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

[ScottyK]

Can this leak tonight please ? I won't be able to sleep tonight.

 

[Love]

Hey I'm a Canucks fan but I'm curious about whats going on with the Devils.

Is it accurate to say that the Devils are in a rebuild centered around their young talent (Hughes x2, Hischier, Smith, Holtz, Mercer, etc) BUT if they sign Hamilton then its go time and they're trying to compete now? Or am I misreading the situation? Just seems like NJ is doing a steady rebuild then this Hamilton thing comes out of nowhere.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Can this leak tonight please ? I won't be able to sleep tonight.

It's annoying how quiet this is. The insider trade segment with Lebrun and Dreger had nothing on this.

 

[Buck Dancer]

lets do itttttttt

Not a fan at all of Bernier but if we can’t find a better option, so be it.

 

[MauDevils]

Here's Dougie's 19-20 card

 

[Hisch13r]

Hey I'm a Canucks fan but I'm curious about whats going on with the Devils.

Is it accurate to say that the Devils are in a rebuild centered around their young talent (Hughes x2, Hischier, Smith, Holtz, Mercer, etc) BUT if they sign Hamilton then its go time and they're trying to compete now? Or am I misreading the situation? Just seems like NJ is doing a steady rebuild then this Hamilton thing comes out of nowhere.

Personally I expected one more shitty year before they started to make a push. Looks like they see an opportunity to sign a top 5ish Dman and are taking it and trying to accelerate things a bit because of that.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Hey I'm a Canucks fan but I'm curious about whats going on with the Devils.

Is it accurate to say that the Devils are in a rebuild centered around their young talent (Hughes x2, Hischier, Smith, Holtz, Mercer, etc) BUT if they sign Hamilton then its go time and they're trying to compete now? Or am I misreading the situation? Just seems like NJ is doing a steady rebuild then this Hamilton thing comes out of nowhere.

The hope is by the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year of his deal (if he signs), the young guys are good enough to compete. And Hamilton is just too good to not sign because he might be slightly jumping the gun on your timeline. We need to win some damn games and have an assload of cap space.

 

[Better Call Sal]

Hey I'm a Canucks fan but I'm curious about whats going on with the Devils.

Is it accurate to say that the Devils are in a rebuild centered around their young talent (Hughes x2, Hischier, Smith, Holtz, Mercer, etc) BUT if they sign Hamilton then its go time and they're trying to compete now? Or am I misreading the situation? Just seems like NJ is doing a steady rebuild then this Hamilton thing comes out of nowhere.

If we do land Hamilton, it'll kick start the expectations to be much higher. I still think depending on how the rest of the offseason plays out that the playoffs next year might be a challenge given how deep the Metro is. But I think that after that, you're looking at being a constant competitor from that point forward.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Hey I'm a Canucks fan but I'm curious about whats going on with the Devils.

Is it accurate to say that the Devils are in a rebuild centered around their young talent (Hughes x2, Hischier, Smith, Holtz, Mercer, etc) BUT if they sign Hamilton then its go time and they're trying to compete now? Or am I misreading the situation? Just seems like NJ is doing a steady rebuild then this Hamilton thing comes out of nowhere.

Devils have to worry about the cap floor -- much less worry about a cap ceiling. If they have the money for Hamilton and a need on RD, then why not sign him? With or without Hamilton, no one will confuse New Jersey with a cup contender in 2022, but he certainly makes them more of a contender for the playoffs. The Devils hope to build a winning culture, and the addition of an elite offensive D-man like Hamilton would certainly push them in this direction.

Ideally, the Devils acquire a scoring winger -- we had 4th-line talents like Merkley and Johnsson on the #1 PP unit last year for crying out loud -- and a 3C also this off-season. If these three things happen -- and the Devils are loaded with cap room and futures necessary to acquire them -- then the playoffs would certainly be a realistic hope.

 

[Derps]

Hey I'm a Canucks fan but I'm curious about whats going on with the Devils.

Is it accurate to say that the Devils are in a rebuild centered around their young talent (Hughes x2, Hischier, Smith, Holtz, Mercer, etc) BUT if they sign Hamilton then its go time and they're trying to compete now? Or am I misreading the situation? Just seems like NJ is doing a steady rebuild then this Hamilton thing comes out of nowhere.

I personally think they have enough on-roster talent to be playoff good in the next 1-2 years. Most of that roster talent is young and getting better. It's hard to get top 10 defenseman that still have 4-5 prime years left and when that opportunity comes, a team in the Devils situation needs to take it. Increasing the talent on this team can only aid in the development of some of these younger players, too.

The major rebuild (ie, acquiring high end players with top picks) is kind of over at this point. It's time to start learning how to win and moving this thing forward. I don't think a Hamilton signing hinders any long term winning prospects. I think it enhances them a crap load.

 

[MauDevils]

Most important part is that our season was derailed because of historically bad special teams. Graves is a big help for the PK and Dougie would almost single handedly turn our PP around.

We would really just need a 3rd line center that can PK. Anything on top of that like Tarasenko or Coleman is just icing on the cake. We could easily be fighting for a playoff spot if it all comes together.

 

[Guadana]

Not really anything. No one is going to sign him for the $10 mil QO so he will sign under that for a reasonable contract comparatively.

I don't see a trade for Meier until next offseason. At that point he can negotiate an extension with a new team. Right now, any team trading for him figures he's a two year fixture or one year and flip him at the TDL if the acquiring team is out of the playoffs. Either way, SJ doesn't get a kings ransom for him most likely. While right shot defenders seem to have surprising value (Ristolainen and Jones) wings seem to have taken something of a hit. Guys like Hoffman and Tatar are available as UFAs. Is Meier that much better than those guys you want to give SJ a first and a prospect like NJ got for Coleman? If NJ added him, just presume he's a two year guy like Graves and they can sit down before the TDL of his second year and see where the team is and where he would be on an extension. It's unlikely any team wants to pay Meier $10 mil for one extra season which would be how his qualifying offer would work.

If he wants to be a d#ck, can he went to the arbitrage and ask 10 mil for one year?

And we either agree, or he goes to the market.
May this situation occur, or did I misunderstand the rules?

 

[Hisch13r]

Most important part is that our season was derailed because of historically bad special teams. Graves is a big help for the PK and Dougie would almost single handedly turns our PP around.

We would really just need a 3rd line center that can PK. Anything on top of that like Tarasenko or Coleman is just icing on the cake. We could easily be fighting for a playoff spot if it all comes together.

Goalie too but that's pretty much a given and will happen

 

[Buck Dancer]

Devils have to worry about the cap floor -- much less worry about a cap ceiling. If they have the money for Hamilton and a need on RD, then why not sign him? With or without Hamilton, no one will confuse New Jersey with a cup contender in 2022, but he certainly makes them more of a contender for the playoffs. The Devils hope to build a winning culture, and the addition of an elite offensive D-man like Hamilton would certainly push them in this direction.

Ideally, the Devils acquire a scoring winger -- we had 4th-line talents like Merkley and Johnsson on the #1 PP unit last year for crying out loud -- and a 3C also this off-season. If these three things happen -- and the Devils are loaded with cap room and futures necessary to acquire them -- then the playoffs would certainly be a realistic hope.

Don’t forget a solid 1-B option to back up Blackwood. Our backups last year were atrocious.

 

[Devils731]

Personally I expected one more shitty year before they started to make a push. Looks like they see an opportunity to sign a top 5ish Dman and are taking it and trying to accelerate things a bit because of that.

That’s where I am at too. First year is kind of a waste since the team isn’t fully ready to compete. Years 2-4 or 5 you hope the team is good and Hamilton is key. Years 6 and 7, you’re probably eating bad value at that point.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

There's no market for Tank. Islanders are going to dumpster dive and sign Parise. If Blues want to get rid of him, we should not have to give up much, and not Muk,

 

[Alex NJD]

There's no market for Tank. Islanders are going to dumpster dive and sign Parise. If Blues want to get rid of him, we should not have to give up much, and not Muk,

Blues are going to need the cap space if they want to make any moves tomorrow too

 

[TheDuke93]

I prefer Tarasenko to Meier, to be honest. I feel Meier will cost more, and although there is certainly injury risk with Tarasenko, there is no doubt he is the far superior player and offensive weapon when healthy.

The fact is that the Devils can afford Tarasenko's full contract with absolute ease -- and this must be a factor for St. Louis. Sure, the Blues can get a first and a prospect for him if they retain 50% of his contract, but the Devils can offer less in return while taking on the full deal. Now that Hughes is in the fold at an already-deep LD position, I wonder if Mukhamadullin and either Butcher or Siegenthaler plus lesser futures might be enough to get Tarasenko in New Jersey.

With Meier, you're probably talking about a 2022 first-round pick, and this is worth far more than Meier in my opinion. If things go south for a still-building Devils team, you could be talking about a lottery shot for Shane Wright, who is probably the most talented draft-eligible player since Auston Matthews. It's also a very talented top 4 and a top 15 littered with high-end RD, which the Devils sorely need. Meier is a good player who offers size for the Devils top 6, no doubt, but he's not an elite player -- I'd consider him a "good second liner", and this is not enough to overpay for when you're not prepared to contend for a Stanley Cup, which the Devils are not.

I think your selling Meier short BUT I agree I wouldn't want to pay a 1st in next years draft + for him.

 

[Oneiro]

I see Hamilton signing here as doing what Parise/Suter did: mostly taking the money but trying to play the odds on future competitiveness.

In the end, it still comes down to the same thing: how good are Nico and Jack?

I'm hoping for a major jump but even with Graves, Hamilton, Bernier and a Tarasenko up front, I still don't think that's a top 4 team in the division without a step function level of growth from our two centers.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Hey I'm a Canucks fan but I'm curious about whats going on with the Devils.

Is it accurate to say that the Devils are in a rebuild centered around their young talent (Hughes x2, Hischier, Smith, Holtz, Mercer, etc) BUT if they sign Hamilton then its go time and they're trying to compete now? Or am I misreading the situation? Just seems like NJ is doing a steady rebuild then this Hamilton thing comes out of nowhere.

In an ideal world, Dougie's a free agent next year instead and then we sign him. But as it is, we have a real opportunity to sign someone like him and it'd be silly not to. If the timing is a bit off then it is what it is. There's no denying adding Dougie would speed things up a ton too, so if we did get him I don't think we're as far off as some people may think.

Sure we wouldn't be cup contenders right away but baby steps. Adding Dougie, and potentially some other moves, puts us in at least the playoff conversation. Then it's about letting the young guys continue to grow to take us to the next level.

 

[GeNeXt]

Blues are going to need the cap space if they want to make any moves tomorrow too

For that reason, if we are confident we're signing Hamilton, I wouldn't execute a deal with STL until I have Dougie's signature on the contract. That may free up enough space for them to try and poach him.

 

[RCPXP]

A week ago the Blues were prepared to lose Tarasenko for nothing in the expansion draft. Can't imagine the ask is unreasonable.

You could argue they were prepared to lose him in exchange for keeping Dunn. However you value Dunn, that's the maximum value.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

There's probably at least one team offering an asset for Tarasenko with retention, and NJ offering X for tarasenko without. So basically St. Louis needs to figure out what's the best path forward among those options, it's not clear without knowing the offers if NJ's is competitive.

 

[My3Sons]

If he wants to be a d#ck, can he went to the arbitrage and ask 10 mil for one year?

And we either agree, or he goes to the market.
May this situation occur, or did I misunderstand the rules?

I think that’s correct. He has two years at about 6 mil per year if my memory is correct and the third year he either agrees to a new contract or gets a one year ten mil deal or becomes a UFA. Just think of it as a two year contract and it’s easiest.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Signing Hamilton doesn't put us in Go Mode right now, but it means they're confident in the core and will be moving towards playoff contention. The roster is not a final product and there will still be some pieces we need to get, but the days of top-5 picks will hopefully be over.

If we get a competent backup goalie and a top-6 finisher then that, combined with every other team in the Metro shooting themselves in the foot, puts us in the bubble.