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Elias about Lou's free agents approach


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Yep.   He absolutely had to sign Zajac early and did.    And technically he didn't break his rule, Zajac was signed before the puck was dropped, as was Martin.   But, I could see why it would rub another UFA the wrong way.    Of course now he's probably left wondering about Zajac.   LOL.   I don't think it's that big of a deal, almost everyone has had a bad season, but we'll see next year.

 

At worst he's signed a Selke-level center to too big a contract.  If you think about Madden's deal which was reduced with the rollback to 2.9 on a 39 million salary cap, this is 5.75 on a 64M salary cap that figures to climb at the same rate.

 

If it's about money and ego, Elias can leave.  The Devils cannot afford to make mistakes of the Marc Savard ilk.

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Not knocking you, but we have some fans bitching about how they want the Devils to be younger and faster, and here is a proposal to sign a 37-year-old to three more seasons, and a 35-year-old (Zubrus will be 35 in June) to as many as four years. 

 

Unless both parties are VERY reasonable in wanting to stay here in both money and term (assuming they want to), moving on need not be the worst thing in the world.  It's not like the Devils have been winning a slew of championships WITH these guys the past several years.  People bitch about status quo, but then don't want to lose the guys who have been part of the status quo. 

No doubt the money is the issue. to get over 2 years the pricing needs to be discounted! I actually think Zubrus is a solid skater and stick handler, not just a forechecking monster. so even if his physical play drops off , he can still provide value on the ice.  if they want more than 2nd line / third line money for more than 2 years then go see it you can get it somewhere.

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This almost sounds like trolling.

 

Just remember that younger, newer, and different doesn't always equal better.  You're used to seeing your team make the playoffs almost every single year.  Not a lot of fans can say that.  And even though the Devils have had their share of first-round hiccups (when they were high-seeded favorites), they've been to five SCF since '95.  Like DD56 says...careful what you wish for. 

 

#3, #4, #27, #30

 

Yes Lou was indirectly responsible for us drafting/acquiring these guys, but they are the heart of what made us a great team from 95-03......

 

Since then we had 1 great playoff run...in nearly 10 seasons

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I'll laugh/rage pretty hard if Lou's policy results in him hopping the river to NY, like he almost did last time he was a UFA

 

Only way this happens is if the Rangers amnesty buyout Richards, which I don't think they're likely to do this year (they may do it next year).  The Rangers have to re-sign Stepan, Hagelin, and McDonagh (if these guys come in below $8M i'll be shocked), then the year after that they have Callahan, Lundqvist, Girardi, and Stralman UFA.  They could fit Elias in but it would be awfully tough at the price he's likely to want.

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I am usually in lock-step with the way Lou runs the team.   History, for the most part have proven him right (Holik, Gomez, etc.).   

 

But, Elias, like Nieds and Marty are special cases.   Once Patty and Marty are gone, the whole Championship aura will be gone as well.

 

 

Here is a rare occasion of me agreeing with Manta!  Marty and Patty are the last guys remaining from the Championship/Old Guard....

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Everyone seems to be overlooking the fact that Brodeur spent what, 2 days as a UFA last year?  Marty didn't get the Marty treatment.  Because unless a guy is willing to take the Teemu Selanne/Nick Lidstrom route (that's where he gets 1 year deals every year until he retires), it's a very dangerous business signing older players to long-term contracts mid-season.

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exactly but admit that its QUITE REFRESHING that J.J. Abrams is taking over Star Wars. For Apple and the Devils i think it's gonna be the same, the values will be kept but maybe both succeeders will give more freedom or liberties and that will be refreshing too.

JJ Abrams? You're happy about this? I almost want to shoot all the original actors in the face for wanting to be in that sh!t show of a film. JJ Abrams sucks, like on the level that Micheal Bay does. I don't know if I can agree with you on anything now, lol.

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JJ Abrams? You're happy about this? I almost want to shoot all the original actors in the face for wanting to be in that sh!t show of a film. JJ Abrams sucks, like on the level that Micheal Bay does. I don't know if I can agree with you on anything now, lol.

 

I think you're the only person who doesn't like JJ Abrams  :giggle:

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#3, #4, #27, #30

 

Yes Lou was indirectly responsible for us drafting/acquiring these guys, but they are the heart of what made us a great team from 95-03......

 

Since then we had 1 great playoff run...in nearly 10 seasons

 

Indirectly responsible?!  REALLY?!

 

He had nothing to do with #3...he was drafted before Lou got here.

He had EVERYTHING to do with #4.  LOU was the one who decided to go after Stevens as compensation for the Blues signing Brendan Shanahan.  I'm not going to repeat the process yet again here, but what Lou did here was every superlative you can list...just an amazing amazing job on Lou's part.

He had EVERYTHING to do with #27.  Lou managed to fleece Toronto for their first round pick for Tom Kurvers, who was a pretty good offensive defenseman, but clearly not 1st-round pick-worthy.  It even looked like the Devils could draft #1 overall (which would've landed them Lindros), but Toronto made a bunch of moves to finish 2nd-worst overall...newcomers San Jose got the 2nd overall pick, so NJ drafted 3rd and took Niedermayer. 

He had EVERYTHING to do with #30.  He scouted Trevor Kidd and Brodeur ahead of time, and decided on Brodeur.  Calgary actually traded UP with the Devils to get Kidd (they took him #11th overall), and Lou took Marty with the 20th pick.

 

And let us not forget some of the defensemen he acquired that helped support Stevens, Daneyko, and Nieds...Rafalski, Chambers, White, Malakhov...

 

How can you minimize Lou's impact with #4, #27, and #30?! 

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
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Indirectly responsible?!  REALLY?!

 

He had nothing to do with #3...he was drafted before Lou got here.

He had EVERYTHING to do with #4.  LOU was the one who decided to go after Stevens as compensation for the Blues signing Brendan Shanahan.  I'm not going to repeat the process yet again here, but what Lou did here was every superlative you can list...just an amazing amazing job on Lou's part.

He had EVERYTHING to do with #27.  Lou managed to fleece Toronto for their first round pick for Tom Kurvers, who was a pretty good offensive defenseman, but clearly not 1st-round pick-worthy.  It even looked like the Devils could draft #1 overall (which would've landed them Lindros), but Toronto made a bunch of moves to finish 2nd-worst overall...newcomers San Jose got the 2nd overall pick, so NJ drafted 3rd and took Niedermayer. 

He had EVERYTHING to do with #30.  He scouted Trevor Kidd and Brodeur ahead of time, and decided on Brodeur.  Calgary actually traded UP with the Devils to get Kidd (they took him #11th overall), and Lou took Marty with the 20th pick.

 

How can you minimize Lou's impact with #4, #27, and #30?! 

 

Clearly time has warped these moves into more Lou luck. Unbelievable how people will ignore such things.

 

It's very similar to people saying 'Lou did nothing this year', despite picking up Loktionov, Ponikarovsky, Sullivan, and D'Agostini for basically nothing.

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#3, #4, #27, #30

 

Yes Lou was indirectly responsible for us drafting/acquiring these guys, but they are the heart of what made us a great team from 95-03......

 

Since then we had 1 great playoff run...in nearly 10 seasons

 

 

Since Devils last cup...

 

Finals appearances: Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings (2), Pittsburgh Penguins(2), Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils

 

Exactly TWO teams have had more finals runs than the Devils in the last 10 years. Your standards are a little ridiculous.

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Indirectly responsible?!  REALLY?!

 

He had nothing to do with #3...he was drafted before Lou got here.

He had EVERYTHING to do with #4.  LOU was the one who decided to go after Stevens as compensation for the Blues signing Brendan Shanahan.  I'm not going to repeat the process yet again here, but what Lou did here was every superlative you can list...just an amazing amazing job on Lou's part.

He had EVERYTHING to do with #27.  Lou managed to fleece Toronto for their first round pick for Tom Kurvers, who was a pretty good offensive defenseman, but clearly not 1st-round pick-worthy.  It even looked like the Devils could draft #1 overall (which would've landed them Lindros), but Toronto made a bunch of moves to finish 2nd-worst overall...newcomers San Jose got the 2nd overall pick, so NJ drafted 3rd and took Niedermayer. 

He had EVERYTHING to do with #30.  He scouted Trevor Kidd and Brodeur ahead of time, and decided on Brodeur.  Calgary actually traded UP with the Devils to get Kidd (they took him #11th overall), and Lou took Marty with the 20th pick.

 

And let us not forget some of the defensemen he acquired that helped support Stevens, Daneyko, and Nieds...Rafalski, Chambers, White, Malakhov...

 

How can you minimize Lou's impact with #4, #27, and #30?! 

 

 

He went hard for Stevens as compensation, I agree.....

 

The others are lucky draft picks made by our scouting department.  Yes, he hired David Conte I believe, however Lou is NOT the scout.  I give Conte more credit for the selections than Lou.  He had a had in these players being here, but you cannot give him 100% credit.

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JJ Abrams? You're happy about this? I almost want to shoot all the original actors in the face for wanting to be in that sh!t show of a film. JJ Abrams sucks, like on the level that Micheal Bay does. I don't know if I can agree with you on anything now, lol.

 

I am mixed about JJ Abrams, but anyone is better than Lucas at both directing and especially at writing.  The dialogue, especially the love scenes between Anakin and Padme in II and III were downright awful.

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Clearly time has warped these moves into more Lou luck. Unbelievable how people will ignore such things.

 

It's very similar to people saying 'Lou did nothing this year', despite picking up Loktionov, Ponikarovsky, Sullivan, and D'Agostini for basically nothing.

Are you going to say luck had NOTHING to do with it!?!?!?

Since Devils last cup...

 

Finals appearances: Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings (2), Pittsburgh Penguins(2), Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils

 

Exactly TWO teams have had more finals runs than the Devils in the last 10 years. Your standards are a little ridiculous.

How about you run the numbers on playoff WINS?!?  Series or games will do....PRIOR to last year's run....

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Are you going to say luck had NOTHING to do with it!?!?!?

How about you run the numbers on playoff WINS?!?  Series or games will do....PRIOR to last year's run....

Hahahah, ok, so now we can only include the seasons that DON'T include the good run. You don't think you're cherry picking here?

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Are you going to say luck had NOTHING to do with it!?!?!?

 

The only thing that will make me say Lou was lucky in the 90's is his and Conte's drafting record, especially the first couple of rounds have been not so great in the 2000's.  Yeah I know they usually got pick #'s 20-30 due to their success on-ice, but in more recent years it has started to look not so great.

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The only thing that will make me say Lou was lucky in the 90's is his and Conte's drafting record, especially the first couple of rounds have been not so great in the 2000's.  Yeah I know they usually got pick #'s 20-30 due to their success on-ice, but in more recent years it has started to look not so great.

Exactly....

 

We drafted the greatest goaltender of all time, and a top 10 defensemen of all time within a few year timespan.....

 

Great job by the scouting team, but to say there is not an element of luck involved would be crazy.

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Since Devils last cup...

 

Finals appearances: Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings (2), Pittsburgh Penguins(2), Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils

 

Exactly TWO teams have had more finals runs than the Devils in the last 10 years. Your standards are a little ridiculous.

 

He probably thinks teams like the Red Wings are just always awesome, just because.  Easy to forget that from '67-'86, that the "Dead Things" missed the playoffs in 16 out of 20 seasons.  They won a total of four playoffs games in that span. 

 

ThreeCups, with some of the posts on this thread, I almost can't take you seriously anymore.  NJDevs4978 said it perfectly...even if you don't want to give Lou much credit for drafting Niedermayer, how could you not give him a ton of credit for getting the pick in the first place?!  That couldn't have been more of a heist! 

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I think some people are letting their own personal biases (vis-a-vis hating the lack of 'fan friendly' stuff) cloud Lou's tenure as a GM. He pulled off a heist to get the Nieds pick, he deserves credit for that for crying out loud.

 

In terms of Marketing and PR, Lou is rock bottom.

 

As for putting a great product on the ice, he is one of the best.  Thing is, he is losing some of his magic.  I am not saying that just to be spiteful, but after 25 years of being GM of the same team that magic is going to wear off eventually.  He still shows flashes of it, but he is not seemingly pulling rabbits out of a hat like he used to.  IDK maybe he just spoiled us early on but we also shouldn't let his accomplishments in the past cloud our future outlook in terms of his position.  Like we always say we hate it when he gives out lifeteam achievement contracts to players we also shouldn't let him have a lifetime of getting himself off the hook because of what he did in the past.

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And from what I remember, Kidd was considered to be a big deal going into that draft...if Lou had just kept the pick and taken Kidd, I don't think anyone would've questioned it.  The obvious thing would've been to take Kidd.  Sure, Lou had input from scouts, but Lou is the one who ultimately made the choice to move down and take Brodeur. 

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Since Devils last cup...

 

Finals appearances: Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings (2), Pittsburgh Penguins(2), Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils

 

Exactly TWO teams have had more finals runs than the Devils in the last 10 years. Your standards are a little ridiculous.

My favorite stat to throw at people is that the Devils have been in 30% of the Stanley Cups since 1995. :giggle:

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Elias like Marty will end as a Devil. Money won't matter much they've spent their careers here instead of leaving for money. I have no problem believe so again. I could care less if Lou maybe gave him four mill?or more?because he is the true leader on this team

 

This all depends on how much of Patty's "ego" gets in the way of negotiations this summer.  I mean, once the final whistle blows on the Devils' season, I can picture Patty fielding a few phone calls from opposing GMs.  Of course, those GMs will all paint an "awesome picture" of what Patty will get if he signs on with that team, hence making his decision complicated.

 

Bottom line, Patty's the Devils' all-time leading point getter.  He thinks he's worth more than having to deal with a "feeling wanted" sentiment from the Devils.  If he doesn't feel wanted enough by Lou, you most likely will see him walk to the next team.

 

My predection?  Book it - Patty's gone next season.  The whole captaincy issue from the past coupled with the fact that Lou didn't extend him early will contribute to Patty's "fed-uppedness" and he'll walk.

 

The only thing that I can think that will get Patty to stay is his own "pragmatic nature."  Patty's smart enough to put his ego aside, and do what's best for the Elias family as a whole, which may mean staying in NJ.

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