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New Jersey needs at least *A* winger


Triumph

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I needed this laugh. :rofl:

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I know it sounds crazy, but no one thought Radulov would be back in a Preds jersey, and he returned when they needed him. Although, I imagine he will go back to Russia as soon as possible.

Edit: oh wow, I forgot he's already there. :doh1: stupid of me!

Edited by nessus
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Let me start out by saying there is probably no chance of Vrana coming back ever, but I really wish the Devils would try to get him. He had a solid year for Amur Khabarovsk in the KHL last season:

46 GP 19-24-43 +18 12 PIM 12 EVG 6 PPG 1 SHG 15.7 SH% 2.6 SH/GP 53.3 FO% 17:45 TOI/GP

KHL rankings: 12th in Pts, 19th in G, 19th in A, 9th in +/-

He's set to play for HC Lev Praha in the KHL and it will be the first year in the league for this Czech team. I imagine he must be thrilled to be there for that.

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All these different threads are covering the same topics, it's driving me nuts. I feel like I'm repeating myself in 12 different threads.

That aside, I've been on board for Semin even before it was clear Parise was leaving. Kovalchuk can get into Semin's ear about why buying into the coach's system actually pays off, and he'll be speaking from experience. Ovechkin never really seemed to embrace the coaching styles in Washington when they switched from high-octane to defense-first... and when the captain isn't in lock-step with the coach, it's going to create issues. I think it's reasonable to assume that rubbed off on Semin, who really became the whipping boy for the ills of that team (while few pointed the finger at Ovechkin for keeping his game exactly the same instead of adapting it, ala Kovalchuk).

Semin on a short-term deal would make me happy... 3 yrs @ $6-$7mil. That still sets him up for a big payday at age 30 if he does well with the Devils and rebuild his reputation. If he doesn't, he'll probably bolt for the KHL at that point anyway.

The other guy I'd like to see brought in as a short-term stop-gap solution would be Shane Doan. Better fit for the Devils' style than Petr Sykora at this point... but still really only viable for one to two years.

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re: trading with Edmonton, who are they going to deal? Lowe has said Hemsky's not going to be traded. Gagner won't be dealt, short of Edmonton making out with a king's ransom for him by some team that's willing to overvalue his potential. Linus Omark and Magni Paajarvi are far from sure-fire players, though Omark seems to at least pull his weight in the AHL.

Plus, Edmonton does have a decent defense corps... Ryan Whitney, Justin Schultz (provided he makes the roster, which you have to assume he will), Nick Schultz, Ladislav Smid, Andy Sutton, Corey Potter, and one of Theo Peckham/Colten Teubert/Jeff Petry. Andy Greene would provide a big upgrade, but they would have to shed a d-man afterwards.

St. Louis could use Greene, considering Carlo "Injured Every Third Game" Colaiacovo is UFA. Chris Stewart would have been much higher on my "want" list if this discussion was a year ago... he had an awful, awful season with the Blues. He's worth taking a risk on, mostly because he's only RFA after this season.

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I follow too many Edmonton fans on Twitter - their defense is horrible. Ryan Whitney is a shell of his former self, Nick Schultz's numbers took a big hit last year, and it's a ton of question marks after that. I like Petry and Smid. They don't have anyone there who should be out against an opponent's top line.

I agree that Paajarvi is a risk, but the Devils just don't have any wingers in their system. It'd be a risk worth taking. He's got tremendous speed and he'll be an NHL player, it's just a question of how good. I can't see NJ taking on a player like Omark, unfortunately.

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I don't see the Blues making any major changes. They have a good coach and killed in the second half of the season. They're not gonna want to upset the team chemistry.

Normally I'd agree, but Stewart was a dog for them last year, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs. He was a healthy scratch at times and found himself on the 4th line. He was a key component of the deal with Colorado, but if he turned into Andy Greene they essentially got Greene and Shattenkirk for Johnson, which isn't bad by any stretch. Not great, but serviceable given their forward depth.

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I follow too many Edmonton fans on Twitter - their defense is horrible. Ryan Whitney is a shell of his former self, Nick Schultz's numbers took a big hit last year, and it's a ton of question marks after that. I like Petry and Smid. They don't have anyone there who should be out against an opponent's top line.

I agree that Paajarvi is a risk, but the Devils just don't have any wingers in their system. It'd be a risk worth taking. He's got tremendous speed and he'll be an NHL player, it's just a question of how good. I can't see NJ taking on a player like Omark, unfortunately.

By far one of the fastest players out there, wouldn't mind at all to trade for him.

Looks like he has a pretty good shot from what I see on youtube.

Edited by Zubie#8
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I follow too many Edmonton fans on Twitter - their defense is horrible. Ryan Whitney is a shell of his former self, Nick Schultz's numbers took a big hit last year, and it's a ton of question marks after that. I like Petry and Smid. They don't have anyone there who should be out against an opponent's top line.

I agree that Paajarvi is a risk, but the Devils just don't have any wingers in their system. It'd be a risk worth taking. He's got tremendous speed and he'll be an NHL player, it's just a question of how good. I can't see NJ taking on a player like Omark, unfortunately.

Ok, but still doesn't answer the question of why Edmonton wants to take on more defense when the other team in the deal doesn't need a defender in exchange. It's not like the Devils can take on a bad contract like Whitney's in exchange for Greene. And I know their ownership is willing to spend money, but they can't just bury a ton of contracts in the AHL for the sake of a one-player upgrade to their defense.

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I do not know if 6/45 would be worth the gamble. For 8/60 he can GTFO. I wonder if Lou even called for a general inquiry...

I can definitely see him getting 7 per year.

There is no way, if I'm Lou, that I'm paying Semin $7 million per. Now, in this goofy market he might get it. But in my opinion, the risk is way too great, especially for a contract in excess of 5 years.

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re: trading with Edmonton, who are they going to deal? Lowe has said Hemsky's not going to be traded. Gagner won't be dealt, short of Edmonton making out with a king's ransom for him by some team that's willing to overvalue his potential. Linus Omark and Magni Paajarvi are far from sure-fire players, though Omark seems to at least pull his weight in the AHL.

Plus, Edmonton does have a decent defense corps... Ryan Whitney, Justin Schultz (provided he makes the roster, which you have to assume he will), Nick Schultz, Ladislav Smid, Andy Sutton, Corey Potter, and one of Theo Peckham/Colten Teubert/Jeff Petry. Andy Greene would provide a big upgrade, but they would have to shed a d-man afterwards.

St. Louis could use Greene, considering Carlo "Injured Every Third Game" Colaiacovo is UFA. Chris Stewart would have been much higher on my "want" list if this discussion was a year ago... he had an awful, awful season with the Blues. He's worth taking a risk on, mostly because he's only RFA after this season.

I'd definitely go the Oilers route. Unlike Tri, id want to steer clear of Pajaarvi. He's shown nothing that suggests he'll be better than a 3rd liner. It's gotta be Gagner or Hemsky

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I'd definitely go the Oilers route. Unlike Tri, id want to steer clear of Pajaarvi. He's shown nothing that suggests he'll be better than a 3rd liner. It's gotta be Gagner or Hemsky

As much as i like Hemsky, they guy cant stay fit. To much of a risk. Shoulder surgery, concussion, that does not bode well leng term.

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Several different unrelated sources saying Semin signing going down this afternoon.. I've seen a couple people (and also Єklund (2.3% accurate), unfortunately) say it's between Detroit and New Jersey...

I would love to see it happen, but I don't see Lou pulling the trigger on this...I hope I'm wrong

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I would love to see it happen, but I don't see Lou pulling the trigger on this...I hope I'm wrong

If there were any time to make a move like this, it's now. Semin is coming off a bad season and interest in signing him is at an all-time all-possible low. Lou can probably strike a decent deal. On Alexander's side of things, he has Kovalchuk and a solid core to play with. On our side of things, I think Kovalchuk and DeBoer's system can turn him into a lethal addition to our roster, I don't care what anyone says about his work ethic or selfishness. Things like that can be welded to shape. Post-Langenbrunner era, I think all our players are buying in, especially with the way DeBoer's running the team.

Look back at who Semin's had to work with (Boudreau and Hunter); think about the type of player Kovalchuk would (still) be if he had Boudreau and Hunter, and not Pete and Jacques guiding him these past two years.. That's debatable considering many Devils fans still can't come to grips with the changes Kovy's made to his game, but hey.

We have the money to play with and certainly the fans are desperate for a bold move, I think our season needs it..

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