Jump to content

The One Player Who Cannot Be On This Team Next Year


Triumph

Recommended Posts

Why not title threads like Buzzfeed?  That face you make when you look at the Devils' stats.

 

Dainius Zubrus has had a very solid, if unexceptional career.  This is his 8th season as a New Jersey Devil.  He has never had more than 44 points in a season but for his first 5 seasons in a Devils uniform he was remarkably consistent points-wise - he was always right around .5 points/game, with between 10 and 20 goals.  Indeed, Zubrus ranks 30th all time in franchise points.  He's also having an atrocious year and he's 36 going on 37 with 1200+ NHL games under his belt.  

 

Everything has gone wrong for Zubrus this year, who ranks 370th out of 397 qualified forwards in points/60.   He also ranks 380th in shots/60.  He's just not offensively capable enough to play anything more than a 4th line role, and yet there he is getting top 9 minutes.  The Devils have been able to say goodbye to players like Jay Pandolfo and Sergei Brylin when they were past their expiration date - the Devils' other issues shouldn't confuse management.  He's a replacement-level NHLer at best - his offense is terrible, he takes too many penalties, but he can still play defense okay.  I like Zubrus a lot - the Devils clearly do too - but that contract was a disaster the minute it was signed and it's about as bad as a 3 year, 9.3M contract can be.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He's always been about a 0.5-point-per-game player...he had those two seasons with Washington playing with Ovechkin that puffed up his numbers there (and unfairly raised offensive projections here)...a lot of people (you included) thought he could be a 50+ point guy for this team. He never turned out to be the huge bargain that I think Lou hoped he'd be, but yeah, once we all adjusted our expectations, he was pretty good. The biggest surprise with regards to his Devils career is that he stayed much healthier than anyone could've expected.

But yeah, he's another older body that simply needs to go at this point. He pretty much lived up to his first deal with the Devils. He won't come close to matching this one's value.

Edited by Colorado Rockies 1976
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they play him in a 4th line role with gionta and josefson, I wouldn't be that nuts about it.

They're gonna need NHL bodies next year. At least he's hardly near any special teams anymore.

 

 

Shouldn't either Boucher or Matteau be ready next year? I'd rather see one of them take his spot. Maybe someone can convince him to retire and stay on as a practice coach or something.

 

These two things go together.  First off, Zubrus is still killing penalties, so yeah.  Second, the Devils already have a couple of 4th line guys around - in fact they've got plenty.  Steve Bernier, Jordin Tootoo, Tuomo Ruutu, Stephen Gionta, Jacob Josefson - these are all 4th line players.  I don't want the Devils to not sign Bernier - now maybe Bernier wants to go elsewhere, great, but he's been perfect in the role he's had this year.  They've got Boucher and Matteau in the minors and while neither has had a great season, Boucher hasn't gotten a ton of time with that top line and it's really the top line that has carried the A-Devs this year.  Matteau's waiver-eligible and so NJ will have a tough spot with him - I think/hope he may end up traded for an RW prospect in a similar boat.  Plus the Devils have 3 LWs above Ruutu on the depth chart for next year - Cammalleri, Elias, Henrique.  

 

The Devils' problem at forward isn't really a shortage of NHL players.  It's a shortage of players who belong in a top 6.  They've got 13 guys who belong on NHL rosters, it's just that besides Jagr, Cammalleri, and maybe Elias, all of them are playing like 3rd liners or worse.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Considering how multiple coaches have used them, if there is a buy-out, I expect it to be Ruutu and not Zubrus. 

 

How Zubrus got that contract is beyond me. He's basically played every role possible for the Devils this season, which is even more mind-boggling/frustrating. 

 

As for your thread title...you'll be happier with Zubrus back over Salvador? The possible thought of Fraser and Salvador together on the roster in 2015-2016...well now I'm imagining the 1st overall pick in 2016. How about the one player the Devils can't have on their roster next season is the defenseman they overpay badly in free agency. 

Edited by devilsrule33
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Considering how multiple coaches have used them, if there is a buy-out, I expect it to be Ruutu and not Zubrus. 

 

How Zubrus got that contract is beyond me. He's basically played every role possible for the Devils this season, which is even more mind-boggling/frustrating. 

 

As for your thread title...you'll be happier with Zubrus back over Salvador? The possible thought of Fraser and Salvador together on the roster in 2015-2016...well now I imagining the 1st overall pick in 2016. How about the one player the Devils can't have on their roster next season is the defenseman they overpay badly in free agency. 

 

I actually think that even though Ruutu has been used in a 4th line role that the Devils value that role highly and will keep him on over Zubrus.  If they got rid of one, I legitimately think it would be Zubrus.

 

I don't think there's any chance Salvador comes back.  He cannot physically play NHL hockey anymore.  Fraser could be back but if he is it'll be in a minor league role.

Edited by Triumph
Link to comment
Share on other sites

i believe zubrus still has another year on his contract after this one doesnt he? there are some players i would be more inclined to dump in line before zubrus.. i know zubrus has fallen off but hes still an aggrasive body out there, Ryder is someone who cannot be back next year thats for sure! I would be fine with replacing tootoo with someone else who has a little more skill to bring to the table as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they play him in a 4th line role with gionta and josefson, I wouldn't be that nuts about it.

 

You know that's not going to happen though.

 

Considering how multiple coaches have used them, if there is a buy-out, I expect it to be Ruutu and not Zubrus. 

 

Sadly you're probably right.  It's amazing to me on a team with crappy forwards when you have guys like Tootoo and Bernier playing on the power play how Ruutu has not been able to get out of the doghouse ever under two different staffs.  Especially when Lou said Ruutu was a top six player when we acquired him and after like 25 games last year he's been in fourth-line purgatory with no parole.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah zubie was signed a year or two too long. it seems he never came back after the wrist thing. his board work has dropped off. no longer the one man forechecking dump in machine that he was, is slower and his stickhandling has dropped.  as has been said we have too many 4th liners here and few if any firsts. thats the issue

 

i have no expectations for next year so hes not going to bother me either way. let him do his dirty work one more year and then say farewell

Edited by EdgeControl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean, is he over the hill? Yeah. But he is far from the "one player that cannot be on the team next year." That's over the top. As others have noted, it wouldn't be that big of a deal if Zubrus filled a 4th line role next year.

 

Ryder, Salvador, Ruutu, and Fraser are all more toxic than Zubrus. In some ways Havlat is too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I had to pick one, it's Salvador. Not only can he not play at all anymore, he's constantly "hurt". Time for a new Captain in the room also. Everyone has been advocating for younger players, it's definitely time for a new guard in NJ.

 

Isn't this the last year on Sal's contract??

I figured that's why he wasn't bought out and Volchenkov was since Volch had more years left....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't this the last year on Sal's contract??

I figured that's why he wasn't bought out and Volchenkov was since Volch had more years left....

Yeah, Salvador's deal is done at the end of the year. With his contract expiring, we don't have any dead weight on the back end. All our "bad" contracts are with the forwards and most of them are UFA this summer as well. I think only Zubrus and Clowe are guys signed past this season who have real bad value deals unless you count Zajac's deal as being bad value, but I think that's debatable. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, Salvador's deal is done at the end of the year. With his contract expiring, we don't have any dead weight on the back end. All our "bad" contracts are with the forwards and most of them are UFA this summer as well. I think only Zubrus and Clowe are guys signed past this season who have real bad value deals unless you count Zajac's deal as being bad value, but I think that's debatable.

Correct, I'm just hoping they don't do anything stupid like giving Salvador another year. I mean, even if they did he'd only be healthy for like 4 games anyway, but still...

You can debate Zajac's deal, and in the end it may work out ok if they get him someone good to play with. He strikes me as one of those guys that will do well if surrounded with other talent, but he's not the guy who Is going to take the reins and drive you straight into the playoffs on his own.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Correct, I'm just hoping they don't do anything stupid like giving Salvador another year. I mean, even if they did he'd only be healthy for like 4 games anyway, but still...

You can debate Zajac's deal, and in the end it may work out ok if they get him someone good to play with. He strikes me as one of those guys that will do well if surrounded with other talent, but he's not the guy who Is going to take the reins and drive you straight into the playoffs on his own.

There's no way in hell that they give Salvador another deal this summer. They've already made him disappear this year and I have no doubt that after this long, he's being held out because management knows he's an anchor on the rest of the defense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's no way in hell that they give Salvador another deal this summer. They've already made him disappear this year and I have no doubt that after this long, he's being held out because management knows he's an anchor on the rest of the defense.

 

I hope so. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If they're rolling Mark Fraser out there instead you can be damned sure that Salvador is done as a player, I don't think its much to worry about....

 

3 years of Clowe....or mutilple seasons left of Zubrus....pretty frightening......

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.