Devils 2019 offseason team discussion (news and notes) IIl

[Hischier and Hughes]

I think we should add a top 6 forward through free agency.

Top 6: Hughes Hischier Hall Palmieri Bratt UFA
Line 3: Wood Zacha X
Line 4: Coleman Zajac X

If Zacha is making the top-6 its by sheer will. We will have added a top-6 forward, Im very confident about that. The defenseman may be the harder part and I could see us settling for a #3 dman

Edit: I suppose Zacha could graduate to top-6 if Hall leaves

 

[Emperoreddy]

Bratt going to play for Sweden at the Worlds

Not sure if the Swiss have officially announced their roster yet, but I think Swiss fans are assuming Nico will be playing for them.

 

[BurntToast]

I don’t get why people put much faith in Zacha. I do understand as fans we don’t want a top 5 draft pick to be a dud, but unfortunately he is. (At least in relation to other first rounder prospects that the Devils could of Drafted). He is a great. fourth liner, who can play the pk, 2nd pp and be moved up for short term depth. The Devils have an asset (Hughes) and they shouldn’t sandbag him with Zacha who barely shoots. Read interviews with Caufield about how cerebral he has to be to be able to read Hughes’ plays. Getting another scoring threat should be top priority.

FA: Skinner, Eberle, for the right price and term Simmons, Lee, Ferland, Nelson, Nyquist.

If you want the lines to be

Hall-Nico-Bratt/?
?/Bratt-Hughes-Palms

Getting a top pair defenseman is highly unlikely.

 

[NJDevs26]

I'm far from the biggest Zacha fan but he did put up 21 points in his last 33 games this year and was 21 years old for basically the entire season. I'm not for gifiting him a top six spot but he deserves something on the third line at least.

 

[Devilswede]

Zacha is what he is at this point. He will never be more than a 3rd liner. He's a huge bust, but at least he's a serviceable player and a good penalty killer.

He did set our rebuild back a lot, but what is done is done. No point in looking back now.

And Zacha should not even be close to our top 6. He does not belong there. And if he indeed is there then we'll be in trouble once again.

The guy has averaged 20 points in his NHL career..... I don't know where people see potential in him ever becoming anything more than just that.

 

[Devils731]

Zacha is what he is at this point. He will never be more than a 3rd liner. He's a huge bust, but at least he's a serviceable player and a good penalty killer.

He did set our rebuild back a lot, but what is done is done. No point in looking back now.

And Zacha should not even be close to our top 6. He does not belong there. And if he indeed is there then we'll be in trouble once again.

The guy has averaged 20 points in his NHL career..... I don't know where people see potential in him ever becoming anything more than just that.

He’s never had a season under 20 points and is at a 31 point per 82 game average for his career.

Be disappointed, feel his growth is completed and poor, but don’t undercut his numbers to slag him.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Pavel Zacha. Just turned 22. I’m willing to give him another 2 seasons before I put him in the he is what he is category as a 25 point player. In fact, how many extra points does he need next season for people to admit that hes taken the next step?

 

[Camille the Eel]

Zacha will also be important to us because of his size and strength - and the latter can improve.

Building a team around Hischier and Hughes, Smith and even Butcher - we need to balance in as much size as possible to be able to compete with clubs like Columbus, Washington, even the Rags in coming seasons.

Zacha and Wood and whoever else who fits that bill will be very important.

 

[NJDevs26]

Pavel Zacha. Just turned 22. I’m willing to give him another 2 seasons before I put him in the he is what he is category as a 25 point player. In fact, how many extra points does he need next season for people to admit that hes taken the next step?

I think he's at least gotta get in the low 40's. The 25-30 range for all the time and opportunity he has gotten is barely above fourth line level efficiency.

 

[RSeen]

This is true, his game looks very much like a center. But as I've said I think he will handle many of the center duties if he does end up as Hughes "winger".

I personally think it is more likely that Hughes starts at C because that is where he projects long-term. I think we will want to develop him with playing him in that role.

 

[thethinglonger]

Sign a potential top-6 forward in free agency?

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Sign a potential top-6 forward in free agency?

Do you think he’ll be ready next season?

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I hold out a glimmer of hope that Zacha can turn into a Ryan Johansen type. Similar players with a similar career arc.

Whatever the case, unless there’s a team that’s really enamored with him, I don’t see any point in trading him right now when his value is low. Maybe if he’s the final piece to get someone really good.

 

[Triumph]

Zacha still has some decent comps when I search for players his age who were within .05 points per game of him with a minimum of 150 games played through their age 21 season. That said, this isn't accounting for opportunity, which he's ostensibly had lots of, and he plays in a slightly higher scoring era than most of these players. While I think his results at the end of the season were a bit of a mirage, they're better than not having those and he is making better decisions in the offensive zone.

 

[BurntToast]

There is no specific number you can put out there for Zacha to reach. The reality is he has multiple strong stretches that never evolves or sticks. If you read his scouting reports he was ranked for his size and shot, unfortunately he rarely uses these gifts. I am happy he has become a more consistent defender but he still goes through periods were he is bad or invisible.

Isn’t Boqvist playing for the World Championship as well? Hughes and others are giving us meaningful hockey this spring. I will suggest Bastian might be the most ready prospect and has size/shot/2 way play. However, I think getting another established winger serves multiple purposes. It takes pressure off the top guys, it shows Hall the Devils are willing to make moves to improve and if he does leave it lessens the sting of him leaving.

 

[GeNeXt]

If Zacha were to have a career similar to Mikael Backlund, which I think he very well could, that would be a huge success for a sixth overall pick.

 

[OmNomNom]

Listening to a 30 thoughts ep and they talked about Panthers assistant coach Paul McFarland. Ran #2 PP in the league

Gimme him, Ray

 

[Billdo]

Calling Zacha a huge bust while saying he's a serviceable player contradicts itself in a big way. Has he underwhelmed? Probably, but to me a bust is a guy who is gone from the league in a few years. That won't be Zacha.

 

[Nubmer6]

Look, I wouldn't Zacha has topped out yet. I really think he'll improve. Larger players like that tend to take longer to come around. The thing is, I don't want to RELY on him to have a breakout year. I think we can add a proven scoring winger and give him time to get better.

Also, what's wrong with having a 3rd scoring line with him at center? What's wrong with rolling 4 lines, or at least rolling a top line and rolling 2 other scoring lines and a shutdown line fairly equally? What's wrong with balanced scoring?

Get a scoring winger to round out the Hughes line, give Zacha his own line with Wood, have a shutdown line with Zajac and Coleman. To me that's the most likely path to success now and in the future.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

I used to be the biggest supporter of ripping on what the Devils did at the 2015 draft. Barzal should have been the pick the entire time. This entire board was calling for Barzal. But for some insane reason he fell to 15th overall. Still scratching my head at how so many organizations could pass on that elite, superstar talent. But, since then, we've been lucky enough to land Hischier and Hughes. So I cannot complain any longer. I am happy to have Zacha. He will be a very, very important player for us for many years to come. He is the type of player that organizations hold onto because his value to the team, albeit not on the score sheet, is immense. He's not Barzal, but Pavel Zacha is a great player and will only continue to get better. Possibly evolving into a 50 point player. Last season he put up 13 goals, 12 assists in 61 games. This equates to 17 goals, 16 assists, in 82 games. Thats 34 points. Not horrible and he only just turned 22. Give it time people.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Look, I wouldn't Zacha has topped out yet. I really think he'll improve. Larger players like that tend to take longer to come around. The thing is, I don't want to RELY on him to have a breakout year. I think we can add a proven scoring winger and give him time to get better.

Also, what's wrong with having a 3rd scoring line with him at center? What's wrong with rolling 4 lines, or at least rolling a top line and rolling 2 other scoring lines and a shutdown line fairly equally? What's wrong with balanced scoring?

Get a scoring winger to round out the Hughes line, give Zacha his own line with Wood, have a shutdown line with Zajac and Coleman. To me that's the most likely path to success now and in the future.

Completely agree.

Zacha + Wood on line 3
Zajac + Coleman on line 4
Hischier + Hall on line 1
Hughes + UFA ADDITION on line 2 (in my dreams Panarin)

Those should mainly be your combos going forward. Obviously there is going to be line shuffling, but on the surface, that is ideal. With Bratt, Palmieri, Boqvist, Anderson, Rooney, Seney, Bastian, McLeod, and other mixing in as your options.


EDIT: Or, you can go with a stronger combinations on the top 3 lines, and barely give minutes to the 4th line. Something like this.

Hall - Hischier - Bratt/UFA
UFA /Bratt- Hughes - Palmieri
Zacha - Zajac - Coleman
Wood - Rooney - Bastian

 

[Unknown Caller]

Picking Barzal over Zacha would almost certainly mean no Hughes this year (and probably not Nico either), so it all evens out in the long run. Zacha/Nico/Hughes is much preferable to Barzal and whatever prospects we would be getting in the 10-15 range.

At a minimum I think Pav turns into a modern day Zubrus. I’m more than fine with that. It fills an important role on the team and he’s going to provide a ton of secondary support. Great defense and penalty killing with the ability to flash offensively.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Zucker-Hughes-Bratt please

 

[Ripshot 43]

Completely agree.

Zacha + Wood on line 3
Zajac + Coleman on line 4
Hischier + Hall on line 1
Hughes + UFA ADDITION on line 2 (in my dreams Panarin)

Those should mainly be your combos going forward. Obviously there is going to be line shuffling, but on the surface, that is ideal. With Bratt, Palmieri, Boqvist, Anderson, Rooney, Seney, Bastian, McLeod, and other mixing in as your options.


EDIT: Or, you can go with a stronger combinations on the top 3 lines, and barely give minutes to the 4th line. Something like this.

Hall - Hischier - Bratt/UFA
UFA /Bratt- Hughes - Palmieri
Zacha - Zajac - Coleman
Wood - Rooney - Bastian

In any case where a 30 goal Palms becomes a complimentary piece that can be moved between lines, we are in great shape. Sign me up!

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Zucker-Hughes-Bratt please

Sign me up.