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2012-13 Prospect Thread


thefiestygoat

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Hard to project that far ahead but I do think the Devils won't have that much to worry about on the bottom lines in 4-5 years. Shame all of them are goddamn left handed shooters.

I try not to think in terms of '1st line' '2nd line' etc. Obviously if Josefson does just turn out to be a defensive specialist the Devils will have to find a center of their own.

As for Black's assists, he's played 25 games, luck could easily change that by a lot.

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Hard to project that far ahead but I do think the Devils won't have that much to worry about on the bottom lines in 4-5 years. Shame all of them are goddamn left handed shooters.

I try not to think in terms of '1st line' '2nd line' etc. Obviously if Josefson does just turn out to be a defensive specialist the Devils will have to find a center of their own.

As for Black's assists, he's played 25 games, luck could easily change that by a lot.

So long as we can keep Zajac and Henrique's development doesn't go horrifically wrong in the next year or two, I think we'd survive Josefson ending up as a 3rd line/checking center. He's got the defensive knowledge to be a shut down center, the question is whether first off, is he made of glass or just been unlucky? And can he put up enough points to force himself into a top 6 role?

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So long as we can keep Zajac and Henrique's development doesn't go horrifically wrong in the next year or two, I think we'd survive Josefson ending up as a 3rd line/checking center. He's got the defensive knowledge to be a shut down center, the question is whether first off, is he made of glass or just been unlucky? And can he put up enough points to force himself into a top 6 role?

Unfortunately, I don't see the Devils re-signing Zajac. If we're going to be contenders for the foreseeable future, Matteau and Merrill need to be at least a doubles, Larsson has to turn out to be as good as advertised, and an above-average goalie is needed.

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Unfortunately, I don't see the Devils re-signing Zajac. If we're going to be contenders for the foreseeable future, Matteau and Merrill need to be at least a doubles, Larsson has to turn out to be as good as advertised, and an above-average goalie is needed.

Silly talk, all. The Devils will be close to a floor team if they're not re-signing Zajac, so something will have to give there.

fiesty: That sounds career threatening, honestly - all from one dirty hit in an exhibition. Shame.

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Unfortunately, I don't see the Devils re-signing Zajac. If we're going to be contenders for the foreseeable future, Matteau and Merrill need to be at least a doubles, Larsson has to turn out to be as good as advertised, and an above-average goalie is needed.

Ok, we all know Zajac is a defensive dynamo nearly on the level of Elias, but the rest of the NHL doesn't see him that way. He's never topped 70 points, never topped 25 goals. I think he can def be had on a 5+ year deal(I say 5+ year because who knows what the CBA will do to long term contracts) for $30M or less. He can basically swap contracts with Elias and we can call it even at that point.

I still think we need an average goalie and at least one top flight d-man(calling Adam Larsson) and maybe one #3-4-5 type, that is a bit more offensively minded than lets say the stone men of Sal and Volch, to round out the d-corps beyond the next season though. Maybe that player could be Urbom, though I don't hear he's any kind of point machine, or maybe Gelinas can make the jump in another year or two.

On offense we need a top 6 LW prospect and probably need to acquire a top 6 RW through FA or trade as it doesn't look like we have that player in the system right now, aside from the longshot of Boucher.

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Wednesday 11/28

WHL

Swift Current defeated Brandon 5-1

Reece Scarlett D: +3

Season: 25 GP 2-10-12 -3 20 PIM

Graham Black C: Goal, +2

Season: 26 GP 13-10-23 +3 12 PIM

Graham Black has 3 goals and 3 assists in his past 4 games.

Kelowna defeated Tri-City 3-2

Damon Severson D: E, 2 PIM (Tripping)

Season: 25 GP 2-7-9 +4 32 PIM

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Silly talk, all. The Devils will be close to a floor team if they're not re-signing Zajac, so something will have to give there.

First, we have no idea what the floor will be, or even if there will be a floor. We also don't know if the new CBA will result in a larger cap hit for Kovalchuk.

Second, your qualifier of being "close" to a floor team basically refutes your point. While I don't know if by close you meant slightly above or slightly below, the Devils could hit the floor with one or two mid-range salary guys. They're always available as UFAs or on the trade market. The pay bumps that Larsson and Henrique will be getting in a couple of years (again, depending on what's in the new CBA) will help make up the difference on a longer term basis.

There are enough intelligent GMs that Zajac won't be some hidden gem come UFA time. Someone will offer him more money than the Devils. My guess is that he'll end up in Winnipeg.

Speaking of Merrill there was a report the other day where Berenson said a return in December is highly unlikely and he may miss months after that. Unreal the amount of time he's missed in his college career. He could very well end up missing this entire year.

Terrible f'n break for him and the Devils. Sounds like it could be a career killer.

Edited by Daniel
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First, we have no idea what the floor will be, or even if there will be a floor. We also don't know if the new CBA will result in a larger cap hit for Kovalchuk.

We do know that it won't. Neither side has talked of this and it would colossally upset the structure of the league were this to be the case. We also know there will be a floor, cost certainty doesn't work without it. Without a floor all the big market teams end up having to pay more which would just be terrible.

Second, your qualifier of being "close" to a floor team basically refutes your point. While I don't know if by close you meant slightly above or slightly below, the Devils could hit the floor with one or two mid-range salary guys. They're always available as UFAs or on the trade market. The pay bumps that Larsson and Henrique will be getting in a couple of years (again, depending on what's in the new CBA) will help make up the difference on a longer term basis.

I'm saying the Devils have to spend money somewhere, and it makes sense to spend it on Zajac instead of mid-range salary guys.

There are enough intelligent GMs that Zajac won't be some hidden gem come UFA time. Someone will offer him more money than the Devils. My guess is that he'll end up in Winnipeg.

Zajac is coming off a bad year, then a year where he was hurt nearly the whole time, and now a locked out year where who knows when the season starts. Your guess is that he will end up in Winnipeg, because players always go to where they're from, I guess? Toronto should be dominant what with all the Ontario born boys just champing at the bit to play for the hometown team. My guess is that Clarkson plays for the Leafs after next year too.

Edited by Triumph
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Zajac is coming off a bad year, then a year where he was hurt nearly the whole time, and now a locked out year where who knows when the season starts. Your guess is that he will end up in Winnipeg, because players always go to where they're from, I guess? Toronto should be dominant what with all the Ontario born boys just champing at the bit to play for the hometown team. My guess is that Clarkson plays for the Leafs after next year too.

It's not just that he's from Winnipeg, it's that, in my opinion anyway, the Jets will overpay and/or pay him significantly more than the Devils, whether it's in years, up front salary or both. I think the Jets owner has already indicated that he's a money's no object kind of guy. If it's a choice between Zajac making less money with the Devils or making more money and going back to his home town, the smart money is on Winnipeg. I seem to recall the same exact thing happening with another guy who used to play for the Devils. His full name eludes me, but I'm pretty sure there's a Z somewhere in there.

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Zajac is still a massive risk for most teams to overpay for. You know you will get good to elite defense but if his offense remains in the 40 point range without Parise then you risk overpaying for the defensive side of the game. New Jersey knows he can produce with Kovalchuk on his wing, both compensate for each players deficiencies so it can work as an average top minute group.

I must say Zajac would fit perfectly in with Winnipeg's roster. Wheeler, Ponikarovsky, Ladd, Kane, Zajac and Antropov in the top 9 looks like 90's style devils team. Hell, Patrice Cormier is probably ready for NHL in a 12 minute role.

Edited by Jas0nMacIsaac
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It's not just that he's from Winnipeg, it's that, in my opinion anyway, the Jets will overpay and/or pay him significantly more than the Devils, whether it's in years, up front salary or both. I think the Jets owner has already indicated that he's a money's no object kind of guy. If it's a choice between Zajac making less money with the Devils or making more money and going back to his home town, the smart money is on Winnipeg. I seem to recall the same exact thing happening with another guy who used to play for the Devils. His full name eludes me, but I'm pretty sure there's a Z somewhere in there.

No one wants to go to Winnipeg. It's cold as hell out there. And Parise going to Minn isn't the same situation as Zajac. Parise is a straight forward, fundamentals hockey player with a 70-90 point range on him for the next few years. Zajac is very adept defensively, but his hands leave a bit to be desired, which is why he made progress to a 67 pt season, but then saw a drop off without Parise. So right now, to be safe, you can only call Zajac a 50-60pt player. I think he could hit 70pts with the right wingers, but that's my thoughts and not reality.

So with the Devils having a lot of space once Elias comes off the books, Zubs, that will free up at least $3-4M in salary room. Do you honestly think Lou is gonna see more value in some crap FA than signing Zajac to a 5/25?

Edited by ATLL765
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No one wants to go to Winnipeg. It's cold as hell out there. And Parise going to Minn isn't the same situation as Zajac. Parise is a straight forward, fundamentals hockey player with a 70-90 point range on him for the next few years. Zajac is very adept defensively, but his hands leave a bit to be desired, which is why he made progress to a 67 pt season, but then saw a drop off without Parise. So right now, to be safe, you can only call Zajac a 50-60pt player. I think he could hit 70pts with the right wingers, but that's my thoughts and not reality.

So with the Devils having a lot of space once Elias comes off the books, Zubs, that will free up at least $3-4M in salary room. Do you honestly think Lou is gonna see more value in some crap FA than signing Zajac to a 5/25?

Assuming Zajac has the equivalent of 50 to 60 point season, someone will offer him more than $ 5/25. Probably something along the lines of 6/36 or 5/30. Whatever the number, the Jets (and I'm sure a lot of other teams I can't think of right now) will have as much money coming off the books as the Devils.

At least as of October he was working out in Winnipeg, so obviously the place has some appeal to him on a personal level. He's also hockey royalty there, so the Jets fanbase would be clamoring for him. A lot like that other guy from this past summer.

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Assuming Zajac has the equivalent of 50 to 60 point season, someone will offer him more than $ 5/25. Probably something along the lines of 6/36 or 5/30. Whatever the number, the Jets (and I'm sure a lot of other teams I can't think of right now) will have as much money coming off the books as the Devils.

At least as of October he was working out in Winnipeg, so obviously the place has some appeal to him on a personal level. He's also hockey royalty there, so the Jets fanbase would be clamoring for him. A lot like that other guy from this past summer.

Just because someone makes their offseason home somewhere doesn't mean they want to live there full-time. Did Andy Greene go to Detroit? David Clarkson go to arbitration, take a one year deal, and go to Toronto? Hey, I remember seeing a Devils fan convinced that Brodeur was going to Montreal in 1998. It's 2012, he's still not there. Even though we had to sit through, again, people saying he would go there even though it made no sense.

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't even have a regular player last year who was born in Ontario. Not one. Don Cherry ranted about it. And it's because, in part, playing for your hometown team is a burden. One, people expect you to be great and if you're not it's a disappointment. Two, you have friends and family badgering you for tickets all the time, not just when you come to town. Three, if it's a hockey-mad area, and Winnipeg is certainly that, you're recognized around town all the time and have no privacy at all. Some guys are willing to take that on. Travis Zajac probably already gets that in NJ but only because he looks like Paul Rudd. Regardless, it's not an accident that Parise ended up in Minnesota, but he wasn't going there without Suter. That was a critical piece of his going to the Wild - had Ryan stayed in Nashville, Zach would have stayed in New Jersey, according to Michael Russo.

I'm tired of the paranoia that the Devils will constantly lose their players. Yes, they've lost plenty over the years. They've also kept plenty. And that's how it should be.

Edited by Triumph
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Assuming Zajac has the equivalent of 50 to 60 point season, someone will offer him more than $ 5/25. Probably something along the lines of 6/36 or 5/30. Whatever the number, the Jets (and I'm sure a lot of other teams I can't think of right now) will have as much money coming off the books as the Devils.

At least as of October he was working out in Winnipeg, so obviously the place has some appeal to him on a personal level. He's also hockey royalty there, so the Jets fanbase would be clamoring for him. A lot like that other guy from this past summer.

All the more reason for Lou to finally realize it is better to lock-up our "star" talent the year before they turn FA then wait until they've had an opportunity to test the market. While I certainly understand the decision to keep Parise for last season's playoff run, this organization doesn't have the depth to lose its top players to FA year after year while getting nothing in return. There really isn't any reason not to lock Zajac up long term once the lockout get settled.

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All the more reason for Lou to finally realize it is better to lock-up our "star" talent the year before they turn FA then wait until they've had an opportunity to test the market. While I certainly understand the decision to keep Parise for last season's playoff run, this organization doesn't have the depth to lose its top players to FA year after year while getting nothing in return. There really isn't any reason not to lock Zajac up long term once the lockout get settled.

Other than the fact that Zajac is coming off major surgery? If he does it, great, but there's still plenty of risks involved.

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Other than the fact that Zajac is coming off major surgery? If he does it, great, but there's still plenty of risks involved.

There is risk in signing any player to a long term deal. Players get injured and return to full health all the time. Parise did it last season and Zajac was back and playing well through most of the playoffs last year. The Devils have to trust their doctors as there is no indication that Zajac's injury will hamper him for the rest of his career. If the Devils are not willing to take the risk in locking up one of their best players before he hits the open market, then they should trade him because getting nothing as he walks out the door causes the organization to take 2-3 steps backwards, especially since they are so thin at F. It took us a number of years to truly recover from the losses of Stevens, Niedermayer, and Rafalski because the organization lacked depth at the time to adequately replace them from within, and there weren't enough good players in FA that were willing to come here (and we could afford) to compensate for their loss. In my eyes, the loss of Parise and, then, the potential loss of Zajac only 1 year later would put us in the same situation as we were 5-8 years ago, if not worse. Kovy can't do it all by himself.

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Players get injured and return to full health all the time. Parise did it last season

To my eyes, it was pretty obvious Parise was not the same player last season as the 2 healthy seasons prior. He was nowhere near as quick or explosive. That may not be a total surprise, knee injuries can take a whole season to recover from, but even now, after a year of playing, I don't think anyone can say for sure if Parise will ever get that explosiveness back.

If the Devils are not willing to take the risk in locking up one of their best players before he hits the open market, then they should trade him because getting nothing as he walks out the door causes the organization to take 2-3 steps backwards

Except "losing" Parise netted the Devils a Stanley Cup finals, a year of a top player, and freed massive cap space. You never get nothing for keeping a player and that's especially true in leagues with a hard cap.

Edited by Devils731
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You can watch a few of the Devils prospects on Friday night. Windsor (Johnson) will take on Kitchener (Thomson) at 7 on the NHL Network, Ohio State (Gedig) will take on Michigan State at 8 on Big Ten Network, and Wisconsin (Faust) will take on Denver (Zajac's brother Nolan) at 10 on NBC Sports. That game will be preceded by Boston College vs. Boston University at 7:30. I've already got my DVR set!

Thursday 11/29

OHL

Windsor lost to Barrie 4-2

Ben Johnson LW: E

Season: 27 GP 3-5-8 -1 14 PIM

Johnson's pointless streak is now at 5 games. He has 3 points in his past 15 games.

BXL

Neman Grodno defeated HC Mogilev 4-0

Artur Gavrus F: DNP

Season: 15 GP 5-7-12 +10 0 PIM 10.20 SH% 3.27 SH/GP

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No one wants to go to Winnipeg. It's cold as hell out there.

And they have no parks!

To my eyes, it was pretty obvious Parise was not the same player last season as the 2 healthy seasons prior. He was nowhere near as quick or explosive. That may not be a total surprise, knee injuries can take a whole season to recover from, but even now, after a year of playing, I don't think anyone can say for sure if Parise will ever get that explosiveness back.

Agreed. That contract will be hilarious in a few years when he can't keep playing his style.

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Just because someone makes their offseason home somewhere doesn't mean they want to live there full-time. Did Andy Greene go to Detroit? David Clarkson go to arbitration, take a one year deal, and go to Toronto? Hey, I remember seeing a Devils fan convinced that Brodeur was going to Montreal in 1998. It's 2012, he's still not there. Even though we had to sit through, again, people saying he would go there even though it made no sense.

The Toronto Maple Leafs didn't even have a regular player last year who was born in Ontario. Not one. Don Cherry ranted about it. And it's because, in part, playing for your hometown team is a burden. One, people expect you to be great and if you're not it's a disappointment. Two, you have friends and family badgering you for tickets all the time, not just when you come to town. Three, if it's a hockey-mad area, and Winnipeg is certainly that, you're recognized around town all the time and have no privacy at all. Some guys are willing to take that on. Travis Zajac probably already gets that in NJ but only because he looks like Paul Rudd. Regardless, it's not an accident that Parise ended up in Minnesota, but he wasn't going there without Suter. That was a critical piece of his going to the Wild - had Ryan stayed in Nashville, Zach would have stayed in New Jersey, according to Michael Russo.

I'm tired of the paranoia that the Devils will constantly lose their players. Yes, they've lost plenty over the years. They've also kept plenty. And that's how it should be.

If I learned anything about Zajac from meeting him a few years back, it's that he's a very quiet and reserved kind of guy. I didn't meet him for long, just for a few minutes while a few other team members were in the room as well with family members, etc. Zajac stayed off to the side, wasn't as talkative as the other guys, just got the feeling that he's not the world's most outgoing guy. I know this is all hearsay from me, that's impossible to confirm, but my take is that he's not one to want the spotlight on him 24/7. Maybe he'd like being near home, but if people are going to bombard him constantly, I doubt that would be his thing.

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