Value of: Legit top 6 winger to NJ (offseason)

[Spoiled Bratt]

Picks don’t do anything for the confidence and learning curve of our current backbone and franchise center. Am I saying to trade all our picks? Absolutely not but to say that we can’t trade any because this magic bean will help us in 3 or 4 years doesn’t do any good to Hischier, Hughes, Smith, Bratt, Severson, Blackwood, etc.

Just look at what Severson said yesterday. He’s sick and tired of losing and he has every right to be pissed if our plan is to draft ourselves out of trouble. There’s a difference between adding over the hill bums and players that can compliment our future studs. Yes, it might cost a pretty penny but it’s for the overall good of what we have today and that’s a roster filled with kids that are 23 years or younger.

You’re not attracting a UFA if that’s your main plan and the players we have that are closing in on UFA status are counting the days when they’ll be able to sign for a team willing to actually compete.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Problem with this thinking is you are limited to who teams are unable to protect in expansion (not a top 9/10 player on the team) and who they want to dump. We learned this lesson the hard way with Subban and Johnsson. No one is going to trade a key piece for just draft picks. For example if you look at a team like Vegas up against the cap this offseason, given the choice of trading Alex Tuch (probably a dream target for this plan) for the best futures package possible or adding a 2nd round draft pick to dump Reilly Smith they are going to choose the latter.

Devils should really just sign someone. They are gonna have like 30 million in cap space.

have you looked at the UFAs? Nothing to write home about especially when I would imagine guys like RNH and Landeskog end up back with their current teams anyways

I don't have a problem signing a UFA winger, but when does it ever work out?

 

[HugeInTheShire]

Problem with trying to get into the UFA market is the Devils always have to overpay to get mediocre players, no top notch UFA is going to seriously consider NJ. That is why we have to go the trade route, as long as the player doesn't have a NTC or NMC as nobody would waive to go there either

 

[Djp]

Devils need to add a legitimate goal scorer to help out Jack Hughes and have the assets to do so.

two 1sts
one 2nd
two 3rds
and a plethora of forward prospects who are NHL ready (Jesper Boqvist, Janne Kuokkanen, Yegor Sharangovich, Nolan Foote, Graeme Clarke, etc.)

Looking at teams like TB, VAN, STL, VGK, NYI who may run into some problems with the flat cap or expansion draft this offseason

Holtz and Mercer are not available.

here is my honest assessment on the devils.

I don’t know there prospect detail and who may or may not be good or trade available

the focus actually needs to be on defense. The devils have a bunch of young firwards but their d are hitting UFA in a few years

by looking at their round 1-2 drafting they picked only 2 Dman.

There isn’t much in terms of D coming to UFA in the next coup,e years since good ones are usually signed and never hit UFA

Some decisions will need to be made

I figure high first you draft a Dman
Might draft one too with isles pick

do you trade Zacha for a similar age mid pair Dman?what about some of the re ent U23 players picked?

it will be easier to get a winger in UFA because many look to hit...you could sign Hall, Palmieri, and others about to be UFAs in 21 or 22. You could trade late 1st or 2nd+ for a 24+ player with 2+ years left before being a UFAwho a cap strapped team might not be able to afford with a tight cap due to arbitration.

 

[HBK27]

have you looked at the UFAs? Nothing to write home about especially when I would imagine guys like RNH and Landeskog end up back with their current teams anyways

I don't have a problem signing a UFA winger, but when does it ever work out?

UFA's rarely work out because of the term involved. Now, you have a flat cap and many teams can't afford to bring in UFA's, their prices have gone down and you're seeing less and less long-term deals.

Devils have a ton of cap space and can afford to overpay a bit on salary in exchange for shorter term. They shouldn't be looking to fill forward spots long-term via UFA, just the next season or two while Holtz, Mercer, Foote, Clarke, etc. continue to develop.

 

[Djp]

have you looked at the UFAs? Nothing to write home about especially when I would imagine guys like RNH and Landeskog end up back with their current teams anyways

I don't have a problem signing a UFA winger, but when does it ever work out?

with UFA wingers you can’t be giving them long terms. Look at 3-4 yrs max. There are going to be a bunch out there.

you could also work out a deal with Seattle where they coukd pick 2 of these mid 20s wingers and devils trade some of their future prospects for them to fill their prospect pipeline in future years in 22 and 23 ELC start time.

 

[Guttersniped]

here is my honest assessment on the devils.

I don’t know there prospect detail and who may or may not be good or trade available

the focus actually needs to be on defense. The devils have a bunch of young firwards but their d are hitting UFA in a few years

by looking at their round 1-2 drafting they picked only 2 Dman.

There isn’t much in terms of D coming to UFA in the next coup,e years since good ones are usually signed and never hit UFA

Some decisions will need to be made

I figure high first you draft a Dman
Might draft one too with isles pick

do you trade Zacha for a similar age mid pair Dman?what about some of the re ent U23 players picked?

it will be easier to get a winger in UFA because many look to hit...you could sign Hall, Palmieri, and others about to be UFAs in 21 or 22. You could trade late 1st or 2nd+ for a 24+ player with 2+ years left before being a UFAwho a cap strapped team might not be able to afford with a tight cap due to arbitration.

Yes, you are correct. Outside of our one blue chip defensemen Ty Smith in 2018, the Devils drafted three defensemen outside of the 7th round in a three year period (2016 Rd 5 #132 Rykov, then 2017 Rd 3 #81 Walsh and Rd 4 #110 Bernard).

They drafted also four in the 7th round and 192nd pick from 2016 actually made to the NHL but it was with the Predators because he was traded, as was Rykov. (And that’s not exactly how you build a defense Ray.) Shero went more defense heavy (well, for him) in his last draft, he took one with the 2nd we had (the 61st lol), drafted two in 3rd and one in 4th.

Fitz would have no doubt loved to have taken a defenseman with the 2020 7th pick but the Senators and the Ducks didn’t help a brother out and drafted Sanderson and Drysdale first. We need RHD desperately and will need to address in the upcoming draft and elsewhere. It’s just some fans think getting wingers for Jack Hughes is the teams greatest need because he isn’t scoring a lot of assists right this second.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

here is my honest assessment on the devils.

I don’t know there prospect detail and who may or may not be good or trade available

the focus actually needs to be on defense. The devils have a bunch of young firwards but their d are hitting UFA in a few years

by looking at their round 1-2 drafting they picked only 2 Dman.

There isn’t much in terms of D coming to UFA in the next coup,e years since good ones are usually signed and never hit UFA

Some decisions will need to be made

I figure high first you draft a Dman
Might draft one too with isles pick

do you trade Zacha for a similar age mid pair Dman?what about some of the re ent U23 players picked?

it will be easier to get a winger in UFA because many look to hit...you could sign Hall, Palmieri, and others about to be UFAs in 21 or 22. You could trade late 1st or 2nd+ for a 24+ player with 2+ years left before being a UFAwho a cap strapped team might not be able to afford with a tight cap due to arbitration.

I get what you are saying, but in my eyes the offense has been more of a problem than the defense in my eyes

Ty Smith has been awesome this year overall....way better than any of us would have thought
Severson has played like a legit top pairing DMan most of the year as well
I would like to see at least one of Kulikov or Murray extended for another year or two as they have been solid overall

As you said, I am under the assumption that with our own 1st we will select a DMan in the top 5-7 this year so throw him into the mix as well.

 

[Lindberg Cheese]

What you really need is Kim Pegula running things over there

 

[Nico Hischier]

I’d rather upgrade the defense. Offense will produce more with the same personnel while having better defenseman.

 

[Guttersniped]

I get what you are saying, but in my eyes the offense has been more of a problem than the defense in my eyes

Ty Smith has been awesome this year overall....way better than any of us would have thought
Severson has played like a legit top pairing DMan most of the year as well
I would like to see at least one of Kulikov or Murray extended for another year or two as they have been solid overall

As you said, I am under the assumption that with our own 1st we will select a DMan in the top 5-7 this year so throw him into the mix as well.

Severson is turns 27 in August and he’s a second pair defensemen. Unless we plan on cloning Smith and genetically altering their handedness we need to draft more defensemen. The two best players we just drafted by far were Holtz and Mercer.

 

[Eggtimer]

I think Vrana would get a good pick up, not a great pick up
I don't think he goes to NJ and flourishes

Vrana type is exactly what Id hope for. I cannot see the Caps letting him go but this is a very good example of what type of player the Devils should go after. Boeser is another... he should in no way be available but then who knows what is going to happen with Benning as a GM. If they are handcuffed by the cap and they cannot sign all three of Hughes Petersson and Boeser , id think Boeser would be the one of the three that would be moved first if one had to be. Again , I cannot see it happening and it shouldn't happen , but id at least look into it if I was Fitz. Offer picks / players on ELC and cost controlled contracts to fill their roster

 

[Eggtimer]

Double post. Please delete

 

[julkki]

Laine to Devils? Would be a rather cheap price right now.

 

[AfroThunder396]

Laine to Devils? Would be a rather cheap price right now.

We have discussed this to death on the Devils board, it all comes back to price. I don't see Laine as a franchise cornerstone, and therefore I'm not giving up premium pieces to get him. No lottery picks, no Hughes/Hischier/Bratt/Smith/Blackwood, no Holtz/Mercer.

I'd be willing to give up, like, Wood + NYI's 1st for Laine at this point but nothing more. He is obviously a talented goal scorer but he is an active detriment to his team in all other aspects of the game.

 

[RedHawkDown]

Mantha for a top 10 protected 1st. That’s all

 

[Blackjack]

We have discussed this to death on the Devils board, it all comes back to price. I don't see Laine as a franchise cornerstone, and therefore I'm not giving up premium pieces to get him. No lottery picks, no Hughes/Hischier/Bratt/Smith/Blackwood, no Holtz/Mercer.

I'd be willing to give up, like, Wood + NYI's 1st for Laine at this point but nothing more. He is obviously a talented goal scorer but he is an active detriment to his team in all other aspects of the game.

Yeah, not sure I even give up that much for the opportunity to pay Patrik Laine $7.5 million next year. I think he can be good, but first he has to be non-tendered and signed as a UFA to a much more reasonable contract.

Lower expectations, lower pressure. Nothing wrong with a $4.5 million powerplay specialist.

 

[Eggtimer]

I hope we use our own pick this year on one of Powers Hughes or Clarke. If those three are gone , go with Beniers / Johnson / Eklund

 

[Random schmoe]

I generally don't like getting into 'Value Of' discussions because of the subjective "I think my player is better than they actually are" nature of fandom... But I will say that I don't think a 2nd and a 4th (the Mojo special) gets it done for Vrana. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, he's 10th in the NHL in 5v5 goals. And, the same time frame, among players with 1,000 or more minutes he is 6th in 5v5 Goals/60. His overall numbers get suppressed vs. his peers because of limited power play time [see edit below], but the goal-scoring ability is commensurate with many of the top goal scorers in the league.

I recognize that with NJ's 1st likely to be top 10, that wouldn't be very appealing to NJ. But certainly the Isles first would probably have to be in line and probably another valued piece.

Need to edit something I said: Turns out he actually gets more power play time than I realized. About 2:24 per game in the current season, total of about 86 minutes. But he's only taken 13 shots in all those minutes. I guess that's a side effect of having Ovie on the power play too.

 

[mrinsane]

Drouin

 

[Eggtimer]

Ya no way a 2nd and 4th for Vrana gets it done. He is a UFA is he not though ? I don't see him being THAT much more than the 2nd plus 4th .
Would Rackell be a possible target or is he outside of the age range Fitz is looking to stick to ( no one over 27 years old for a UFA)
I cannot think of any under 27 goal scoring winger that is available. Gaudreau? Lindholm?

 

[Random schmoe]

He is a UFA is he not though ? I don't see him being THAT much more than the 2nd plus 4th .

Nope, he's an arb-eligible RFA at the end of this season. His QO (currently salary this season) is $3M, fair to say his next contract would be higher.

I think, if I remember and understand correctly, he has two more seasons before being eligible for UFA. But I'm no CBA/contract expert.

 

[Smitty426]

We have discussed this to death on the Devils board, it all comes back to price. I don't see Laine as a franchise cornerstone, and therefore I'm not giving up premium pieces to get him. No lottery picks, no Hughes/Hischier/Bratt/Smith/Blackwood, no Holtz/Mercer.

I'd be willing to give up, like, Wood + NYI's 1st for Laine at this point but nothing more. He is obviously a talented goal scorer but he is an active detriment to his team in all other aspects of the game.

You meant Seney and the first right? ; )

 

[Hockey Fanatik]

Mantha for a top 10 protected 1st. That’s all

Mantha will be 27 this year, slightly out of the age range I like for NJ (25 and under)

 

[elitepete]

I also wonder about Boeser’s future in Vancouver.

The Canucks are up a creek without a paddle cap-wise—and that just got worse with the Pearson extension.

Not going anywhere.