New Jersey Devils 2020(ish)-2021 Season

[Guadana]

Contract numbers certainly speak very little about what the agent and the club have been arguing about for so long.

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

The Athletic released their top 100 player list. Devils have one entry in Nico, who they placed in the lowest bracket of Top line (4c). 

Bit of a kick in the teeth as Peterson and Heiskanen are both in the 2a and 2b section which is franchise player. 

Hoping Nico can kick on this year, become a bit selfish and shoot the puck more. 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Chimaira_Devil_#9

[mfitz804]

7 hours ago, SterioDesign said:

I mean i'm trying to put myself in Crawford's shoes... 

The dude gave up almost 8million dollars for being a backup on a bad / rebuilding team. Only having to play like what? 25 games top this year and maybe 40 top next season... 

So he must really but really didn't feel he could or wanted to do it anymore. That's still a lot of money and he's not a guy who's going to cash in as an ex NHL superstar on commercials and sh!t. 

He should’ve made that assessment before he signed the contract. I think that’s the only issue anyone has. Nothing changed between October when he signed and now, unless it was a change in his health and he certainly hasn’t given any indication that an injury or health concerns were the issue

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

 

Full list and comments for Nico for anyone who doesn't subscribe. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

56 minutes ago, mfitz804 said:

He should’ve made that assessment before he signed the contract. I think that’s the only issue anyone has. Nothing changed between October when he signed and now, unless it was a change in his health and he certainly hasn’t given any indication that an injury or health concerns were the issue

On this one, as much as we'd like to assess blame somewhere, and as much as the situation blows...I'm inclined to give everyone the benefit of the doubt here.

I think Fitz firmly believed at time he signed Crawford that Crawford was on fully on board with playing for the Devils.  The narrative that I'm seeing here and there that somehow Fitz should've seen this coming reeks of unfair second-guessing (though I detail one exception to that idea, at the end of this post).  

I think the Devils to an extent symbolized a bit of a "rebound" relationship at the time that he signed...almost a way of dulling the pain of no longer being able to play for the Blackhawks.  Maybe he thought "OK, I'm still stinging, but here's a team that wants me, in a couple of months I'll be OK; I have some time to get over this and move on and once the season starts, I'll be good to go."

Sadly, Crawford got here and whatever mixed feelings he was having about having to play for a new team didn't go away (or soften enough where he felt like he could keep going and have his heart fully in it).  Again, not saying that this doesn't suck, and it clearly hurts the Devils, but I think this is one of those "perfect storm" events, where the GM had every reason to think his new player was committed (Crawford did sign for two years and $7.8 million), and the player was trying to work through some emotions (he may not have been forthcoming about them when he signed his contract) but thought that he could resolve them in time for the new season.    

The only way I think anyone's truly to blame is if Crawford told Fitz back in October that he wasn't truly sure if he wanted to keep playing and might need to re-evaluate everything before preseason practices, but Fitz was keeping his fingers crossed and willing to sign him anyway.  Fitz doesn't strike me as that kind of GM though.  Sounds like Craw let them know where his head was just as the team started to practice again...we'll probably never know, and from all appearances it looks like the Devils want to take the high road here (and try to be understanding), but it wouldn't shock me if both Fitz and some of the Devils are in "C'mon man!" mode, in how they view Crawford's actions.  

Edited January 11, 2021 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[jagknife]

22 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

On this one, as much as we'd like to assess blame somewhere, and as much as the situation blows...I'm inclined to give everyone the benefit of the doubt here.

I think Fitz firmly believed at time he signed Crawford that Crawford was on fully on board with playing for the Devils.  The narrative that I'm seeing here and there that somehow Fitz should've seen this coming reeks of unfair second-guessing (though I detail one exception to that idea, at the end of this post).  

I think the Devils to an extent symbolized a bit of a "rebound" relationship at the time that he signed...almost a way of dulling the pain of no longer being able to play for the Blackhawks.  Maybe he thought "OK, I'm still stinging, but here's a team that wants me, in a couple of months I'll be OK; I have some time to get over this and move on and once the season starts, I'll be good to go."

Sadly, Crawford got here and whatever mixed feelings he was having about having to play for a new team didn't go away (or soften enough where he felt like he could keep going and have his heart fully in it).  Again, not saying that this doesn't suck, and it clearly hurts the Devils, but I think this is one of those "perfect storm" events, where the GM had every reason to think his new player was committed (Crawford did sign for two years and $7.8 million), and the player was trying to work through some emotions (he may not have been forthcoming about them when he signed his contract) but thought that he could resolve them in time for the new season.    

The only way I think anyone's truly to blame is if Crawford told Fitz back in October that he wasn't truly sure if he wanted to keep playing and might need to re-evaluate everything before preseason practices, but Fitz was keeping his fingers crossed and willing to sign him anyway.  Fitz doesn't strike me as that kind of GM though.  Sounds like Craw let them know where his head was just as the team started to practice again...we'll probably never know, and from all appearances it looks like the Devils want to take the high road here (and try to be understanding), but it wouldn't shock me if both Fitz and some of the Devils are in "C'mon man!" mode, in how they view Crawford's actions.  

I'm quoting you for sheer ease and not having to multi-quote 3 different posts. @Brewskies, my reply to you will fall in here.

I place literally zero blame for this on Fitz. He went out, found a solid 1B, got him on the books for what he thought was a 2 year deal. This gave the team an expansion target and most importantly, protection for Mac. Fitz did more than I was expecting for a backup and I applaud him for it.

My biggest issue, fair or not, is 100% aimed at Crawford. Ruff is quoted as saying (paraphrasing) the decision to play for Corey was weighing on him for a while. You know what? Then don't make a commitment to sign a freaking contract, especially a multi-year deal. That is when you take your time, mentally sort things out, and if you feel like you have it, then you sign. Hell, I can absolutely relate. There's a pretty substantial bonus being offered if I elect to stay at my job, but the contract is anywhere from 3 to 9 years. I KNOW I can handle another 3, so when it comes time, I'm taking the 3. Sure, the bonus is higher at 6-9 years, but since I know what I can handle, I'll take 3.

I think @SterioDesignis right, $8m is a lot, and he probably grabbed the cash before thinking, but still, that was an absolutely d-bag move. His own quotes only fuel my feelings and reading Lindy's quotes make me believe he isn't thrilled with him either.

[NJDfan1711]

15 hours ago, jagknife said:

I was so close on it! 250k and a year off

at least he’s in the fold

I almost nailed it as well - I said we should've been able to sign him for $3M for 3-4 years, though I was pretty sure he wouldn't have accepted the length.  I think the deal they agreed to is fair for both sides though.  Small little bridge deal to give him two seasons to see if he breaks out.  If he does, he'll probably get 5-6M next time around, and if he doesn't, he may get what he just got, or less, as he'll probably be seen as a 3rd/4th line player if he doesn't improve.

[mfitz804]

19 minutes ago, jagknife said:

I think @SterioDesignis right, $8m is a lot, and he probably grabbed the cash before thinking, but still, that was an absolutely d-bag move. His own quotes only fuel my feelings and reading Lindy's quotes make me believe he isn't thrilled with him either.

I agree with this. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

3 hours ago, jagknife said:

I'm quoting you for sheer ease and not having to multi-quote 3 different posts. @Brewskies, my reply to you will fall in here.

I place literally zero blame for this on Fitz. He went out, found a solid 1B, got him on the books for what he thought was a 2 year deal. This gave the team an expansion target and most importantly, protection for Mac. Fitz did more than I was expecting for a backup and I applaud him for it.

My biggest issue, fair or not, is 100% aimed at Crawford. Ruff is quoted as saying (paraphrasing) the decision to play for Corey was weighing on him for a while. You know what? Then don't make a commitment to sign a freaking contract, especially a multi-year deal. That is when you take your time, mentally sort things out, and if you feel like you have it, then you sign. Hell, I can absolutely relate. There's a pretty substantial bonus being offered if I elect to stay at my job, but the contract is anywhere from 3 to 9 years. I KNOW I can handle another 3, so when it comes time, I'm taking the 3. Sure, the bonus is higher at 6-9 years, but since I know what I can handle, I'll take 3.

I think @SterioDesignis right, $8m is a lot, and he probably grabbed the cash before thinking, but still, that was an absolutely d-bag move. His own quotes only fuel my feelings and reading Lindy's quotes make me believe he isn't thrilled with him either.

Where I give Crawford the benefit of the doubt is that I truly believe that he thought that whatever "crushed" feelings that he was experiencing about no longer being with the 'Hawks were going to be fully resolved by the time he would report to the team...when he put the pen to paper, I don't think he was thinking "Well, I can always bail if I'm not feeling it"...I don't think he considered that as some legit option at the time.  He signed with the intent of playing.

That being said, I'm not going to lie; now that I've had a little time to digest this, I'm annoyed with him too.  Don't hate the guy or anything, and I'm giving the "human element" a lot of weight (people sometimes do change their minds, even if it's inconvenient as hell to everyone else), and I'm not in his shoes...but yeah, a part of me wishes that he had more deeply explored what he was feeling, before committing and then uncommitting to the team that I root for more fervently than any other.  I feel like the parent of a daughter who just got dumped by someone who she really was into (and is now hurting), but it turned out that she was a just rebound to him, and he wasn't into it nearly as much...OK, on one level, at least you were honest, and let her go relatively quickly...you didn't string her along too too long, and she'll recover.  Doesn't mean that I'm happy with you, or want anything more to do with you.  

The funny (and sad) thing is that this is about as "rebound" of a scenario as it gets:

Dude gets dumped by his longtime girlfriend (or in this case, more of a divorce, that he didn't want).

Dude is devastated (I believe that Crawford used that exact word initially).

Dude finds a new girl that seems very interested in him...that's enough to suck him in, even though he still hasn't processed the death of his previous relationship.  At first, just being wanted by another seems like it's enough.  

Dude is mentally trying to move on, but seems stuck...can't stop thinking about the one that left him.

Dude finally does what he has to, what's right for him, and gets out of a relationship he simply wasn't ready for.  He did the right thing for him and that's a good thing.  Doesn't mean that the girl he dumped has to pat him on the back.  She's hurt and will be...she'll get over it in time, and will realize that it's for the best (given what we know now, would anyone want Crawford around the team if he was so conflicted about still playing?), but that doesn't mean the present doesn't blow.    

Edited January 11, 2021 by Colorado Rockies 1976

[capo]

2 hours ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

 

Full list and comments for Nico for anyone who doesn't subscribe. 

I think were going to get what we all wanted and thought we would get out of Nico. The kid is an all situations beast in the Elias kind of way. I would still take him 1OA.

 

Watch out for Yegor. I went to some B-Devs with my eye on Boqvist and was enthralled by Sharangovich. He has Nico like qualities.

Boqvist is a beast btw. When he gets comfortable at the NHL he's going to be a star. A ton of speed, puck skills, and finish. Very fun to watch at the AHL level.

I know people are not expecting much but Ruff can get them to buy in and supports them the right way we could be surprised.

[aylbert]

Crawford was a mess when he couldn't resign with Chicago...   he had multiple offers pulled because he didn't act fast enough, and signed with NJ when Brodeur sold him on it...     I think realizing he'd actually be playing the backup and veteran presence to help Mac out didn't sit well with him, and he no longer felt like "they really want me" afterall...    which was literally what made him sign here.

https://www.nj.com/devils/2020/10/how-martin-brodeur-sold-devils-on-corey-crawford-he-definitely-played-a-part-in-free-agent-signing.html

[mfitz804]

^ I think he would’ve wound up playing considerably more games than a true “backup” would have, given the schedule and how tight it is. I think he may have played 20 out of 56, and if he put up numbers, maybe a few more.

I mean, he had to know that was the intention of bringing him in. He had to see Blackwood standing in front of him with similar stats last season and he had to know what his role was. 

I don’t think for a second he was surprised by anything, he just didn’t want to leave Chicago and when the reality of that happening hit him, he bailed. Good for him, enjoy retirement, use your $200 mask as a fvcking candy dish. 

[Devil Dan 56]

CR1976 is pretty much lined up with my thinking on this and its why I don't really have any hard feelings for Crawford. He was thrown out, was considering retiring, Marty convinced him to sign and when he got on the ice he realized "I just don't have it in me." 

I think he truly intended to continue his career but when your heart isn't in it, it's not gonna work. I don't believe there's any real blame. Its just one of those things. He didn't say "screw the Devils". He literally decided he was done with the sport overall. From the look at some of the comments from players, the guy seems to be dealing with depression at the moment. As someone who has been there a few times and unfortunately lost people to that I just can't crap on a guy who might be in the middle of fighting it. 

[Satans Hockey]

Waiver decisions made... 

 

[mfitz804]

27 minutes ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

CR1976 is pretty much lined up with my thinking on this and its why I don't really have any hard feelings for Crawford. He was thrown out, was considering retiring, Marty convinced him to sign and when he got on the ice he realized "I just don't have it in me." 

I think he truly intended to continue his career but when your heart isn't in it, it's not gonna work. I don't believe there's any real blame. Its just one of those things. He didn't say "screw the Devils". He literally decided he was done with the sport overall. From the look at some of the comments from players, the guy seems to be dealing with depression at the moment. As someone who has been there a few times and unfortunately lost people to that I just can't crap on a guy who might be in the middle of fighting it. 

I would add to this that the contract was structured in a way that there isn’t a cap hit; that could be by accident, or my dad could have made sure we were as protected as possible in case this happened. If the latter is the case, maybe it was discussed. 

1 minute ago, Satans Hockey said:

Waiver decisions made... 

 

Not surprised by any of these names, and I do like what I have seen from Bastian in a limited sample. 

[MadDog2020]

I’d be surprised if Merkley doesn’t get claimed.

Edited January 11, 2021 by MadDog2020

[Satans Hockey]

2 minutes ago, MadDog2020 said:

I’d be surprised if Merkley doesn’t get claimed.

I see a decent amount of people upset with that move and I don't get why. I don't remember Merkley doing anything that was worthy of being upset over losing. 

[mfitz804]

5 minutes ago, Satans Hockey said:

I see a decent amount of people upset with that move and I don't get why. I don't remember Merkley doing anything that was worthy of being upset over losing. 

5 NHL games under his belt and some just ok seasons in the AHL. I don’t think he was guaranteed an NHL spot at all, and he has to clear waivers to go to the AHL or the taxi squad. 

Is someone going to argue that Merkley DEFINITELY deserved an NHL shot? Not I. 

He did just finish up playing for a team that is basically named Asshat, which is pretty cool. 

 

[SterioDesign]

I think people are upset because he was part of the Hall deal too. If we lose him it basically means the impact from the return on Hall is minimized even more. Especially if Bahl doesnt pan out too

[mfitz804]

9 minutes ago, SterioDesign said:

I think people are upset because he was part of the Hall deal too. If we lose him it basically means the impact from the return on Hall is minimized even more. Especially if Bahl doesnt pan out too

People had silly expectations as to what Hall was worth as a rental. You get either prospects or picks, neither of which necessarily pan out. 

But the alternative was guaranteeing Merkley an NHL roster spot, and I don’t think anything he has done, including being traded for Hall, make him so invaluable that he couldn’t be sent down, and as such, placed on waivers. 

[Nicomo]

I’m not “upset” about putting Merkley on waivers, but I did like what I saw from him in his few games last year. He was also playing well in Liiga. Which is a pretty good league. 

I think he can be a decent bottom 6 NHL player. He was also a 1st round pick, and those guys usually get more chances than guys taken later. Kind of surprised by this. 

[Devil Dan 56]

I like Merkley but if Bastian outplayed him and you think they have equal value, you gotta take the guy who earned it. 

[Nicomo]

4 minutes ago, Devil Dan 56 said:

I like Merkley but if Bastian outplayed him and you think they have equal value, you gotta take the guy who earned it. 

They can certainly use Bastian’s size. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

Merkley was pretty much a throw-in in that deal...Bahl and the first-rounder were the real grabs.  

And yeah, not like prospects and picks are ever guaranteed to work out.  But in the position the Devils were in, might as well get what they could for Hall (and mfitz is right, sometimes you can only get so much for a likely rental). 

[Guadana]

I wasn’t a fan of Merkley. I like his flashes, I don’t like how he play in the rest of the game. I watched some of his game in Finland and he wasn’t dominant there. Liiga isn’t hard place to play. I don’t say he is bad or anything like that but I can’t say this is enough for some NHL role right now. He will probably pick up the pace and get an opportunity to play in NHL as the season progresses I think.