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insanity_gallops

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Everything posted by insanity_gallops

  1. Ugh, if the end results are two first rounders at 21 and 24 or something like that, it definitely stings when the "best case" scenario outcomes are considered. First, it'll make the Hall trade look worse (unless ARZ somehow re-signs him and wins a round in the playoffs). Second, while still looking on the bright side, two low-end 1st rounders can still help the Devils' prospect pool since NJ doesn't have a 2nd rounder this year, and those two 1sts could be packaged to move up... or result in moving down from one of those spots... still have options that could yield positive outcomes. ...but thinking about the chances that those picks could have been, say, 9th and unprotected next year... oof.
  2. Dating former New Jersey Devils great Kurtis Gabriel.
  3. Related -- CR, you likely already saw this -- I completely forgot Alfredsson didn't spend his entire career with the Senators. Totally blanked on his non-OTT season to end his career. Without looking it up, anyone else remember him playing on that other team? HockeyDB has confirmed it's true, but I don't have any memories (or highlights in my brain) from that season. Kinda like Modano's last season... though I remember that, and Alfredsson fared better.
  4. Iginla = first ballot HOFer. I love Elias. Maybe my all-time favorite Devils player. I went out and bought a new Elias jersey when he re-upped with the Devils instead of the Rangers, complete with the captain's C on the shoulder. I have a hard time arguing for his inclusion into the HOF at this point, though. I completely understand the arguments in favor of putting him in (look at the system in which he played, look at the roles he was tasked with handling, etc.) but I just don't think he had enough "dominant" seasons where he popped off the page/screen to make him stick out to non-Devils fans. His age 22 - 37 seasons (which I think someone else pointed out earlier) were .88 points per game, which is excellent given the time period, but he was so very balanced that he doesn't stand out to people as one thing or another: his stats don't scream "goal scorer," or "setup man," but rather, "I can do it all and I'll excel at doing everything in a really damn good way." I don't think that pushes him across the line right now. Perhaps if advanced stats & metrics were/are able to cast his achievements in a different light, this is conversation takes a turn. It's funny, my gut reaction was, "Alfredsson isn't a HOFer." Then I just went and did the same activity for his stats, and from 23 - 37 he averaged just under a point per game for over a thousand games, and he really was the driving offensive force for the Senators. His lines with Spezza and Hossa/Heatley were so damn dominant at times. I still remember the ass-kicking that line handed out to the Devils at Opening Night at the Prudential Center. Woof. From the '01-'02 season to the '09-'10 season, he was excellent nearly every game. I still don't think of him as a Hall of Fame player, but if he's voted in, I get it. Not as good defensively as Elias (to my recollection, anyway) but he could flat-out score and generate offense. Alfredsson would also be the first "true Senator" in the HOF, because right now it's just Hasek as far as OTT players go.
  5. I just posted this in another thread, deleted it, and moved it here -- it's a better fit. For whatever it's worth, a friend of mine rubbed elbows with someone in Devils management about a week ago. When talk of the draft came up, my friend was told, "We'll take the Russian kid." (And please, resist the temptation to assassinate my character for posting a rumor. Yep, it's second-hand that I'm hearing this... yep, I trust my friend really was told this (he sent me a photo of the guy he spoke with)... but I ain't Ecklund, throwing sh*t at the wall to see what sticks. Maybe the Devils pick him, maybe they pick someone else... but this is what's cooking as of a week ago. Thanks.)
  6. I'm late to this party, so my apologies if my thoughts have previously been expressed. I do think the Devils could use another reliable D-man. Lovejoy plays well in spurts, Santini seems shell-shocked. Fingers crossed the answer is Mirco Mueller returning from injury. If it is, then yeah, they're pretty well set. If it's not - and Greene struggles - I'd like to see the Devils take a run at Hjalmarsson if Arizona is willing to move him. Cap hit right around $4m, signed for another year and could provide some additional stability on the back end. 2nd line center, please and thank you... but unless there's a team in contention that suddenly nosedives, I'm not thrilled with any of the potential rental options. Galchenyuk is worth the gamble and would potentially be a longer term solution, but at a higher cost to acquire him. I'm ever-hopeful that Zacha will start playing with more confidence, show his offensive skills (a.k.a. resemble the dude who kicked ass in the preseason) and outright claim the 2nd line C job, but until that time comes, I'd be happy just seeing him remember how big & strong he is when battling for the puck along the boards.
  7. That's how it may go down in the annals of Devils history, but signing Cammalleri was a big deal when it happened. People were excited the Devils were willing to bring in a bonafide goal scorer, though the term was worrisome - and hey, look at that, the term ended up being something of a problem. He nearly hit 30 goals in his first season and was about a point per game in the second season... but injuries kept popping up and this last year he just didn't look like the Cammalleri of the previous seasons. He shanked one-timers, passed on good scoring opportunities, and just wasn't the kind of threat he was before.
  8. Bingo. Regarding trades: stockpiling picks. Ain't the worst approach for this organization... I just hope Shero isn't approaching this like some approach fantasy sports: trying to swap multiple assets for a single better asset. "Hey, I really want to get one good player, and so I'm going to trade you two mediocre players instead... see, we both win! You get depth, I get the better overall player!" Only works with really desperate GMs who can't see the writing on the wall. And dammit, I want to see this team be consistently competitive next season. If they could resemble the team that kicked off this season, I would be thrilled: "fast, attacking, supportive" regardless of the score, and a team that responded well to adversity, giving constant hustle. I'll slip back into the shadows now, a-thank ya.
  9. Not exactly a detailed write-up for each club, nor even completely accurate - John Hynes came from the Albany Devils, eh? Interesting that their ranking criteria is not only the strength of prospects, but stability of AHL franchise and physical proximity to the NHL team. http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/1064617-ranking-the-30-nhl-farm-systems For comparison, Bleacher Report's post-2016-draft write-up in June had the Devils at 13th. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2647891-nhl-draft-2016-results-re-ranking-every-teams-prospect-pool/page/19
  10. Flames have depth on defense, so unless they're moving a contract back to NJ (Smid?), I don't see how Severson would be the lynchpin. Aside from the untouchables in Calgary, I'm not interested in many of their roster players. Shinkaruk would be a worthwhile gamble, maybe Joe Colborne if the Devils wanted some scoring touch on a depth line. Maybe the Devils are willing to take Mason Raymond's contract in exchange for a pick.
  11. http://www.mynhldraft.com/2016/NHL-Draft-Profiles/Michael-McLeod http://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2016/6/17/11862600/-speed-at-both-ends-michael-mcleod-2016-nhl-draft-prospect-profile --> Essentially his take was "Not a bad pick, unless Jost, Brown, Keller, Dubois, or Nylander are available." Well, Devils scouting department clearly didn't have faith in Brown, so they picked up a free 3rd rounder and snagged this kid.
  12. Not surprising. This means Devils really wanted Jost, too, eh?
  13. If Devils draft Chychrun, he's a defender with different dimensions than most in the system in that he has offensive upside - or have I misread that scouting report? If that's what he can potentially provide, I'm fine with Devils drafting him. Right now there's Larsson (whose offense hasn't blossomed), Severson (work in progress), Merrill (yikes), Santini (defensive d-man)... a dangerous PP-capable defenseman would be just fine.
  14. I've avoided the forums there, but I enjoyed reading about the prospects for each organization. To those who know better than I... what other sites are free access that give good breakdowns of team prospects, development, etc? Thanks in advance!
  15. Agreed about probability of Stamkos leaving - but even if he's off the books, the Bolts have to lock up Killorn (raise on $2.5 million), Kucherov (due significant raise from $700K with 58 goals in his last two seasons), JT Brown (shmeh), Namestnikov (raise from $800K), Paquette (shmeh), and Nesterov. Plus after next season, Tyler Johnson ($3.3 mil), Ondrej Palat ($3.3 mil), Drouin ($900K), Sustr ($1.4 mil) and Vasilevskiy ($900K). Oh, and Tyler Hedman hits his UFA season. So you're right, Tampa Bay can certainly find a way for next season to fit everyone in -- but I still think they would consider moving a younger player if it meant they could really make a run at Stamkos.
  16. Yes indeed, and I saw that. I'd be thrilled to try and pull that off, but I can't see Los Angeles really mortgaging their future to that extent... Pearson and Toffoli are the only young, team-friendly-contract difference makers they have in the forwards corps. Behind them, it's all young prospects that are relative unknowns. So if LA really believes signing Lucic for a full season will be the true difference maker, and they're okay with sacrificing for the future in an attempt to get another cup while their super locked-up core (Kopitar, Quick, Carter, Gaborik, Doughty, Muzzin, Martinez, Brown) are still productive (...well, excluding Brown, it seems), I can't see Lombardi parting with those young guns. Hopefully you're right and I'm wrong, though!
  17. I thought this could be a fun discussion since the idea was brought up in the "Devils need offense" thread. This is my second attempt at posting it, because for whatever reason my first effort errored and I lost it all. Meh well. This version will be shorter. I looked at teams up against the cap or facing tough constraints, and targeted young players under team control for a few seasons at a good contract or approaching RFA status. Chicago - Teuvo Teravainen. Once heralded as the future offensive catalyst for the club, his spot has been taken by Artemi Panarin. Maybe Chicago looks into moving Andrew Shaw, but he's much more vital to their success than Teravainen. Shero would likely need approval from ownership to take someone like Bickell, too, but if the Devils can get a possible top-6 forward at the expense of burying Bickell in the AHL for a year, it's a good gamble. (...says the poster who doesn't need to shell out $4 million to Bickell) Tampa Bay - Alex Killorn or Vladislav Namestnikov. Both are RFA this offseason, and Tampa needs to not only re-sign Stamkos (if they can), but lock up Kucherov... with Johnson, Palat, and Drouin RFA the following season. Killorn's past contract was $2.5 million for a 40-point season... maybe Yzerman thinks that's too rich and moves him. Namestnikov is just buried on the depth chart. Anaheim - Jakob Silfverberg. Management can't really shake up the core all that much since Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler all have NMC... but Silfverberg got this massive deal following a monster playoff run. He's under team control for 3 more seasons at $3.75 million. He put up 20 goals and 40 points last year, but maybe ANA thinks it's too much $ for the production (similar to Killorn in TB). Boston - Brett Connolly or Alexander Khokhlachev. Connolly is less likely to be moved since they just dealt for him, but their salary cap situation is rough. Khokhlachev has been unhappy that he hasn't been given a true shot at NHL ice time, and he's still young. Maybe Shero swings a deal and gives him a real shot at making the roster.
  18. Top of my list: Kerby Rychel (rumblings CLB could move him for defensive help... which the Devils could provide...) Kings' AHL affiliate seems like it has a handful of talented forwards that just may be victims to a numbers game at the NHL level, so they could be in play. I was actually really bummed when Boston was able to pry Brett Connolly away from Tampa Bay -- he was the young forward who got pushed aside by other prospects and I was hoping somehow the Devils could be the ones to take a chance on him. Two 2nd rounders was too high for the Devils, though. On a related note - there was a great article on TheScore discussing why moving Drouin is highly unlikely. Essentially, Yzerman was interested in moving up in the draft in 2013-2014 to snag Ekblad... but when Drouin and Vasilevskiy were brought up as necessary pieces for the deal, it was squashed. Zack Kassian was another player I had thought could end up in NJ. Oh well.
  19. I'll always remember how he looked during Scott Stevens night - so amped up he was literally bouncing as he stood at the bench, just waiting for a chance to get on the ice and hit someone. Childlike joy. The guy knows he's lucky to be playing professional hockey (meaning it's a rare thing for people to be able to make a living from playing a sport) and seems to me he's never taken it for granted.
  20. I'm friends with his fiancee and I've met Cam a few times. He's a nice guy, and wants to do well by others -- as evidenced by his post-Hurricane-Sandy fundraiser held out in St. Louis -- and he seems to be respected by those with whom he plays. The "new NHL" just phased him out. From speaking with him, it's also seems to me that hockey is his entire life, and has been since such a young age. I remember a story about him that when he was injured a few years ago and missed a big chunk of games, he wasn't allowed to report to the rink to work out because he was supposed to rest. Instead, he got a weekly pass to his fiancee's gym -- and he was pretty confused and disoriented at first, since he hadn't ever used a "public" gym before. Good guy. I hope he figures out what to do with his time when he can no longer suit up.
  21. Agreed. Honestly, I keep forgetting he's on the roster! And the Devils will be in the Matthews sweepstakes, given that NJ is not expected to make the playoffs and the new lottery system will be in effect for picks 1-3... plus, it's not like the last-place team wins the draft lottery all that often. Between 1995 and 2005, the last-place team won the draft lottery only twice: Ottawa (1996), and Boston (1997). Since the lost lockout season, the last-place team won the draft lottery four times: St. Louis (2006), Tampa Bay (2008), NYI (2009), Edmonton (2010).
  22. If he stays healthy, I'd love to see him accept -- and be happy with -- some kind of a mentor/elder statesman role for the rebuild on a yearly basis. If he can still help out on the third/fourth line and be a veteran presence, that's great. The Devils have the potential for a very young team next year, especially if Elias leaves... and teams do need vets to provide leadership. We also know Zacha has great respect for him. It would be nice to see him pass the torch. Next season the oldest Devils under contract are Mike Cammalleri (he'll be 34), Andy Greene (33), Ryan Clowe (33), Travis Zajac (31), and Corey Schneider (30). That's two veteran forwards -- can't really rely on Clowe -- out of a group of 12 taking the ice on a nightly basis... if Elias doesn't get re-upped, they'll bring in some other vets to help out.
  23. I'm excited for this season - but fully expect another top-10 draft pick kind of season. I think battling it out with the Canes for last place might be a bit much (...he says with rose-colored glasses...) but I expect to duke it out with Philly for next to last/third to last place. I'd like to see the Devils beat the Flyers & Rangers in every matchup, and then finish next-to-last place in the division to further the rebuild. Of course, that could alienate/piss off Schneider...
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