2019 Offseason Thread

[Daniel]

9 minutes ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

Wait, the Rangers got a guy who only wanted to go to the Rangers and its still 3 days until the draft that we have 10 picks in and free agency isn't for another 2 weeks?? 

 

Dreger is walking back the two team lost claim.

[jagknife]

40 minutes ago, DJ Eco said:

No, he's actually got 3-4 months, you need to deprogram yourself from thinking this way, the amount of alarmism and hysteria in Devilsland this offseason is going to give everyone a heart attack. People need to relax.

The amount of infighting I've seen (not referring to you, just in general) BECAUSE THE RANGERS MADE ONE GOOD TRADE is almost unbearable, we're obviously a damaged fanbase at this point.

For me, it’s not even the Trouba trade that made me a little concerned. (Read that as concerned not bridge scoping, lol) It was the “we have 10 guys in mind” or whatever I posted yesterday. Of course our leadership will not come out and say “we have deals in mind, don’t worry we won’t use all of our picks” because that would be absolutely insane.

Trouba would have cost at least a first round pick we didn’t have to offer. Oh well, it sucks especially cause it was the Rangers.

Flyers just got Braun for a second and a third, both of which we also have. Good trade for them, 1 year left, $3.8m for a 32 year old.

Also of course free agency lasts all summer, but for the most part, the impact players go within the first 48-72 hours, with a handful going in the days/weeks to follow.

I won’t resign myself to saying Hall’s as good as gone, but Ray has to do something. Like you said, he put himself in a position to have a huge offseason, and to be honest, I feel like he has to. We’re a week in, some moves are happening, so naturally people are getting nervous, or in some instances, panicking. I’m really hopeful we don’t keep 10 picks and we come out of this weekend with a franchise center and a few other ready now guys

If this offseason is a flop, though, I’m going to be really sick of “Trust the Process” just like I was sick of “In Lou we Trust” after multiple missed playoffs with one (great) fun in there.

[Devil Dan 56]

Another thing to look at is the cap. Its supposedly going to be at 83 million. Teams are going to need to make adjustments if that's true. For example, Vegas would have under 700k in cap space. Teams will have to make moves and Shero has a history of swooping in for those trades. 

[DJ Eco]

8 minutes ago, jagknife said:

For me, it’s not even the Trouba trade that made me a little concerned. (Read that as concerned not bridge scoping, lol) It was the “we have 10 guys in mind” or whatever I posted yesterday. Of course our leadership will not come out and say “we have deals in mind, don’t worry we won’t use all of our picks” because that would be absolutely insane.

Trouba would have cost at least a first round pick we didn’t have to offer. Oh well, it sucks especially cause it was the Rangers.

Flyers just got Braun for a second and a third, both of which we also have. Good trade for them, 1 year left, $3.8m for a 32 year old.

Also of course free agency lasts all summer, but for the most part, the impact players go within the first 48-72 hours, with a handful going in the days/weeks to follow.

I won’t resign myself to saying Hall’s as good as gone, but Ray has to do something. Like you said, he put himself in a position to have a huge offseason, and to be honest, I feel like he has to. We’re a week in, some moves are happening, so naturally people are getting nervous, or in some instances, panicking. I’m really hopeful we don’t keep 10 picks and we come out of this weekend with a franchise center and a few other ready now guys

If this offseason is a flop, though, I’m going to be really sick of “Trust the Process” just like I was sick of “In Lou we Trust” after multiple missed playoffs with one (great) fun in there.

I'm a big supporter of Shero so far, and even I agree. If we reach the end of the preseason and the totality of all moves we make is anything less than franchise-altering, I'll be the first to criticize Shero and stop "trusting the process."

This is 100% his "sh!t or get off the pot" offseason, but waaaaay too many Devils fans aren't even letting us get to Draft Day without calling this upcoming season a failure already. People need to get on some meds or something.

Edited June 18, 2019 by DJ Eco

[Devil Dan 56]

4 minutes ago, DJ Eco said:

I'm a big supporter of Shero so far, and even I agree. If we reach the end of the preseason and the totality of all moves we make is anything less than franchise-altering, I'll be the first to criticize Shero and stop "trusting the process."

This is 100% his "sh!t or get off the pot" offseason, but waaaaay too many Devils fans aren't even letting us get to Draft Day without calling this upcoming season a failure already. People need to get on some meds or something.

That's where I am as well. I'm going to wait until the season starts but I need to see something this off season. This is most likely where Taylor Hall is with regards to re-signing

[jagknife]

5 minutes ago, DJ Eco said:

I'm a big supporter of Shero so far, and even I agree. If we reach the end of the preseason and the totality of all moves we make is anything less than franchise-altering, I'll be the first to criticize Shero and stop "trusting the process."

This is 100% his "sh!t or get off the pot" offseason, but waaaaay too many Devils fans aren't even letting us get to Draft Day without calling for his firing already.

Same page all around.

And to the argument of the Devils are never THE destination people want to get sent to or really attractive to free agents: that also should fall on the GM in part as well. I’ve never been a GM, obviously, but I have had to try and sell location to people and trust me, where I live now is an absolute sh!thole but the job is amazing. It’s not easy. But the starting point Ray should use is “I’m not Lou, you can actually have fun here beyond just finding winning fun.” 

[CarpathianForest]

Shero is a bastard man

[SterioDesign]

11 hours ago, glenwo2 said:

Guarantee you if Shero acquires him watch everyone come up with every excuse in the book regarding how the "ego problem" was overblown.  

Me? I'll tell you right now that in my opinion this ego issue is overblown.  

Bottom Line is that Shero needs to make a move to improve the team.  

Whether it's PK or someone else, he can't sit back and watch other teams do work while he twiddles his thumbs.

Then just answer this... how many NHL players produced a documentary about their trade? like a year after the trade.

How many NHL players fought multiple teammates in practice

How many NHLers do you see talking back and arguing with their coach on the bench after they fvcked up

How many NHLers refuse to wear the team's gear when the team is asking them to for interviews and wear their own brand instead

How many players shoot for an organization to raise a certain amount of money but then make it look like they are personally donated 10m of their money on a huge cheque with just their name on it.

etc etc etc etc

it's not overblown

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

11 minutes ago, DJ Eco said:

I'm a big supporter of Shero so far, and even I agree. If we reach the end of the preseason and the totality of all moves we make is anything less than franchise-altering, I'll be the first to criticize Shero and stop "trusting the process."

This is 100% his "sh!t or get off the pot" offseason, but waaaaay too many Devils fans aren't even letting us get to Draft Day without calling this upcoming season a failure already. People need to get on some meds or something.

I kinda sorta agree with you, but I'm definitely not a huge fan of "do SOMETHING for the sake of doing something"...if Shero's shown anything so far, it's considerable restraint.  Some are making a big deal about the cap space he's "sitting" on, but if he re-signs Hall, then Hischier and Bratt, and some others...yes, he'll still have plenty of room, but there's obviously guys who are going to get some nice raises. 

So if it turns out that there really isn't a move that makes a whole lot of sense, I'm not going to destroy him for not making it.  But I can understand some restlessness...not pure hysteria, but restlessness I get.

The above being said, I do think Shero will make some solid moves that will get some of the more "emotional" fans to back off the ledge.

3 minutes ago, jagknife said:

Same page all around.

And to the argument of the Devils are never THE destination people want to get sent to or really attractive to free agents: that also should fall on the GM in part as well. I’ve never been a GM, obviously, but I have had to try and sell location to people and trust me, where I live now is an absolute sh!thole but the job is amazing. It’s not easy. But the starting point Ray should use is “I’m not Lou, you can actually have fun here beyond just finding winning fun.” 

The GM can only do so much.  We know the situation...there are some guys who won't even consider NJ, no matter who the GM is...NJ is a flat-out non-starter to some of these guys, and that is what it is...it's an unfortunate obstacle, but as we've seen, it's also one that CAN be overcome.  I'm definitely not going to the Daniel thing here, and write Shero off when he inevitably doesn't land one of the big-name free agents or have the 2019-20 roster nearly set in stone by 7/2 (especially since he's said that he never really intended to build his Devils team that way to begin with).

Edited June 18, 2019 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[DJ Eco]

10 minutes ago, jagknife said:

Same page all around.

And to the argument of the Devils are never THE destination people want to get sent to or really attractive to free agents: that also should fall on the GM in part as well. I’ve never been a GM, obviously, but I have had to try and sell location to people and trust me, where I live now is an absolute sh!thole but the job is amazing. It’s not easy. But the starting point Ray should use is “I’m not Lou, you can actually have fun here beyond just finding winning fun.” 

To Shero's credit, I think he's shown signs of grasping this (with some of our social media initiatives, as well as internal things he's organized with upcoming prospects or team-building on the waterfront or in NYC), and Taylor Hall especially has been treated very well and has become a great spokesperson for the area, who would've known? Hall hasn't just been giving us lip-service about liking being a Devil, he's gone above and beyond what the Parises or Kovalchuks have all said about living in the area; we're biased of course, but many get the sense from Hall that he genuinely enjoys living here.

Every Taylor Hall story on Instagram from his or Blake Coleman's rooftop pool looking at downtown Manhattan, or every pic from Carbone Restaurant or some Michelin-starred joint in New York, is visibility to the rest of the league's players that you can really find the good life here in northern Jersey. With social media and all these sponsorship deals, all star games, tournaments, etc., players are in more contact with each other than they've ever been, and they do talk about this stuff. Lucky for us, I think Hall is genuinely a fan of the area.

Edited June 18, 2019 by DJ Eco

[glenwo2]

1 minute ago, SterioDesign said:

Then just answer this... how many NHL players produced a documentary about their trade? like a year after the trade.

How many NHL players fought multiple teammates in practice

How many NHLers do you see talking back and arguing with their coach on the bench after they fvcked up

How many NHLers refuse to wear the team's gear when the team is asking them to for interviews and wear their own brand instead

How many players shoot for an organization to raise a certain amount of money but then make it look like they are personally donated 10m of their money on a huge cheque with just their name on it.

etc etc etc etc

it's not overblown

okay.....I get all that. 

People do mature, don't they?

Hall was known as a malcontent himself prior to coming to NJ.  

That's why I'm willing to give PK the benefit of the doubt here, despite everything you said. 

 

[SterioDesign]

10 minutes ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

That's where I am as well. I'm going to wait until the season starts but I need to see something this off season. This is most likely where Taylor Hall is with regards to re-signing

This. plus i legit don't understand how so many fans are crucifying Shero already when he started with almost nothing and he's legit trying to get us top talent and young talent, its damn hard to do when all the other teams have had a lot more assets from years and years ago. We had NOTHING. Anything we've got is barely "extra" right now.

Im starting to realize that some fans we're simply just like Lou. They wanted results now. fvck the future. That's making you making/wanting reckless / desperate moves just to feel better about the situation but completely sacrificing the future where we had a legit chance at success and trusting the process that could lead there. It's not about when you add pieces... its what pieces you're adding. And maximizing your assets in every possible way

 

3 minutes ago, glenwo2 said:

okay.....I get all that. 

People do mature, don't they?

Hall was known as a malcontent himself prior to coming to NJ.  

That's why I'm willing to give PK the benefit of the doubt here, despite everything you said. 

 

Nothing Hall did came close to anything PK did. Apples and oranges

[DJ Eco]

I would absolutely love PK Subban on this team, at now 30 years old, a bit wiser, a bit more mature, with a chip on his shoulder, and in a lower profile place he can put his head down and focus on being the best player possible. He absolutely strikes me as a player that will be more of an asset as a veteran than he was as the flashy "young star" making the headlines.

Edited June 18, 2019 by DJ Eco

[Satans Hockey]

Found out two preseason game dates so far... 

9/18 - Wednesday 7pm at Rangers 

9/20 - Friday 7pm vs Rangers 

[jagknife]

3 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

I kinda sorta agree with you, but I'm definitely not a huge fan of "do SOMETHING for the sake of doing something"...if Shero's shown anything so far, it's considerable restraint.  Some are making a big deal about the cap space he's "sitting" on, but if he re-signs Hall, then Hischier and Bratt, and some others...yes, he'll still have plenty of room, but there's obviously guys who are going to get some raises. 

So if it turns out that there really isn't a move that makes a whole lot of sense, I'm not going to destroy him for not making it.  But I can understand some restlessness...not pure hysteria, but restlessness I get.

The above being said, I do think Shero will make some solid moves that will get some of the more "emotional" fans to back off the ledge.

The GM can only do so much.  We know the situation...there are some guys who won't even consider NJ, no matter who the GM is...NJ is a flat-out non-starter to some of these guys, and that is what it is...it's an unfortunate obstacle, but as we've seen, it's also one that CAN be overcome.  I'm definitely not going to the Daniel thing here, and write Shero off when he inevitably doesn't land one of the big-name free agents or have the 2019-20 roster nearly set in stone by 7/2 (especially since he's said that he never really intended to build his Devils team that way to begin with).

Absolutely, it’s going to take a lot to change a lot of the mantra that surrounds this team. Hell we’ve been seeing it since Hynes took over, lazy announcers and personalities still revert to the trap argument, meanwhile ones that actually know their sh!t are able to differentiate.

But he can only live off of “I rebuilt the farm system/ restocked the cupboard” for so long. We knew this was a 3-5 year process to get back to being a competitive team, competitive not contending. This, in my honest humble opinion, is his make or break year.

[Daniel]

4 minutes ago, SterioDesign said:

This. plus i legit don't understand how so many fans are crucifying Shero already when he started with almost nothing and he's legit trying to get us top talent and young talent, its damn hard to do when all the other teams have had a lot more assets from years and years ago. We had NOTHING. Anything we've got is barely "extra" right now.

Im starting to realize that some fans we're simply just like Lou. They wanted results now. fvck the future. That's making you making/wanting reckless / desperate moves just to feel better about the situation but completely sacrificing the future where we had a legit chance at success and trusting the process that could lead there. It's not about when you add pieces... its what pieces you're adding. And maximizing your assets in every possible way

 

I'm getting ready to crucify Shero because he's been selling us a bill of goods all these years about building the prospect pipeline and taking advantage of all this cap space when the moment is right.  Well he was gifted two lottery wins and has draft picks and cap space galore, and all signs point to him being too timid to do anything of any note at a time when he absolutely has to do it. 

The bottom line he thinks us fans are all suckers and he's probably right.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Daniel

[SterioDesign]

7 hours ago, Lateralous said:

At this point, I think the bigger issue with Subban is just how slow he looks out there anymore.  He labors to get to every puck.  It’s like Daneyko in NHL94.  I would definitely prefer we stay away.  

Maybe try and get Ryan ellis on the cheap if the Preds want to move out a defenseman.  This assumes Josi and Ekholm are not for sale.   

i keep hearing that. i didnt watch him much last season but its strange that he'd slow down already he's still somewhat young.

But yeah that's another good reason. a big chunk of his game was his speed and thats gone. He could be effective still cause he has a booming shot but he's not really smart with the puck that much. So its not like a Weber or Pronger who can player for a bit even if they are slow

[CommonDreads]

People seem to forget too, Shero almost has to do something significant this offseason because of our need to get to the floor. Say the cap ends up at 82M, even after generously signing our RFA's, we'll still be 5M or 6M below the floor, I'm pretty confident that Ray is going to make some sort of trade over the next couple weeks that's going to bring in some salary, and hopefully that salary is in the form of one or two impact players that we can add to Hall, Nico, Jack, Palms, Vatanen, Seve, Butcher, etc.

Just be patient, if three weeks pass and we're still sitting $6M below the floor with no meaningful players left out there, then I'll get a little panicky.

Also re: Subban, I would love PK here. PK sometimes gets a little overlooked in the top defenseman in the NHL conversation, I really think he's that good. Top 5 for me right now. Plus, I love a player with a little swagger.

[glenwo2]

3 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

Found out two preseason game dates so far... 

9/18 - Wednesday 7pm at Rangers 

9/20 - Friday 7pm vs Rangers 

Those two games are going to be packed with fans.

[Daniel]

And so far as Shero not being able to "sell" the team and location to players, that's loser talk.  And if he ever said that to me if I owned the team, I'd fire his ass immediately.  You know how you sell the team, if you have confidence in what you're doing, say you're building a team that will be really special and players should be eager to be a part of it.  There are only so many no state income tax contracts that Tampa or Dallas can give out.

Edited June 18, 2019 by Daniel

[vadvlfan]

PK, thought you're talking about Phil Kessel

[jagknife]

2 minutes ago, vadvlfan said:

PK, thought you're talking about Phil Kessel

Hell, I wouldn’t mind the hot dog man himself here either, but I don’t want to help the Pens in the process... lol

[MadDog2020]

4 minutes ago, Daniel said:

And so far as Shero not being able to "sell" the team and location to players, that's loser talk.  And if he ever said that to me if I owned the team, I'd fire his ass immediately.  You know how you sell the team, if you have confidence in what you're doing, say you're building a team that will be really special and players should be eager to be a part of it.  There are only so many no state income tax contracts that Tampa or Dallas can give out.

This may be the first thing you said that I agree with in the last 24 hours lol.

[Devilsfan118]

4 minutes ago, vadvlfan said:

PK, thought you're talking about Phil Kessel

No thanks to either to be honest lol

[Devilsfan118]