LeBrun: Dougie Hamilton Expected Out Until Playoffs - NJD have $9 Million LTIR to Spend

[wintersej]

Nicely done.

And then the hockey gods hurt all their D in the postseason.

 

[Djp]

I mean all that money comes right back (or goes away?) when Hamilton returns. It would be different if he were out for the season.

Others have done this.

Kanr with chicsgo, tampa did this with kucherov in Covid shortened season. Both returned for the playoffs. There was no issue with the cap. they both used them as LTIR space.

logically they acquire a RD and G with this space.

 

[Curufinwe]

Those sneaky Devils faking/exaggerating an injury to keep their top dman out till the playoffs.

That's an incredibly smart and devious move, if they actually make the playoffs.

 

[These Are The Days]

Damn Lightning and their damn cheating!!!

 

[gritdash60]

They should give a bump in salary for Meier, he's great. Or maybe get Huberdeau.

 

[seafoam]

Should be about what, 17M once they offload that anchor Meier?

 

[Clark Kellogg]

LeBrun seems to forget the letter and warning teams received before the playoffs started last season. This will NOT be allowed anymore. The NHL will go over his medicals, and won’t allow any funny business IF the player plans on returning for the playoffs. Several players had to be taken off LTIR before the playoffs started last season EVEN if their time frame for return went longer.

They won’t get away with just saying 4-6 months anymore. He’ll be forced to be activated before the playoffs, if they believe he’ll return.

They’d be playing with fire if they try it, and the league is just looking for someone to test them on this, so they can drop the hammer….

Meh… what’s the worst case scenario? Ottawa loses another 1st and just before the draft Bettman gives that Senators pick to the Devils.

 

[oooooooooohCanada]

Really? Didn’t realize that. That is pretty good news then.

not if you dont make the playoffs

 

[Unspecified]

This trend of Kucheroving is becoming more and more of a thing.

 

[Bone Density]

Can't cheat if you don't make the playoffs. I don't see this team doing much unless some coaching staff changes are made, and a goalie brought in. They don't look like they buy what Ruff is peddling anymore. I think Fitz needs to step up and make some hard choices.

 

[eco's bones]

30 games in and the Devils are on the outside looking in....not where I expected them to be. A hangover from last year (?). It's not a great place to be and the pressure was already on to do something. That said a Gibson or a Hanifin will cost something and doing it earlier in the year I suspect will make it cost more than it would nearer the deadline and you're still subtracting Hamilton for at least the rest of the regular season. The assumption that the team rallies and makes the playoffs is certainly possible but it's not a slam dunk. The Flyers and Caps have both played surprisingly well. The Isles have been putting up points and then there are the Canes who are also underperforming so there's a crowded Metro and the Atlantic is likely to put up 4 playoff teams. Chasing the playoffs this time of year is not ideal.

 

[Axel Sandy Pelikan]

The league deciding to punish the Devils for something they previously allowed would be very on brand.

Well, they would do that because some other team was really blatant before them and the league said.... ehhhhhhhh and let it go and then the Devils just said "f*** it, full send."

If we're going to do this, let's be honest.

If the Hawks hadn't skirted on the edge of blowing past credulity with Hossa's backdiving contract and openly speaking to him about retiring early followed by the Devils giving Kovalchuk a 17 year deal with 7 fake years bolted onto it that took him to 45, the Devils wouldn't have been whacked for it. It's like speeding. Everyone does it a little. The cop thinks about pulling out when someone's going 10-15 over and is forced to do so when someone goes 35 over.

Same idea here. Canucks (I guess) and Chicago do it legitimate and have a star player injured with a time frame that brings him back just as the playoffs start. Then, Tampa monkeys around with it to make it obvious that Kucherov was being held back a couple weeks to avoid trouble. Now, Devils were going to say "yup, he's gonna be out... 'how long is it until the playoffs?'... That long".

It's not a conspiracy against the Devils when they blow past reasonableness.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

Well, they would do that because some other team was really blatant before them and the league said.... ehhhhhhhh and let it go and then the Devils just said "f*** it, full send."

If we're going to do this, let's be honest.

If the Hawks hadn't skirted on the edge of blowing past credulity with Hossa's backdiving contract and openly speaking to him about retiring early followed by the Devils giving Kovalchuk a 17 year deal with 7 fake years bolted onto it that took him to 45, the Devils wouldn't have been whacked for it. It's like speeding. Everyone does it a little. The cop thinks about pulling out when someone's going 10-15 over and is forced to do so when someone goes 35 over.

Same idea here. Canucks (I guess) and Chicago do it legitimate and have a star player injured with a time frame that brings him back just as the playoffs start. Then, Tampa monkeys around with it to make it obvious that Kucherov was being held back a couple weeks to avoid trouble. Now, Devils were going to say "yup, he's gonna be out... 'how long is it until the playoffs?'... That long".

It's not a conspiracy against the Devils when they blow past reasonableness.

Love the ignorance of Vegas/TB actively saying they won't play certain guys to abuse the LTIR loophole but if NJ does it, stop the presses and hammer the bottom 5 small market team

The league deciding to punish the Devils for something they previously allowed would be very on brand.

It's happened before and will probably happen here with the result being we lose a pick in 2025 and it'll somehow end up being a lottery one just like how the 2014 pick would've been Fiala/Larkin and we f***ing got John Quenneville