Devils 2021 offseason (news, notes and speculation) - part VII

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Guadana

Registered User
Mar 7, 2012
6,653
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Now I have cooled down and can give a cold assessment, having carefully studied our movements, our capabilities, taking into account our needs and problems.

My mark is 6\10 for this draft.

LD Hughes - high upside, big questions about defensive game, his playin with the puck. Pick doesnt make team better and dont solve the issues. If Hughes will be better than Smith, this push Smith out of his position, Devils will must to find a trade for him. If Hughes will not be better than Smith, it`s a bad pick.
Story about left defenseman can play on the right side is false narrative for team who wants to win. Wrong side will hurt in puck battles, protectin the puck in passes and zone driving etc. Good player will handle it, but there will be mistakes and losing moment, than will add in big picture. Sometimes playoff performance cost 1 point. And all of this losing moments will add in more losing defensive battles, offensive losing possibilities and will add in more losing points.
But I dont think it`s a "bad" pick no matter how I like or not Luke Hughes as a player. I think he has better potential than Smith and I`m not a fan of Smith. And I like brother story. Jack was lookin as a happiest man of the world. Hughes has potential to have very high upside, he needs to work hard on his defensive game. Good luck for him. I wish him success.
Not an excellent, but it is a good pick. We may draft Johnson, and "oh, boy" - thanks, universe, we didnt do it.

RW Stillman - bad pick. Stillman has some speed and grit. I do really think he will be good bottom six player. But he is potential bottom six player. This is not what you draft in first round, especially when you have so much holes as devils have. I like Stillman as a player, but Devils could made trade for couple of seconds or second and third and draft Stillman for needs and right defenseman for needs. Fitz did say he didnt want to trade down picks.
Or draft Raty, who did score 4 goals after the draft. Stillman is good as a player from draft, bad as pick in first round, bad as management decision. There were Morrow, Pinelli, Raty, Stankoven, Chibrikov, Chayka who can develope in players with higher upside.
Stillman as a player of needs is not a good pick, because we have some depth on the right side of offense for closest future, but have no depth on the right side of defense. Today roster, ahl roster, prospect pool - we are svck everywhere. As a pick for needs its a bad pick. If you want bottom six guy - trade this pick for saving bastian and you will have a player who is actually NHL player with very good bottom six stats.(ask Salvador)
I dont like this menegement decision more than a player. I think Stillman is a good as a player. But I`m talking about draft. Bad pick.

C\LW Salminen is a very good pick. I think it`s a bulls eye shot here. Samu was best ppg player in his junior league. He is in top-10 in history. Selanne, Lundell, Teravainen, Mikko Koivu are his neighbours. I dont like his skating, but I really like his vision. Great u-18 performance on world level. He is a great option for PP because of shot. He makes great decision on the ice to compansate his skating problems, I like his gap control. For a third rounder - great. Even for second rounder. Everybody was not so high about Lundell with his skating, now look at them. I cant say Samu is a player of Lundell level, but as a gamble in third round - great pick.

Goalie Malek is ok pick. We can draft him later, but I think he has pretty good stats for young goalie in his adult league. I dont know will he ever be an AHL goalie or more, but I dont think devils have better option. But I dont like that Devils dont draft from MHL. I dont like many things in russian hockey, but we are good in develope of hockey goaltenders.

LD Vilen - I dont like this pick. He is good player for that pick, but devils has option in Bar. Bar is a solid right defenseman. Vilen is another left defenseman. How many we have? 14? 15? And Severson, one year of Subban, softy slow Walsh and Mccarthy on the right side. This is a bad management. 5th round is a place to draft for needs. Especially when it is a need like that. And I dont think Vilen is better player than Bar.
Vilen is left "two way" defenseman, he was best ppg u-18 defenseman in Liiga this year. I will say his skating is awkward sometimes, but i will say he is avarage skater with good enough speed. I think he understand defensive game pretty well. Gap control, protecting the puck, puck battles - he looks good enough. I think he has some potential to be AHL defenseman at least, may be NHL defenseman. I think he looks solid overall and he is good enough for his pick in vacuum.
But he has no chance to be NHL defenseman in New Jersey. It`s a filler pick and I dont like management Idea to draft him. After picking Hughes, after picking Mukha and Edwards year ago.

RD Hurting. I dont have enough tapes. He isn`t slow from what i watched. This is a gamble and if a guy with his size will develope in SHL after 4-5 years, may be he will click in NA. But I cant say - we have one more option on the right side of defense. He has enough problems of very big defenseman, doesnt produce much. If he will be AHL player for 1 game - that will be some kind of success.

RW Bardakov. Bam. Great pick. Awesome pick. He is very close to be NHL ready. He is what can click in bottom-six. And he has a great floor for bottom six player. I did watch more than 15 of his games last year. He is very exiting to watch. he is great puck battler. he is very strong on the boards, he isnt great skater but he is very strong on his feets, he has good shot and he is forecheker you want to play. How good he is you ask me? I think he is good enough to be picked in third round I would say. I think he has better chances to ne NHL player than other players from this draft except Hughes. He was 4th best U-20 scorer in KHL this year. And 8 goals for bottom line player is a great result. I really like this pick.

_____________

Big questions from me
1) why Fitz didnt trade 29th for 2nd`s or for 2nd and 3rd. There were an option to draft Stillam and someone else. If Stillman were gone, Fitzy could be in postion to draft Raty or other player
2) Vlien over Bar. Ok. If you want to draft him, i`m ok. But we have black hole on the right side of defense on all levels. NHL\AHL\prospect pool. Dont draft some one and find some options on the draft. Dont try to place all of your eggs in the only one "Dogie Hamilton" basket. If you think some left defenseman will play on the right side - it is an option, but you have a great chance, he will not handle responsibility and pressure.
Little question - time to draft MHL goalies. They are better develope and have better chances to be better NHL goalie. It`s a trend, it`s fact and someday you will find a brilliant, if you will dig harder.
 
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Davegarri

Much Doge, Wow Moon
Jan 8, 2014
5,636
3,446
NJ
Lots of potential players to target this UFA period. Not a lot of money to go around either.

We absolutely need Dougie and I think could really benefit from Saad. But I would also like to see Fitz take a run at one or two of Landeskog, Coleman, Hoffman, Tatar, Wennberg, or Nosek.
 

SpeakingOfTheDevils

Devils Advocate
Jan 22, 2010
15,644
7,878
Philadelphia, PA
So if no Hamilton - as I'm starting to think Hamilton likely goes back to the Canes - who we looking at for UFA?

Unspectacular but helpful pick ups:

David Savard
Brandon Montour

Thought my list would be longer....

If Dougie stays put, we’d just need an RHD for the third pair. Unspectacular would be fine, and those two guys would be great options.
 

SteveCangialosi123

Registered User
Feb 17, 2012
27,831
47,628
NJ
So if no Hamilton - as I'm starting to think Hamilton likely goes back to the Canes - who we looking at for UFA?

Unspectacular but helpful pick ups:

David Savard
Brandon Montour

Thought my list would be longer....
There’s nothing in free agency that will make a difference other than Hamilton. On defense, at least. It will have to be a trade to get a real difference maker.
 

Poppy Whoa Sonnet

J'Accuse!
Sponsor
Jan 24, 2007
7,220
7,573
So if no Hamilton - as I'm starting to think Hamilton likely goes back to the Canes - who we looking at for UFA?

Unspectacular but helpful pick ups:

David Savard
Brandon Montour

Thought my list would be longer....

I'd avoid Montour just cause the eventual price likely outstrips the value. Some real cheap RHD names that appeal are Jani Hakanpaa and Mark Pysyk. Brogan Rafferty is apparently a UFA also and that would be intriguing.

I'd also try and re-sign Kulikov.
 
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