VanillaCoke
Registered User
- Oct 30, 2013
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Wood has a 3.5m QO and is recovering from a hip injury. Certainly possible they walk away, tbh
I remember when the Rangers didn’t want to qualify Buchnevich last season they traded him for Blais+2nd which in hindsight makes sense but we got roasted for it and still do.
When you look at it with context it’s not. RFA’s don’t fetch huge returns. Especially average top 6 wingers, which is what Buchnevich was seen asAs you should
It was a brutal trade.
I distinctly remember Pierre saying that if anybody was going to have a better career than McDavid/Eichel, it would be Zacha lolI hate being right... Such a waste of a top pick in a historic draft. Set us back years.
Even if you guys had hit by taking Barzal/Meier/Rantanen for instance over zacha I don't see it making a bit difference for the devils.I hate being right... Such a waste of a top pick in a historic draft. Set us back years.
Oh Pierre... Dude was so obviously a tools but no toolbox guy. Could never process the play and react to new information once he got his feet moving.I distinctly remember Pierre saying that if anybody was going to have a better career than McDavid/Eichel, it would be Zacha lol
If we take Barzal we still draft Hischier, as he didn't even play until after Hischier was drafted. We probably don't get Hughes, but we wouldn't need him, and maybe could have drafted a guy like Knight or Boldy instead. And if we had Barzal - Hischier in the last few years, we are probably pretty competitive.Even if you guys had hit by taking Barzal/Meier/Rantanen for instance over zacha I don't see it making a bit difference for the devils.
Those guys come in and it results in the devils being a bit better but not greatly so. They lose hischier and drop to 4-8 range in 2017, which results in not a great improvement to the devils.
The devils needed to bottom out. They been an elite team since the mid 90s till 2012.
When your that good for so long and trading picks routinely the period after will be a lengthy rebuild.
We are seeing it with the Red wings now as well who after 20+ years of playoffs and elite play have been in a lengthy rebuild since 2017.
Devils will certainly qualify both Wood and Zacha, makes zero sense for them not to
Is barzal better than Hughes is right now?If we take Barzal we still draft Hischier, as he didn't even play until after Hischier was drafted. We probably don't get Hughes, but we wouldn't need him, and maybe could have drafted a guy like Knight or Boldy instead. And if we had Barzal - Hischier in the last few years, we are probably pretty competitive.
Well kinda, sure they cant bank the cap but it's pretty unlikely that the "redundant" players will only take 1 year dealsThat's fair i guess. If they really just want to clear space for prospects to push in. That's also dangerous though. Just penciling young guys in, sort of "gifting" them roster spots, rather than making them force somebody out.
And it still seems unlikely to me, that they wouldn't be able to find a market to just move someone like Zacha, even if for pennies. On pedigree alone, there would surely be teams worth trying for another "Sam Bennet redemption arc". The tools are obviously all there, if you can get the motivation and fit right. I know cap space is tight around the league, but not every team is going to land their "top UFA targets" for that last wedge of cap space. And there are too many teams looking for a big, skilled forward like that, to not find someone willing to try to get him on track.
If the Devils want to go out and make another big splash in UFA this year, sure...maybe it makes sense to just clear the decks of redundant players to make room. If they're confident they're going to land that target. But otherwise, if it's next year they're eying...it's not like you can "roll over" or "bank" that extra cap space this year to use for the next summer. So next summer should be pretty irrelevant to these sort of "arbitration fears".
Was going to be either Zacha and Barzal? Were Rantanen, Crouse, Connor, or a d-man not in the cards?If we take Barzal we still draft Hischier, as he didn't even play until after Hischier was drafted. We probably don't get Hughes, but we wouldn't need him, and maybe could have drafted a guy like Knight or Boldy instead. And if we had Barzal - Hischier in the last few years, we are probably pretty competitive.
Well kinda, sure they cant bank the cap but it's pretty unlikely that the "redundant" players will only take 1 year deals
Barzal was my preference. I liked rantanen and Meier too. Who knows what Conte was thinking, but I think they were going for a C, so my guess is Barzal.Was going to be either Zacha and Barzal? Were Rantanen, Crouse, Connor, or a d-man not in the cards?
I think they're fairly comparable honestly, despite what this year's production would suggest. Devils were bottoming out anyways, I'd rather not get back to being at least semi competitive ASAP. It's not good for the organization's culture to have a bottoming out period for an extended period of time.Is barzal better than Hughes is right now?
Barzal makes it in 2018 where the devils get a big boost for sure
2019 though with hall injured most of the year they miss Hughes like you said but don't get an elite talent to replace
2020-2022
Barzal + Hishchier is good but not good enough to lift tbe devils to the playoffs as 2021 and 2022 Barzal and Hughes have been simular in production.
2020 Barzal was quite a bit better as Hughes was a rookie who struggled in his first NHL year
Canes fans, regarding Bear is there a reason why he was a healthy scratch during the playoffs?
Stat line wise, he looked solid enough. What would be the ask to move him?
Zacha is a product of not living up to his potential. I'm assuming his QO is around $3M. There is no reason not too. Does he struggle a little. Yes.
Lets not forget he led the team in Goals, GPG Points and PPG last year and was on pace for 60 points.
Arbitration is a big deal. Teams can pull comps and have a rough idea of what an arbitrator would award. And from there decide if that is too much for the player.People keep talking about the QO, but it sounds like the arbitration number teams are projecting is the bigger concern.