Confirmed with Link: Devils sign Rostislav Olesz (1 year, $1M)

[ghoti]

It's fun to say this guy's name.

 

[Saugus]

Gio is equally important as the other two. I'd hope Olesz has the speed, heart, and tenacity that Gio has. If he's another Poni, this line won't work.

If he's the Poni of the second stint it won't work. If he's Poni 1.0, it will work.

Just the kinda guy I want in my bottom 6. More and more GMs are starting to catch on that some of the best bottom-6 and fourth-line guys used to be highly-touted prospects.

Agreed. Lou definitely likes to bring in underachieving former first rounders as depth guys. I have no problem with that, as long as they understand their role. Bernier does, hopefully Olesz will too.

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

Can we get a "olesz! olesz olesz olesz! Olesz! Olesz!" chant going at The Rock?



I just realized Habs fans are assisted by the big screen. I'm less impressed.

 

[DEVILS ALL THE WAY*]

Rusty?

"I once knew a horse name Rusty"

 

[guitarguyvic]

So you're telling me it's always like this?

You never know with Lou, though.
He can often spin gold out of nothing, with only the slightest of moves.
And sometimes the same moves cause the whole thing to blow up in his face.

All of his moves come with a certain amount of risk, it's all about withholding some patience to see everything play itself out.

How else do you survive with a GM like this?

That's not a Lou thing. That's the nature if being a GM. A good GM will always take some amount of risk, but the successes will typically outweigh the failures. Just like with anything in life, being surrounded by quality people and good luck also help.

 

[glenwo2]

Mills sucked, and I was also not a Pelley fan either. Beer league player that we kept for way too long, but he was slightly more useful than Tim Tostito. Carter made Pelley expendable, as he was shipped out a little over a month later.

Funny enough, Pelley only suited up for 3 more games for the Devils after we acquired Carter, and he was still around for roughly 6 more weeks too.

I bet you Pelley was stalking the Coach asking him "Can I play? Can I play? Can I Play?" in his office, in his car, in the hotel, in the mens room...

 

[Marshal Rochambeau]

Just the kinda guy I want in my bottom 6. More and more GMs are starting to catch on that some of the best bottom-6 and fourth-line guys used to be highly-touted prospects.

Wow that is so right but at the same time so sad

 

[None Shall Pass]

Wow that is so right but at the same time so sad

It's sad until you realize that they're making at least $575K a year to do something they love that most of us would do for a lot less.

Especially if they're former top prospects, who are usually making about $1M a year.

If that's sad, then I am just pitiful.

 

[Classic Devil]

Wow that is so right but at the same time so sad

Lou's been doing the former 1st rounder turned depth forward thing for a long time.

Stevenson
Rupp
Bernier
Olesz
Marshall
Kozlov
Rasmussen
McAmmond
R. Niedermayer
Steckel
Kelly

Granted, many were depth forwards before we acquired them.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

wow, didn't realize Stevenson and Steckel were 1st rounders.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

wow, didn't realize Stevenson and Steckel were 1st rounders.

Yeah, some times you wonder just what made a guy so seemingly valuable. At least guys like Raffi Torres, Danny Cleary, and Malhotra still brought some value even though they weren't top-6 scorers. What the hell did anyone ever see in Dave Steckel?

 

[Devilsfan992]

I used to work with a Rostislav. We called him Rocco, lmao.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

I used to work with a Rostislav. We called him Rocco, lmao.

Now Rocco, I like. But Rusty may be more fitting thanks to his relationship with our coach, Cousin Eddie.

 

[glenwo2]

Rocco is more of a name signifying a tough guy so I'm not against that nickname.

Much better than friggin' "Rusty".

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Rocco is more of a name signifying a tough guy so I'm not against that nickname.

Much better than friggin' "Rusty".

What's not tough about this guy?

 

[Desert Devil]

What the hell did anyone ever see in Dave Steckel?

He's a big dude at 6'6". I"m sure the Ducks saw potential, never panned out.

 

[Devils Dominion]

He's a big dude at 6'6". I"m sure the Ducks saw potential, never panned out.

Same will be said about Gauthier down the line.

 

[Classic Devil]

wow, didn't realize Stevenson and Steckel were 1st rounders.

I always remember Stevenson was a first rounder because he was taken in 1990 before Brodeur, and he used to rib Marty about it.

 

[Mogo]

You guys will go crazy with how much Deboer will use this guy. He also is horrible in shootout yet he uses him always and Olesz always tries to go backhand in the shootout

 

[ThePSEGPowerPoster]

You guys will go crazy with how much Deboer will use this guy. He also is horrible in shootout yet he uses him always and Olesz always tries to go backhand in the shootout

Funny because that's all Clarkson would do too.

 

[britdevil]

Love the reactions.

Abo was like "Why?" and britdevil actually said "Yuck".

Even the best get it wrong sometimes....

 

[glenwo2]

What's not tough about this guy?

*ahem*

Here :

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=68808025&postcount=135

 

[downtown56]

One player DeBoer does know about is left winger Rostislav Olesz, signed by the Devils as a free agent. He coached Olesz in Florida.

“We’re going to come in with a real open mind on him,” DeBoer said. “He’s versatile and I would expect he’d be very hungry. My report to Lou when he asked me was I feel he’s an NHL player. Because of his contract he’s been outside the league for the last three years. He had that albatross of a contract for $3 million a year and the cap kept him out of the league, but he’s definitely an NHL player in my eyes.”

What role might he play?

“He’s an intriguing guy. He was a seventh overall pick. He has a lot of tools in the toolbox, so to speak," DeBoer said. "He’s big, he’s powerful, he has a skill level. When I had him in Florida I felt he was a guy who would play in your top six or bottom six. He was responsible defensively and killed penalties for me. He has enough skill that he could be on the power play in certain situations.”

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2013/07/devils_pete_deboer_no_goaltending_plan_yet_happy_for_david_clarkson.html#incart_flyout_sports

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2013/07/devils_pete_deboer_no_goaltending_plan_yet_happy_for_david_clarkson.html#incart_flyout_sports

Sounds like he can be a Bernier. That would be awesome. Olesz-Carter-Bernier will be better than CBGB if he can pan out like Bernier did. And Gio is a really good insurance policy.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

REALLY like hearing from Deboer that Olesz killed penalties for him in Florida. That might be one facet of Gionta's game we would miss a lot if he ends up a healthy scratch more often than not. Plus it shows he's probably a reliable player. This signing looks better and better by the day. If he turns into Raffi Torres type player for the Devils on the third or fourth line, that's gonna be HUGE.

And on a sidenote, Tedenby is totally screwed if he has to compete for a depth spot against this guy. You can tell Rusty D) plays the kind of game Deboer loves.