Devils 2019 offseason team discussion (news and notes) IV

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

You guys do know that Provorov was not good this past year right?

can we not do the 2015 draft re-do discussion every 2 weeks?

 

[Unknown Caller]

Shouldve just drafted Provorov when we had the chance

Literally nobody on this board was even considering Provorov because we had a lot of perceived defensive depth at the time and zero forwards. Hindsight is 20/20 (and also shows why you never draft for need).

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Draft revision is so ****ing stupid. It's not like we could just swap Zacha for someone else and everything would have been completely the same. Google the butterfly effect.

If Provorov/Barzal is as good as some of you claim, then we would have won more games with them in the lineup than we did with Zacha. That means a different place in the standings. That means we don't win two draft lotteries. That means not Nico. That means no Hughes.

Or, Boston could have drafted Barzal and Chabot instead of two guys who very well might not make it to 100 NHL games. They're probably 50/50 to win the Cup this year.

 

[Davegarri]

Literally nobody on this board was even considering Provorov because we had a lot of perceived defensive depth at the time and zero forwards. Hindsight is 20/20 (and also shows why you never draft for need).

BPA is the only way to draft IMO

I remember telling my buddies that if Provorov was available and we don't draft him it would be extremely stupid. I don't think I was that active on here then. Looking back at what we know now, I guess Barzal would've been the best pick, but Provorov would easily be the best dman on the team right now.

However, things work out. If we drafted Provorov there is a decent chance we don't win the lottery either time and don't end up with Nico & Hughes/Kakko.

 

[Nubmer6]

BPA is the only way to draft IMO

 

[Stephen Gionta]

You guys do know that Provorov was not good this past year right?

can we not do the 2015 draft re-do discussion every 2 weeks?

To log 25 minutes of ice time on any team you have to be a pretty good player. Sure, he was much better in the 2017-18 season, but the sky is still the limit for this guy. He will be a top 10 defensive defenseman in the league in the next few years. Exactly what the Devils need. Not to mention he can put up offense too.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

To log 25 minutes of ice time on any team you have to be a pretty good player. Sure, he was much better in the 2017-18 season, but the sky is still the limit for this guy. He will be a top 10 defensive defenseman in the league in the next few years. Exactly what the Devils need. Not to mention he can put up offense too.

Rasmus Ristolainen averaged basically the same and he isn't good.

"he plays a lot" isn't exactly the greatest argument. Andy Greene plays a lot for us.

I know he was good earlier and has great potential, but he was definitely NOT good last year.

Lastly, the Flyers have plenty of cap space to match any deal. We'd just piss them off.

 

[NjDevs4994]

BPA is the only way to draft IMO

I remember telling my buddies that if Provorov was available and we don't draft him it would be extremely stupid. I don't think I was that active on here then. Looking back at what we know now, I guess Barzal would've been the best pick, but Provorov would easily be the best dman on the team right now.

However, things work out. If we drafted Provorov there is a decent chance we don't win the lottery either time and don't end up with Nico & Hughes/Kakko.

I’m all about the BPA! BPA or bust!

 

[Nubmer6]

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

This comment is just completely rude and short-sighted. It can absolutely happen. Ray Shero actually went on the record saying how he would entertain the idea if it would make his team better.

I can't remember an off-season with this many high end talent as RFAs. With the Devils having two 1st overall picks and a Ty Smith sandwiched in between, now might be the perfect time to acquire an under 23 top line/pairing player via offer-sheet.

There have been countless articles and quotes from reputable sources saying 1. That this is the summer they think we see an offer-sheet and 2. The Devils might be the team to do it. And this was before the lottery. I think landing Jack Hughes has made it only more of a realistic thought that the Devils could offersheet an elite player this off-season.

Ivan Provorov fits the bill perfectly. A LHD, that logs 25 minutes and is one of the most utilized defenseman on the PK in the league. And he's only 22 years old. He also plays for our 2nd biggest rival so if they match it just screws up their salary cap situation a little more. It really is a perfect storm. The only question is would Ray Shero do this to his buddy Chuck Fletcher? Every quote from Ray indicates he would if he thought it made sense for the Devils, which I certainly think this does.

I'm sorry you were offended.

I understand the appeal of landing bluechip talent with an offer sheet, but your hypothetical scenarios involve the assumption of significant risk that can pretty easily backfire. You're correct that Provorov is precisely what this team needs, but I'm not interested in acquiring him if it means we're making him the highest-paid defenseman in the league (2nd highest-paid when Karlsson signs somewhere). I'm also not exactly privy to committing multiple future 1st round picks to a division rival, either. I agree with you that the reward is sky high, but the risk is significant, too.

There are ways to improve the defense without assuming that much risk and without unnecessarily committing that much cap.

I'd also like to point out that the "summer of the offer sheet" line gets trotted out almost annually. There are always reasons why "this is the year" that the "stars are perfectly aligned"... it's clickbait fodder designed to create talking points during periods with no activity.

 

[BenedictGomez]

There's a reason RFA players rarely get signed away.

The NHL doesn't want it to happen, so they made it absurdly painful & basically a dumb thing to do (SEE: Poison Pill).

Poison Pill Definition

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

Draft revision is so ****ing stupid. It's not like we could just swap Zacha for someone else and everything would have been completely the same. Google the butterfly effect.

If Provorov/Barzal is as good as some of you claim, then we would have won more games with them in the lineup than we did with Zacha. That means a different place in the standings. That means we don't win two draft lotteries. That means no Nico. That means no Hughes.

You'd hope the "draft revisers" would consider Hughes (even Hischier) a consolation prize from the hockey gods, as some sort of retribution for our "missed picks," and just shut the hell up.

But noooo..

It blows my mind when people opt for pessimism. What a depressing mindset.

 

[Goptor]

Literally nobody on this board was even considering Provorov because we had a lot of perceived defensive depth at the time and zero forwards. Hindsight is 20/20 (and also shows why you never draft for need).

There were several posters bringing up Provorov at the time but were mostly shot down by the majority who wanted a forward no matter what (mainly Barzal). The comparison doesn't matter at all once the players are drafted. Zacha is an excellent complement to Hughes and Hischier and will be valuable to the team for a long time. We should be happy he's on the Devils.

Its the same idea with Hischier - The performance of Patrick, Heiskanen, Makar, and Petterson mean nothing. The Devils got an important player on the team in Hischier they they should be happy about.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Rasmus Ristolainen averaged basically the same and he isn't good.

"he plays a lot" isn't exactly the greatest argument. Andy Greene plays a lot for us.

I know he was good earlier and has great potential, but he was definitely NOT good last year.

Lastly, the Flyers have plenty of cap space to match any deal. We'd just piss them off.

As a cruel joke I kind of want to see Ristolainen play for NJ, just to see everyone in the GDTs have a conniption every shift he takes. He's basically uber-John Moore.

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

With all this talk about Subban, watch Shero go out and pluck Roman Josi.

That would be textbook Ray Shero.

 

[OmNomNom]

With all this talk about Subban, watch Shero go out and pluck Roman Josi.

That would be textbook Ray Shero.

i'd find him just to kiss him

 

[theoptimist]

With all this talk about Subban, watch Shero go out and pluck Roman Josi.

That would be textbook Ray Shero.

I don't want to imagine the return. Please don't post on main board.

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

I don't want to imagine the return. Please don't post on main board.

I'm not one to do that

There are plenty that do, though. It'd be a fruitless exercise and shouldn't be posted.

 

[OmNomNom]

I don't want to imagine the return. Please don't post on main board.

34th OA and a 3rd rd pick, the ray special haha

preds may need cap help though

 

[NJDevs26]

34th OA and a 3rd rd pick, the ray special haha

preds may need cap help though

lol if we could get Josi I'd take back Nick Bonino to help them with the cap

But I suspect you'd have to start with both 34 this year and an unprotected 1 next year either way.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

lol if we could get Josi I'd take back Nick Bonino to help them with the cap

But I suspect you'd have to start with both 34 this year and an unprotected 1 next year either way.

For Josi I would do all of our second round picks this year and next year’s first not lottery protected, Butcher and Jesper Boqvist, assuming there’s an extension worked out.

 

[OmNomNom]

For Josi I would do all of our second round picks this year and next year’s first not lottery protected, Butcher and Jesper Boqvist, assuming there’s an extension worked out.

considering he's a pending UFA, that's some insane overpayment. i think we could get away with butcher OR boqvist

but can you imagine a left side of

Josi
Smith
Davies

granted smith and davies haven't skated on NHL ice yet, but that potential ughhhhhhhhh

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

considering he's a pending UFA, that's some insane overpayment. i think we could get away with butcher OR boqvist

but can you imagine a left side of

Josi
Smith
Davies

granted smith and davies haven't skated on NHL ice yet, but that potential ughhhhhhhhh

Any deal for Josi id iamgine has Smith going the other way

 

[NJDevs26]

considering he's a pending UFA, that's some insane overpayment. i think we could get away with butcher OR boqvist

but can you imagine a left side of

Josi
Smith
Davies

granted smith and davies haven't skated on NHL ice yet, but that potential ughhhhhhhhh

Yeah I read Cap Friendly and thought he had two years left but it's still counting this year so it's only one after. That'd be a tougher pill to swallow unless it was a Stone-esque sign and trade.

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

For Josi I would do all of our second round picks this year and next year’s first not lottery protected, Butcher and Jesper Boqvist, assuming there’s an extension worked out.

That might be a bit much from us, honestly.

I'd start with Butcher + 2020 unprotected 1st + 2019 NJ 2nd (34OA). If Boqvist's inclusion is a deal-breaker, I might just bite that bullet.

I think Nico would be thrilled to have another high-profile Swiss player on the team.