing into things/people and potentially hurting them (or taking them off their game)
2. making it so others didn't have to fight, and if someone took liberties, he'd step up.

I think when we get into a heated series with the Flyers in the near future, (and you know it is coming) - it will be vitally important to have an answer when Coutourier uses his stick to remove some of Nico's teeth.

 

[billingtons ghost]

not to mention the fact that Wilson got the contract he did and the fact that Reaves had trade value does not mean that those things were/are smart.

The fact that the two teams that met in the finals had those two players (who, outside of Roussel, Matt Martin and real garbage like Zac Rinaldo are the only holdovers of their 'types') maybe indicates that it is slightly more important (to GMs) than some here would think.

It isn't 1996 with Messier, Pronger, Stevens, Lindros et al... but it isn't happy happy Euro hockey quite yet either. The first few rounds of the playoffs contained some of the nastiest and most dangerous stuff I can remember seeing.