The NJ Offseason Thread

[Derlique]

I guess this thread should be used for offseason chatter, rumors and news. However, let's please start new threads for trades and signings for NJ players.

 

[moustic]

This Thread will follow me all summer long... 
It will be my closest friend of despair.

Have a good time fellow Devs Fans ! 

[Devilsfan118]

My hopes:

1. Draft a forward (preferably a center).  Unless there's a stupidly talented obvious BPA defenseman available, I think you've gotta draft a forward to help address our anemic offense. 
2. Use the expansion draft to our advantage.  Either help some teams out by taking on a bad contract and hoarding some draft picks, or acquire a guy a team is looking to unload.
3. Throw stupid money at Shattenkirk.  I know there are guys here that will say he'll be overpaid/not worth the money.  But fans, and some current players (*cough* Hall *cough*) need to see that we're taking serious strides to improve now.  Hell I'd even throw a competitive offer Oshie's way if we can find a way to rid ourselves of Cammy.

I know the facebook Devils fans group may disagree with me, but I've been very impressed by Shero so far and have no doubt he's going to do what needs to be done this summer to put us on the right path.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Devilsfan118

[DevsMan84]

20 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

My hopes:

1. Draft a forward (preferably a center).  Unless there's a stupidly talented obvious BPA defenseman available, I think you've gotta draft a forward to help address our anemic offense. 
2. Use the expansion draft to our advantage.  Either help some teams out by taking on a bad contract and hoarding some draft picks, or acquire a guy a team is looking to unload.
3. Throw stupid money at Shattenkirk.  I know there are guys here that will say he'll be overpaid/not worth the money.  But fans, and some current players (*cough* Hall *cough*) need to see that we're taking serious strides to improve now.  Hell I'd even throw a competitive offer Oshie's way if we can find a way to rid ourselves of Cammy.

I know the facebook Devils fans group may disagree with me, but I've been very impressed by Shero so far and have no doubt he's going to do what needs to be done this summer to put us on the right path.

The cretins in the FB groups have been in full "We should have kept Lou and fvck Shero" mode since the game ended last night.  Some are actually crediting Lou with being the biggest reason why Toronto made it to the playoffs this year.  Best part is that they also say Shero wasn't that good as with Crosby landing in his lap his job was a lot easier, yet they make no mention about not even Stevie Wonder could have missed drafting Matthews.

 

Anyways I would have to think Shero throws everything at Shattenkirk.  Only way Shattenkirk wouldn't sign here is because he just doesn't want to play here.  Hopefully that will quiet some of the "these new owners are cheap" idiots for a bit, but I know that is wishful thinking.

[Derlique]

43 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

My hopes:

1. Draft a forward (preferably a center).  Unless there's a stupidly talented obvious BPA defenseman available, I think you've gotta draft a forward to help address our anemic offense. 
2. Use the expansion draft to our advantage.  Either help some teams out by taking on a bad contract and hoarding some draft picks, or acquire a guy a team is looking to unload.
3. Throw stupid money at Shattenkirk.  I know there are guys here that will say he'll be overpaid/not worth the money.  But fans, and some current players (*cough* Hall *cough*) need to see that we're taking serious strides to improve now.  Hell I'd even throw a competitive offer Oshie's way if we can find a way to rid ourselves of Cammy.

I know the facebook Devils fans group may disagree with me, but I've been very impressed by Shero so far and have no doubt he's going to do what needs to be done this summer to put us on the right path.

1) They should just take BPA regardless. I know NJ's forwards are pretty bad as a whole, but I think a lot of our offensive issues stem from the fact that outside Severson and sometimes Moore (who sucks in his own right), no-one from the back end can move the puck. I'll be happy with Vilardi, Glass, Liljegren, Mittlestadt, Petterson or Makar at 5-7. 

2) This is where we should try to nab a top 4 dman from Minnesota, Anaheim or Nashville. I'm looking at Ellis, Ekholm, Manson or Brodin/Scandella/Dumba. Maybe TB is down on Namestnikov who could be a good 3C for us.

3) I'm really hoping the Caps win the cup, mainly because I think Ovechkin deserves one, but also because Shattenkirk wont feel the need to chase one. 

Edited April 10, 2017 by SMantzas

[sundstrom]

 

 Ray has an incredible opportunity this offseason to make a quantum leap forward. He's got more assets than he'll ever have. He has an expansion draft where teams are absolutely going to be squeezed. He's got more cap room than anyone and an offseason that's going to see the cap stay relatively flat.
 

 There's the fear that you go "Buffalo shortcuts." That didn't work out for them this year but you can "shortcut" the right way and dramatically improve.  I don't believe in the need to be a "cup contender." If you get into the playoffs, you have a chance. And if the Devils get into the playoffs, a big part of it will by Cory. And a great Cory is the great equalizer.
 

 The Devils attendance has dropped every year for the last 4 or 5 years and it's going to drop again next year. They are down on season ticket renewals. They cannot afford a consistent down turn. They've missed the playoffs in the past. They were never laughingstock bad. They were this year.
 

 So what can Ray do this offseason?
 

 Ray should make it clear that his offseason mission is to make this team a playoff team next year. Whether he truly believes it or not isn't important - he needs to say it and he needs to make moves like it.
 

 I think Hynes stays but his staff does not. The Devils were bottom 3rd in the league in PP and PK. Their defense was consistently out of position and set offenses never really materialized. This shows there's accountability for the outcome of this season. I also think one of the guys that has to come in has to be more of a veteran presence. Hynes and his crew were all AHL guys. There's gotta be some experience back there with him - hopefully with some pedigree that puts confidence into the boys.
 

 We'll see where we end up in the draft, but Ray needs to make hay with this first pick.
 

 As for the expansion draft, Ray needs to have one of Cammy or Lovejoy (somehow both would be the best) head to Vegas. And he needs to come out of the expansion draft with a defenseman (Anaheim, Nashville, Minnesota). He has too many assets, cap room, expansion eligible players, etc to not be successful here.
 

 He needs another forward in trade. Think Tiffoli, Huala, Palat or the like. Someone that a cap strap team is going to have to get rid of.
 

 He needs to outbid the market for Shattenkirk. Is this gonna look ugly at the end? Yup. Is this going to look like an overpay when he signs it? Yup. But it still has to happen. If it means you trade a 4th to Washington to get his rights because he wants the 8th year so it's 8/64 - then that's what you do. The only reason that Kevin Shattenkirk isn't a NJ Devil next year is because he didn't want to be - not because they didn't make every attempt to land him. Shattenkirk is a no doubt about it 1st pair D, PP D and offense creator. This is not asking the Devils to go out and make this year's Kyle Okposo UFA signing (hello TJ Oshie). Shattenkirk can be a D foundation guy for 4 years.

Everyone else on this team wants to think that the future isn't so far off in the distance. Are they pros? Of course. But come on. Hall has known nothing but losing. And his teams haven't really tried all that hard to win. He needs to be in a winning environment soon. He was so beaten mentally this year. And so was Cory. Now from Cory's perspective, he had the worst year of his career and he was most certainly to blame for a lot of it. Missing the playoffs a lot of years is one thing. Being hopeless is quite another. That's Buffalo and Carolina purgatory. You can't have that. So you have to make moves to get better sooner rather than later.
 

 So to recap - what do the Devils need right now to be a playoff team next year?
 

 They need two top 6 forwards. Trade for one and hope that one of Zacha, McLeod, Speers, Wood becomes the other. Or if you get lucky and get one of the top 2 picks, perhaps one of those guys is a top 6 next year. You can put them with Hall, Palmieri, Zajac, and Henrique.
 

 They need a complete top pair of defensemen. Shattenkirk is one. The D you acquire around the expansion draft is the other. And of course, you'll need some addition by subtraction - namely Ben Lovejoy. There have been articles written and plenty of keyboard ink spilled on message boards but LJ was essentially giving the other team an extra player just about every time he was on the ice. I understood the idea of the signing - but it has been disastrous.
 

 The flotsam and jetsam from this year can mix with perhaps a Fiddler type UFA signing for the bottom 6 forwards and the Devils could get by. 

 

 Then of course, you'll need Cory to be last year's Cory. But having better players and a better coaching staff should help that department.
 

 In closing - this year was awful to go through. I am a STH and I went to about 30 of the games this year so I saw it first hand a lot. But I'm willing to do it to get back to where I want the team to be. And we don't have to go through a Sixers level process to get there. Ray has already taken the first two steps. Palmieri was step 1. Hall was step 2. We need steps 3-8 to happen this offseason.

[Weekes Head]

Great post sundstrom. On the money 100%. I agree that Hynes' staff needs to go. I'm fine with him staying. He can have one more shot. I don't think he is an awful coach. He more or less had an AHL team this year. But the special teams are a mess and desperately need to be addressed. These guys all need to go, just clean house 100%. I'm iffy on Terreri though. He's one of my childhood heroes and I love me some T-Bone but you gotta wonder if there's a better direction this team could go when it comes to their goaltending. Ehh. I'm not so worried about that right now. Fix the rest of the team first. And throw the checkbook at Shattenkirk and Oshie. That's a start. 

[coldply123]

Agree almost entirely with Sundstrom on the facet of it all and the chore for Shero.

Top pairing of defense has to be figured out.  Lovejoy is a 3rd pair who played top pairing minutes and situations.  Greene is on the decline, needs to be sheltered more and should no longer see any serious PP time.  Shattenkirk and a LD would do wonders for this team.

In terms of F, they ideally need two replacement forwards for the Top 9.  I think they can fill the 4th line with Noesen, Wood, and maybe a Speers or a veteran C.  But they need another winger who can skate and shoot.

 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Like Sundstrom's post, makes a lot of sense.

As far as Shattenkirk goes...sometimes you need to make that splashy "We're back" move, even if you still need to make several other moves beyond that...just to kind of let everyone know (including your players) that you are indeed back in.  And Shattenkirk wouldn't be one of those Sather-esque shoe-horn "well we'll worry about how exactly to fit him in later" kind of moves...this guy should help. 

Edited April 10, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Triumph]

I'll address some of these things later but the Devils cannot sign Kevin Shattenkirk to an 8 year deal - he was not on the Devils as of the trade deadline.

[sundstrom]

17 minutes ago, Triumph said:

I'll address some of these things later but the Devils cannot sign Kevin Shattenkirk to an 8 year deal - he was not on the Devils as of the trade deadline.

i didn't know that rule - i thought you could get his rights and then give him the 8. Well, he's not signing with Washington so he's getting 7 from anyone. 7/60 - fine.

[Antiquated Colorado Rockie]

3 hours ago, DevsMan84 said:

The cretins in the FB groups have been in full "We should have kept Lou and fvck Shero" mode since the game ended last night.  Some are actually crediting Lou with being the biggest reason why Toronto made it to the playoffs this year.  Best part is that they also say Shero wasn't that good as with Crosby landing in his lap his job was a lot easier, yet they make no mention about not even Stevie Wonder could have missed drafting Matthews.

 

Anyways I would have to think Shero throws everything at Shattenkirk.  Only way Shattenkirk wouldn't sign here is because he just doesn't want to play here.  Hopefully that will quiet some of the "these new owners are cheap" idiots for a bit, but I know that is wishful thinking.

lol, I am a card carrying member. Actually I don't know they are cheap but as we hover at the bottom of the league in payroll they are cheap until proven otherwise I say. Hoping for a big offer for Shattenkirk.

I don't go on FB but if they are bitching about wanting Lou back then I agree that is misguided. Ray was left with the oldest and one of the least talented rosters with few prospects. We were fvcked at that point and Shero has actually done a good job so far.

[DevsMan84]

2 minutes ago, Antiquated Colorado Rockie said:

lol, I am a card carrying member. Actually I don't know they are cheap but as we hover at the bottom of the league in payroll they are cheap until proven otherwise I say. Hoping for a big offer for Shattenkirk.

I don't go on FB but if they are bitching about wanting Lou back then I agree that is misguided. Ray was left with the oldest and one of the least talented rosters with few prospects. We were fvcked at that point and Shero has actually done a good job so far.

You are using the same roundabout dumb as sh!t logic that those morons on FB use.  Yeah they are bottom of the league in payroll because they don't have the complete urge to throw money at the Ryder's and Clowe's of the world.  How terrible.

Funny how Lou ass-kissers used to revel and be proud of the fact that Lou won championships "on the cheap" when that was not entirely accurate as well.  McMullen was 100 times the bigger miser than the current owners are but yet they get sh!t on because they don't want to spend it on foolish UFA contracts and thank you contracts that Lou was giving out like candy in his last 10 years here.  Hell even your second paragraph agrees and contradicts your first one.

[CommonDreads]

Priority number one has to be improving this defense. In an ideal world: throw the kitchen sink at Shattenkirk and snipe Hjalmarsson off of Chicago, do those two things and the defense looks like so:

Hjalmarsson - Shattenkirk
Greene - Severson
Mystery Meat - Santini

That Top 5 is obviously lightyears ahead of the current defensive core. I really do think just fixing the defense is the key to fixing this team. Get some guys that can get the puck out of our zone and into the hands of Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri and we have a fighting chance.

Edited April 10, 2017 by CommonDreads

[Antiquated Colorado Rockie]

18 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

You are using the same roundabout dumb as sh!t logic that those morons on FB use.  Yeah they are bottom of the league in payroll because they don't have the complete urge to throw money at the Ryder's and Clowe's of the world.  How terrible.

Funny how Lou ass-kissers used to revel and be proud of the fact that Lou won championships "on the cheap" when that was not entirely accurate as well.  McMullen was 100 times the bigger miser than the current owners are but yet they get sh!t on because they don't want to spend it on foolish UFA contracts and thank you contracts that Lou was giving out like candy in his last 10 years here.  Hell even your second paragraph agrees and contradicts your first one.

Actually I was being factual. How terrible. We are bottom of the league in spending and they are cheap until proven otherwise. And no I did not contradict myself, you must be reading alot of things into my post to come to that conclusion (like when you infer that I am yearning for terrible contracts be given to free agents like Ryder and Clowe).

[MadDog2020]

Actually I was being factual. How terrible. We are bottom of the league in spending and they are cheap until proven otherwise. And no I did not contradict myself, you must be reading alot of things into my post to come to that conclusion (like when you infer that I am yearning for terrible contracts be given to free agents like Ryder and Clowe).

There's a difference between being cheap and being smart, and it's high time people realize this. What players should the Devils have spent big money on the last couple of offseasons? Right, there weren't any. Now- if they don't go out and try and spend on Shattenkirk, then you might have a point... But until and unless that happens, it's complaining for complaining's sake.

 

 

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[DevsMan84]

2 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

There's a difference between being cheap and being smart, and it's high time people realize this. What players should the Devils have spent big money on the last couple of offseasons? Right, there weren't any. Now- if they don't go out and try and spend on Shattenkirk, then you might have a point... But until and unless that happens, it's complaining for complaining's sake.

 

 

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Bingo.  Exactly this.  It's amazing how this thought of the new owners being cheap is still kicking around in here when evidence to the contrary has been given.  The commonly used "well duh look at the Sixers dddduuuuhhhhh!!!!!" crap is laughable as a comparison as well but often pulled out by these idiots.

Exactly correct on saying it is complaining for complaining's sake.  I remember when I was seeing other Devils fans bitching and moaning that we didn't sign Belesky a couple years back!  Good grief.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

15 minutes ago, Antiquated Colorado Rockie said:

Actually I was being factual. How terrible. We are bottom of the league in spending and they are cheap until proven otherwise. And no I did not contradict myself, you must be reading alot of things into my post to come to that conclusion (like when you infer that I am yearning for terrible contracts be given to free agents like Ryder and Clowe).

In fairness, I do think these owners will spend...they gave Lou a fair amount of freedom to spend (Cammalleri, etc).  Schneider was re-upped for the long term, at pretty hefty coin.  Palms' contract wasn't a bank-breaker, but was still pretty nice for someone who wasn't really proven.  And don't overlook that they've spent for off-the-ice improvements too...not to mention that Brodeur's jersey retirement ceremony was hardly done on the cheap.  That was a first-class event from beginning to end. 

If there was a guy that Shero had really wanted to get that he thought made sense the past couple of seasons, but would be expensive, I don't think ownership would've stopped him.  MD2020 just said it perfectly...waiting to spend doesn't equate to frugality by default, or unwillingness to spend.  Some contracts have also been coming off the books (like Elias'), which explains why the payroll has been lower.  The Devils have an absolute TON of flexibility this offseason, and I think Shero will have a lot of freedom to do what he wants.

Edited April 10, 2017 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[mfitz804]

Looking at all of this, if we get rid of Lovejoy and Cammalleri, and add Shattenkirk, Oshie, and Hjalmarsson, plus McLeod goes pro and we get the number one pick in the draft, we should be in much better position next season. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, mfitz804 said:

Looking at all of this, if we get rid of Lovejoy and Cammalleri, and add Shattenkirk, Oshie, and Hjalmarsson, plus McLeod goes pro and we get the number one pick in the draft, we should be in much better position next season. 

The funny thing is that the forwards aren't really that bad...but too many of them are being asked to play a slot above what is ideal for them.  You don't ask a C+ math student to ace an advanced calculus test.  Put some of these guys in positions where they're not being asked to do too much, and many of them will be just fine.  That D though...

[Aitchmack]

I agree with pretty much everything on this thread so far, which is a first. My wish list for this off season:

1. Shattenkirk is a must imo. If he doesn't want to play in NJ then Shero needs to let it be known that's why he's not wearing Red & Black. 

2. There absolutely has to be a creative D man in the team come next season. Moore, as much as I love seeing a D man rack up the goals, is not the answer. Greene on PP is also not the answer.

3. Use the expansion draft. It's a golden opportunity to poach a decent player.

4. Add some fire power. Before Hall loses the will to live.

5. Win the draft lottery. Yeah, I know but stranger things have happened.

[Jerzey]

Anyone have any thoughts on Hynes? Give him till Thanksgiving or Christmas, another whole year, fire him...?

I guess we should give him a little more time but at this point I'm not really confident he has what it takes. 

[Antiquated Colorado Rockie]

36 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

There's a difference between being cheap and being smart, and it's high time people realize this. What players should the Devils have spent big money on the last couple of offseasons? Right, there weren't any. Now- if they don't go out and try and spend on Shattenkirk, then you might have a point... But until and unless that happens, it's complaining for complaining's sake.

 

 

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Not retaining Schlemko and Stempniak when they fit the system and justifiably wanted raises. That was concerning to me. Maybe they all of a sudden didn't want to be in NJ I guess, not sure.

[MadDog2020]

Anyone have any thoughts on Hynes? Give him till Thanksgiving or Christmas, another whole year, fire him...?
I guess we should give him a little more time but at this point I'm not really confident he has what it takes. 

I want him canned, but it isn't gonna happen... Hynes spoke at his PC last night like a guy who knows he's coming back.


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[MadDog2020]

Not retaining Schlemko and Stempniak when they fit the system and justifiably wanted raises. That was concerning to me. Maybe they all of a sudden didn't want to be in NJ I guess, not sure.

Not giving David Schlemko and Lee Stempniak multi-year contracts doesn't constitute cheapness, it constitutes prudence and smart roster and salary cap management.

 

 

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