Jump to content

Smantzas' Open Roster Discussion Thread


sundstrom

Recommended Posts

i think the returning 7 d from last year all make the team. the kids (merrill, urbom, gelinas) have shown some flashes, but there's no reason not to send them all to albany and bide their time to see if one of the "set 7" make themselves obsolete or if one of the kids shines in the ahl. i'm slightly worried that urbom would be claimed for nothing but he's one of those guys that every team has so he'll likely make it through.

 

at forward, i'm going to assume brunner makes the team. i also assume olesz has done more than enough to make it.

 

so you've got the following absolutely making the team:

 

elias, zajac, jagr, ryder, clowe, loktionov, zubrus, henrique, brunner, bernier and olesz. that's 11.

 

there's 3 spots left (i assume they're carrying 2 forward scratches)

 

so that leaves, josefson, tedenby, gionta, barch, carter, matteau.

 

i don't know what to make of the fact that JJ has played every preseason game. I think he's done more than enough even before preseason to make the team, but he's been very good in several roles this preseason.

 

tedenby showed some flashes, but i think he gets caught in the numbers game. hopefully he passes through waivers.

 

matteau got his one game, but i think it makes sense to let him get meaningful minutes in albany.

 

barch serves one purpose and the devils feel that's gotta be on the roster - it disappoints me, but he's going to make the team.

 

gionta should get squeezed out but the devils remember two months in 2012 so it's gonna be like scraping off a barnacle to get rid of him.

 

and then there's carter. he's got one preseason game which seems strange. he serves a purpose and he's a pdb guy but i'm not sure what will be there.

 

ideally, josefson, carter and barch make the team with 20 and 22 being he healthy scratches and a 4th line of olesz-josefson-bernier which would be awesome.

 

what scares me is that gionta makes the team because he's "important" and josefson has to be moved.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brunner is the interesting asterisk here, right?  Since he not only has to "make the team" but agree to a contract that meets his [updated] needs.  You've got tryout-players now signing in the neighborhood of 1 to 1.5 million, which is significantly less than Brunner was seeking originally.  Detroit already had offered that cash.  My prediction is NJ gives him a 1 year 2 million dollar contract.  Granted, his leverage is low, but as the pre-season winds away, NJ's window closes and you never know, he may not be in a rush to sign prior to opening night if the money isn't respectable.  He might be a nice piece to sign for a few seasons, but at his risk-level, likely a 1-year deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm really nervous for JJ, since I think he really could turn out to be a great player. But he's never going to grow as a player if he doesn't get any good minutes. I hope they don't mess anything up for him.

 

I'm really nervous that they'll do something even more stupid. That goes for the young d-men (and Fayne) as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm really nervous for JJ, since I think he really could turn out to be a great player. But he's never going to grow as a player if he doesn't get any good minutes. I hope they don't mess anything up for him.

 

Agree. A month ago, I would've said he was a lock to make the team, but we've got so much depth and the roster battle is pretty tight; I'm not so sure anymore.. His potential is sky-high in my opinion, even Tedenby looked phenomenal in his first game. Hope Pete gets another few looks at them the next two preseason games in what will be two physical Philly games. That's the real test, I'm guessing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I the only one who doesn't hate Gionta? I mean he is the weakest link at this point, but this board acts like he's worse than Pelley.

i dont hate gionta by any means... but i dont want him to make the team if there is someone better for the job. Gionta is fast but other then that i dont really think he contributes all that much.. i dont think hes a better player then carter so if it comes down to him or ryan carter i hope carter gets the job. Barch on the other hand is completely useless in every way he cant even fight the only thing hes good at is getting his ass kicked.. i definently dont want him on the team even as a healthy scratch
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Gionta hate is only half because of his skill level. The other half is because he may end up wasting a roster spot that would be better used on someone good.

 

I also don't think signing Brunner definitely means there will be a trade. Who do you think is tradable of our offense?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really think they're trying to turn Jacob Josefson into another Sergei Brylin - he's been asked to do a little of everything in these exhibition games so far.  I think he's smart enough to make it work.

 

Trouble is without Loktionov signed through next year, the Devils really can't go dealing him away without risking being without depth at center next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really think they're trying to turn Jacob Josefson into another Sergei Brylin - he's been asked to do a little of everything in these exhibition games so far.  I think he's smart enough to make it work.

 

Trouble is without Loktionov signed through next year, the Devils really can't go dealing him away without risking being without depth at center next season.

 

i agree. the boogie man in the room is gionta. if they do the right thing, it's a non-issue - he's in albany and carter/barch are your scratches. but again, there were those 2 months and a catchy nickname by Sherry Ross.

 

while i appreciate carter's versatility, if they decide to deal him for a 4th, as a solution, i'd accept it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.