2019 Offseason Thread

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Just now, MB3 said:

Leaner battles with addiction, right? 

Im glad he’s turned his life around but not wanting to give long term deals for that reason is totally okay. Look at Darling. 

My uncle battles addiction. It doesn’t take much to flip a switch and rear it’s ugly head.

All one has to do is read Dwight Gooden's memoir to realize that so many never truly "beat" addiction...it stays with you and can derail your life with no warning.  At one point during his career he had been sober for 7 years...and then just like that, out of nowhere, he not only fell off, but fell off so hard that after one of his failed drug tests, doctors weren't even sure how he was still alive. 

Hopefully whatever Lehner's issues are, it's nothing like that. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

20 minutes ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

I often defend Lou's approach because even though I don't agree with everything he does, I do understand that he has a certain philosophy and he sticks to it. Its very old school and doesn't really fit the modern day.

But one thing I've noticed is that he tends to get the best out of his players. A lot of the guys he loses for nothing (outside of Neids) don't have the same success so its not crazy to think that he doesn't see Lehner as long term. I'm not sure I see Varlamov as that either though. Greiss might be getting a lot of starts anyway

I don't really disagree with the above (I can't say that I'd want him as my GM in 2019...I much more faith in Shero at this point), but I was more making the point that I don't think that particular case was simply Lou being Lou.  And I think '7' might have trivialized (unintentionally) Lehner's issues, as far as how they may have factored into Lou's approach.  I simply think it was more he found one player more attractive as a long-term option than the other, so he was willing to pony up more for him...he had a set price in mind for Lehner that he was clearly not willing to exceed (and didn't even really seem to be terribly enthused about ever making that offer).  But like you, as far as the player Lou chose to be that long-term solution, it seems like a questionable choice to me.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[Devil Dan 56]

14 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

All one has to do is read Dwight Gooden's memoir to realize that so many never truly "beat" addiction...it stays with you and can derail your life with no warning.  At one point during his career he had been sober for 7 years...and then just like that, out of nowhere, he not only fell off, but fell off so hard that after one of his failed drug tests, doctors weren't even sure how he was still alive. 

Hopefully whatever Lehner's issues are, it's nothing like that. 

Yeah that stuff is no joke and I'm glad it's finally getting to a point where it can be talked about publicly and openly by an athlete. I do comedy in my free time and mental and drug issues run rampant in that world. Its sad to see how it can affect people, so I'm really hoping Lehner can keep it at bay. 

[Daniel]

I think the thing people need to realize is that Lehner and everyone else in the league is a professional and they know it's part of the way things work.  The Isles organization, including Lou and Trotz, helped get Lehner's career and life back on track, but ultimately each side has to do what's best for them.

[CommonDreads]

1 hour ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

Pierre McGuire was on Boomer and Gio this morning. A lot of Ranger butt kissing (apparently Panarin is on the McDavid/Crosby level of breaking games open) but he did give a lot of props to the Devils and said that John Hayden might be an underrated pick up for us that is getting lost in the shuffle. I've noticed that none of us are including him on our line predictions but I wonder with his skill set if change of scenery helps him stick in the NHL. 

 

edit:NJDfan1711 beat me to it

Yeesh, NY Sports for ya.

Must have missed Panarin's multiple 100 point seasons 

[Devil Dan 56]

9 minutes ago, Daniel said:

I think the thing people need to realize is that Lehner and everyone else in the league is a professional and they know it's part of the way things work.  The Isles organization, including Lou and Trotz, helped get Lehner's career and life back on track, but ultimately each side has to do what's best for them.

Yeah this sounds like simple business.  Lehner wanted more term, Lou wouldn't budge, Lehner looked elsewhere, and Lou decided he didn't want to risk not having his starter. I don't think anyone is to blame

Edited July 2, 2019 by Devil Dan 56

[Devilsfan118]

Gusev's a bit small isn't he?  I'm not sure we need more undersized players at this point.. but he's been well over PPG in the KHL for a couple years now FWIW

If he can be had on the cheap I'm all about it, but I wouldn't send more than a pick or two the other way imo.

[MadDog2020]

8 minutes ago, CommonDreads said:

Yeesh, NY Sports for ya.

Must have missed Panarin's multiple 100 point seasons 

That’s just Pierre. Everyone is Gretzky.

[mfitz804]

5 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Gusev's a bit small isn't he?  I'm not sure we need more undersized players at this point.. but he's been well over PPG in the KHL for a couple years now FWIW

If he can be had on the cheap I'm all about it, but I wouldn't send more than a pick or two the other way imo.

5'11", 181 lbs. I wouldn't exactly call him "undersized", but he's not huge. 

[CommonDreads]

5 minutes ago, Devilsfan118 said:

Gusev's a bit small isn't he?  I'm not sure we need more undersized players at this point.. but he's been well over PPG in the KHL for a couple years now FWIW

If he can be had on the cheap I'm all about it, but I wouldn't send more than a pick or two the other way imo.

IIRC he's on the smaller side of 5'11", from my viewings of him he's not blazingly fast but his hands are mental which help his escapability. He creates a lot of space with just his puck handling ability and I think he could be a really dynamic player, really good playmaker too so he'd be an awesome addition for our powerplay.

If we gave up a couple picks or prospects for him and Clarkson's contract, I'd chalk that up as a big W.

[Nicomo]

What reason is there to believe he would even come over to NA to play? Why hasn’t he yet? 

[CommonDreads]

2 minutes ago, Nicomo said:

What reason is there to believe he would even come over to NA to play? Why hasn’t he yet? 

He signed a 1 year contract with Vegas during the playoffs last year which is now expired, so he's technically already come over to NA despite not making it into any games. KHL free agency opened awhile back, so I imagine his interest is in trying to find an NHL fit where he can be a top 6 forward instead of signing back in Russia.

That's also why Vegas can't fit him at the moment, however. I would imagine anything short of $4M or so he probably goes back to Russia where can get that easily, he's been the top player in the KHL for a couple years now so getting that coin from SKA or CSKA wouldn't be hard for him, so teams interested gotta pony up a bit.

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

1 minute ago, Nicomo said:

What reason is there to believe he would even come over to NA to play? Why hasn’t he yet? 

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/golden-knights-nhl/nikita-gusev-could-be-traded-golden-knights-george-mcphee-hints-1699642/

Incoming president of hockey operations George McPhee further stoked the speculation surrounding the Russian import Monday, flatly stating the team will explore trading his rights if they can’t agree to a deal with the restricted free agent.

“We think he’s a really good player. We’d like to work something out here,” McPhee said. “If that doesn’t work out, we’ll look at options. But there’s definitely interest in him. We’ve had people call us on him, and we’ll see what develops. I can’t tell you today what will develop, but we’ll work on it.

“He’s been very, very good on the international stage. He wants to play in the NHL. He worked hard to get over here, and we’re going to accommodate him one way or another, either here or with another club.”

[nessus]

Gusev has been a dominant player for a long time. Ray should definitely be in on this.

[MadDog2020]

 

[CommonDreads]

Gusev was also a teammate of Mikhail Maltsev this past season on SKA, just a small little connection there.

[Neb00rs]

7 hours ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

I think Lehner is telling a bit of a one sided story. I saw reports that he had been offered a two year deal by the islanders at 5 mill per. He had been hoping for either longer term or more $, so his agent said they should go to market and see what there was. 

Turns out the term wasn't there on any interested team and they were offering the same $ , but by the time this was done Lou had already pulled the trigger on Varlamov. 

Could Lou have waited? Maybe, but he doesn't know what other teams are offering, and he can't be without a starter in net. 

If I read into Lehner's statement, it hits me as manipulative - designed to draw sympathy and paint himself as the good guy and the Islanders as bad without directly saying it. He finished with, "So, that is the truth,  and if people believe that, it doesn't matter," is the classic line of many variations used to say, "The fact that I don't care if people believe me or not shows that what I'm saying is true." Of course, a logical fallacy. But alas, I'm thinking too much into this here. 

As DD56 and CR76 are both saying, it seems pretty simple: the New York Islanders don't see Lehner as the best long-term option, especially at his price point and are higher on Varlamov in that regard. I'll also add that we don't really know what numbers Lehner was asking for long-term - over a four year deal he might have wanted more than 5M AAV. Lou did what he thought best for the team and usually that would elicit a response from the player of, "I understand it's a business..." and not much more.

[Neb00rs]

14 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

 

I almost wish he wanted a little more lol, this puts him in play for more teams but good to know that the rumors about the two-year deal seem to be true - really low risk for the Devils. VGK clearly likes their top-6 as is and doesn't want to mess with it. The fact that they're shopping Gusev while continuing to hold onto Reaves and Holden is a bit weird but I suppose it's possible VGK will eventually move them too before the season starts.

I think given the Devils chances to be competitive next year, Gusev would be worth just about any 2020 NHL draft pick, even given the deepness of that draft.

[MadDog2020]

 

[Devs3cups]

1 minute ago, MadDog2020 said:

 

Montreal fans on other boards pretty much laughing at Hurricanes fans saying they can’t afford to match the sheet because of all the front loaded money and bonuses. Big market team taking advantage of a smaller market team. Good on Carolina if they can match.

[mfitz804]

2 minutes ago, MB3 said:

So I'm now setting myself up for disappointment and assuming Shero is gonna pull off a trade to bring Gusev here. Sounds like he and VGK are way far apart on term and cash; that should be our time to swoop in.

Zacha for Gusev, the trade is one for one?

[MadDog2020]

5 minutes ago, MB3 said:

So I'm now setting myself up for disappointment and assuming Shero is gonna pull off a trade to bring Gusev here. Sounds like he and VGK are way far apart on term and cash; that should be our time to swoop in.

You really should stop doing that to yourself.

2 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

Zacha for Gusev, the trade is one for one?

It shouldn’t cost even that. They have no cap space.

Edited July 2, 2019 by MadDog2020

[MadDog2020]

4 minutes ago, MB3 said:

Hall-Nico-Palms

Bratt-Hughes-Gusev

Coleman-Zacha-Simmonds

Wood-Zajac-Bastian

I'm legitimately horny. God I can't wait to be disappointed. 

Legit, stop doing this to yourself. Because if we don’t get him, you’re gonna come barreling in and unfairly sh!tting on everything Devils related for the next three days, and no one really wants to read that.

[Devilsfan118]

3 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

Legit, stop doing this to yourself. Because if we don’t get him, you’re gonna come barreling in and unfairly sh!tting on everything Devils related for the next three days, and no one really wants to read that.

Eh personally, I like the banter.

I like it when personalities shine through on this board.  

Gets a little stale on other forums like HFBoards where everything is moderated and if you don't fall in line with the consensus you get silenced.

[Daniel]

14 minutes ago, MB3 said:

For those OOTL on Gusev; he's breaking records over in the KHL as a right-handed winger. He was much better than Dadonov, who came over and was an instant 70-point player for the Panthers. His comparables include, unsurprisingly, Panarin.

He would be a fvcking sick addition to our top-6. And he wouldn't cost all that much. 

I would pump the brakes just a little.  If he were that good, Tampa, who generally is pretty good at evaluating talent, wouldn't have given him away at the expansion draft and Vegas would find a way to get cap compliant some other way.

That said, the only downside with getting him is that it likely takes the Devils out of the running for landing a really big fish (like Laine) for the near future.