The 2021 Offseason Thread

[jagknife]

Yeah, I know we’re still 20 minutes (at least) away from the season being over, but the look at the free agents Sal and Erika just covered got me thinking of the future.

Sure as hell would love Foligno here and as for goalie, sure give me Drieger for all I care.

[devlman]

Hamilton, Mrazek and Coleman, please.

[mfitz804]

1 minute ago, devlman said:

Hamilton, Mrazek and Coleman, please.

Sure. 

8 minutes ago, jagknife said:

Sure as hell would love Foligno here and as for goalie, sure give me Drieger for all I care.

Yup. 

Add Larsson and those are a good start. 

[RunninWithTheDevil]

Just spend some fvckin money for gods sake

[mfitz804]

1 minute ago, RunninWithTheDevil said:

Just spend some fvckin money for gods sake

Pretty much. Don’t expect to improve the team if you don’t. 

[bobilly45]

We officially begin our off-season 

[mfitz804]

1 minute ago, bobilly45 said:

We officially begin our off-season 

As opposed to when we unofficially began in January or February. 

[jagknife]

Steve and Dano doing extreme damage control for nASS, blaming youth and inexperience... now on to blaming lack of practice...

just call it what it is: a failure of the coaching staff to adjust. They did the exact same sh!t over and over again, and were amazed when it was exploited that it didn’t magically correct itself.

[Aitchmack]

First job of the off season: Tell Nass & Recchi to pack their sh1t and go. 

[jagknife]

1 minute ago, Aitchmack said:

First job of the off season: Tell Nass & Recchi to pack their sh1t and go. 

Recchi I’d give a chance to tell me he’s going to run the exact same PP next year and if he does he’s got himself a pink slip.

nASS must go. Period. Dot. End of story. That link to the failure of DBA must be severed.

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

I agree with everyone else, first point of order on exit interviews has to be the coaching team. We are finishing with record low special teams numbers. Something has to be done. 

I am not totally sold on throwing money at people for the sake of spending especially on forwards. Defense I am happy to do that as long as the player coming in has substantial years of good production left. 

As CR1976 has said a number of times you need to be targeting a guy who is around 28 who should still be useful when Jack and the young guys are hitting their stride. 

[mfitz804]

2 hours ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

I agree with everyone else, first point of order on exit interviews has to be the coaching team. We are finishing with record low special teams numbers. Something has to be done. 

I am not totally sold on throwing money at people for the sake of spending especially on forwards. Defense I am happy to do that as long as the player coming in has substantial years of good production left. 

As CR1976 has said a number of times you need to be targeting a guy who is around 28 who should still be useful when Jack and the young guys are hitting their stride. 

I think history has shown guys are not anxious to come here, so throwing money at them is our best opportunity to land those kind of players. Sorry, but we have the cap space, we should be using some of it to convince guys to come here. 

[Colorado Rockies 1976]

3 hours ago, Chimaira_Devil_#9 said:

I agree with everyone else, first point of order on exit interviews has to be the coaching team. We are finishing with record low special teams numbers. Something has to be done. 

I am not totally sold on throwing money at people for the sake of spending especially on forwards. Defense I am happy to do that as long as the player coming in has substantial years of good production left. 

As CR1976 has said a number of times you need to be targeting a guy who is around 28 who should still be useful when Jack and the young guys are hitting their stride. 

I’m OK with Fitz overpaying for the right kind of player (agree with you in that I’d love to see that happen on a D-man like Larsson and/or Hamilton) and like mfitz said, the Devils absolutely have the cap space to do it...even more so now, because I don’t think Palms or Zajac are coming back.

Depending on who is brought in on D, I’m good with Severson being dealt...maybe there’s more there than we’ve seen, but as mfitz and others have noted, it’s the same ol same ol with him.  I’m not advocating just giving him away, but he’s absolutely expendable.  Maybe some other team can get more out of him, but I don’t see it ever happening here.

And yeah, the special teams were a trainwreck.  It’s been said many times, but nASS needs to go...gotta purge the losers at some point.

[mfitz804]

22 minutes ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said:

Depending on who is brought in on D, I’m good with Severson being dealt...maybe there’s more there than we’ve seen, but as mfitz and others have noted, it’s the same ol same ol with him.  I’m not advocating just giving him away, but he’s absolutely expendable.  Maybe some other team can get more out of him, but I don’t see it ever happening here.

Right. I’m not saying he needs to be exiled, I’m just saying he’s certainly not untouchable. When he’s good he is just ok, when he is bad he is atrocious.  But he’s young, has two years left on a fairly reasonable deal, someone might be willing to take a shot on him. Assuming we cannot fill all of our needs in free agency and trades will be needed, you have to give up something and I would rather it be Severson than any of our young forwards.
 

Although, hot take coming, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Bratt, Kuokkanen, or Zacha is gone by October. I feel like we’re going to try to make a big move, and it’s going to take one of these guys to get it done. 

[mfitz804]

1 minute ago, MB3 said:

sign free agents. anyone who doesn’t say “oh fvck that” when his agent says the Devils are calling, offer him $1m more than the highest bidder. $2m more if we really want him. I don’t fvcking care, bring me free agents. 

also, here’s a weird one: unless i’m misremembering something, Pavel Zacha and Damon Severson are the only two players who were here with Larsson. Is that right? Sounds insane.

Also sounds like Larsson is close to signing a 4-year extension in Edmonton. So, poop.

That means we have to offer Hamilton $9m. 

[mfitz804]

24 minutes ago, MB3 said:

Cool. Make it $10. Who gives a sh!t? They don’t hang banners for “most cap space 15 years in a row!!!!!!!!!!!”

Not I, like I said, I would overpay 3 guys willing to come here without question. 

[Guadana]

First of all - save Bastian. Gave 2nd or even 1st Isl pick and 50% of Butcher. We don’t need to wait another four years for questionable player. Bastian is a solid fourth liner, he is very good in defense and very useful in pk, and he is a only player who can protect and answer. He is a buddy and has a chemistry with McLeod. We need in him.

2) trade Johnsson. He played with every center and didn’t match with anyone. Even Zajac can’t help.

3) Devils should re-sign LD Murray, or sign LD Kulikov.

4) should sign RD Larsson/Montour. Would be great to sign Hamilton, but I don’t think he will say yes. We are ugly for him, can’t cook well.

5) Goodbye, Nas.

6) Sign Coleman/Granlund or trade for Killorn. We need in solid LW vet. 

7) Would be great to find RW vet for middle-6 role on a short deal to play him in the third line with another LW vet and young center. And rotate him with Kuokkanen sometimes, if Janne has a slump.

8 sign competent backup for 30+ games.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Guadana

[DevsMan84]

Call me pessimistic, but I don't think help is coming from UFA this season (or at least enough to really matter).  I don't think a guy like Hamilton would want to come to NJ no matter how much money we throw at him.  I really don't want Zajac and Palmieri anywhere near this team and I am very apathetic at the idea of signing a guy like Larsson or Coleman for their second tour (plus they probably don't move the needle much anyways).

That means help will most likely have to come from a trade.  I have said it several times before over the past few weeks, but I would like for the Devils to really swing for the fences and take a big risk in making a trade.  No more trading for other team's most expendable guys for picks and spare parts.  I wouldn't mind an Eichel or Laine (given it is a sign and trade) and have no problems trading anyone not named Hughes and Smith to get it done.

[DevsMan84]

3 minutes ago, Guadana said:

First of all - save Bastian. Gave 2nd or even 1st Isl pick and 50% of Butcher. We don’t need to wait another four years for questionable player. Bastian is a solid fourth liner, he is very good in defense and very useful in pk, and he is a only player who can protect and answer. He is a buddy and has a chemistry with McLeod. We need in him.

2) trade Johnsson. He played with every center and didn’t match with anyone. Even Zajac can’t help.

3) Devils should re-sign LD Murray, or sign LD Kulikov.

4) should sign RD Larsson/Montour. Would be great to sign Hamilton, but I don’t think he will say yes. We are ugly for him, can’t cook well.

5) Goodbye, Nas.

6) Sign Coleman/Granlund or trade for Killorn. We need in solid LW vet. 

7) Would be great to find RW vet for middle-6 role on a short deal to play him in the third line with another LW vet and young center. And rotate him with Kuokkanen sometimes, if Janne has a slump.

Parts 1-6 sounds like a nice plan for a 6th place finish in the division finish.

Edited May 11, 2021 by DevsMan84

[Chuck the Duck]

5 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Call me pessimistic, but I don't think help is coming from UFA this season (or at least enough to really matter).  I don't think a guy like Hamilton would want to come to NJ no matter how much money we throw at him.  I really don't want Zajac and Palmieri anywhere near this team and I am very apathetic at the idea of signing a guy like Larsson or Coleman for their second tour (plus they probably don't move the needle much anyways).

That means help will most likely have to come from a trade.  I have said it several times before over the past few weeks, but I would like for the Devils to really swing for the fences and take a big risk in making a trade.  No more trading for other team's most expendable guys for picks and spare parts.  I wouldn't mind an Eichel or Laine (given it is a sign and trade) and have no problems trading anyone not named Hughes and Smith to get it done.

I think Eichel has 4 years left at $10 million/season, so no need or ability to extend him.  Not sure what it would take to get Eichel, but I think it starts with Nico and one of our firsts this year.  I don't think we have the depth or assets to reasonably pull this trade off.  I think he ends up with the Rangers and, hopefully, it costs them a ton.

Laine makes the most sense to me.  He's a pure shooter, can finish the feeds he would get from Hughes, and would be a PP monster.  He has serious defensive issues, but hopefully Tortorella is never named coach here so maybe another coach can find a happy medium with him somewhere in the D end.  Not sure what it would take to get him in a trade, but it won't be anywhere the same as the cost of Eichel.

[Guadana]

11 minutes ago, DevsMan84 said:

Parts 1-6 sounds like a nice plan for a 6th place finish in the division finish.

It’s a real expectation for next season. 4-5th place is success for next year.

[DevsMan84]

11 minutes ago, Chuck the Duck said:

I think Eichel has 4 years left at $10 million/season, so no need or ability to extend him.  Not sure what it would take to get Eichel, but I think it starts with Nico and one of our firsts this year.  I don't think we have the depth or assets to reasonably pull this trade off.  I think he ends up with the Rangers and, hopefully, it costs them a ton.

Laine makes the most sense to me.  He's a pure shooter, can finish the feeds he would get from Hughes, and would be a PP monster.  He has serious defensive issues, but hopefully Tortorella is never named coach here so maybe another coach can find a happy medium with him somewhere in the D end.  Not sure what it would take to get him in a trade, but it won't be anywhere the same as the cost of Eichel.

I think either or it will take at least Hischier, and I can live with that.  We desperately need guys who can finish and I don't want to say no to one of a couple of the best finishers out there simply because they lack a Zajac-esque quality to their game.

Edited May 11, 2021 by DevsMan84

[Jerrydevil]

1 hour ago, DevsMan84 said:

I think either or it will take at least Hischier, and I can live with that.  We desperately need guys who can finish and I don't want to say no to one of a couple of the best finishers out there simply because they lack a Zajac-esque quality to their game.

I know he's only been the captain for like 5 minutes, but I'd be against trading Hischier, and if that means we don't have what it takes to land the biggest fish, then so be it. It's hard to picture a Nico trade happening. It seems so destructive.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Jerrydevil

[Aitchmack]

1 hour ago, Chuck the Duck said:

I think Eichel has 4 years left at $10 million/season, so no need or ability to extend him.  Not sure what it would take to get Eichel, but I think it starts with Nico and one of our firsts this year.  I don't think we have the depth or assets to reasonably pull this trade off.  I think he ends up with the Rangers and, hopefully, it costs them a ton.

Laine makes the most sense to me.  He's a pure shooter, can finish the feeds he would get from Hughes, and would be a PP monster.  He has serious defensive issues, but hopefully Tortorella is never named coach here so maybe another coach can find a happy medium with him somewhere in the D end.  Not sure what it would take to get him in a trade, but it won't be anywhere the same as the cost of Eichel.

If Torts was still Columbus coach I'd think we might stand a chance to get Laine but Jarmo has already said that he wants to sign Laine, so I don't think that'll happen for us.

[sundstrom]

make hamilton say no.

i'd trade for kessel if the price is low enough.

i'd consider RNH for 3C if the money works correctly.

look to minny to check price on dumba.