Devils 2019 offseason team discussion (news and notes) IIl

[theoptimist]

I'd take Nylander too.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Zucker-Hughes-Bratt please

Zucker- Hughes - Palms

Gives Hughes a pure shooter and 2 Vets to stick up for his 18 year old self.

 

[Offseason Champs]

Some really bad takes about Zacha being a career third liner/bust or a fourth line guy. He's gonna be much better than that. To me he's running a similar trajectory to Sean Couturier. I think everyone wrote him off as an energy/bottom 6 guy until he exploded last year and repeated it this year. Zacha is 21 and i know people wanted him to light the world on fire to justify the pick, but he's gonna take more time.

The issue with moving him down in the lineup is that if your top six is Nico/Hughes/Palms/Bratt/Hall/???
and your bottom six is Zajac/Coleman/Wood/???/???/???, Zacha has to fit into one of those slots. Unless you plan on having Zajac center the fourth line, it makes more sense to keep him in the top 6, otherwise one of Zajac/Coleman/Wood/Zacha will be getting fourth line minutes, which is a waste of their talents. Seems like maybe it's time to try and trade either Wood or Zacha if the brass doesn't think one of them is going to be a piece of the puzzle going forward.

Maybe give Zacha a year in the A to put his game together and tear it apart? I don't know. Too many middle six forwards on the team. I guess depending on ice time we can have interchangable top 2 lines and bottom 2 lines, but I dont think there's enough ice time for everyone, especially someone still developing like Pavel.

The more I think about it the more I'm thinking Ray isn't looking to make any big moves this offseason up front, much to many people's chagrin here.

 

[Devilswede]

Shero can stand pat all he wants. If he does that the lineup will change itself eventually since Hall will be elsewhere. If Shero is fine with that then fine, we won't be going anywhere.

If Jack Hughes is the only addition to this team up front when next season starts then we will be in trouble again. And if that is the case Taylor Hall will not be starting next season with an extension signed.

These things have a way of sorting themselves out really. It's up to Shero to act now. If he does this offseason what he did last one then Taylor Hall is gone.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Shero can stand pat all he wants. If he does that the lineup will change itself eventually since Hall will be elsewhere. If Shero is fine with that then fine, we won't be going anywhere.

If Jack Hughes is the only addition to this team up front when next season starts then we will be in trouble again. And if that is the case Taylor Hall will not be starting next season with an extension signed.

These things have a way of sorting themselves out really. It's up to Shero to act now. If he does this offseason what he did last one then Taylor Hall is gone.

Only you could sound like a depressed teenager after we win the lottery in a good draft year and are perfectly positioned to add talent via trade or free agency.

 

[Nubmer6]

Some really bad takes about Zacha being a career third liner/bust or a fourth line guy. He's gonna be much better than that. To me he's running a similar trajectory to Sean Couturier. I think everyone wrote him off as an energy/bottom 6 guy until he exploded last year and repeated it this year. Zacha is 21 and i know people wanted him to light the world on fire to justify the pick, but he's gonna take more time.

So what if Zacha becomes much more than a 3rd line center? Again, what's wrong with having 3 scoring lines? You're talking about giving him wings like Wood, Boqvist, Bastian, Anderson, Talvitie, and/or Zetterlund in the future. It's not like we're surrounding him with pugilists, grinders and scrubs.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

Having Zacha/Wood or Zajac/Coleman on the 4th line to begin the season isn't a big deal. As we saw this season with injuries, depth is important. Players are going to miss games. 4th liners are going to move to higher lines at times.

 

[RSeen]

Some really bad takes about Zacha being a career third liner/bust or a fourth line guy. He's gonna be much better than that. To me he's running a similar trajectory to Sean Couturier. I think everyone wrote him off as an energy/bottom 6 guy until he exploded last year and repeated it this year. Zacha is 21 and i know people wanted him to light the world on fire to justify the pick, but he's gonna take more time.

The issue with moving him down in the lineup is that if your top six is Nico/Hughes/Palms/Bratt/Hall/???
and your bottom six is Zajac/Coleman/Wood/???/???/???, Zacha has to fit into one of those slots. Unless you plan on having Zajac center the fourth line, it makes more sense to keep him in the top 6, otherwise one of Zajac/Coleman/Wood/Zacha will be getting fourth line minutes, which is a waste of their talents. Seems like maybe it's time to try and trade either Wood or Zacha if the brass doesn't think one of them is going to be a piece of the puzzle going forward.

Maybe give Zacha a year in the A to put his game together and tear it apart? I don't know. Too many middle six forwards on the team. I guess depending on ice time we can have interchangable top 2 lines and bottom 2 lines, but I dont think there's enough ice time for everyone, especially someone still developing like Pavel.

The more I think about it the more I'm thinking Ray isn't looking to make any big moves this offseason up front, much to many people's chagrin here.

Couturier is the exception, not the norm. Most players who are where Zacha is after 3 NHL seasons and 4 seasons after his draft year do not become a high end two way center like Couturier. I understand the desire to have an optimistic view of things, however I prefer having a more realistic viewpoint and accounting for probability. Zacha turning into Couturier would be best case scenario and is rather unlikely. Him becoming a 3rd line player that has a strong defensive impact is one of the more likely scenarios IMO.

 

[RSeen]

Having Zacha/Wood or Zajac/Coleman on the 4th line to begin the season isn't a big deal. As we saw this season with injuries, depth is important. Players are going to miss games. 4th liners are going to move to higher lines at times.

I am of the belief that you do not have to have a prototypical 4th line that gets caved in in terms of shot share. Having players that can provide value and hold their own at even strength on the 4th line makes all the sense in the world to be and can allow you to create mismatches.

 

[thethinglonger]

Do you think he’ll be ready next season?

Yes, I think he'll be ready. Where he ends up on the line-up will be the question.

 

[devilsblood]

Zucker-Hughes-Bratt please

Adding Zucker would allow us to create a ZZZ's line AND a Triple H line.

I'm in.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Hall-Nico-Palmieri
Zucker-Hughes-Bratt
Boqvist-Zajac-Coleman
Wood-Zacha-Bastian/Anderson/Agostino

 

[devilsblood]

I'm not so worried about comparables with Zacha. What other guys have done in the past has no bearing on what Zacha will do.

The real question is, was he showing signs that he is a player we can depend on to be a top 6 player(whether as a winger or psuedo center with Hughes) for next season.

It's iffy imo, yes he was playing better, creating more, producing more, but it's still not so much that you can say, aight, he's definitely ready.

 

[devilsblood]

Hall-Nico-Palmieri
Zucker-Hughes-Bratt
Boqvist-Zajac-Coleman
Wood-Zacha-Bastian/Anderson/Agostino

If Zajac is going to be matching up against opposing top lines I'm not sure Boqvist would be a great fit there.

Otherwise looks good though.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

If Zajac is going to be matching up against opposing top lines I'm not sure Boqvist would be a great fit there.

Otherwise looks good though.

True, but I like the idea of Boqvist carry the puck and creating for those two. Late in games I would probably insert Zacha there to hold leads.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'm not so worried about comparables with Zacha. What other guys have done in the past has no bearing on what Zacha will do.

The real question is, was he showing signs that he is a player we can depend on to be a top 6 player(whether as a winger or psuedo center with Hughes) for next season.

It's iffy imo, yes he was playing better, creating more, producing more, but it's still not so much that you can say, aight, he's definitely ready.

Bringing in a quality scoring winger shouldn’t be THAT difficult so I don’t think we really need to rely on him in that role

Plus bringing in another winger really deeepns the team when injuries inevitably happen.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

I dont see the reasoning behind spending assets on a guy like Zucker whos broken 50 once when we can find 5-7 forwards in FA who have done the same or better but cost only cash

Can we really afford to be throwing assets around willy nilly?

 

[Billdo]

I dont see the reasoning behind spending assets on a guy like Zucker whos broken 50 once when we can find 5-7 forwards in FA who have done the same or better but cost only cash

Can we really afford to be throwing assets around willy nilly?

He's still under contract at far less than the 5-7 guys you're referring to. Almost all the UFAs in that scoring bracket will get substantial raises from their current deal.

 

[Devilswede]

Difference is that players choose where to go in FA, and NJ has never been an attractive destination. Sure, money talks. But other teams will offer a lot too.

The trade route is probably the way to go if you want to acquire a certain type player and have him under control for a few years.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Id like Shero to go after Kevin Hayes. Big bodied forward who would be a terror on a line with Hischier and Hall. Steady bill of health as well as the ability to take faceoffs as a winger.

How much could he realistically cost? 5-6 years at 6m?

edit: Nelson would be my backup choice even though he looks like a stoneface

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

He's still under contract at far less than the 5-7 guys you're referring to. Almost all the UFAs in that scoring bracket will get substantial raises from their current deal.

But would a Nelson Eberle Hayes Nyquist etc etc cost much more than Zucker?

Also do we need to be penny pinching 1-2 mil in FA for 2nd round picks+? After Smith and Boqvist there arent many top-4/6 prospects in our system. Each of those 2nds can be valuable AND we still add a 50pt player outside of Zucker.

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

if Shero has serious aspirations of contending in the next two seasons or so those prospects we could be taking instead of trading for a 2nd line winger could not only save more money in the future (ELC replacements for cap strapped teams) but be instrumental in our continued body of work

No prospect is guaranteed and Im not going to lose my mind over a trade for a Zucker 2nd line winger type, I just feel theres better asset management to be had and we have more cap space than we do system assets, relatively speaking

 

[Stephen Gionta]

would McLeod + a pick/prospect get it done for Zucker?

 

[Stephen Gionta]

I really like the idea of trading for Zucker.
Just turned 27 years old. 5.5 million cap hit. 4 more years. LW/RW

Then I'd like to sign Kevin Hayes

 

[glenwo2]

Shero can stand pat all he wants. If he does that the lineup will change itself eventually since Hall will be elsewhere. If Shero is fine with that then fine, we won't be going anywhere.

If Jack Hughes is the only addition to this team up front when next season starts then we will be in trouble again. And if that is the case Taylor Hall will not be starting next season with an extension signed.

These things have a way of sorting themselves out really. It's up to Shero to act now. If he does this offseason what he did last one then Taylor Hall is gone.

(no words)