Salary Cap: NJD Major Offseason Part III

[njdevil26]

Continue!



Someone asked about Josefson's contract status. He's an RFA.

Here's the state of the team:

Zajac- 30- 5.75m- Signed til 20-21
Elias- 39- 5.50m- UFA
Cammalleri- 33- 5.00m- Signed til 18-19
Clowe- 32- 4.850m- Signed til 17-18 (LTIR)
Henrique- 25- 4.00m- Signed til 18-19
Ruutu- 32- 3.800m- UFA
Palmieri- 24- 1.467m- RFA
Kalinin- 24- .925m- RFA
Gionta- 31- .850m- UFA
Tootoo- 32- .825m- UFA
Josefson- 24- .800m- RFA
Tlusty- 27- .800m- UFA
Farnham- 26- .575m- UFA
Boucher- 21- .925m- RFA
Kennedy- 28- .600m- UFA
O'Neill- 27- .562m- UFA
Smith-Pelly- 23- .800m- RFA
Sislo- 27- .562m- UFA
Blandisi- 20- .788- Signed til 16-17

Greene- 32- 5.00m- Signed til 19-20
Larsson- 22- 4.167m- Signed til 20-21
Moore- 24- 1.667m- Signed til 17-18
Merrill- 23- .900m- RFA
Severson- 21- .888m- Signed til 16-17
Schlemko- 28- .625m- UFA
Helgeson- 24- .588m- Signed til 16-17
Warsofsky- 25- .600m- RFA
Mozik- 22- .925m- Signed til 16-17

Schneider- 29- 6.00m- Signed til 21-22
Kinkaid- 25- .725m- Signed til 16-17
Wedgewood- 22- .588m- Signed til 16-17

Zacha, Quenneville, and Santini are the top prospects not on the main roster.

Click to read more...

 

[njdevil26]

My opinions on the expiring contracts

Elias- 39- 5.50m- UFA (Depends on what he's got left. He could certainly be a third liner. Offer one year, 2 million)
Ruutu- 32- 3.800m- UFA (You are the weakest link. Goodbye!)
Palmieri- 24- 1.467m- RFA (5 years, 5m per)
Kalinin- 24- .925m- RFA (3 years, 1.5m per)
Gionta- 31- .850m- UFA (Pack your knives and go)
Tootoo- 32- .825m- UFA (The tribe has spoken)
Josefson- 24- .800m- RFA (3 years, 1.5m per)
Tlusty- 27- .800m- UFA (Offer PTO. I am confident he can still score)
Farnham- 26- .575m- UFA (1 year, 650k)
Boucher- 21- .925m- RFA (2 years, 1.00m)
Kennedy- 28- .600m- UFA 1 year, .850m)
O'Neill- 27- .562m- UFA (Membership denied. Please remove your blazer)
Smith-Pelly- 23- .800m- RFA (3 years, 2.00m per)
Sislo- 27- .562m- UFA (Albany or Sashay away!)


Merrill- 23- .900m- RFA (1 year, .900m)
Schlemko- 28- .625m- UFA (1 year, .950m)
Warsofsky- 25- .600m- RFA (Two way, 1 year, .650m or He has to leave the mansion)

 

[Ripshot 43]

Tlusty 100% gone please

 

[njdevil26]

Tlusty 100% gone please

So you're saying he will not be the next Iron Chef.

 

[RememberTheName]

Merrill's rfa rights for a 3rd

 

[dzubrus8]

Elias- 39- 5.50m- UFA (if he wants to come back, give him 1-year, $3 million as a ceremonial thing. Let him get one more year on the team where he gets to play and mentor guys instead of being injured all the time.)
Ruutu- 32- 3.800m- UFA (No comment.)
Palmieri- 24- 1.467m- RFA (I'd go for a 6yr, 5per pact. I don't think he'd take less for that type of deal.)
Kalinin- 24- .925m- RFA (Could be a good 4th liner for NJ in the future and these were his first games on NA ice. I'd give him a one-year $1.5 million deal.)
Gionta- 31- .850m- UFA (It's time.)
Tootoo- 32- .825m- UFA (Let him go to UFA and consider picking him back up (vet minimum) if he doesn't get any other offers and the market runs dry.)
Josefson- 24- .800m- RFA (I'd try to keep him in NJ. He plays a good style of hockey and I think he is good enough with the puck that he could still get better. 2 years, 2m per)
Tlusty- 27- .800m- UFA (Call it quits on him. It's not that I think he's done, it's just that NJ did terrible things for him and he'll probably want to earn a paycheck somewhere else.)
Farnham- 26- .575m- UFA (Go with the Tootoo plan.)
Boucher- 21- .925m- RFA (2 years, 1.5 million. Try and get him on the cheap. When he's 24 he'll be a known quantity and then we can give him a corresponding deal)
Kennedy- 28- .600m- UFA (he showed grit and heart at the end of the year. I say bring him back at 800k)
O'Neill- 27- .562m- UFA (Nah)
Smith-Pelly- 23- .800m- RFA (2 years, 2m per. If he's the real deal, it'd be nice to have an extra year of RFA in case deliberations take a while)
Sislo- 27- .562m- UFA (Sign him to a two-way and give him another chance in preseason. Some people think he can do something for NJ and this stint has been much more pleasant than previous ones.)


Merrill- 23- .900m- RFA (2 years, 925k. Give him the Gelinas deal. If he fails, he'll be 25 and the team can send him to UFA instead of wasting their time.)
Schlemko- 28- .625m- UFA (2 years, 1.5m per. I don't think he's as bad as I first suspected. Maybe he can be the top-4 LHD until Merrill picks his career up (or maybe if at this point).)
Warsofsky- 25- .600m- RFA (No thanks.)

That leaves the Devils with this:

Cammalleri - Henrique - Palmieri
Boucher - Zajac - Smith-Pelly
Blandisi - Elias - Zacha
Kalinin - Josefson - Kennedy

Greene - Severson
Schlemko - Larsson
Merrill - Moore

Schneider
Kinkaid

I don't know if I want Zacha in NJ in his overage year but I do want him to play with Elias because of the statesmen/mentorship thing. Maybe let him play in Sarnia and bring him to NJ to play with Patty once Sarnia is out of the playoffs (next year). In that case, sign a top-six RW and move DSP to line 3. I wouldn't mind Jiri Hudler or Loui Eriksson on a short-term pact. If we're looking long-term, I'd love to see Kyle Okposo in red and black.

 

[Ripshot 43]

So you're saying he will not be the next Iron Chef.

I'm saying that he... Like American Idol... Is thank goodness in his final season.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I'd definitely like to keep Boucher - Zajac -Palmieri together..seems to be working

Cammy - Henrique - UFA/trade
Boucher - Zajac - Palmieri
Zacha - Blandisi - DSP
Pietila - Kalinin - UFA/AHLer

That third line is a real wildcard. I really like the smooth skating Blandisi with the bruising DSP and Zacha (if ready) has a nice mix of strength/speed/skill that could go well with them. Obviously there's big questions if Blandisi can handle the center position, but at least offensively I think he'd really do well.

 

[devilsblood]

I'd definitely like to keep Boucher - Zajac -Palmieri together..seems to be working

Cammy - Henrique - UFA/trade
Boucher - Zajac - Palmieri
Zacha - Blandisi - DSP
Pietila - Kalinin - UFA/AHLer

That third line is a real wildcard. I really like the smooth skating Blandisi with the bruising DSP and Zacha (if ready) has a nice mix of strength/speed/skill that could go well with them. Obviously there's big questions if Blandisi can handle the center position, but at least offensively I think he'd really do well.

If Blandisi is not ready then Zacha at C. It looks like they will both be on the team, someone has to play C.

Though I wonder if that 3rd line is reliable enough, Bouch might actually be better on that LW as a stabilizing presense.

There really aren't that many hole's to fill. Bring in a top line player. After that it's just a matter of letting the young guys get their toi.

 

[Bleedred]

Tlusty 100% gone please

Yeah there's no reason to bring him back at all.

And I'm not confident he can score at all anymore, as he had just 4 points and 2 goals in 30 games. One own goal in the first game of the season, that was put in by someone on Winnipeg and he only got credit because of being the last to touch the puck. And one goal off a perfect assist from the backboards against Buffalo.

And if that 30 games is not a good enough sample size for you, he also had 8 points and 1 goal in 24 games, including 4 playoff games with Winnipeg.

So in his last 54 games played, he has 12 points and 3 goals.

 

[Billdo]

Schlemko will get a few offers IMO and probably around 2m per year I bet. I'd go 3 yrs 6m.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I'd definitely like to keep Boucher - Zajac -Palmieri together..seems to be working

Cammy - Henrique - UFA/trade
Boucher - Zajac - Palmieri
Zacha - Blandisi - DSP
Pietila - Kalinin - UFA/AHLer

That third line is a real wildcard. I really like the smooth skating Blandisi with the bruising DSP and Zacha (if ready) has a nice mix of strength/speed/skill that could go well with them. Obviously there's big questions if Blandisi can handle the center position, but at least offensively I think he'd really do well.

I feel like one of of Zacha or Blender can handle 3C work and there is also a wild card in JQ who could also compete for that spot.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Yeah there's no reason to bring him back at all.

And I'm not confident he can score at all anymore, as he had just 4 points and 2 goals in 30 games. One own goal in the first game of the season, that was put in by someone on Winnipeg and he only got credit because of being the last to touch the puck. And one goal off a perfect assist from the backboards against Buffalo.

And if that 30 games is not a good enough sample size for you, he also had 8 points and 1 goal in 24 games, including 4 playoff games with Winnipeg.

So in his last 54 games played, he has 12 points and 3 goals.

We need another RW and if we can get an expensive one we have to bargain shop again.

Has to be someone better then Tlusty though to get the basics right?

 

[Bleedred]

We need another RW and if we can get an expensive one we have to bargain shop again.

Has to be someone better then Tlusty though to get the basics right?

Tlusty was a good signing, because I don't think anyone expected him to fall off a cliff. But I don't want him back at all.

Even if he's not finished in the league, I don't wanna take the chance on him. I think this might be it for him though. We signed him on the last day before camp, after he turned down several PTO's as it was. Now he's been even worse and had a season ending injury.

I think we can definitely find someone better. There's nothing wrong with making another Tlusty type signing next year if need be though. I mean A Tlusty type signing, not THE Tlusty.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Tlusty was a good signing, because I don't think anyone expected him to fall off a cliff. But I don't want him back at all.

Even if he's not finished in the league, I don't wanna take the chance on him. I think this might be it for him though. We signed him on the last day before camp, after he turned down several PTO's as it was. Now he's been even worse and had a season ending injury.

I think we can definitely find someone better. There's nothing wrong with making another Tlusty type signing next year if need be though. I mean A Tlusty type signing, not THE Tlusty.

Well if he doesn't stay in Boston (which he might) we could give Stemps another call.

Not sure who else is a UFA this year we could try.

 

[Devilswede]

Sounds like Shero might be looking to make a signing or two out of Europe á la Sergey Kalinin last year.

I'm not too sure of the names available out there, but I'm guessing he's looking for help up front.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Sounds like Shero might be looking to make a signing or two out of Europe á la Sergey Kalinin last year.

I'm not too sure of the names available out there, but I'm guessing he's looking for help up front.

Trying to find the next Panaran maybe?

 

[NJDevils17]

This team really isn't that far away from being a competitor again.

If we had Cam we probably have 25 more goals as a team and are in the playoffs.

We're one RW away. Okposo could be the solution.

Cam-Henrique-Okposo
Boucher-Zajac-Palmieri
Blandisi-JQ/Zacha-DSP
Kalinin-Josefson-Pietila

That's solid. That's 3 potential 30 goal scorers and a nice third line.

Also fun fact I had no idea of: Pietila and Ben Johnson are cousins apparently. Had no idea.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

This team really isn't that far away from being a competitor again.

If we had Cam we probably have 25 more goals as a team and are in the playoffs.

We're one RW away. Okposo could be the solution.

Cam-Henrique-Okposo
Boucher-Zajac-Palmieri
Blandisi-JQ/Zacha-DSP
Kalinin-Josefson-Pietila

That's solid. That's 3 potential 30 goal scorers and a nice third line.

Also fun fact I had no idea of: Pietila and Ben Johnson are cousins apparently. Had no idea.

There is no way this team has 25 more goals scored with Cammalleri in the lineup over the last 30 games - think about what you're saying: one winger can transform a 150 goal team into a 215 goal team over a full season? Not so much.

Cammalleri probably adds like 15 goals scored above replacement over an entire season.

 

[Blender]

Trying to find the next Panaran maybe?

Panarin wasn't really found though. Speculation was that all 30 NHL teams tried to sign him. He was a well known player in the KHL and was considered one of the best young players outside the NHL. Now no one expected quite the production he has had, but everyone expected him to be a legit top 6 forward right from the start.

 

[Feed Me A Stray Cat]

Panarin wasn't really found though. Speculation was that all 30 NHL teams tried to sign him. He was a well known player in the KHL and was considered one of the best young players outside the NHL. Now no one expected quite the production he has had, but everyone expected him to be a legit top 6 forward right from the start.

They should revise the entry contract limits on players over a certain age (say 23). With no limits, some team that needed Panarin more than Chicago would have paid more money, but because the contracts are capped players end up choosing teams that are already good. Kind of annoying in my opinion.

Same with Kevin Hayes and the Rangers.

You'd obviously need to structure it in a way to dissuade collegiate players from going to school for all four years in hopes of a pay day upon graduation. But I really don't like what happens in the current system.

 

[looksshootsscores]

My take on the Expiring Contracts:

UFA Class
Ruutu, T. - Not renewed
Elias, P. - Not renewed (he might retire)
Tlusty, J. - Not renewed (could circle back)
Gionta, S. - Not renewed
Tootoo, J. - Not renewed
Kennedy, T. - 1-year, $800,000
Farnham, B. - Could go either way, if he stays-- 1-year, $610,000
Sislo, M. - 1-year, two-way, $650,000
O'Neill, B. - Not renewed
Schlemko, D. - Not renewed (I think he can get a multi-year somewhere else)

RFA Class
Palmieri, K. - 5-year, $5.3M AAV
Kalinin, S. - 2-year, $925,000 AAV
Josefson, J. - 2-year, $1M AAV
Smith-Pelly, D. - 2-year, $1.3M AAV
Boucher, R. - 1-year, $820,000 AAV
Merrill, J. - Tendered qualifying offer (would not be surprised if he's not tendered a QO, but likely will be. Depth on defense could move him out--traded for a fourth rounder or low-level prospect)
Warsofsky, D. - 1-year, two-way, $720,000
Hrabarenka, R. - 2-year, two-way, $705,000 AAV
Scarlett, R. - 1-year, two-way, $690,000
Burlon, B. - 1-year, two-way, $562,500

Optimistic Unrestricted Free Agency:

Yandle, K. - (NYR for 2015-16) 6-year, $6.3M AAV (they need a more veteran point-producer from the back-end, can eat tough minutes, too)
Eriksson, L. - (BOS for 2015-16) 5-year, $6.15M AAV (overpayment, I know--but could be a good fit)
Nielsen, F. - (NYI for 2015-16) 2-year, $3.9M AAV (might be too low here though)
Sceviour, C. - (DAL for 2015-16) 1-year, $1.1M (maybe?)

Depth Chart:

FORWARD
Cammalleri--Zajac--Eriksson
Henrique-Nielsen-Palmieri
Boucher--(Zacha)--Smith-Pelly
Kalinin--Josefson--Sceviour
Extras:
Blandisi: Jury is still out on him; could start the season in Albany and earn a spot due to injury or push one of the bot-6 out; could also earn a spot if Zacha doesn't last past nine games/good camp would maybe force a trade or waive in b-6.
Farnham: If he's back with the ideal lineup, he's likely the 13th NHL forward
Kennedy: With Farnham as an extra forward, he might need to earn his spot, too. Perhaps signing him means they don't sign Sceviour. Internal competition is fun though.
Quenneville, J.: Might not be able to make the NHL jump just yet, will get some chances at camp to push out someone from the bot-6.
Lorito, M.: AHL guy, will get a look; was surprisingly good last time around, could earn considerations as mid-season call up.
Pietila, B: probably fringe-NHL player; could be a call-up--plays the game hard.
**if Zacha doesn't last beyond nine games, Josefson could move to third; Kalinin to center the fourth. Zacha could also swap with more defensively-responsible, Nielsen.


DEFENSE:

Greene--Larsson
Yandle--Severson
Moore--Helgeson
Extras:
Warsofsky: try to earn a spot over Helgeson; could be waived if he doesn't.
Merrill: trade scenario seems likely. If not--he'll be in the battle-for-job mode.
Mozik: will compete for a spot; probably needs some AHL seasoning.
*Might want to add another D via PTO or UFA--again, internal comp. is great.

GOALTENDING:
Schneider-Kinkaid
Extras:
Wedgewood: will mostly be in the AHL, first real opportunity in pro hockey to be 'the guy.'

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

Shero won't sign a guy like Sceviour and force Blandisi into a back-seat role.

I've said it before; I really doubt we see Shero do any non-PTO bottom-6 additions in free agency. I'm sure he'll want to leave as many spots as possible available for younger guys to step into.

 

[looksshootsscores]

Shero won't sign a guy like Sceviour and force Blandisi into a back-seat role.

I've said it before; I really doubt we see Shero do any non-PTO bottom-6 additions in free agency. I'm sure he'll want to leave as many spots as possible available for younger guys to step into.

you're probably right, but would he prefer Blandisi in Albany for a bit as opposed to the fourth line? Any opinion on the rest of the lines?

I had a more realistic free agency edit, but it got deleted so I'll just list it here:

Goligoski, A. - 4-year, $5M AAV
vs. Yandle: Cheaper, slightly younger, might do 75 % of what Yandle does for way less, familiar with Shero.
Stempniak, L. - 1-year, $2.8M
vs. Eriksson: Cheaper, familiar with organization, can still produce in the top-six, albeit not the same way.
Gordon, B. - 1-year, $1.6M
vs. Nielsen: Cheaper, excellent face-off skills; can't play a top-six role though/would likely mean Henrique moves to center again.

 

[John Pedro]

I think Shero should go all-in to get Wood and Santini signed this offseason.

Wood would be a good addition to our third line. Great skater, good forechecker, can score and create for others. Santini would bring the physicality that this team desperately needs and take some defensive load off Larsson's back.

Devils just couldn't afford to lose two great prospects like them. Better sign them now than risking losing for nothing.

Let Schlemko walk. He's an okay puck moving dman, whose will be overpaid by someone else. Severson has more points and a better +/- without all PP ice time that Schlemko had and Severson has been really unlucky shooting only 1,2% this season.

With Schlemko on the team, Severson gets little to no PP time.

If Shero sign an Okposo, Stamkos (lol) great, but I'm not holding my breath.