BostonNala370 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 2015 Off-Season - Lou hires Adam Oates as coach - Scott Stevens retained as lead assistant with full control of the defense - Lou offers large contracts to both Antoine Vermette and Justin Williams, signs Vermette - Looks to package Gelinas/Merrill and multiple picks for a top 6 forward. - Buys out Ruutu - Overpays for some veteran defenseman, favourite being Paul Martin Care to rank from most likely to unlikely? I think each one is real possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonNala370 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 From Lou today: I don't think two scoring forwards is enough -- not the forwards that will be available in free agency and via the assets the Devils have. The Devils need a scoring forward to replace Jagr's role/contributions, and then anything else would be an addition, but it's just not close. Keep in mind that Schneider playing at above average to very good sets the team back, so you are also banking in getting the best goaltending in the NHL again. This is not going to be a good off-season for the New Jersey Devils. Need to stop for a bit before this team goes forward, and Lou doesn't think that, have the time to wait, or follow that reasoning. Lou also said yesterday that the new HC would have to be defense first. That's the same strategy that has gotten us into trouble the last few years. He gets Ryder who is old, may have some scoring left never was a defensive player and they try to get him to players defense and it was a disaster for two years. He got Havlet who maybe can score and puts him on the checking line so he is never in the offensive zone. What thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colorado Rockies 1976 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Lou also said yesterday that the new HC would have to be defense first. That's the same strategy that has gotten us into trouble the last few years. He gets Ryder who is old, may have some scoring left never was a defensive player and they try to get him to players defense and it was a disaster for two years. He got Havlet who maybe can score and puts him on the checking line so he is never in the offensive zone. What thinking. HavlAt. H-a-v-l-a-t. Not Havlet. C'mon man, you've seen his name enough to know how it's spelled. Re: Ryder...we all know what that was. It was Lou doing what he could (along with signing Jagr) to replace Kovy's lost production. We all know it wasn't ideal. Sure, it's easy to say that Lou should've prepped for Kovy "retiring" earlier, but Lou had to be 100% sure that Kovy was definitely leaving and that his money would be coming off the cap. The situation blew, no question about it, and Ryder not working out didn't make it any easier, but on this one I'm not sure what Lou could've done differently. Also keep in mind that Ryder was 32 when Lou signed him (not really old) and that he had also scored 51 goals in 128 games over the prior two seasons. Under the circumstances, it looked like a pretty good signing at the time. Havlat didn't do much in his last two seasons in San Jose (so much so that San Jose bought him out), and he signed for what amounts to pennies for a guy who has some pretty good career numbers. It was a low-risk signing (due to the low dollars and one-year term) that didn't work out. He's probably in the same boat as Ryder now...maybe he gets an invite to someone's camp and impresses, but his NHL days are likely very numbered. Re: Lou...I'm curious as to how he really sees this team. I see a squad that really hasn't gotten that much better overall than it was under PDB, despite some improved individual performances (they've been getting propped up by Cory being a .940+ goalie for three months), but this team is now 17-9-4 in its last 30 games. If they continue at about this pace, that would make them something like 24-13-5 over the Devils' final 42 games...about a 103-point pace over a full season. I'm getting ahead of myself here and should probably wait until the final 12 games are played, but IF the Devils somehow buck a tough schedule and finish up strong and continue to ride Cory to wins, does Lou suddenly think this team is really only a scorer or two away? Despite the fact that they still get outshot routinely and still look slow and sometimes easily overwhelmed? What I'm really wondering about is if Lou is going to try to create an instant 2-3 year window in the offseason to try to contend immediately...if he thinks that he needs to do everything he can to take advantage of Cory's prime years right now. I'm not endorsing this...and like I said, it's probably too early to post based on specific scenarios anyway. If the Devils go 4-8 in their final 12, then it's obviously a completely different story. Edited March 18, 2015 by Colorado Rockies 1976 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I'm still reading the tea leaves and guessing that Kessel is in the works. At the deadline Lou was working the phones pretty hard according to TG and Chere who could see it at practice. Seems like a lot of effort to trade Zidlicky to the one place he was willing to go to. Then you add the fact that Kessel was on the block but you didn't hear anything from Canadian media about specific teams involved, unlike Phaneuf where you more or less had a play by play of the negotiations with Detroit. Lou basically made sure the Schneider trade remained under wraps even though the deal was reached the night before. The hold up, I'm guessing was that Toronto was hoping for this year's first. So if the Devils are picking below 10 and finish up the season strong, you might see s deadline day deal. Otherwise it would be 2016 hopefully lottery protected. Or an Isles esque trade for Patrick Sharp. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William D'Aquila Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I'm still reading the tea leaves and guessing that Kessel is in the works. At the deadline Lou was working the phones pretty hard according to TG and Chere who could see it at practice. Seems like a lot of effort to trade Zidlicky to the one place he was willing to go to. Then you add the fact that Kessel was on the block but you didn't hear anything from Canadian media about specific teams involved, unlike Phaneuf where you more or less had a play by play of the negotiations with Detroit. Lou basically made sure the Schneider trade remained under wraps even though the deal was reached the night before. The hold up, I'm guessing was that Toronto was hoping for this year's first. So if the Devils are picking below 10 and finish up the season strong, you might see s deadline day deal. Otherwise it would be 2016 hopefully lottery protected. Or an Isles esque trade for Patrick Sharp. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Kessel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slasher72 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Lou also said yesterday that the new HC would have to be defense first. That's the same strategy that has gotten us into trouble the last few years. He gets Ryder who is old, may have some scoring left never was a defensive player and they try to get him to players defense and it was a disaster for two years. He got Havlet who maybe can score and puts him on the checking line so he is never in the offensive zone. What thinking. Someone buy Lou a time machine, because he's stuck in 1995. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BostonNala370 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) HavlAt. H-a-v-l-a-t. Not Havlet. C'mon man, you've seen his name enough to know how it's spelled. Re: Ryder...we all know what that was. It was Lou doing what he could (along with signing Jagr) to replace Kovy's lost production. We all know it wasn't ideal. Sure, it's easy to say that Lou should've prepped for Kovy "retiring" earlier, but Lou had to be 100% sure that Kovy was definitely leaving and that his money would be coming off the cap. The situation blew, no question about it, and Ryder not working out didn't make it any easier, but on this one I'm not sure what Lou could've done differently. Also keep in mind that Ryder was 32 when Lou signed him (not really old) and that he had also scored 51 goals in 128 games over the prior two seasons. Under the circumstances, it looked like a pretty good signing at the time. Havlat didn't do much in his last two seasons in San Jose (so much so that San Jose bought him out), and he signed for what amounts to pennies for a guy who has some pretty good career numbers. It was a low-risk signing (due to the low dollars and one-year term) that didn't work out. He's probably in the same boat as Ryder now...maybe he gets an invite to someone's camp and impresses, but his NHL days are likely very numbered. Re: Lou...I'm curious as to how he really sees this team. I see a squad that really hasn't gotten that much better overall than it was under PDB, despite some improved individual performances (they've been getting propped up by Cory being a .940+ goalie for three months), but this team is now 17-9-4 in its last 30 games. If they continue at about this pace, that would make them something like 24-13-5 over the Devils' final 42 games...about a 103-point pace over a full season. I'm getting ahead of myself here and should probably wait until the final 12 games are played, but IF the Devils somehow buck a tough schedule and finish up strong and continue to ride Cory to wins, does Lou suddenly think this team is really only a scorer or two away? Despite the fact that they still get outshot routinely and still look slow and sometimes easily overwhelmed? What I'm really wondering about is if Lou is going to try to create an instant 2-3 year window in the offseason to try to contend immediately...if he thinks that he needs to do everything he can to take advantage of Cory's prime years right now. I'm not endorsing this...and like I said, it's probably too early to post based on specific scenarios anyway. If the Devils go 4-8 in their final 12, then it's obviously a completely different story. [/quote So I had Havlat spelled wrong no big deal, you understood who I was talking about. As for my point about the signing of Ryder and Havlat, it had nothing to do with Kovy. The Devils strategy has been defense first. If that is the strategy then don't pick up players that only want to play offense. The Devils can't convert every offensive player to play defense, then the coach and the player get frustrated and it's a lose lose situation. As for the strategy of defense first, I think that it is a losing strategy in todays NHL. We have a good enough defense with Cory in goal to get the job done on defense. We need young fast skating puck handlers to get the offensive side rooling. IMO that takes more than 1 or 2 offensive players to fix the Devils problem. Edited March 18, 2015 by BostonNala370 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slasher72 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 "We certainly will look at somebody within the framework of the system that we play. Defense first," he stressed. "But we also have to get some offensive players to complement that." In other words, nothing will change and the same players who don't produce now will be complimented next year by players who also don't produce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 (edited) Lou is correct about needing two scoring forwards and I hope he goes after them this off-season. The only question is how he gets them. If he signs Martin St. Louis to a 1 year deal with big games played bonuses and Artem Panarin, he's got the right idea. If he signs Justin Williams and Chris Stewart, he has the wrong idea. Or worse, trades anything of significance for Patrick Sharp. If Lou counts Havlat as someone he thought of as a scoring forward last off-season, he has the right idea (paradoxically, even though Havlat has been awful). It's deals of 2 or more years to players who are 30 or older that will get him into trouble. Edited March 18, 2015 by Triumph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted March 18, 2015 Author Share Posted March 18, 2015 Lou is correct about needing two scoring forwards and I hope he goes after them this off-season. The only question is how he gets them. If he signs Martin St. Louis to a 1 year deal with big games played bonuses and Artem Panarin, he's got the right idea. If he signs Justin Williams and Chris Stewart, he has the wrong idea. Or worse, trades anything of significance for Patrick Sharp. If Lou counts Havlat as someone he thought of as a scoring forward last off-season, he has the right idea (paradoxically, even though Havlat has been awful). It's deals of 2 or more years to players who are 30 or older that will get him into trouble. Absolutely, I'll take any 1-year deal as a place holder for something better. But even the names you brought up aren't getting the Devils to the playoffs. Not sure what the Rangers plans are with St Louis or what his plans, but I don't see the Devils as a viable option for him at the moment (I understand him wanting to play closer to home). The Devils are further away than Lou thinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Absolutely, I'll take any 1-year deal as a place holder for something better. But even the names you brought up aren't getting the Devils to the playoffs. Not sure what the Rangers plans are with St Louis or what his plans, but I don't see the Devils as a viable option for him at the moment (I understand him wanting to play closer to home). The Devils are further away than Lou thinks. The Rangers don't have the room for St. Louis - they just gave that room to Staal and Zuccarello. St. Louis on a 1 year games played deal is great because if the Devils are out of it, he can be moved elsewhere (with his consent of course). This is perfect for him - he gets money, he gets to stay close to home 6 months out of the year, and then he gets to choose what team he wants to go to in March if that's what he wants. Anything the Devils got in trade for him would just be a bonus. With Schneider playing .930 hockey the Devils can get to the playoffs if a few other things break their way. Likewise, it's hard to know what Lou actually thinks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Lou is correct about needing two scoring forwards and I hope he goes after them this off-season. The only question is how he gets them. If he signs Martin St. Louis to a 1 year deal with big games played bonuses and Artem Panarin, he's got the right idea. If he signs Justin Williams and Chris Stewart, he has the wrong idea. Or worse, trades anything of significance for Patrick Sharp. If Lou counts Havlat as someone he thought of as a scoring forward last off-season, he has the right idea (paradoxically, even though Havlat has been awful). It's deals of 2 or more years to players who are 30 or older that will get him into trouble. What is anything of significance for Sharp? The lower of the two second round picks this year, or a second rounder in 2016? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 What is anything of significance for Sharp? The lower of the two second round picks this year, or a second rounder in 2016? Anything above a 3rd round pick. And of course the price would be above this to get him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobilly45 Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 "We certainly will look at somebody within the framework of the system that we play. Defense first," he stressed. "But we also have to get some offensive players to complement that." I don't have a problem with a defense first coach bc defense is what wins games, and more so in the playoffs. he admits we need more offense which we clearly do,and we prob will get rid of some dead weight (ryder,havlet, hopefully Fraser and harrold). Our young d looks good and getting better every game and our goalies are real good, we get the offense fixed and we are back in the playoffs where we belong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sokar Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 I am all for Lou getting offense player next year either by trade or signing, but I don't want Lou to trade this years first rounder to do it. There is so much talent in this draft the Devils could draft a Parise or better skilled player that could play for this team 10-15 years. That in the long line I would rather have than some player that is in the middle of or the end of there prime to player here for 3 or so years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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