What defenseman do the Devils need?

[Stephen Gionta]

It is clear the Devils need another impact NHL defenseman. Who fits the bill the best? My picks are Yandle or Goligoski - whoever would come at better price/term

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[JimEIV]

Don't need any defensemen.

 

[Oneiro]

On the surface, what a lot of you guys are saying is reasonable. Our D did not exactly light the world on fire this year.

But I think free agency is deceptive all around. The better moves are usually finishing touches on a contender - the Justin Williams, the Paul Martins, the Matt Niskanens.

Because we're a bubble team, it's tempting to try to force being competitive again by adding goals. From wherever. And I get it. The Palmieri-type deal doesn't happen every day. But it seems like a rush to be relevant, similar to what Minnesota has done the last few years. Maybe we're better off doing more fact-finding out about what we have in the first place.

 

[DerekDevils30]

I would add Goligoski. His style of play would be a great add. Brings offense but also plays well in his own zone.

 

[Cheddabombs]

I don't know if we necessarily need another defenseman, but I'd certainly like to bring Goligoski in.

 

[JimEIV]

I don't know if we necessarily need another defenseman, but I'd certainly like to bring Goligoski in.

Yup there is no need. It is more of a luxury item.


And I'm not sure the timing makes much sense to be honest.

No question you can sure-up the defense by adding another solid defender, especially on the left side...But we were 8th in the league in Goals Against last season.

Why do we want to add what would be a very expensive 30+ year old defender, probably at the expense of some of our young players development? So we can be 6th in the league in Goals Against? Come on now...I'm not not even commenting on Goligoski's play...It just doesn't seem like a smart move to write a check for what is going to be well over 5 million per and probably for 4 or 5 years to get that UFA...


It sort of reminds me of how I "needed" a new fishing reel last month.

 

[Edmonton East]

Depends on the forward additions. If the team stays patient and doesn't make any substantial signings (at least one 20+ goal scorer), I don't really see the point of adding a defender.

 

[theoptimist]

when forwards score, defensemen score.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Yup there is no need. It is more of a luxury item.


And I'm not sure the timing makes much sense to be honest.

No question you can sure-up the defense by adding another solid defender, especially on the left side...But we were 8th in the league in Goals Against last season.

Why do we want to add what would be a very expensive 30+ year old defender, probably at the expense of some of our young players development? So we can be 6th in the league in Goals Against? Come on now...I'm not not even commenting on Goligoski's play...It just doesn't seem like a smart move to write a check for what is going to be well over 5 million per and probably for 4 or 5 years to get that UFA...


It sort of reminds me of how I "needed" a new fishing reel last month.

I think it's less about tightening up our defense to allow less goals (which Schneider needs to be given his praise here more so than anyone I think) and more so tightening it up across multiple pairs, giving way for more offense. By spreading the minutes more evenly with stronger pairings I think that'll open up the game a bit more for our more offense-minded Dmen (like Severson) so that he has more opportunities to jump into the play without it costing us.

The biggest X-factor for me is Merrill. This year wasn't what I'd want from him to be honest but I think he can build on the stuff he did right and turn into a reliable ~2nd pairing guy. But should we run that risk? Maybe his potential just isn't as high as we'd hope, maybe his development has stagnated with all his injuries and being rushed a bit into the NHL. Because down the left-side we should have Greene and Schlemko for sure, I think they are quality top 4 defensemen. The 3rd pairing guy is up in the air though. Do we run with Merrill there, or what about Moore? If we bring Goligoski in then we can probably push Schlemko down to the 3rd pair which would be awesome to have such a good player that far down the depth chart. But then we're pretty much saying Merrill and/or Moore are done here.

There are a few tough decisions for Shero and co to make this summer, it'll be interesting to see how they handle it.

 

[Zippy316]

when forwards score, defensemen score.

Yeah sure.

Let's just watch Moore make millions of mistakes in the defensive zone again next year playing over his head on the second pairing. None of the guys we have are 2LD quality. We add that, it puts guys in proper roles and it gives Severson a stable partner for once.

It's a combination of filling a need and helping the development of our young players.

 

[Rebel Devil]

I'd go for Yandle ... power play QB, who would help boost our offensive production.

 

[Rhodes 81]

Still wish we had drafted Provorov

That said, I would certainly take an elite offensive d-man if we could get one, but I don't think it needs to be a priority. Severson, Larsson, Greene, and probably anyone else we play will put up better numbers as our forwards improve.

 

[Emperoreddy]

This doesn't need to be its own thread. Offseason thread for this discussion.