GDT: Submitted for your Perusal: NJ PITT (4/24)

[BurntToast]

Signing middle of the road D in free agency hasn't been an issue for us.

The only high end D available is Dougie and he is going to be incredibly expensive.

50+ million in cap is only worth anything if you use it to the teams advantage. Yzerman just took the league to school, subject: cap weaponization! The other option, throw money at top FA’s (Hamilton) and draft to backfill the void in the future when they get old. Power/Clark/Hughes 2.0 plus Dougie/Murray would vastly improve the defense.

WTF Happened to Competition!!!?
It’s one thing to not block young bloods with scrubs, and completely different issue just giving guys spots because you didn’t fill out the roster. Johnsson is a scrub ironically. Ownership is looking hella cheap; facts; first ones to try to cut salaries during the vid, shady dealings with the AHL affiliate. Guys sustainability isn’t a real problem when teams are bailing each other out for 4th round draft picks. Spend the money!

 

[Camille the Eel]

This is also Eichel’s sixth season and it’s not clear if he’s just unhappy, frustrated or actually pushing for a trade. Eichel was basically injured all season and his season ended when he had surgery on a herniated disc in his neck. It’s been a bad experience for Eichel in a different way.

Everyone is working on the assumption that some improvements, like a non-retiring tandem goalie plus other moves, will get us more wins. I’m not worried Jack is going to quit on his NHL team at age 19 (or 20), no other top pick has.

I wasn’t worried either just weary of another year of tearing down the roster as to the veterans at the deadline without seeing anything more than further draft picks. Maybe next year we will start to see the edifice actually framed and roofed in. Currently more building blocks and deliveries from the lumber yard expected after the draft.

Clearly there are a lot of positives. But this level of play was totally predictable when we shipped 4 core veterans out at the same time. Really the entire veteran contingent. Who’s going to raplace them? The future equivalents of Brian Boyle? Anyway time will tell.

The post really wasn’t about Jack. He was just a projection for my own frustration with losing season after season.

 

[Camille the Eel]

50+ million in cap is only worth anything if you use it to the teams advantage. Yzerman just took the league to school, subject: cap weaponization! The other option, throw money at top FA’s (Hamilton) and draft to backfill the void in the future when they get old. Power/Clark/Hughes 2.0 plus Dougie/Murray would vastly improve the defense.

WTF Happened to Competition!!!?
It’s one thing to not block young bloods with scrubs, and completely different issue just giving guys spots because you didn’t fill out the roster. Johnsson is a scrub ironically. Ownership is looking hella cheap; facts; first ones to try to cut salaries during the vid, shady dealings with the AHL affiliate. Guys sustainability isn’t a real problem when teams are bailing each other out for 4th round draft picks. Spend the money!

Detroit robbed the bank snagging Jakub Vrana and others for Mantha. They fleeced the Caps big time because Vrana is the real deal. It’s the equivalent of Chicago having let Panarin go while keeping an aging Toews.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I wasn’t worried either just weary of another year of tearing down the roster as to the veterans at the deadline without seeing anything more than further draft picks. Maybe next year we will start to see the edifice actually framed and roofed in. Currently more building blocks and deliveries from the lumber yard expected after the draft.

Clearly there are a lot of positives. But this level of play was totally predictable when we shipped 4 core veterans out at the same time. Really the entire veteran contingent. Who’s going to raplace them? The future equivalents of Brian Boyle? Anyway time will tell.

The post really wasn’t about Jack. He was just a projection for my own frustration with losing season after season.

We didn't tear the roster down though.

We haven't traded anyone with term on their contracts in years outside of Coleman.

Everyone was expiring and many were aging or severe declines in their play.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I qualified my description of Free Agent with "good UFAs"

Was Kulikov not a good UFA? Or was he secretly trash this year and everyone missed it?

 

[Azathoth]

Nico deserves better linemates. He wants to play a more north south game and Bratt and Zacha hardly know where the net is

Bah gawd that’s Dawson Mercer’s music

 

[Camille the Eel]

We didn't tear the roster down though.

We haven't traded anyone with term on their contracts in years outside of Coleman.

Everyone was expiring and many were aging or severe declines in their play.

True enough.

 

[Billdo]

I was referring to Amerisuomi Kiekko.

what do you mean "new"?

I don't remember seeing that used until the last day or two.

 

[Billdo]

Zacha is so bad until he isn't. We give him next year but if he doesn't consistently show up we have to move on or relegate him to a 3rd line role.

I'll respectfully disagree with the thought as a whole but I think Zacha will be better served moving forward as a winger.

 

[TheDuke93]

I'll respectfully disagree with the thought as a whole but I think Zacha will be better served moving forward as a winger.

That's fine he is just so BAD defensively he hurts his lines offensive production.

 

[My3Sons]

Was Kulikov not a good UFA? Or was he secretly trash this year and everyone missed it?

Thats a bad example to me. Kulikov played great but he was signed to a replacement level player deal. Let’s see if Murray is offered a deal and re-ups after the expansion draft.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Thats a bad example to me. Kulikov played great but he was signed to a replacement level player deal. Let’s see if Murray is offered a deal and re-ups after the expansion draft.

Very few players were getting anything beyond cheap deals due to the flat cap.

 

[Maine Fan]

Was Kulikov not a good UFA? Or was he secretly trash this year and everyone missed it?

He was a good find, he delivered more than was ever expected. Good point. You do know what I am saying. They will come for money beyond expectations with terms but they don't seem to work out well. IMO PK was not a good pick for less money than he got and has been a bust for the money he got. Vatanen was a bust the second time around. You know what Ibam saying. But have faith. Hopefully Tom can pull off miracles. BTW the owners haven't help the Devils much, they have just been moving things around while developing a cash cow arena.

 

[Maine Fan]

Thats a bad example to me. Kulikov played great but he was signed to a replacement level player deal. Let’s see if Murray is offered a deal and re-ups after the expansion draft.

Agree

 

[NJDevs26]

If the Devils offer the biggest contract more often than not it won't matter whether the team's losing or where they're located. The bigger issue is when you are a losing team, you're generally not going to be throwing around desperate money at free agents unless they're short-term deals. So it's this endless cycle where we just get a bunch of rent-a-players like Simmonds, Kulikov, Murray, etc and meanwhile the clock runs out on our internal solutions and if results never get better, we have to liquidate more every season. People thought I was being dramatic bringing up Wood and Severson being FA's in two years a while back but two years ago it would have been looked at as dramatic to worry about Palmieri walking.

 

[My3Sons]

Very few players were getting anything beyond cheap deals due to the flat cap.

Go read the reviews from the WPG fans. They almost universally described him as a bottom pair level player. I’m not a gloom and doomer and I think UFAs and traded players are happy in NJ but I think you are reaching with to Kulikov. I think Hall being open to an extension is a better example. Not a big deal.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

If the Devils offer the biggest contract more often than not it won't matter whether the team's losing or where they're located. The bigger issue is when you are a losing team, you're generally not going to be throwing around desperate money at free agents unless they're short-term deals. So it's this endless cycle where we just get a bunch of rent-a-players like Simmonds, Kulikov, Murray, etc and meanwhile the clock runs out on our internal solutions and if results never get better, we have to liquidate more every season. People thought I was being dramatic bringing up Wood and Severson being FA's in two years a while back but two years ago it would have been looked at as dramatic to worry about Palmieri walking.

Severson probably won't be a Devil past the 2022-23 trade deadline if I were to guess today. Wood I think might get traded at next year's deadline. If he's a just a 4th liner he's an expensive one, despite being such a unique weapon.

 

[Maine Fan]

If the Devils offer the biggest contract more often than not it won't matter whether the team's losing or where they're located. The bigger issue is when you are a losing team, you're generally not going to be throwing around desperate money at free agents unless they're short-term deals. So it's this endless cycle where we just get a bunch of rent-a-players like Simmonds, Kulikov, Murray, etc and meanwhile the clock runs out on our internal solutions and if results never get better, we have to liquidate more every season. People thought I was being dramatic bringing up Wood and Severson being FA's in two years a while back but two years ago it would have been looked at as dramatic to worry about Palmieri walking.

So true

 

[Maine Fan]

Go read the reviews from the WPG fans. They almost universally described him as a bottom pair level player. I’m not a gloom and doomer and I think UFAs and traded players are happy in NJ but I think you are reaching with to Kulikov. I think Hall being open to an extension is a better example. Not a big deal.

It is not always Gloom and Doom. It is reality.

 

[TheDuke93]

If the Devils offer the biggest contract more often than not it won't matter whether the team's losing or where they're located. The bigger issue is when you are a losing team, you're generally not going to be throwing around desperate money at free agents unless they're short-term deals. So it's this endless cycle where we just get a bunch of rent-a-players like Simmonds, Kulikov, Murray, etc and meanwhile the clock runs out on our internal solutions and if results never get better, we have to liquidate more every season. People thought I was being dramatic bringing up Wood and Severson being FA's in two years a while back but two years ago it would have been looked at as dramatic to worry about Palmieri walking.

The second Hall was being shopped Palmieri should have been viewed in the same light. Palmieri's play this season made it a very easy decision to trade him vs extending him. Severson I think is a very different situation but if he doesn't want to extend that is different then.

 

[TheDuke93]

 

[markog]

Is it 20 loses in a row already?

 

[MadDevil]

Is it 20 loses in a row already?

Not even halfway there. And we only have 9 games left.

 

[DevilDog]

So the chart agrees with the eye test in confirming Johnsson is the worst player on the team. Not surprising. What do we do with him?

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

So the chart agrees with the eye test in confirming Johnsson is the worst player on the team. Not surprising. What do we do with him?

The *worst player" on the team and yet on most nights he averages twice as much ice time as some of the other forwards on the team?

Either you or a coach who has spent most of his adult life in the NHL are mistaken.