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Alternate History -- Lou doesn't trade for Schneider


Daniel

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I don't think anyone has posed the question before, but would the team have been better off in the longer term had Lou not made the deal?  This is a reasonable alternative history, while minimizing the butterfly effect. 

 

June 2013, Devils keep the pick and draft either Bo Horvat or Max Domi.  From what I've heard generally, the pick would not have been Nischushkin, and Domi's name has come up the most in who the Devils would have selected. 

 

The Devils are terrible in 2013-2014 with Marty and Hedberg as the goalie duo, but it makes no difference draft-wise. 

 

2014-15, Devils sign an average to decent starting goalie of the Halak type, and do a whole lot worse in the standings than they did.  For purposes of the exercise, I won't say the Devils are bad enough/lucky enough to land Eichel or McDavid, which I think makes the answer a no-brainer yes, but instead end up in a slot where either Marner or Hanifin is available.  So you either end up with Marner or, for fun, I'll say Hanifin gets traded to Columbus for Rychel and eighth overall, who turns into one of Rantanen, Crouse or Barzal.  I'll buy into the media reports that Zacha was the player the Flyers wanted, and would not be available at eight. 

 

Note, I don't want to complicate things too much by saying that as early as 2013-2014 Lou sees the writing on the wall and trades players like Elias and Jagr, and we manage an extra low first round pick either this year or the year before. 

 

A tough call, but I'll still lean towards pulling the trigger on the deal. 

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I have to take issue with a few things in this alternate timeline -

 

A:  The Devils were not going into the 2013-14 season with Brodeur and Hedberg as their goalies.  They were going to upgrade their goaltending for sure, it's just a question of what it would've been.  A trade was the best way because that person would just have to deal with the fact that he was sharing the net with an egomaniac who wanted to start every game.

 

B:  This is wildly underestimating how excruciating the 2013-14 season would be.  Can you imagine?  Horrendous and no pick.  Would be an endless season, probably culminating in Lou's firing or being kicked upstairs.  The season was bad enough and the Devils were in the playoff race for most of the year.

 

C:  It's really impossible to imagine how things go if the Devils don't get that goalie.  Does Jagr come here?  Does Zidlicky re-sign?  Very difficult things to answer.  

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I have to take issue with a few things in this alternate timeline -

 

A:  The Devils were not going into the 2013-14 season with Brodeur and Hedberg as their goalies.  They were going to upgrade their goaltending for sure, it's just a question of what it would've been.  A trade was the best way because that person would just have to deal with the fact that he was sharing the net with an egomaniac who wanted to start every game.

 

B:  This is wildly underestimating how excruciating the 2013-14 season would be.  Can you imagine?  Horrendous and no pick.  Would be an endless season, probably culminating in Lou's firing or being kicked upstairs.  The season was bad enough and the Devils were in the playoff race for most of the year.

 

C:  It's really impossible to imagine how things go if the Devils don't get that goalie.  Does Jagr come here?  Does Zidlicky re-sign?  Very difficult things to answer.  

 

A.  I think it's pretty a good bet that they go into 2013-14 with Brodeur and Hedberg.  Maybe Hedberg gets the boot eventually, but the fact that Lou still called Marty the number 1 goalie after they got Schneider, and that Marty played 35 games, leads me to believe he gets at least 55 starts if no Schneider.

 

B.  It's more to say it wouldn't be that bad so you don't have to account for McDavid or Eichel, which in my mind makes it a no brainer yes.

 

C.  Don't think it's impossible at all to imagine both Jagr and Zidlicky here in 2013-14 without Schneider.  Zidlicky wanted to be in the area, and I don't recall other teams beating down Jagr's door at that time. 

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The good news is the Schneider deal is the only thing keeping us out of the basement. The bad news is the Schneider deal is the only thing keeping us out of the basement.

 

Exactly, Lou was lost he had no idea of what to do so he did the best thing he knew get a good goalie then supplement him with aged fowards. Lets be thankkful that Lou has gone imto semi retirement before he destroyed this team completely. He is President withn no phone, no internet connection and no windows for hands signals and his office door automatically locks for 8 hours.

Edited by BostonNala370
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A.  I think it's pretty a good bet that they go into 2013-14 with Brodeur and Hedberg.  Maybe Hedberg gets the boot eventually, but the fact that Lou still called Marty the number 1 goalie after they got Schneider, and that Marty played 35 games, leads me to believe he gets at least 55 starts if no Schneider.

 

B.  It's more to say it wouldn't be that bad so you don't have to account for McDavid or Eichel, which in my mind makes it a no brainer yes.

 

C.  Don't think it's impossible at all to imagine both Jagr and Zidlicky here in 2013-14 without Schneider.  Zidlicky wanted to be in the area, and I don't recall other teams beating down Jagr's door at that time. 

 

Again - if Lou went into that season with the same tandem of 40 year old goalies who screwed him the year before, without a 1st round draft pick in that year, he is asking to be fired.  That's why he didn't do that, and instead gave up what was probably his most valuable asset at the time in order to get a really good one.

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A.  I think it's pretty a good bet that they go into 2013-14 with Brodeur and Hedberg.  Maybe Hedberg gets the boot eventually, but the fact that Lou still called Marty the number 1 goalie after they got Schneider, and that Marty played 35 games, leads me to believe he gets at least 55 starts if no Schneider.

 

B.  It's more to say it wouldn't be that bad so you don't have to account for McDavid or Eichel, which in my mind makes it a no brainer yes.

 

C.  Don't think it's impossible at all to imagine both Jagr and Zidlicky here in 2013-14 without Schneider.  Zidlicky wanted to be in the area, and I don't recall other teams beating down Jagr's door at that time. 

 

Or he didn't want to publicly embarrass the greatest player in franchise history and hand over the reigns to a goalie who never started more than 50 games.

Exactly, Lou was lost he had no idea of what to do so he did the best thing he knew get a good goalie then supplement him with aged fowards. Lets be thankkful that Lou has gone imto semi retirement before he destroyed this team completely. He is President withn no phone, no internet connection and no windows for hands signals and his office door automatically locks for 8 hours.

 

You are what Elias Canetti described as the rhythmic and throbbing crowd 

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Or he didn't want to publicly embarrass the greatest player in franchise history and hand over the reigns to a goalie who never started more than 50 games.

You are what Elias Canetti described as the rhythmic and throbbing crowd

Like Brodeur didn't embarrass himself enough in 2013-14 season? Stadium Series game being the pinnacle of it.

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Like Brodeur didn't embarrass himself enough in 2013-14 season? Stadium Series game being the pinnacle of it.

That was painful. I spent the first half of the day pissed that I didn't buy tickets, and the second half feeling happy I didn't pay all that money and freeze my butt off just to watch that bloody abortion.

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That was painful. I spent the first half of the day pissed that I didn't buy tickets, and the second half feeling happy I didn't pay all that money and freeze my butt off just to watch that bloody abortion.

Although it was a trainwreck of a game it was still worth it. I had so much fun that day. It was a great experience!
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I know that a single player isn't generally going to make all that much of a difference, but having Nichushkin coming up in our system along with Zacha, Santini, Quenneville, etc. would get me much more excited about the future. Hard to play the what-if game because you never know whether Nichushkin would have been the choice, and this of course would change the drafting in the future, too.

 

I think trading for Schneider was the right move though, especially since Kovalchuk was still on the team at the time. 

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I know that a single player isn't generally going to make all that much of a difference, but having Nichushkin coming up in our system along with Zacha, Santini, Quenneville, etc. would get me much more excited about the future. Hard to play the what-if game because you never know whether Nichushkin would have been the choice, and this of course would change the drafting in the future, too.

 

I think trading for Schneider was the right move though, especially since Kovalchuk was still on the team at the time. 

Devils wouldnt have Zacha, it'd be more likely be Strome, Marner, McDavid or Eichel. No way in hell would the Devils finish 6th to last with even an average goalie

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Although it was a trainwreck of a game it was still worth it. I had so much fun that day. It was a great experience!

I kid, mostly. I still wish I'd gone. Most of my friends don't like hockey, and my 6 year old would have not like that cold for that long.

Still, should've gone.

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Although it was a trainwreck of a game it was still worth it. I had so much fun that day. It was a great experience!

 

Yup, it was one of the funnest games I've been to. Granted, I was in the bleachers, which was mostly overrun by Devils fans so that has something to do with it, but everyone around me had a BLAST. I can't even imagine what state I would've been in if we WON. 

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I wasn't as involved with off ice stuff a few years ago as I am now, and I think I was working during the draft in 2013 (although I did try to get tickets for it); who were the Devils expected to take with that pick? Looking back, if they'd kept the pick, I'd go with Horvat. I think he's on the verge of a breakout season.

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I remember Max Domi and Curtis Lazar being on a lot of people's radar. And even though he tumbled to 24, I remember Hunter Shinkaruk's name being bounced around a lot. But honestly, I'm not sure there was ever a consensus, "this is the guy they'll likely pick" type of name going around.

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Obviously, if we alter the timeline, Lou ends up marrying Schneider's mom, owning a casino, and Cory has to figure out how to switch things back to normal while riding a hover board.

Obviously.

Edited by mfitz804
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