2018-19 Around the League Thread

[DevsMan84]

3 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Rutherford threatened changes last week if they continued to struggle.... I think this is one of those ‘change of scenery’ deals where both guys could benefit from a new situation. 

Maybe.  Seems like a bit of one of those panic moves that you hope goes your way.  I would have figured Hagelin would bring a better haul but I guess his contract being up at the end of the year probably lowered his value here.

1 minute ago, NJDfan1711 said:

Pearson is quite a few years younger than Hagelin.  That's my main guess.

Yup and signed for 2 more seasons beyond this one.

[NJDevils1214]

I only wanted to post the Paul Martin part but oh well.

Edited November 14, 2018 by NJDevils1214

[NJDfan1711]

39 minutes ago, NJDevils1214 said:

I only wanted to post the Paul Martin part but oh well.

Always liked him.  I remember when we drafted him and I thought he was going to be NHL ready in 2000 for our Cup run, especially because we had Gomez as a rookie that year, and I think Madden too.  Always felt like his career was too short, and always wished he stayed with us longer.  

[DevsMan84]

4 minutes ago, NJDfan1711 said:

Always liked him.  I remember when we drafted him and I thought he was going to be NHL ready in 2000 for our Cup run, especially because we had Gomez as a rookie that year, and I think Madden too.  Always felt like his career was too short, and always wished he stayed with us longer.  

We drafted him in the summer of 2000.

[Rob_Ottawa]

He was dead to me the moment he signed offseason with sh!ttsburg.

[NJDfan1711]

9 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

We drafted him in the summer of 2000.

Yeah, for some reason I always thought we had a trio of rookies that year, it must've been that there was just a lot of talk about him right after we won.  

[DevsMan84]

3 minutes ago, NJDfan1711 said:

Yeah, for some reason I always thought we had a trio of rookies that year, it must've been that there was just a lot of talk about him right after we won.  

That 99-2000 saw a bunch of new faces, the chief among them were Gomez, Madden (who played 4 games the previous season with the Devils), Rafalski (undrafted FA) and White (draft pick from 96).

[NJDfan1711]

2 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

That 99-2000 saw a bunch of new faces, the chief among them were Gomez, Madden (who played 4 games the previous season with the Devils), Rafalski (undrafted FA) and White (draft pick from 96).

Ah yeah, White was the other one I was thinking of.

[NJDevils1214]

34 minutes ago, Rob_Ottawa said:

He was dead to me the moment he signed offseason with sh!ttsburg.

What was he supposed to do? He wanted way too much money to stay here. I'm glad NJ didn't overpay him.

[Devilsfan118]

4 hours ago, Jerzey said:

Seriously. Dennis from It’s Always Sunny would make a much better politician. He even already has campaigning experience. Everyone in Philly would get D.E.N.N.I.S.ed.

Agreed, I mean he's clearly got the Kennedy hair and bone structure going for him.

[Rob_Ottawa]

Well, it just really rubbed me the wrong way. We drafted him, developed him and then when he gets his first shot at free agency he heads to one of our arch rivals.  It's been a while, but I remember us having a competitive team at the time and it was a major blow to lose him.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Rob_Ottawa

[Devilsfan118]

2 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Still very early of course, but the Kings are 5-11-1 (3-10-0 in their last 13 GP) and have already canned one coach.  9 of Kovy's 14 points came in a 4-game burst...he really hasn't done much for them offensively outside of that burst.  Also is a -13 in his last 13 GP, for what that's worth. 

The bolded sure sounds familiar.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 minute ago, Rob_Ottawa said:

Well, it just really rubbed me the wrong way. We drafted him, developed him and then when he gets his first shot at free agency he heads to one of our arch rivals.  It's been a while, but I remember us having a competitive team at the time and it was a major blow to lose him.

That was his right.  These players wait a long time to go to UFA...not like draft choices get any say as to who drafts them (though a small percentage either don't sign or force a trade).  The Devils signed both Tallinder and Volchenkov under IDENTICAL circumstances.  You probably weren't bitching about that. 

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

2 hours ago, NJDevils1214 said:

I only wanted to post the Paul Martin part but oh well.

Strangely one of my favourite Devils all time. Got a few signed photos which I had on my wall for years. I always thought he was massively underated (as a lot of Devils tend to be).  I was gutted the day he left but it also felt like a good move for all concerned. 

Great to see so many people talking so highly of him.

[NJDevils1214]

1 hour ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

That was his right.  These players wait a long time to go to UFA...not like draft choices get any say as to who drafts them (though a small percentage either don't sign or force a trade).  The Devils signed both Tallinder and Volchenkov under IDENTICAL circumstances.  You probably weren't bitching about that. 

He also got 5m and a year and term from Pittsburgh in 2010, which was a lot. Shea Webber was making 4.5m at that time and wouldn't be paid a lot more than that on his next deal for much higher quality play. 

[Rob_Ottawa]

18 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

That was his right.  These players wait a long time to go to UFA...not like draft choices get any say as to who drafts them (though a small percentage either don't sign or force a trade).  The Devils signed both Tallinder and Volchenkov under IDENTICAL circumstances.  You probably weren't bitching about that. 

Since when are Ottawa and Buffalo considered rivals of NJ?  I mean, if I was coaching the Devils I would try to develop a built in hatred towards Pitt, NYR, NYI etc. as our natural rivals.  These guys are supposed to hate those teams, but obviously not so much with Martin.  It felt like a Bendict Arnold moment to me.  At least when Gomez and Holik went to the Rags they were washed up.  Martin was in his prime.  Look at Nieds as a great counter example, he didn't stoop to moving to a rival; the ducks are about as from the metro division as you could get.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Rob_Ottawa

[DevsMan84]

6 minutes ago, Rob_Ottawa said:

Since when are Ottawa and Buffalo considered rivals of NJ?  I mean, if I was coaching the Devils I would try to develop a built in hatred towards Pitt, NYR, NYI etc. as our natural rivals.  These guys are supposed to hate those teams, but obviously not so much with Martin.  It felt like a Bendict Arnold moment to me.  At least when Gomez and Holik went to the Rags they were washed up.  Martin was in his prime.  Look at Nieds as a great counter example, he didn't stoop to moving to a rival; the ducks are about as from the metro division as you could get.

Calling Pittsburgh an "arch-rival" is a stretch.  I would say that applies really only to the Rangers and Flyers.

He went to the team that paid him the most.  I would have done the same.  He was also clearly not worth the $5M a year he received when the salary cap was much lower.

Plus these guys are professional hockey players.  Most players do not build a level hatred against another team or player simply because the fans have those feelings.

[NJDevils1214]

7 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Calling Pittsburgh an "arch-rival" is a stretch.  I would say that applies really only to the Rangers and Flyers.

He went to the team that paid him the most.  I would have done the same.  He was also clearly not worth the $5M a year he received when the salary cap was much lower.

Plus these guys are professional hockey players.  Most players do not build a level hatred against another team or player simply because the fans have those feelings.

Yea I really don't understand why some fans think the players really give a sh!t. Some might, but more because of the personalities in the other team's locker room not because of who the other team is. At the end of the day a job is a job and it's business.  

[NJDevils1214]

20 minutes ago, Rob_Ottawa said:

Since when are Ottawa and Buffalo considered rivals of NJ?  I mean, if I was coaching the Devils I would try to develop a built in hatred towards Pitt, NYR, NYI etc. as our natural rivals.  These guys are supposed to hate those teams, but obviously not so much with Martin.  It felt like a Bendict Arnold moment to me.  At least when Gomez and Holik went to the Rags they were washed up.  Martin was in his prime.  Look at Nieds as a great counter example, he didn't stoop to moving to a rival; the ducks are about as from the metro division as you could get.

The Ducks were also where his brother was and that is why he left. Had his brother been on a team in the east he would have gone there and I wouldn't have blamed him AT ALL. 

Edited November 15, 2018 by NJDevils1214

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

6 minutes ago, Rob_Ottawa said:

Since when are Ottawa and Buffalo considered rivals of NJ?  I mean, if I was coaching the Devils I would try to develop a built in hatred towards Pitt, NYR, NYI etc. as our natural rivals.  These guys are supposed to hate those teams, but obviously not so much with Martin.  It felt like a Bendict Arnold moment to me.  At least when Gomez and Holik went to the Rags they were washed up.  Martin was in his prime.  Look at Nieds as a great counter example, he didn't stoop to moving to a rival; the ducks are about as from the metro division as you could get.

Could you get anything else wrong?  For one, Gomez and Holik were hardly washed up when they went to the Rangers...Gomez had two very Gomer-like years, and Holik's numbers were close to his norms...the problem was they were paid superstar money and weren't superstars...there was no way they were going to live up to their respective deals.  And I brought up Tallinder and Volchenkov not because of any "rival" factor, but because both of them left the teams that drafted them for another one they became UFAs...just like Martin and many other players through the years.  The whole "we drafted and developed him" card is a dumb one to play...if the Devils hadn't taken Martin, some other team surely would have.  It's not like he never would've had the chance to play in the NHL if not for the Devils.

And as just about everyone knows, Niedermayer wanted to play with his brother.  It had nothing to do with not wanting to play for rival as to not hurt anyone's feelings.

DM84 said it perfectly...Pittsburgh has never really been this archrival of ours...hell, the Hurricanes have often been more of a rival than the Pens.  But players do go to "archrival" teams.  It does happen.  There is a business aspect to it, and as others have noted, Martin was offered some pretty serious coin to go play for the Penguins.  I don't think for one second he ever thought "Oh geez, I'd better not...Devils fans aren't going to like this."  He went to a good team with talent that could afford to overpay him.  It was a great opportunity for him on all fronts. 

[Rob_Ottawa]

Do you really think Nieds would ever sign with another team in the metro? I seriously doubt that. Same with Marty, Stevens, etc.  Those guys had class and believed in the crest on their chest. And yes Gomez was completely a shell by the time he went to NYR. They even had a Gomez goal watch page since it was a crazy amount of games between his goals.

Edited November 15, 2018 by Rob_Ottawa

[DevsMan84]

5 minutes ago, Rob_Ottawa said:

Do you really think Nieds would ever sign with another team in the metro? I seriously doubt that. Same with Marty, Stevens, etc.  Those guys had class and believed in the crest on their chest. And yes Gomez was completely a shell by the time he went to NYR. They even had a Gomez goal watch page since it was a crazy amount of games between his goals.

FWIW the Gomez goal watch page was when he was in Montreal, not NYR.  As for his time with the Rangers, he had 128 points in 158 games.  That's about about a 66 point pace per 82GP.  Not quite washed up numbers.

For Niedermayer, his brother didn't play on any teams in the Metro, so we don't know.

As for some of the other guys, Stevens refused to report to the Devils training camp for 22 days when he was awarded to them in 1991.  He also signed an offer sheet with St. Louis in 1994 that was later matched by the Devils.  Looks like he wasn't quite endeared to the Devils as much as you make him out to be.

[Triumph]

Niedermayer signed 1 UFA contract in his life.  Stevens I believe was never on the open UFA market - the Devils always signed him early.  Brodeur was on the market twice, he re-signed here once and signed in St. Louis the 2nd time.

Martin's career was much different, he was unrestricted at 29 and again at 34.  I don't love that he signed with the Penguins, but I don't blame him for not coming back after the Devils' medical staff cost him a shot at playing in the 2010 Olympics.  

[vadvlfan]

If I remember right, Lou wasn't going to pay Martin or Brian Gionta what they could get on open market. Lou's attitude was, you look good here because you're on a good team. And when they returned to Devils home games, they got booed. Both became very serviceable players & weren't overpaid until latter years of the contracts, like most other players. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

29 minutes ago, Rob_Ottawa said:

Do you really think Nieds would ever sign with another team in the metro? I seriously doubt that. Same with Marty, Stevens, etc.  Those guys had class and believed in the crest on their chest. And yes Gomez was completely a shell by the time he went to NYR. They even had a Gomez goal watch page since it was a crazy amount of games between his goals.

Nieds wouldn't have ever signed with another Metro team because there was no Metro back then.

I really hate when people who clearly weren't watching the game completely garble history.  Gomez's Ranger numbers and his first season in Montreal were EXACTLY in line with his Devils seasons...you can look it up (but since you probably won't, he put up 187 points in 236 GP...about 65 points per 82 GP; before that (his first seven NHL seasons), he averaged 67 points per 82 GP.  After those three "about what you should have expected" seasons from Gomez after he left NJ, his numbers fell off sharply.  That crazy goal-less stretch came in his fourth season after signing his mega-deal, and stretched into Year 5.  So no, he didn't start to become a "complete shell" of himself until about 3.5 seasons after he first went to the Rangers.  But keep getting everything wrong. 

Edited November 15, 2018 by Colorado Rockies 1976