Rolston to NYI, Hunter to NJD

[Devils731]

Then again, Lou is pretty tough to read. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Though I thought I saw a tweet from TG where Lous said he expects Hunter to be on the Devils roster in 2011.

Ya, he did. Lou said "as of today" Hunter is planned to make the roster.....of course so are both Janssen and Boulton and I don't think many actually think that.

In both instances Lou qualified things by basically saying "currently" that way when training camp happens their training camp performances are what sunk them, not a preplanned event.

[NJDevs4978]

If you asked Lou he'd plan on thirty players making the roster as of now

[mmajeski06]

Good points. That's what training camp is for: making sure the guys on the roster deserve to be there.

Edited July 28, 2011 by mmajeski06

[sundstrom]

wow - of course this goes down on the day i'm away from the board all day.

first off, i'd like to pat myself on the back for calling rolston to the isles (albeit for the last 2 years)!!

Congrats to Tri for suggesting Hunter as the return at a previous point in time that I'm too lazy to go and find.

some great stuff in this thread...

I must be the only one that doesn't like this trade.

I think you are the only one that doesn't like it.

This trade seems negative to me. I don't see how we get better as a hockey team whos goal is to win a Stanley Cup this year (and every year).

I'm not really sure what we gained with this trade. Rolston will probably put up just as many points as Trent Hunter. We freed up some $3 million in cap space to do what exactly, we already had 7+ million available to sign Parise with more available at the end of the season.

We have a bunch of money coming off the cap at the end of the season, now we have less money coming off the cap at the end of the season.

We lost Rolston, a very responsible defensive player who had a hell of a shot on the powerplay who seemed like he could never find a rhythm in 3 years. We gained Trent Hunter, who can't seem to stop being injured for 3 years.

PS I liked Rolston

If Hunter out performs rolston this year, then i actually feel sorry for the islanders. this deal had almost nothing to do with Trent Hunter and everything to do with Rolston. When you say "outside of a salary dump" it essentially makes the argument pointless. I could say, "besides what happens on the ice", this deal doesn't favor the isles.

and rolston WAS terrible outside of the 2nd half of last year which, to his point, was the only time he got top 6 LW minutes on this team. Sutter gave him top 6 minutes but they were at center which made no fvcking sense. then he got hurt and then there was no place for him because he just didn't try.

I don't think we got any better, and I think we could have signed Parise for a very long term contract for the ~7.5 million we had. I understand we can now offer Parise anything he wants, but I don't think that makes the Devils any better. Parise is Parise at 7.5 million or at 10 million. Its probable that Parise would have signed for longer than a year regardless.

where the devils really gain is that rolston was stuck in the lineup - you weren't scratching him, you weren't demoting him, and he stopped the possible growth of others. flipping hunter again, or sending him to albany isn't nearly as difficult as rolston (AHL was impossible). before, a guy like henrique or zharkov almost had to have an injury to have a chance. now, not only do the devils have the money for parise, they have the ability to do essentially whatever they want with their entire roster.

Much ado, about nothing.

We lose some offense and gain $3 million in cap space.

we lost almost no offense when you consider parise's return and $3MM in cap space for a capped out team trying to sign its best player is about the opposite of nothing.

Well, after all the changes over the past year I'd say this is rebuilding whether Lou admits it or not. Feels like we are in the middle of a three year plan. As of now we are not a serious contender for the Cup this season. Our team is status quo from last year minus a few players. I know Marty is in his last years but I think the choice to be in this position is beyond Lou's current control. Hopefully Larsson becomes a star and fast.

I don't know how anyone can say this team isn't a serious contender with parise. the fact that this team doesn't have a "name" puck moving/PP defenseman is what everyone points to - it's crazy. this team will almost assuredly be in top five in GAA (i mean that they'll allow the fewest goals) and should be middle of the pack in offense. that's enough to get into the playoffs and after that - there's a ton of luck.

If any devils fan is not happy by this move than I really am forced to question your understanding of the NHL salary Cap era.

A week ago the majority here thought BR was umoveable.

Now here are the benefits of this move:

1.) Roster space for younger players

2.) A $3M savings

3.) The option of burying Hunter for a $5M savings THIS year - a move to AHL - either way FLEXIBILITY.

4.) The potential that Hunter lives up to his contract and provides any minimal RW support and grittiness.

5.) A change in attitude that the Ol' Devils Vet Club (Arnott, Langs, Rolston, etc.) days are indeed done. With the exception of those who have a shot at rafter-hanging aka (Elias, Brodeur)

This $$ can be spent elsewhere.

All of these things can equate to:

1.) ZP retention

2.) Potential additions (however unlikely)

3.) Youth and energy

Even those folk who enjoy taking shots at LL can at least admit he cleaned up his mess.

Lastly, if you thought we were a lock for a "contendor" this year, and the loss of Rolston makes you question that - I can't help you. At the very least this allows us to keep Parise and IF we get close to looking dangerous add at the deadline.

this was a really good post that pretty much sums it all up.

[newjerseydamo]

Oh hells yes!!!

We shipped off Brian Rolston and his $5mil cap hit

Besides the cap space, he is an aging player who suffers from an inaccurate wicked slap shot, and is starting to get injury prone.

Apart from giving us much needed cap space to sign Parise without issue (as Salvador is still a ?? to start or stay on LTIR), and we are in a much better spot of starting with a full roster, compared to last year's epic forehead slap.

I think people were assuming Salvador is/was gone and his cap space was useable. This way, we don't have to rely on that to sign Parise.

As a whole, we are overall in better shape starting this season, then last season, and IMO is better than anything else.

The lack of players on the roster at the beginning of last season was a major point, and killed us (in addition to a bad head coach).

I'm a lot more optimistic with a more well-rounded roster for at least getting to the playoffs this season, and then from there, who knows.

[Marshall]

Was on the golfcourse when this broke. Checked twitter while waiting on a hole...screamed out loud in sheer joy and proceeded to birdie my final two holes.

What a frigging great day.

[Mayday]

Since Trent Hunter's contract is not a 35+ could we just send him to the minors and his cap wouldn't count against us?

[Devils731]

Since Trent Hunter's contract is not a 35+ could we just send him to the minors and his cap wouldn't count against us?

Yes, although I think he'll be given a very good chance to make the team.

[thefiestygoat]

I am thrilled with this deal. Makes sense for both teams too. As happy as I am to get rid of Rolston's cap hit and presumably use the savings towards Parise signing long term, I like the fact it was a straight swap so they didn't lose a pick and I think Hunter can be a decent 3rd/4th line player when healthy. Great job Lou! I can't wait for a new Parise contract now!

[insanity_gallops]

Since Trent Hunter's contract is not a 35+ could we just send him to the minors and his cap wouldn't count against us?

Yep.

I liked Hunter before he started dealing with nagging injuries. A few seasons ago he put up 230+ hits. I know that's a subjective stat, but last year Clarkson had what, 170? Hunter used to be really aggressive and physical...that's toned down now. Part of it is age, part of it is that he's probably better at the mental side of the game now than before. He's averaging around 2 hits per game now, which would put him in the ballpark of Clarkson, Rupp's last year with the Devils, Holik's last go-'round, etc.

[Triumph]

Yep.

I liked Hunter before he started dealing with nagging injuries. A few seasons ago he put up 230+ hits. I know that's a subjective stat, but last year Clarkson had what, 170? Hunter used to be really aggressive and physical...that's toned down now. Part of it is age, part of it is that he's probably better at the mental side of the game now than before. He's averaging around 2 hits per game now, which would put him in the ballpark of Clarkson, Rupp's last year with the Devils, Holik's last go-'round, etc.

note that the counting of hits can vary widely from arena to arena (like with everything else, NJ undercounts hits i am pretty sure).

hunter was a solid player before injuries, i don't exactly see his spot on this team, kinda hoping he gets bought out. although it does look like he was kind of a territorial champ for the islanders.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Triumph

[SterioDesign]

With that extra money we may be able to get a good player at the trade deadline (for the sake of the argument lets say sutter) we would get him for real cheap and would have his rights until july first.

[njdevsftw]

Happy to see Rolston go, although only because of his salary. If he had a 2,5M salary I'd happily see him stay.

Let's hope Parise is willing to sign long term so we can get a moderate cap hit. Something like Kovys or the recent Richards deal in NY.

[xxchaznjxx]

claiming that we lose offense with this trade is laughable. i expect more just from kovy and tedenby alone. and then you add a full season(fingers crossed) with parise. the offense will be there.

i think this team will be dangerous this season. i believe a lot of our early season problems last season were due to mclean, as evidenced by the turnaround once lemaire came on board. and i read that deboer plays a similar style to sutter, which i think will benefit our forwards. i believe parise had his best season productivly under sutter.

sure, if we start out slow there will be people jumping off bridges, but so far i like the team we will be icing. i don't know what kind of monumental changes we could have made to make us a "stanley cup contender".

[DevilNurn]

I was so excited at work today, looked on the front page of TSN and saw the news and my boss probably raised his eyebrows as he was looking by...so glad! As far as I'm concerned, if we had had to buy out Rolston, it would've been 500k more cap hit than this is, and we get a return of a player about at Rolston's level. I've been waiting for this trade for a while.

After reading this thread for a bit I'm in agreement with people that think we're in year 3 of a "retooling" phase. I think we don't really have such a shot at a cup, but we definitely will make the playoffs, and I think we could make it through a round or so. Hopefully the team can develop chemistry under a new coach, a new captain (Zach ) and with the loss of a few older players (Lags, Arnott, Rolston). If we develop Tedenby, Josefson, Taormina, Fayne, Larsson, etc, who all seem to be NHL-ready players at this point, not just guys with "potential" (like Merrill and co.), we can replace the old guard and after Moose is done after this season, we'll be in good shape for the future. I'm very glad we have Greene wrapped up, along with Volchenkov and Tallinder, and I'm looking forward to the team in the future.

Very funny comment on TSN by a Canucks fan, thought this would be a great trade for both teams:

NJ gets: Schneider, Ballard, high pick (1st or 2nd)

VAN gets: Parise, low pick

Thought it was hilarious. Either Parise is extremely undervalued in the league or the Canucks are high on their backups. Just imagine subbing Ovechkin/Crosby/Stamkos into that deal...not even close.

[Devils731]

claiming that we lose offense with this trade is laughable. i expect more just from kovy and tedenby alone. and then you add a full season(fingers crossed) with parise. the offense will be there.

Kovy and Tedenby weren't in the trade. I think the Devils did lose offense in the deal, it didn't make it a bad trade though.

hunter was a solid player before injuries, i don't exactly see his spot on this team, kinda hoping he gets bought out. although it does look like he was kind of a territorial champ for the islanders.

I'm not sure anyone, Isles or Devils, knows what to expect from Hunter. Coming off the MCL, if he copes with it well and his rehab made his knees feel even better than he could be a helpful lower line guy. If his knees are done and he skates even worse than before then he can't be in the NHL. I think it's worth the gamble for the Devils to find out in camp rather than buy him out this season.

[Amberite]

I'm not sure anyone, Isles or Devils, knows what to expect from Hunter. Coming off the MCL, if he copes with it well and his rehab made his knees feel even better than he could be a helpful lower line guy. If his knees are done and he skates even worse than before then he can't be in the NHL. I think it's worth the gamble for the Devils to find out in camp rather than buy him out this season.

Exactly. If he's healthy and hasn't lost much, the guy is a very competent player who can play the PK and put up a good 30-40+ points, which is nothing to laugh at. I would love to have that as part of our 3rd line.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Amberite

[Triumph]

that's 'if healthy', again. if clarkson is healthy we could expect that on the 3rd line, also.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

209 GP, 49 G, 54 A, 103 PTS, -2. The guy clearly never performed up to what we were all hoping for...some of it was bad luck, but I put a lot of his lack of performance on HIM. I'm glad he's gonzo.

As for the return, we all know Rolston wasn't going to fetch much in a return...it was all about getting him out of here and his money off the books, getting some flexibility, etc...so Hunter is a "whatever" for me. Like others have noted, training camp will go a long way towards establishing what future Hunter might have here, if he has one at all...sounds like Lou doesn't have any expectations one way or another.

Edited July 28, 2011 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[SS-SS]

FREEEE AT LAAAAAAST !!!!!!!!!!

[insanity_gallops]

Very funny comment on TSN by a Canucks fan, thought this would be a great trade for both teams:

NJ gets: Schneider, Ballard, high pick (1st or 2nd)

VAN gets: Parise, low pick

Thought it was hilarious. Either Parise is extremely undervalued in the league or the Canucks are high on their backups. Just imagine subbing Ovechkin/Crosby/Stamkos into that deal...not even close.

TSN comments are worse than any trolling on NJDevs, by a longshot. Every hockey story becomes related to a Canadian hockey team, somehow.

[ghdi]

Outside of the money, I saw no problem with Rolston for one last year, I dunno if Trent Hunter is a viable piece of anything other than sh!t (hes a pylon) but I do like we have a little cap room. I will have no criticism if its part of the larger plan and allows us to lock Zach up long term.

[xxchaznjxx]

Kovy and Tedenby weren't in the trade. I think the Devils did lose offense in the deal, it didn't make it a bad trade though.

while the wording i used was poor, the point was the offense we lose with rolston will be made up by the other players on the team. winky's offense won't be missed. neither will his cap hit.

[mmajeski06]

http://www.inlouwetrust.com/2011/7/28/2301491/the-newest-new-jersey-devil-trent-hunter

ILWT blog post on Hunter

[Joe B]

Yea, we were great with Parise last year (iajmf). Listen we definitely lack depth and a star d-man as of right now, you can admit that or divert and continue to talk about how good our top forward line is. Again, I see us making the playoffs as a 6-8 seed. Cup contenders I don't see us as unless was add someone else.

And the cap space (depending on what Zach signs for) will be useful in a deadline deal when more questions will be answered(injuries, larsson, etc). I liked rolston, but he is replaceable. Which young player steps up is a valid question/concern though.

If Hunter out performs rolston this year, then i actually feel sorry for the islanders. this deal had almost nothing to do with Trent Hunter and everything to do with Rolston. When you say "outside of a salary dump" it essentially makes the argument pointless. I could say, "besides what happens on the ice", this deal doesn't favor the isles.

How was the play Mrs. Lincoln?

As for Hunter, maybe getting off the Island will do him good. If he becomes a sligthly above average 4th line/ pk / hit anything that moves(and you can catch up to) guy I'd be happy. Anything else is pure gravy. I also feel this is a make or break year for Clarkson.

Joe