Devils 2020-21 team discussion (news, notes and speculation) - part IV

[Eggtimer]

I think the Devils have to be ready be quick and adapt to multiple and quickly changing situations in the offseason. There will a ton of moving pieces and this offseason will be crazy , they will have to look at a variety of ways to improve the roster all depending on what’s available and makes the most sense .(UFA , drafting , trading draft picks for established young players , taking on cap hits to up trade value , taking advantage of players that need to be traded from cap strapped teams )


I think the most important things to address are :
1. Improving the D core. Get a true top paring D man or someone who projects to be capable of that.
2. Finding a capable backup goalie. Someone good enough to split with MB or even have the new goalie start and MB backup
3. Get true goal scoring forward(s) to play with Nico / Hughes. Maybe even a veteran to help teach them the ropes. Dandanov or Hoffman or ?? through UFA ?
4. Take advantage of cap space to acquire best assets possible to improve the roster.
Devils have the assets to be aggressive and take advantage of other teams cap situation
Devils have plenty of “decent” prospects , but nothing that is top pairing / top 6 potential .

 

[Nicomo Cosca]

I am very high on Bahl. I'm hopeful he becomes a #3/4 dman for us. I don't think he will become a top pair guy, but a player of his size that can move as well as he can is almost certainly going to be an effective player. I think he'll surprise a lot of us next year.

I seriously doubt he’ll be ready to make the jump to the NHL next season. He’s a couple months younger than Ty Smith, and he’s not even close to that level of prospect.

 

[Nicomo Cosca]

I think the Devils have to be ready be quick and adapt to multiple and quickly changing situations in the offseason. There will a ton of moving pieces and this offseason will be crazy , they will have to look at a variety of ways to improve the roster all depending on what’s available and makes the most sense .(UFA , drafting , trading draft picks for established young players , taking on cap hits to up trade value , taking advantage of players that need to be traded from cap strapped teams )


I think the most important things to address are :
1. Improving the D core. Get a true top paring D man or someone who projects to be capable of that.
2. Finding a capable backup goalie. Someone good enough to split with MB or even have the new goalie start and MB backup
3. Get true goal scoring forward(s) to play with Nico / Hughes. Maybe even a veteran to help teach them the ropes. Dandanov or Hoffman or ?? through UFA ?
4. Take advantage of cap space to acquire best assets possible to improve the roster.
Devils have the assets to be aggressive and take advantage of other teams cap situation
Devils have plenty of “decent” prospects , but nothing that is top pairing / top 6 potential .

Smith and Foote are both more than decent prospects. Not sure if Smith has top pairing potential, as defensemen are so hard to predict, but Foote probably has top 6. He’s exactly what Jack or Nico need. Someone with size and a shot on their wing.

 

[FinnishDevil]

that trade does not make sense for the Devils though...and it would almost certainly not be enough.

we need to use whatever assets we have to upgrade on defense. Not trade from the weakness of the team.

This is definitely a good point and I understand where youre coming from. Severson is signed at a great cap hit for what, 3 more years - which would be really tempting for someone like WPG.

But the question is, how long it'll take us to get to a constant playoff team? I'd say 3 years at bare minimum, I'd expect Ruff to be here for couple years as a stop gap coach while the core around Nico & Jack grows.

If we assume this happens, at this point Sevs has played his whole career on a losing team, has 5 playoff games on his belt and is looking to get his big pay day. I know for sure that I'm basically thinking 3 years ahead saying that we cant sign him or he doesnt want to stay here, which no one can guarantee, its all fair to call me stupid on that.

I'm myself interested to see how Damon does with Ruff as coach and if we can get him a good D partner like Dillon, as I do think theres some untapped potential there. But if we were to do that trade, I'd be much happier signing a stop gap dman in FA for 2-3 years who can play his role until Smith, Bahl etc (hopefully Dry or Sanderson) are ready to step up - while also having a young potential top 5 goal scorer in the world that we could sign long term, fits our cores age and play on either Nico's or Jack's wing for a long time.

Long story short; I agree we should not be trading from a spot of weakness, but for the right player, Laine in this case I'd pull the trigger and think about fixing the defense by the time we are ready to compete in a few years.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

This is definitely a good point and I understand where youre coming from. Severson is signed at a great cap hit for what, 3 more years - which would be really tempting for someone like WPG.

But the question is, how long it'll take us to get to a constant playoff team? I'd say 3 years at bare minimum, I'd expect Ruff to be here for couple years as a stop gap coach while the core around Nico & Jack grows.

If we assume this happens, at this point Sevs has played his whole career on a losing team, has 5 playoff games on his belt and is looking to get his big pay day. I know for sure that I'm basically thinking 3 years ahead saying that we cant sign him or he doesnt want to stay here, which no one can guarantee, its all fair to call me stupid on that.

I'm myself interested to see how Damon does with Ruff as coach and if we can get him a good D partner like Dillon, as I do think theres some untapped potential there. But if we were to do that trade, I'd be much happier signing a stop gap dman in FA for 2-3 years who can play his role until Smith, Bahl etc (hopefully Dry or Sanderson) are ready to step up - while also having a young potential top 5 goal scorer in the world that we could sign long term, fits our cores age and play on either Nico's or Jack's wing for a long time.

Long story short; I agree we should not be trading from a spot of weakness, but for the right player, Laine in this case I'd pull the trigger and think about fixing the defense by the time we are ready to compete in a few years.

Exactly!

We’re not cup contenders with or without Severson for the next couple of years. If dangling him means we can land a stud goal scorer, which we’re looking for since we only have Palmieri and he’s no lock to stay either, it’s something you have to do.

Sign Vatanen to a 2 or 3 year deal and try and improve your defence by taking advantage of cap strapped teams and the expansion draft.

You don’t just trade Severson for a winger but you do trade Severson for one of the best pure sniper in the game who’s just 22 years of age.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

I think the Devils have to be ready be quick and adapt to multiple and quickly changing situations in the offseason. There will a ton of moving pieces and this offseason will be crazy , they will have to look at a variety of ways to improve the roster all depending on what’s available and makes the most sense .(UFA , drafting , trading draft picks for established young players , taking on cap hits to up trade value , taking advantage of players that need to be traded from cap strapped teams )


I think the most important things to address are :
1. Improving the D core. Get a true top paring D man or someone who projects to be capable of that.
2. Finding a capable backup goalie. Someone good enough to split with MB or even have the new goalie start and MB backup
3. Get true goal scoring forward(s) to play with Nico / Hughes. Maybe even a veteran to help teach them the ropes. Dandanov or Hoffman or ?? through UFA ?
4. Take advantage of cap space to acquire best assets possible to improve the roster.
Devils have the assets to be aggressive and take advantage of other teams cap situation
Devils have plenty of “decent” prospects , but nothing that is top pairing / top 6 potential .

One thing I would like to do is fix point #2 by utilizing point #4.

I would see what Vegas is willing to give us for Marc-André Fleury, since they look like they probably want to resign Lehner.

Alex Tuch would be a dream scenario but their 1st round pick might be more realistic. Having a 1-2 punch of Blackwood and Fleury would solve our issues and they can split next season half/half since it’ll be a condensed schedule, with Blackwood taking over the following years.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Im wondering what people think about Smith, Anderson, and Kuokkanen making the roster full-time this coming season?

Those are the youngsters I have pinned as ready. Smith is the most obvious talent, Kuokkanen has had success at the AHL level, and Anderson can play bottom-6 efficiently as he has been a staple plug-and-play his entire playing career

I think Bahl, Foote, Boqvist, and This year’s 7th have a year maybe two more before they can make the team.

Also for this season I wouldnt be shocked if one of Walsh, Bastion, Maltsev, or Sharangovich made it as a wild card (Bratt-esque). Thats not necessarily based on how good I think they can be, as I only have limited understanding of most prospects - its more based on the how I see those two big boys in Bastion and Sharangovich being a fit, Maltsev has been impressive the last year since the previous training camp, and the Walsh signing

. **Though he wasnt as effective as he could have been, I liked Bastion’s attitude and outings when he got the chance. He used the body and could still be ready for an offensive opportunity.

In terms of the defensemen coming out of junior I might see Bahl making the opening night lineup ahead of Smith. Coupled with the belief that there will be two FA defensemen signed that are not yet on the roster (not sure who but should be upgrades available), and then at least one of the guys from Binghamton it seems likely Smith starts in the AHL.

At forward, I'd throw Seney in with Anderson, Bastian, Kuokkanen and Mike McLeod as the guys from Binghamton I'd like to see in NJ. Boqvist seems to be the wildcard but hopefully can be a fit by midseason (depending how the season goes).

Assuming Dennehy returns (and is not hired for one of the vacant NHL jobs), it would not be the worst thing for the first-year pros to be in the AHL (assuming there is an AHL season).

 

[NJ Fan 12]

I think Anderson is almost nailed on for 3RW. He took Coleman's role after the trade and did really well with Zajac.

I think Kuokkanen makes the team but no guarantee he becomes a regular in the lineup. He may start off as the teams 13th forward.

Smith should comfortably make the team as he can easily slot in at LD or RD. This is even if the team brings in 2 new defenseman from UFA or trades.

I'm looking forward to training camp. I think these are the following forward jobs up for grabs:

2LW A winger for Hughes and Palmieri. (My first line is Bratt-Hischier-Gusev)
Candidates: UFA/Trade, 1st Round Pick Draftee, Zacha, Boqvist, Kuokkanen.

My thoughts are I really hope we can sign an UFA to fill this role. Hoffman or Dadonov please. A trade possibility is an option with teams like Tampa needing to shed cap. I'll be disappointed if Zacha is given another top 6 shot. Boqvist needs more time in AHL and I haven't considered Foote for the same reason. I'll keep Kuokkanen as 13th forward.

3LW/4C It will be one of these positions open not both as Zacha makes the team and takes one of these two positions.
Candidates: UFA/Trade, McLeod, Kuokkanen, Rooney, Seney.

My preference is to put Zacha at 3LW and form a line with Zajac and Anderson. So my open position is more 4th line center than 3rd line wing. McLeod is my favorite to take the spot. The team could bring back Rooney but its time to go with more youth. If McLeod struggles he could be rotated out for Kuokkanen on occasions who can play center. Or one of Zacha/Zajac can slide down.

4RW Wood is slotted in to take left wing spot on 4th line.
Candidates: Hayden, Merkley, Bastian.

To qualify or not to qualify John Hayden...that is the question. Hayden doesnt necessarily be pushed out by youth movement because at age 25 he is not old. But he is probably a player that wont improve, so it might be worthwhile to give a chance to someone else with a better upside. Merkley is the most talented of the candidates but injury prone. Bastian is intriguing because he has a size and toughness skillset we need. And has chemistry with McLeod. Should be a fun battle to watch.

Defense
On the right, Subban and Severson take two of the top 4 positions on the right.
On the left, we need help badly. Brendan Dillon is a much needed signing with his experience and size. And would be a perfect partner for Severson.
Vince Dunn would be a good option to partner Subban. But if that can't happen then Will Butcher is an OK placeholder for another season.
On the bottom pairing, Ty Smith should take one of the two positions, with his D partner to be either Mirco Mueller, Connor Carrick or an UFA signing like Edmundson. The team could re-sign Claessen and/or Mermis to compete for a spot but I think these two are just AHL journeyman. I would rather explore the trade and UFA market first

Thanks for taking the time to do this as when you lay things out by lines it tends to put things in perspective. With the current Devils on the roster most of these scenarios make sense. The interesting X factors will be the first 1st round pick (scouts have said as many as eight players are NHL ready - I'm hoping Lundell slips and would love him as 4C), the pending FA signings (I'm not as big on Dillon as some but like the idea of Dunn, Edmundson and some of the others out there), and possible trades - think there will be significant moves with players going off the roster and new players arriving.

Should certainly be an interesting next couple of months. Unlike some, with the improvement shown over the last couple months before the shutdown and the successful season in Binghamton, I don't think the Devils are as far away from having a successful season.

 

[Billdo]

In terms of the defensemen coming out of junior I might see Bahl making the opening night lineup ahead of Smith. Coupled with the belief that there will be two FA defensemen signed that are not yet on the roster (not sure who but should be upgrades available), and then at least one of the guys from Binghamton it seems likely Smith starts in the AHL.

At forward, I'd throw Seney in with Anderson, Bastian, Kuokkanen and Mike McLeod as the guys from Binghamton I'd like to see in NJ. Boqvist seems to be the wildcard but hopefully can be a fit by midseason (depending how the season goes).

Assuming Dennehy returns (and is not hired for one of the vacant NHL jobs), it would not be the worst thing for the first-year pros to be in the AHL (assuming there is an AHL season).

If Bahl makes the opening night roster and Smith doesn't then there are major issues with Smith.

 

[NJDevs26]

But the question is, how long it'll take us to get to a constant playoff team? I'd say 3 years at bare minimum, I'd expect Ruff to be here for couple years as a stop gap coach while the core around Nico & Jack grows.

If we assume this happens, at this point Sevs has played his whole career on a losing team, has 5 playoff games on his belt and is looking to get his big pay day. I know for sure that I'm basically thinking 3 years ahead saying that we cant sign him or he doesnt want to stay here, which no one can guarantee, its all fair to call me stupid on that.

The problem with this mindset - besides the obvious that is it's impossible to really judge where the team is 2-3 years from now before Fitz's first offseason, or even what the player's motivation is going to be by then in terms of signing - is the goalscorer you'd be trading for is also presumably under contract for three years or less and you'd be bringing them in to lose for 2-3 years and then hope they sign in a place they have no attachment to.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

If Bahl makes the opening night roster and Smith doesn't then there are major issues with Smith.

Or Bahl made strides in the offseason to his play in open ice. Bahl also plays LD, where we are weak

 

[NJ Fan 12]

If Bahl makes the opening night roster and Smith doesn't then there are major issues with Smith.

Not at all. They play two different games. If Vince Dunn - or another experienced puck mover is acquired - Smith will have the opportunity to develop in the AHL - much like guys like Shea Theodore and most others did. Even Makar and Quinn Hughes had two seasons of college hockey before stepping into the NHL.

 

[FinnishDevil]

The problem with this mindset - besides the obvious that is it's impossible to really judge where the team is 2-3 years from now before Fitz's first offseason, or even what the player's motivation is going to be by then in terms of signing - is the goalscorer you'd be trading for is also presumably under contract for three years or less and you'd be bringing them in to lose for 2-3 years and then hope they sign in a place they have no attachment to.

Definitely a fair point. In a perfect world, I'd want to think him signing for more than what Severson's term would be after his contract expires in 2021. All wishful thinking though.

 

[TBF1972]

I wouldn't want to give up Walsh personally. I have pretty high hopes for him.

for ehlers?
i hope he becomes a sheltered bottom pair d and i would trade him in a nanosecond as the primary piece for ehlers.

 

[glenwo2]

Not at all. They play two different games. If Vince Dunn - or another experienced puck mover is acquired - Smith will have the opportunity to develop in the AHL - much like guys like Shea Theodore and most others did. Even Makar and Quinn Hughes had two seasons of college hockey before stepping into the NHL.

Considering that Ty just missed the cut this past season, I venture to say he makes the team this time around.

Devils do not have the luxury of sending him to the AHL considering their Defensive woes.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

This is definitely a good point and I understand where youre coming from. Severson is signed at a great cap hit for what, 3 more years - which would be really tempting for someone like WPG.

But the question is, how long it'll take us to get to a constant playoff team? I'd say 3 years at bare minimum, I'd expect Ruff to be here for couple years as a stop gap coach while the core around Nico & Jack grows.

If we assume this happens, at this point Sevs has played his whole career on a losing team, has 5 playoff games on his belt and is looking to get his big pay day. I know for sure that I'm basically thinking 3 years ahead saying that we cant sign him or he doesnt want to stay here, which no one can guarantee, its all fair to call me stupid on that.

I'm myself interested to see how Damon does with Ruff as coach and if we can get him a good D partner like Dillon, as I do think theres some untapped potential there. But if we were to do that trade, I'd be much happier signing a stop gap dman in FA for 2-3 years who can play his role until Smith, Bahl etc (hopefully Dry or Sanderson) are ready to step up - while also having a young potential top 5 goal scorer in the world that we could sign long term, fits our cores age and play on either Nico's or Jack's wing for a long time.

Long story short; I agree we should not be trading from a spot of weakness, but for the right player, Laine in this case I'd pull the trigger and think about fixing the defense by the time we are ready to compete in a few years.

these timelines that this board constructs are so arbitrary though

the Devils absolutely could be a playoff team next year if they get a legit backup goalie and make a few other shrewd moves.

 

[PKs Broken Stick]

I think they're a playoff team next season with Blackwood playing like he did and a good coach alone, even with 0 extra moves. But maybe that's just me.

 

[FinnishDevil]

these timelines that this board constructs are so arbitrary though

the Devils absolutely could be a playoff team next year if they get a legit backup goalie and make a few other shrewd moves.

I like your optimism (we all know that we dont have enough of it here ) and I sure hope that we make the playoffs next year.

But especially in this division its gonna be really tough. Many have said that Devils should look to make some noise once Pens and Caps era is over and all though we can all see they are already in decline, theyre gonna trade futures for now (look at 15th for Kapanen) and atleast Caps will have a new coach too. I dont know if either of them has a legit Cup run at them anymore, but enough to make the playoffs for sure.

Flyers, Canes, Isles I'd say are safe playoff teams. Rags will add Lafreniere.

But Ruff could be the wild card. If he gets guys playing and has a system that works that the whole team buys into, we could definitely make a run at wild card. I just wouldnt hold my breath.

 

[Guttersniped]

I think they're a playoff team next season with Blackwood playing like he did and a good coach alone, even with 0 extra moves. But maybe that's just me.

Not without another goalie and at least one new defenseman. Senn should be the third goalie at most with Schneider bought out and we shouldn’t attempt to replace Greene & Vats internally. I have high hopes for Smith but you can’t count on 20 year olds coming out of junior to automatically step in. Colton White is a LHD but hasn’t really shown much in his games up and no one else of note is in the system.

 

[glenwo2]

This is so corny but I love Goose.

 

[Forge]

these timelines that this board constructs are so arbitrary though

the Devils absolutely could be a playoff team next year if they get a legit backup goalie and make a few other shrewd moves.

I don't think that they are arbitrary...I think it's just a reflection on where people view the team currently and what our expectations are for actions they will perform moving forward. You think that they could be a playoff team based on a few smart moves and new 1b for Blackwood, but I don't think we'll buy out Cory, so that throws the back up goalie out the window. I don't think we will be in on any super big time acquisitions (either through FA or trade), so I see minimal external improvements coming our way this year (honestly, I waffle on this back and forth, I won't lie...I have no idea what the hell is going to happen because of covid, and I could certainly see this team limit real cash dollars being spent) and I see a team that not only has one of the worst defenses in the NHL, but is also one of the lowest scoring teams in the NHL, meaning I think it'll take a couple of off seasons to climb out of this hole to make us relatively competitive, so that would be year 3 for me.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

the Islanders had 12 more points than NJ and are in the Eastern Conference Finals

like I said, I am not saying we are Cup contenders next year...of course we won't be. BUT they SHOULD be at minimum a bubble team next year if a few things break properly

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

the Islanders had 12 more points than NJ and are in the Eastern Conference Finals

like I said, I am not saying we are Cup contenders next year...of course we won't be. BUT they SHOULD be at minimum a bubble team next year if a few things break properly

Isles also ranked 29th in Pronman’s org rankings for 22U talent if I remember correctly, and Jersey is probably top-5
While I think 29th is a bit harsh for them its telling that Jersey isnt as far behind as some may think

I think this season is Nico’s coming out party and Jack’s resurrection from last season into his rise the following year.

I dont foresee a playoff birth as likely but I do see a 70-point player or two on the menu in Nico and Nikita. Maybe thats too optimistic of me

 

[Hischier and Hughes]

Also thanks @Zajacs Bowl Cut for posting about Pronman’s rankings! I dont have the Athletic so I was unaware of the list - and its one Devils fans should be excited for during a tough and long off-season

If I had to guess we are top-3 since Nico isnt 22 yet

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Don't know if it was posted in here or not today...but RIP to former Devils player Alexander Vasyunov and the rest of the players and staff from the Lokomotiv . Can't believe it's been 9 years already. I'm just glad that Alex got to play in the NHL and scored a goal too. To make it that far in that short of time many people wish for a moment like that.