Battle Of Hudson covers the Rangers and Devils, who's intense rivalry heated up in the 90's. With fresh faces added, they battle for supremacy in NYC and NJ..
Jesper Fast is mobbed by excited teammates at the Ranger bench following his goal. AP Photo by Bill Kostroun/Getty Images
Earlier today, the Rangers and restricted free agent Jesper Fast reached agreement on a new contract. It was a Fast resolution with the 25-year old checking right wing and the club agreeing to a new three-year deal worth an average of $1.85 million per season.
The Rangers made the announcement along with the terms on Twitter. A rarity for an air tight organization which usually doesn’t give us those details.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Jesper Fast on a three-year contract with an AAV of $1.85 million. https://t.co/Prgan6bBCH
It’s a fair deal for a hard working player who never takes a shift off. In three-plus seasons, Fast has tallied 22 goals and 43 assists totaling 65 points in 216 games. The former 2010 sixth round pick is a versatile speedy complementary wing who coach Alain Vigneault trusts.
A smart two-way forward who is dependable on the penalty kill and at even strength, the affable Swede is best suited on the fourth line. He formed solid chemistry with ex-teammate and countryman Oscar Lindberg. They teamed with Michael Grabner during portions of ’16-17 when Grabner wasn’t elevated to the third line.
After posting career highs in goals (10), assists (20), points (30) and games played (79) in ’15-16, Fast got into 68 games registering six goals and 15 helpers for 21 points. One thing about him, he’s been a good postseason performer stepping up when it counts. During the 2015 NHL Playoffs, Fast registered three goals and three assists in a trip to the Conference Finals. He did even better this past Spring going 3-3-6 in 12 games before the team fell to the Senators in the second round.
With the Blueshirts rebuilding on the fly by trading Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to the Coyotes for seventh overall selection Lias Andersson and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo, they’re going to have a different look for the ’17-18 season. Pavel Buchnevich will have a defined top nine role along with second-year forward Jimmy Vesey.
Mika Zibanejad remains unsigned. He’s the key Group II who is due a raise. With defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk essentially replacing Stepan’s cap hit ($6.65 million AAV) to improve the blueline, the club still has questions surrounding their center situation. With Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes and Desharnais, they could shift J.T. Miller to the pivot anchoring the third line. He’s been more effective on the wing.
The other possibility is swinging a trade. But it seems unlikely. Especially with Colorado GM Joe Sakic not coming down from his outrageous demands for potential 2019 unrestricted free agent Matt Duchene. Unless Rangers GM Jeff Gorton wants to part with more of his core featuring Miller or Chris Kreider, it doesn’t look realistic.
If the club gives Zibanejad a longer term in the neighborhood of five years for say $5 million AAV, they’ll have little wiggle room to add anyone else. In the past, they’ve bridged players to save cap space. If they go that way, maybe they can add another player on a tryout or perhaps look into what’s left. I will continue to advocate Jaromir Jagr, who drives possession and hasn’t lost his passion. In a secondary scoring role playing alongside Buchnevich, he could work.
For now, we’ll have to patiently wait before Zibanejad signs. Gorton hinted that it could be in the latter part of the summer. These things take time. Give it two to three weeks. I’m sure it’ll be done.
In related news, Fast’s former linemate Lindberg signed a two-year contract worth $3.4 million with Las Vegas. Similar term. Hope it works out well for him with the Golden Knights.
David Desharnais signed with the Rangers for one year to fill a fourth line role. More on the Rangers. Plus Ilya Kovalchuk. AP Photo via Getty Images
On the 4th of July, the Rangers filled one spot by signing David Desharnais for one year, $1 million. It’s a low risk move in hopes that the undersized, speedy veteran center can play fourth line.
There once was a time when Desharnais topped 50 points in Montreal. But those days are long gone. He’s 30 going on 31 and coming off a bad season in which the Habs traded him to the Oilers where he wasn’t much better. In 49 combined games, he totaled 14 points (6-8-14) while adding a goal and three helpers in the postseason for Edmonton.
He’s not old by any stretch. But has been trending in the wrong direction. Maybe playing for Alain Vigneault in a up tempo system emphasizing speed will help rejuvenate him. Amazingly, he’s now replaced Mats Zuccarello as the smallest player on the Rangers. He’s listed at 5-7, 174. Zuccarello is 5-7, 179. But of course is a top six forward who has led the team in scoring two years running.
As long as they don’t misuse Desharnais by trying him in a top nine role, he should be fine. I’m not sure how good a replacement he’ll be for the younger and bigger Oscar Lindberg, who was good on face-offs. In limited duty with the Oilers, Desharnais won 54.3 percent (94-and-79). He’s 50.5 percent for his career.
Desharnais has scored 64 of his 81 career goals at even strength. Of his 173 assists, 121 have come at even strength. The rest of the production is power play (17-52-69). His shooting percentage is 14.9. Not bad considering he’s never taken 100 shots in a single season. Hopefully, he doesn’t frustrate our fans. He can go to the net. The issue is consistency.
My reaction is blah. It’s not like Desharnais isn’t capable. He’s another small player. For one year, it’s okay. Maybe he’ll fit in. But unless GM Jeff Gorton adds another forward (cough Jagr) for the third line, the projected fourth line doesn’t excite me.
Projected NYR Lines
Kreider-Zibanejad-Zuccarello
Vesey-Hayes-Nash
Grabner-Miller-Buchnevich
Puempel-Desharnais-Fast
You can always flip the wingers for Zibanejad and Hayes. I would much prefer to have Grabner on the fourth line balancing it out. Puempel isn’t a full-time starter. Maybe a kid like Cristoval Nieves impresses enough to stick. Heck. Even Nicklas Jensen should have a shot.
I am sure we’ll get to see first round picks Lias Andersson and Filip Chytil take part in preseason. But unless one really stands out, they’re probably both going back to Europe.
On the Jagr suggestion, why not? He’s 45 but still can play and drive possession. Would he take a discount to return to Broadway and help develop Buchnevich on a third line centered by Miller? That would be a much better look and slide Grabner down.
I know it’s a long shot. But you have to love Jagr trying to get GM’s attention on July 1.
I would’ve taken a flyer on Nail Yakupov, who instead signed with the confusing Avalanche for $875,000. Still only 23, the former first overall pick is looking to rebuild his career. Good luck in Colorado. You’re gonna need it.
In related news, Mikhail Grigorenko left for the KHL agreeing to a three-year contract with CSKA Moscow. He was also in the same draft as Yakupov. Not good. One successful pick Alex Galchenyuk still is waiting to re-sign with the Canadiens. Big money awaits.
Speaking of which, Evgeny Kuznetsov got a gigantic eight-year, $62.4 million contract from the cash strapped Caps who then turned around and gave away Marcus Johansson to the Devils for second and third round picks. A steal of a deal for Devils GM Ray Shero, who might be setting up for another trade with a glut at center. Something Hasan noted. They can use a defenseman. I predict either Adam Henrique or Travis Zajac will get moved. Henrique would be easier due to his age (27) and cheaper cap hit which is $4 million for the next two years before he hits the market.
It makes sense with Pavel Zacha entering Year 2 and number one overall pick Nico Hischier debuting. Zajac is signed longer and they just added Brian Boyle. If they keep Henrique, he can shift to the left side.
As for the Islanders, still nothing doing. They made the one upgrade trading Ryan Strome to Edmonton for Jordan Eberle. That’s been it. They got bad news on top goalie prospect Ilya Sorokin, who re-signed with CSKA Moskva for three more years. The 21-year old has dominated in the KHL. He was taken the same 2014 NHL Draft as Rangers’ goalie prospect Igor Shestyerkin. Looks like the Isles better hope fourth rounder Linus Soderstrom works out. The 20-year old has put up great numbers in Sweden.
Ilya Kovalchuk made his decision to stay in the KHL for another year with St. Petersburg SKA. No surprise. Though he might’ve been influenced by Vladimir Putin to stay and try to win a gold medal at the 2018 South Korea Winter Games. That’s important to Russia. With the NHL not participating, the Russians could be the heavy favorite like the old days. More on Kovalchuk:
Devils want quite a compensation for Kovalchuk, teams aren't ready to pay such a price. So it's better to stay for 1 year to have UFA rights
If that’s true, it’s not a surprise. The Devils weren’t going to give Kovalchuk away. Especially inside the Metro Division to a bitter rival (Rangers) or the Blue Jackets. The bottom line is Kovalchuk would rather wait until he’s unrestricted next summer and can choose his team.
If you’re a Devils fan, there are probably a few expletives mixed in with your barbecue and drink. It is what it is. He was never returning to play for them. Especially in a rebuild.
I’ll imagine Hasan will have more to say on this situation. Wishing all a Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸⭐️✨💥
Well I gotta hand it to Devils GM Ray Shero, he turned a day one UFA hangover into a day two post-hangover party in one fell swoop, trading 2018 2nd and 3rd round picks to the Capitals for talented C/W Marcus Johansson. Washington had sudden cap issues after spending like drunken sailors to retain T.J. Oshie, Dmitry Orlov and Evgeni Kuznetsov on big-money long-term deals and this trade seemingly developed rather quickly because of their recent signings. Shero’s continued a rather impressive streak of having a OMGZ we got THAT forward?! trade three straight offseasons now, after his Kyle Palmieri deal two offseasons ago and trading Adam Larsson for Taylor Hall last offseason.
Even more surprisingly, the Caps dealt a young, talented forward in-division. Not that we’re going to be a threat to them anytime soon but if we lock up Johansson before he becomes a free agent in 2019, they’ll have to see him in our uniform for a long time. Ironically both picks we traded, we obtained for virtually nothing – the 2nd rounder we traded was the Panthers’, which we got for taking back the dead cap hit of Marc Savard, while the 3rd rounder we traded was from the Leafs as compensation for hiring Lou Lamoriello.
Johansson is a C/LW, though he’s played RW sparingly in the past his addition could also mean a subtraction down the road to finally address the defense, given the amount of options we have at C/LW for next year. If they’re all on the team, Johansson, Hall, Adam Henrique, Pavel Zacha, Nico Hischier and Travis Zajac would seem to be our top three line C/LW’ers, with room to bump one of the wingers over to the right side (Shero had alluded to that being a possibility when he met with the media earlier this afternoon), particularly if a Michael McLeod or John Quenneville win a spot in camp.
I’ll take my helping of crow now, glad I was wrong and Shero managed to make something tangible happen. That said, there’s still definitely work to be done, hopefully our sudden forward depth at the NHL and prospect level will be able to facilitate a trade to upgrade the D.
Hometown Shatt: In the end, it wasn’t about term or dollars. But about coming home for Kevin Shattenkirk who signed with the Rangers for four years to play for the team he grew up rooting for. AP Photo via Getty Images
Day One has come and gone. On a wild Canada Day, there was plenty of activity on the first day of NHL free agency. July 1 was as busy as expected. Even if this year’s class isn’t loaded with stars, it hasn’t stopped NHL GM’s from spending money.
The biggest fish Kevin Shattenkirk surprised many prognosticators by choosing the Rangers to a shorter term due to wanting to come home. He left a lot of money on the table. The Sabres and Coyotes were after him and bid more. That also included the Devils, who actually were asked for a shorter term. Something GM Ray Shero noted. But the 28-year old New Rochelle, New York native decided he couldn’t pass up the oppportunity to play for the team he grew up rooting for.
Initially, NHL Network’s Kevin Weekes broke the story in a tweet. He had Shattenkirk signing with the Rangers for a higher term over four years.
Unofficially,what I'm told is Shattenkirk signing with @NYRangers 4yrs 6.9 Million per year. @NHL@NHLNetwork .
The confusing thing is nobody on TSN’s panel seemed to know it was happening. The Rangers were considered out of the loop due to re-signing Brendan Smith. It was no secret that GM Jeff Gorton wasn’t going to be able to offer as many years for the good skating offensive right defenseman. That made them long shots to get him. Even Larry Brooks didn’t see it happening.
What it ultimately came down to is a player going out of his way to make a childhood dream come true. All the credit goes to Shattenkirk, who was willing to forego more years so he could be a Ranger. This interview with Sportsnet is great stuff. Listening to Shattenkirk explain his decision and then citing some of his Rangers heroes growing up brings a smile to my face.
If a player will sacrifice a longer term with more cash on the table, it tells you all you need to know. He’s sincere. Hopefully, it will work out the way the pro Shattenkirk crowd envision. He admitted that Ryan McDonagh was part of why he wanted to come. So, the Rangers will have the top pair everyone wanted.
With Smith also back in the fold and Brady Skjei entering his second year, there’s no doubt the blueline will be improved. There are still questions surrounding Marc Staal and Nick Holden along with newcomer Anthony DeAngelo. How will Alain Vigneault play it? What about Gorton? Is he done wheeling and dealing? Hard to say. We know they are going to look at prospects Ryan Graves, Alexei Bereglazov and Neal Pionk.
The other move was signing former Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec. He went from being a starter who helped the team reach the playoffs in ’14-15 to a struggling backup who twice was brought back from the AHL. It remains to be seen if goalie coach Benoit Allaire can fix the soon to be 30-year old Czech. He has a great track record prolonging Steve Valiquette’s career and then turning Cam Talbot into a good starter for Edmonton. Antti Raanta will graduate to a starter role for the Coyotes after two excellent seasons backing up Henrik Lundqvist.
The bigger question for Gorton is what are his plans to address the lack of center depth. With just about every big name signing and the current roster left with key restricted Mika Zibanejad and the undermining Kevin Hayes, whose playoff track record is discouraging, what are the Rangers gonna do? They can always try J.T. Miller at center. But they are thin. Unless Cristoval Nieves can make the roster and fill the fourth line slot, there will continue to be questions about the team’s center depth.
While the Rangers will continue to search for a center bargain, the Devils went to a familiar face to fill a checking pivot by signing Brian Boyle to a two-year contract worth an average of $2.55 million. The 32-year old vet spent a majority of the past three seasons in Tampa helping the Lightning reach a Stanley Cup Final and another Conference Final. In Year 3, he was traded to the Leafs where he played a role helping Toronto make the postseason where they pushed the heavily favorite Caps seven games in the first round.
Brian Boyle celebrates his first goal with Brad Richards. AP Photo/Kathy Willens
Now, the dependable Boyle will be looked to as a leader by the Devils in a rebuilding year. They remain very young with top pick Nico Hischier expected to join the team and have a impact. The Devils also will look for more from Pavel Zacha, John Quenneville, Miles Wood and Joseph Blandisi. They still boast vets Kyle Palmieri, Taylor Hall, Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac along with captain Andy Greene and Cory Schneider.
So, it’ll be a mix of youth and experience for the Devils who will be hard pressed to compete in a tough Metro Division. They should improve but how much is the question.
After failing to add Shattenkirk, the Sabres were able to sign Benoit Pouliot and ex-Devil Jacob Josefson. Pouliot is a perfect third liner who is a bit streaky. He is capable of contributing double digit goals and between 30-40 points. But it largely depends on what his role is. He was most successful in New York playing with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello on a good Rangers third line that forechecked and contributed big goals during their run in the 2014 playoffs. Without them, they don’t get past the Pens in the second round.
It’s really about can the 30-year old Pouliot bounce back from a down year in Edmonton where he went 8-6-14 in 67 contests with no points in the playoffs. He was good the first two years but fell off and was bought out. On a cheap one-year deal making just $1.15 million, it’s a low risk/reward move that could benefit the Sabres. Pouliot has something to prove.
As for Josefson, the former Devils first round pick has never proven he can be a NHL regular. The center possesses decent speed but has never scored more than six goals in any season. The 26-year old Swede took the league minimum on a one-year deal. Who knows if he’s even in their plans. It’s just a depth signing.
In a decent move, they brought back Chad Johnson to backup restricted free agent Robin Lehner. Lehner remains a question in net due to injuries. If he stayed healthy, he could probably be a above average starter. He posted a .920 save percentage and a 2.68 GAA with a career high 23 wins and career best 59 games. He’ll turn 26 later this month. So, it’s make or break for him after the Sabres parted with a first round pick to Ottawa that became top prospect Colin White.
Johnson will earn $2.5 million. The 31-year old won 22 games with a 2.36 GAA and .920 save percentage two years ago with Buffalo. He won 18 with Calgary this past year. Maybe he’ll split time with Lehner.
As for some of the other notables, Joe Thornton re-signed with San Jose, who also extended Martin Jones after ’17-18 to a manageable $5.75 million cap hit. They also for some reason overpaid Marc-Edouard Vlasic going eight years, $56 million following ’17-18. Patrick Marleau remains out there and has interest from the Kings and Rangers.
The Ducks wisely extended Cam Fowler for eight years at a AAV of $6.5 million starting in ’18-19. They also signed veteran Ryan Miller as the new backup replacing Jonathan Bernier, who went to Colorado. As expected, the Flyers signed Brian Elliott and the Jets signed Steve Mason.
Nick Bonino traded in his Pens gear for the Preds agreeing on a four-year contract that’ll pay him an average of $4.1 million thru 2021. So, he changes sides. We’ll see how it goes for him. Mike Fisher might retire. The Preds had a need for a smart two-way center who can contribute offensively.
In a puzzling move, the Leafs signed Ron Hainsey for two years and $6 million. Meanwhile, Matt Hunwick left for Pittsburgh. Former Stars goalie Antti Niemi also signed with the Pens to backup Matt Murray.
The Canucks added Sam Gagner and Michael Del Zotto while landing Anders Nilsson. Vancouver has become a place where NHL careers die. We’ll see if they improve.
Formed Cap Karl Alzner signed with Montreal long-term for an AAV of $4.625 million thru 2022. The bigger news happened today with the Canadiens antying up to keep Carey Price probably for the rest of his career. He got the Lundqvist treatment agreeing to a mammoth eight-year, $84 million extension that won’t start until ’18-19 when he’s 31. He’ll go from earning $7 million to making $10.5 million, becoming the NHL’s highest paid goalie. Lundqvist gets $8.5 million AAV for another four years.
The Habs still are trying to re-sign Alex Radulov who is being pursued by Dallas. I think he’ll leave. Montreal can then turn their attention to Alex Galchenyuk.
Reunited: Dan Girardi and Ryan Callahan will play together again in Tampa. Getty Images
Dan Girardi made it official agreeing to a two-year deal worth $6 million with Tampa. So, he’ll be reunited with Ryan Callahan and Anton Stralman. I wish him the best of luck. Hopefully, he proves he can still do it silencing the tools who couldn’t wait to get rid of him. They must’ve not watched the playoffs.
Justin Williams returned to Carolina accepting a two-year deal worth an average of $4.5 million per season. So, the proven winner goes back to where he won his first Cup on a young up and coming team who might compete for the wildcard. His leadership and intangibles should help.
That’s it for now. I know I didn’t cover everything. But got most of it for this scorching holiday weekend. Happy Canada Day 🇨🇦 to those who celebrate. Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. The 4th of July fireworks 💥 are two days away. Have fun. Be careful. 🇺🇸
Yesterday was a microcosm of the Devils’ entire offseason – which as a whole got off to a great start with winning the draft lottery, but has been a total dud after that. Ironically, we kicked off the July 1 ‘frenzy’ just after noon with the first official signing – and a good one at that – inking character fourth-liner Brian Boyle to a two-year contract. I mean how can you not like a guy who instantly comes in with a chip on his shoulder against one of his former teams?
Boyle remembers being booed by MSG crowd both as Ranger and as opponent: Now a Devil: "I don't mind pissing off that crowd."
And I’d love to sit here and praise that move for a few paragraphs, which maybe in another year I would have. No issue at all with adding Boyle for $2.5 million as a fourth-line-ish player who’ll provide some leadership that was lacking last season. However, that was the only move we did the entire day unless you count the three AHL’ers hopefully ticketed for Binghamton we signed late, like ex-Islander Brian Strait. Predictably the only big-ticket FA who we were in on (Kevin Shattenkirk) found his way to the bright lights of Manhattan, just like so many other big-name FA’s before and after will. How only the Rangers seem to get a hometown discount from big-name FA’s is beyond me.
I guess July 1 is always destined to be a debbie downer for Devil fans. Whether it’s the guys we lose or the guys we don’t have a chance to get or the yearly Ilya Kovalchuk drama, it used to be a running meme how everyone else wins July 1 while we won after that during the Lou Lamoriello era. But now that we’re in the wilderness with no way out in the immediate future it isn’t that funny. Especially considering that July 1 is just the topper on a lot of letdowns this offseason. We were supposed to be making big moves during the expansion draft with our cap space and protected slots available but instead George McPhee hijacked the proceedings more than most anticipated with side deals (plus using their empty cap to take on most of the league’s bad contracts) and shutting out other teams by making clubs they dealt with promise not to undercut Vegas by working out their own trades before the roster freeze. Having eleven picks was supposed to facilitate draft-day moves, and even GM Ray Shero admitted he didn’t want to keep all eleven picks. While technically we didn’t keep all eleven, we did make eleven selections, and the only immediate help we got from our draft picks (not counting Nico Hischier, who’s likely to play with the team this year) is project defenseman Mirco Mueller.
As much as I want to rant and will rant about the team’s current state, I’m not here to blame Shero – at least not for yesterday. Not much you can do when the Russian Hamlet wants to hold things up on that end yet again – I’ll get to that later too – and the only big FA that made sense for the team only had eyes for your biggest rival. Clearly there’ve been mitigating circumstances as to why the Devils have only managed to make the small additions of Boyle and Mueller to this point in an offseason that was supposed to be filled with big moves. If I have any frustration with Shero it’s in the apparent lack of urgency the organization’s had to fix our defensive woes, and not just at the NHL level. We’ve used just seven picks on defensemen out of twenty-eight selections in three Shero drafts and four of the ones we did pick were seventh-round lottery ticket selections. The same criticism I had of Lou the other way in not using enough high picks for forwards seems to be happening with Shero and defensemen. Granted we did need to infuse the forward pipeline dramatically when Shero got here, but with it being even harder to acquire defensemen on the open market you would figure at some point we’d start drafting more guys there. Reilly Walsh was the highest defenseman we’d drafted in three years and he was a late third-rounder this year – probably destined to spend at least three years in Harvard.
Of course to be fair you could count Mueller as a ‘draft pick’ too – a second-rounder at that – but at some point we can’t keep shopping at Woolworth’s for defensive upgrades, especially if we’re not going to stock the pipeline from within. Our bargain basement shopping really hasn’t worked out other than David Schlemko, who we kept through the deadline two years ago and chose not to retain (or trade back for when Montreal gave up a low-level draft pick to acquire him from Vegas after the expansion draft). Ben Lovejoy was supposed to be a decent hold the fort guy but the fort was overrun during his first year of a three-year deal. There was also Yohann Auvitu – remember him? Last year’s preseason sensation from France started with the big club but by the end of 2017 was a healthy scratch in the AHL and now out of the organization. John Moore? Sure he can start on a bad team and he had a nice season last year in terms of goalscoring but you don’t want him in the top four on any kind of contender. Of course we don’t have to worry about things like being a contender for the forseeable future in a division on steroids where everyone else just keeps seeming to load up or reload in a scary arms race, while we continue to ‘trust the process’….oops, that’s a Sixers meme.
I’m not getting into a conspiracy theory on the owners either – assuming the media guys were fed the truth about us being in on Shattenkirk, although there isn’t exactly much to disprove the Devils-Sixers comparisons at this point considering both franchises have been stuck in years of endless rebuilding with cap floor teams. While the Sixer rebuiding was a straight blowup job, our rebuilding seems to be a bit more haphazard since we actually did trade for Taylor Hall last year and still have a fair amount of vets around – who have to be sick of watching everyone else in the division improve while we try to build an almost entirely home-grown team, where our own GM admitted he came into this situation with the mindset of it being an expansion team in terms of rebuilding. My own frustration with this process is in part due to having guys like Hall, Cory Schneider, etc whose prime years you’re wasting and who you might have to make a decision about trading or not by the time this team’s ready to actually compete again – which could again set the process back. It’s like someone put it last night, it seems we’re bleeding out faster than we’re fixing the wound.
It’s obviously not fair to entirely blame current ownership, or blame Shero for inheriting an absolute mess devoid of talent two years ago. There’s only so long you can play the blame Lou, Vanderbeek, Kovalchuk meme before at some point you yourself have to be accountable for continued lack of success though. Sure, they can’t be blamed for the organization being out of the playoffs for five straight seasons since the end of the lockout – only the first two are on their watch – but by the same token you can’t be blind to the damage being out of the race by March almost every year is doing to the fanbase when you have the Rangers being successful and even the Islanders being a perennial playoff contender year in and year out the last few years, this dark period is doing a lot of damage to a fanbase that was only starting to get a foothold in an area with multiple teams that local fans root for, even including the Flyers who are also a perennial playoff team year-in and year-out.
I do appreciate GM’s that at least try to compete while rebuilding at the same time, and don’t just go with the complete nuclear bomb approach. As a Met fan I’m envious about the Yankees having Brian Cashman, who’s perfected the art of being competitive while rebuilding at the same time. Although I do like Cashman anyway cause he’s a true Devils fan hah. Lou obviously tried to do that as well and I won’t ever fault him for that but eventually win-now just became a caricature and not an actual state of being. At a season ticket event a few days back, franchise legend Patrik Elias actually admitted he wished Lou had started the process we were on now 8-9 years ago. When even a player – admittedly one of the smartest, most cerebral ones who’s ever played – can see the writing on the wall, it clearly got to a point where Lou jumped the shark. Perhaps the same thing is happening now in Detroit with Ken Holland. Sure, we were due a downturn after two decades of success, but it’s a downturn exacerbated by bad drafting in the previous administration and nobody wanting to stay here including the double-barreled departures of Kovalchuk and Zach Parise months apart that the franchise still hasn’t recovered from.
Speaking of Kovalchuk though, it’s just time to be done with him. Let him go back to Russia or get whatever pittance you can get for him from the handful of teams he’s supposedly interested in. If he only wants to go to the Rangers too, then let him go scratch in the KHL for a year and only get a one-year contract next offseason from them or wherever else he wants to go. This constant drama year after year is beyond old. I predicted weeks ago that this was going to extend past July 1, nothing’s ever easy or simple with this player (plus I didn’t think the interest in him would be as great as some people did). Despite two months talking to other teams and negotiating with the KHL now we’re even in a longer holding pattern till tomorrow at the very least, which probably extends into next week and beyond with our luck. Clearly he and his agent are sitting back, hoping teams once they lose out on top FA targets will be more desperate and also hoping the KHL gets more desperate to up its offer once the window opened for him to re-sign in the NHL. It’s always about maximizing money with this player no matter where he gets it, he’s the ultimate merc and just like 2010 and 2013, teams in two leagues are once again in a holding pattern with this clown.
I fully admit some of this post could look silly or premature if the Devils do manage to pull a big trade out of the sky somehow in the two months remaining this offseason. I just have that little faith we’ll actually be able to do it at this point, there always seems to be some excuse why we can’t do something rather than actually being able to find a way to improve the team. I’m not asking to be a Cup contender or anything stupid like that next year, but can you at least find a way to give fans hope for improvement, to at least be relevant in March and make the season somewhat interesting aside from pumping up Hischier, second-year man Pavel Zacha and other kids? Who’ll probably be undermined by a horrid defense anyway.
(caption: NJ.com – a goal by now ex-Devil Mike Cammalleri in 2015, an occurence too infrequent in his three seasons as a Devil)
When Devils GM Ray Shero made critical comments about the team’s heart and desire after the 2016-17 season it was obvious changes were going to be made, especially armed with the most cap space of any team in the league. Today’s buyouts of forwards Mike Cammalleri and Devante Smith-Pelly added even more cushion to that cap space, and represented two of the culture changes that Shero strongly hinted at. In the case of Cammalleri a buyout was only a mild surprise after a dissapointing 2016-17 (10 goals and 31 points in 61 GP) given he had two years left on his contract at big money, though with a cap hit that expired after next season. With the buyout the Devils absorb a much smaller cap hit, but for a longer term ($1.67 million per season for four seasons). Although it would have been nice to work out a trade for Cammalleri, apparently there was no deal to be had.
Devils were trying to trade Mike Cammalleri since at least a year. Now they are buying him out. #tvasports
Smith-Pelly’s 2016-17 was also a dissapointment (nine points and a -19 in 53 GP), but he was only signed for one year so his salary and cap hit were negligible, it was just a matter of he – like Cammalleri – didn’t fit into the future plans of the team.
With both buyouts coming on the eve of free agency, speculation’s swirling what this means in regards to the Devils’ plans for tomorrow and the rest of the offseason. Personally I don’t think these buyouts had anything to do with whatever additions Shero makes this offseason given the amount of cap space that already existed, it was more about making a statement and clearing a couple more spots for a myriad of younger players (led by #1 overall Nico Hischier and other potential rookie additions like recent first-rounders John Quenneville and Michael McLeod).
According to CapFriendly, the Devils have nearly $28 million of cap space, with Ryane Clowe’s IR contract providing another $4.8 million cushion on top of that. However, not counting Clowe the Devils only have five forwards under contract. Even if you figure RFA’s Miles Wood and Stefan Noesen and UFA Beau Bennett all get re-signed, along with adding in Hischier’s ELC that still leaves 4-5 open spots at forward for guys like McLeod, Quennevillle, recent third-rounder Blake Speers and other TBD additions to fight for spots on the 2017-18 roster.
If the Devils take a chunk out of their cap space tomorrow, I’m not expecting it to come in a forward addition although the Alex Galchenyuk rumors are intriguing and you never know if Shero decides to bring another Jersey boy home in James Van Riemsdyk, just to name a couple of possible trade targets. As far as free agency goes, I’m not expecting any big splash there. Especially with the insane demands of Alex Radulov, who would fit into the top six at RW but I wouldn’t want to be the team to give him the six-year deal he wants. To me Radulov screams Alex Semin in terms of a post-big money risk. Perhaps they add a bottom six player or two to complement the young guns and make an acquisition to bolster their horrible offense via trade.
In goal the Devils are seemingly set for the next couple years at least after re-upping with backup Keith Kinkaid on a two-year deal at $1.25 million per season. With starter Cory Schneider signed for five years at $6 million per, potential goalie of the future Mackenzie Blackwood can continue to develop in Bridgeport after a promising first pro season at age 20, leading the then-Albany Devils to the AHL playoffs.
For most Devil fans, they’re hoping for big changes to a horrid D core still lacking in top-end talent. Does that mean Kevin Shattenkirk will make his way home and be a Devil by tomorrow evening at this time? Shattenkirk certainly has the offensive capability to make a difference on the blueline and I like that he apparently wants the responsibility of being a top-pairing defenseman, though there are certainly questions over how well he’ll handle it and whether he’ll get overpaid – he did turn down a 7 year, $42 million offer from Tampa Bay at the trading deadline. Not that Shatty’s salary is of any immediate concern but in a cap world, Shero has to be mindful of the impact any long-term signing can have on the cap in future seasons. While Shatty being a LD would be more ideal than being a RD, he’d still help the blueline and let’s face it – sooner or later the Devils are going to have to use their cap space for something more than an empty promise to a better tomorrow.
I’m not as big on other possible UFA targets like plodder Karl Alzner, for people suspect on Shattenkirk, Alzner is REALLY a bad contract waiting to happen. Perhaps Shero also works out another trade to upgrade the blueline, although each addition is probably going to lead to at least one subtraction since the Devils currently have five d-men signed on one-way deals, plus RFA’s Mirco Mueller and Damon Severson who’ll both be in the top six, as well as second-year man Steven Santini, who was serviceable in his rookie season but could always use more seasoning in Binghamton if the situation called for it. Not that subtracting many of these guys would be an issue with the way the D played last year.
And I haven’t even touched on the potential Ilya Kovalchuk resolution (finally?), although late rumors had him talking to SKA about a potential return to the KHL – again. If something’s to happen you’d think it would be known tomorrow either way given Kovalchuk and his agent Jay Grossman have been talking to other teams trying to facilitate a contract agreement/trade. Of course it’s never usually that neat and clean with this player and his constant drama. It’s probably best for all parties that tomorrow be the last day we have to deal with the Russian hamlet.
Whatever happens – good or bad – it won’t be dull tomorrow. Thankfully this year July 1 is on a Saturday so I can stay home and see what happens with Shattenkirk, Kovalchuk, trades, etc. Of course like a lot of things, the hype might outweight the actuality, especially if Shattenkirk and Kovalchuk aren’t day one resolutions. Or if Shattenkirk signs elsewhere, Kovalchuk stays in Russia and we’re left holding the bag it’ll be a gloomy day in Devils nation. If things break the other way though, we do sign Shattenkirk, trade Kovalchuk and trade for an impact player this could be the best July 1 since…shudder…2010. Our unusual spending spree that year didn’t turn out so well. But I’m not asking the Devils to go full-on Glen Sather pre-lockout. Just show me some sign that you’re in this to improve and not just ‘trust the process’ and hope for lottery luck for five years like a certain NBA team owned by the same duo who happen to own the Devils.
With less than 24 hours to go before the official July 1 free agent frenzy tomorrow all day, things are becoming clearer. For two teams, moves made will determine how active they’ll be.
For the Sabres, they likely are out on defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. New GM Jason Botterill all but assured that with a big acquisition of right defenseman Marco Scandella from the Wild in a four player trade involving two draft picks. The full deal had Buffalo parting with forwards Tyler Ennis, Marco Foligno and a 2018 fourth round pick for Scandella, Jason Pominville and a 2018 third round pick.
The 27-year old Scandella is a good skating puck moving right D who can slot in on the second pair if needed depending how new coach Phil Housley uses Zach Bogosian. That’s if he stays. Scandella has three years remaining with a reasonable $4 million cap hit.
Former playoff hero Pominville returns to Buffalo. Now 34, he’ll be asked to take on a leadership role. A popular Sabre best known for scoring a series clinching shorthanded goal that eliminated Ottawa in the 2006 NHL Playoffs sending the Sabres to the Conference Finals, he’ll turn 35 on Nov. 30 and has two years left earning $5 million in each of the remaining two seasons.
I really like the move for Buffalo. It addresses a need on the blueline and saves money which will no doubt be needed to lock up Jack Eichel, who completes his entry level deal in ’17-18.
Don’t forget the Sabres also acquired ex-Hab Nathan Beaulieu. So, Botterill has upgraded the back end giving it more speed and depth which should aid anchor Rasmus Ristolainen. Along with Jake McCabe and vet Josh Gorges, Buffalo looks set.
Beaulieu and starting goalie Robin Lehner still must be re-signed as Group II free agents.
With the Sabres all but out on Shattenkirk, the Devils look like they’ll be big players for the 28-year old offensive right defenseman who earned $5.2 million this past season with the Blues and Caps. Over 80 combined games, the New Rochelle, New York native posted 13 goals along with career highs in assists (43) and points (56). His postseason with Washington was up and down finishing with a power play goal and five assists in 13 games.
Shattenkirk is an effective puck possession defenseman who excels on the power play. Of his 298 total points, 136 have come via the man-advantage. The breakdown is 35 power play goals and 111 power play assists for 146 PPP compared to 33 even strength goals and 116 even strength assists totaling 149 ES points with the other three assists shorthanded.
The Devils freed up even more room by buying out Mike Cammalleri and Devante Smith-Pelly today. They have approximately $28 million in cap space to spend. They look like the favorites to sign Shattenkirk and fill a big void on the blueline. God knows they don’t have a top right defenseman who can relieve pressure from young blueliner Damon Severson. This is a team that can use what Shattenkirk brings. Offense and skating along with that badly needed power play quarterback they lack.
If GM Ray Shero is all in tomorrow, then expect him to sign Shattenkirk in the neighborhood of seven years between $45-49 million. I would also expect the Devils to be active in search of a scoring forward who can speed up the rebuilding process. They were interested in acquiring Habs Group II center Alex Galchenyuk. But that depends if the Canadiens can re-sign him.
Key unrestricted forwards include Alex Radulov, Patrick Sharp, Thomas Vanek, Nick Bonino and Justin Williams. I doubt they’d be interested in Radulov who wants a term of about six years for $6 million or more per season.
While the Devils should be busy this weekend, it’s anyone’s guess what the Rangers will do. They supposedly have interest in vet Patrick Marleau. But he wants to play with Joe Thornton. A package deal is unlikely with the Kings very interested. Of course they are. They love getting older. Imagine those two as ex-Sharks in Kings jerseys. Can you say puke much?
In related news, Michael Stone re-upped with the Flames for three years at an AAV of $3.5 million. Pretty fair value for a decent offensive right D who projects as a third pair guy with the Flames adding ex-Islander Travis Hamonic to a corps that features Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton and T.J. Brodie.
Brian Elliott is expected to land with the Flyers. I don’t know if he’s even a upgrade over Steve Mason. But that’s the Flyers.
With the clock ticking, July 1 is coming. It should be intriguing. Even if it’s not the best class. Let the fireworks begin!
With still approximately 48 hours before the July 1 fireworks on Saturday, players and teams are already negotiating. Some restricted free agents have already re-signed.
That includes Keith Kinkaid, who reached a two-year agreement worth a reported $1.25 million cap hit to stay with the Devils as the backup goalie. So, scratch him off the backup goalie market. There are still plenty of options including Anders Nilsson, Jonathan Bernier, Darcy Kuemper, Chad Johnson, Antti Niemi. Vets Ryan Miller and Steve Mason probably will look for places with starter opportunities.
The Flyers re-signed forward Jordan Weal to a multi-year contract. It’s worth $3.5 million over two years which averages out to $1.75 million. A nice deal for the 25-year old who scored eight goals and added four assists in 23 games for the Flyers.
As far as some of the rumors circulating, former Blueshirt Dan Girardi could be landing in Tampa with the Lightning. According to Elliotte Friedman, they’re close. Considering that close friend Ryan Callahan is still there along with former teammate Anton Stralman, it makes sense. The Bolts weren’t exactly a lockdown team defensively. After the cohesive top pair of Victor Hedman and Stralman, it thins out with vet Braydon Coburn and Andrej Sustr. So there is room for a experienced right D who can do the nuts and bolts. As long as coach Jon Cooper does a better job managing Girardi’s minutes, it could work.
The biggest news is the much talked about new mega deal for Hart/Lindsay winner Connor McDavid. He would get over $13 million on average over eight seasons starting in 2018-19 once his rookie contract expires. Here is more on the big move that would lock up the game’s brightest young star until he’s 29.
The idea is to avoid a shorter term where McDavid would command even more if he agreed to a five-year extension. Basically, he’s saving the Oilers money by agreeing to eight years even at the reported $13.25 million average per season. Obviously, he’s well worth it. Already a Art Ross and Hart winner, the sky’s the limit for the 30-goal, 100-point scorer in only Year 2.
With Edmonton tied into contracts with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Milan Lucic long with the top four D of Oscar Klefbom, Adam Larsson, Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell, the question becomes what will they pay key restricted center Leon Draisaitl. The gifted 21-year old German set career highs in goals (29), assists (48), points (77), 10 power play goals and 17 power play assists. He had a terrific playoffs leading Edmonton with 16 points (6-10-16).
In subtracting $3 million by swapping Jordan Eberle for Ryan Strome, the Oilers free up space for Draisaitl. How much are they willing to go for an elite talent who along with Bruins’ breakout star David Pastrnak could attract offer sheets from interested suitors?
If I’m Rangers GM Jeff Gorton, I definitely explore offer sheeting Draisaitl. He is definitely a player with 30-goal and 80-point potential. Don’t forget who he plays with in Edmonton. If he stays as is expected, he could team along with McDavid to give the Oilers two 100-point scorers in a low scoring league. Yikes.
The Bruins have a budding power forward in Pastrnak who should only improve upon his 34-36-70 in ’16-17. Think they wish they didn’t go big on David Backes or even oft-injured center David Krejci?
If you have room to spend for a young talented forward, why wouldn’t you consider it? I’m sure other teams like the Devils would have interest if it can speed up the rebuilding process.
As far as Kevin Shattenkirk goes, reliable TSN sources have reported that he might not be a fit for the Rangers after they brought back Brendan Smith. I am not opposed to that because I think giving him a long-term deal is a waste. While Shattenkirk would help the Rangers fill a void on the back end as that top right pair D who can play the power play and contribute offensively, he can’t solve the lack of a top scoring center who can make a huge difference. The Sabres have expressed interest. For a younger team like them, it makes sense. My prediction is seven years for an average of $6.5 million per season. That would translate to $45.5 million over seven.
The roster as constituted isn’t a viable championship contender. They did the best they could with the now broken up core that included Girardi and Derek Stepan. To be honest, the ’13-14 roster had a lot better depth including Stralman paired with a then prime Marc Staal on the second pair while a younger Girardi paired well with Ryan McDonagh. Plus there were key checkers Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore who combined on the game-winner in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final over the Canadiens.
Don’t forget the cohesive third line centered by Derick Brassard with recently bought out former Oiler Benoit Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello. You had Cup proven winners Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis along with speed demon Carl Hagelin. In a nutshell, the Rangers lost a lot of talent since then. Even though they came within a period of a second straight Cup Final appearance before falling to Tampa, the team had already changed.
With it now being built around Mika Zibanejad, Kevin Hayes, Chris Kreider, J.T. Miller, constant Zuccarello and youngsters Pavel Buchnevich and Jimmy Vesey, so much has changed. This is a different group minus Stepan and Girardi. While it’s the right time for a quick rebuild, I wonder how long it’ll take for the new group to gel.
McDonagh and Henrik Lundqvist remain. The clock ticking on Lundqvist’s window with the franchise goalie now 35 and coming off a inconsistent season. While he was much better in the postseason, he was culpable in the second round loss to Ottawa. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s got one more run left in him. That’s assuming the Rangers make the playoffs. They aren’t a lock.
With Brady Skjei the future D anchor and a blueline that still includes Staal, McDonagh and Smith, the Blueshirts are looking for someone to step forward. It could be one of Alexei Bereglazov, Ryan Graves, Sean Day or Neal Pionk. They need recently acquired Jersey native Anthony DeAngelo to fulfill expectations. As for Nick Holden, it’s hard to figure out what happened to him. Was it just playing with Staal? He’s not good defensively but had a solid offensive season. Most Garden Faithful don’t want to see him. But paired with the right guy, he could do better. We’ll see.
There’s also Rick Nash entering his final year. He probably will play with Zibanejad. He’s still a great skater with two-way ability who is good for 20-25 goals if healthy. Ideally, I would like to see him not play as much on the penalty kill and be properly utilized on the power play. Hint: Not in front. But as a trigger.
Although they lost Oscar Lindberg to Las Vegas, at least Michael Grabner was retained along with Jesper Fast. There’s a hole at center with Stepan and Lindberg gone. I’m not too keen on signing Joe Thornton and think he’ll stay with San Jose along with Patrick Marleau. Patrick Sharp has drawn lots of interest with as many as nine teams calling. But what is the cost for the proven right center who’s coming off a injury riddled season? Nick Bonino would make the most sense given his hockey acumen as a proven third line center who can play in every situation. But not if it becomes a bidding war.
With one last final June summer day in the city that never sleeps, puckers are counting down to 12 high noon on Saturday. Get yer popcorn ready!
The Rangers re-signed Brendan Smith (42) to a fair contract that keeps him on Broadway for four years. A look at the Rangers off-season and why GM Jeff Gorton should stay away from tying up cap space. AP Photo via Getty Images
July 1 isn’t till Saturday. However, make it one for one for Jeff Gorton. The Rangers GM re-signed potential unrestricted free agent defenseman Brendan Smith. The deal is four years for a reported $4.35 million per season. TSN insider Bob McKenzie broke the story.
The 28-year old Smith was acquired from the Red Wings on Feb. 28 for a 2017 third round pick and a 2018 second round pick. Despite being a left D, he played on the right side mostly with impressive rookie Brady Skjei on the third pair.
He brought some much needed edge and physicality to a blueline that lacked it. With Smith, it’s not about numbers. But about toughness. He’s a solid second pair defenseman who is reliable defensively while also not taking any crap. On more than one occasion, Smith stood up for teammates and didn’t let Henrik Lundqvist get run without making opponents accountable.
He was splendid in a six-game first round win over the Canadiens. In what was a very physical series with plenty of battles, Smith flourished. He took a lot of punishment but dished it back out. That kind of edge helped the team advance.
Though the final two games of a six-game second round loss to the Senators wasn’t his best showing, re-signing him made sense. After the team amnestied Dan Girardi, they needed to keep Smith. Especially with Kevin Klein expected to announce his retirement from the NHL and pursue other opportunities in Europe.
With Gorton adding New Jersey native Anthony DeAngelo in a salary dump of Derek Stepan to the Coyotes and Antti Raanta for also seventh overall pick Lias Andersson, that freed up cap space. DeAngelo is only 21 and a right defenseman who still must untap his potential. He will be a big key to the club’s future.
As for what Smith got, it isn’t unexpected. After earning $3.25 million in his final year with Detroit and New York, he was going to get between $4 to 4.5 million. Most would’ve preferred four for 16 million. But with pending free agency and a small window before Saturday, it’s always gonna be a little more. So, the $4.35 million cap hit isn’t unreasonable.
It’s nice to see the Rangers get a deal done early. That’s one player you don’t have to worry about. At current, the D has plenty of lefties with Ryan McDonagh, Skjei, Marc Staal, Nick Holden and Smith. Assuming Smith stays on the right side and DeAngelo starts, that leaves two spots. One for either a free agent, trade or someone in house. The other as the extra D.
Alexei Bereglazov, Ryan Graves and Sean Day are all candidates to make the team out of training camp in September. That’s still a long way away.
In the mean time, Gorton should still have approximately $19 million to spend once Klein comes off. How he manages it will be important to what the team does long-term. Overpaying Kevin Shattenkirk for say six to seven years at around the same $6.5 million Stepan made would be a mistake. As much as a good right D is a need who can run the power play, it would be the typical Rangers move tying back up the cap space they freed up with better free agent classes in 2018 and 2019. A few of the big names who could be available include John Tavares, Kyle Turris, Cam Atkinson, Cam Fowler, Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski, Logan Couture, Max Pacioretty, Artemi Panarin, Drew Doughty.
Don’t forget Gorton must decide whether to bridge key RFA Mika Zibanejad or go for a more long-term investment which will save money. I suggest five years at $25 million. A deal they could’ve done with Stepan instead of bridging him which cost more. Jesper Fast is also restricted.
Next summer, Rick Nash comes off. That’s $7.8 million freed up. Assuming Gorton keeps J.T. Miller and Kevin Hayes, both will be due raises next year along with Jimmy Vesey and Skjei. Both McDonagh and Mats Zuccarello have two years remaining before they can hit the market in 2019.
When you factor in everything, it’s why I wouldn’t commit big years and big money to Shattenkirk, who got exposed in Washington’s second round disappointment.
If they don’t go after Shattenkirk, they can also look at more affordable options Mike Stone and Cody Franson. Honestly, I wouldn’t bother. Neither is going to solve the lack of a right top D. Maybe they’ll move Skjei to the right side and try him with McDonagh. A potential lethal combination. But they can’t do it if Staal is still playing second pair. He must be a third pair guy at this point.
The Rangers could also look at to add a little scoring. There are some decent options out there. Justin Williams on a short term deal would be a solid fit. He’s won before and is that right shot who can play top six or nine and on the power play. Maybe take a flyer on Thomas Vanek if he’s willing to accept a one-year deal to prove himself. Highly unlikely. But Vanek has great hands in front and can aid the power play.
If they’re desperate for a center, they could go after Joe Thornton and reunite him with Nash. They played together for Canada and in the Swiss League for Davos during the last lockout. But Thornton is 37. He wants to play with pal Patrick Marleau. Marleau can still pop 20 goals. But these are short term fixes.
I don’t see either as a fit. I take Gorton at his word when he told Amanda Borges they’re rebuilding on the fly. With no potential trades for a big name center or top right D on the horizon, I would ride it out. It doesn’t have to be this year. Especially in a thin market.
The only issue is Henrik Lundqvist who is getting older. At 35, he’s only got a couple of peak years left at winning a Cup. The Rangers are at a crossroads. They know time is running out on their franchise netminder. As long as Gorton finds a decent replacement for Raanta (Anders Nilsson), Lundqvist won’t need to play more than 55 games.
With the Devils, Flyers and Hurricanes improving along with the Islanders, the question is are the playoffs in jeopardy. As long as the mighty Pens, Caps and Blue Jackets remain strong contenders, the Rangers will again likely find themselves fighting for a wildcard. It won’t be easy.
In other news that happened over the weekend, Lindy Ruff was hired to replace Jeff Beukeboom as a top assistant on Vigneault’s staff. The recently fired former Stars coach who’s best known for his run with the Sabres where he guided them to a Stanley Cup Final and two other Conference Finals is a proven coach who should help the bench.
I think the most interesting aspect is Ruff is Ruff around the edges unlike the even keel Vigneault. So, expect some more fire coming from the Rangers bench when it comes to officials. I don’t necessarily think Vigneault needs to look over his shoulder. I see this as a positive that can make our players edgier.
I feel for Beukeboom, who only got one year. But he’ll stay on as a scout for the organization.
Now, we all wait on the big Saturday to see which teams make complete fools out of themselves. It’s great that it’s a weekend. Let the fireworks begin!
Somewhat surprisingly, the Devils made few moves on day two of the draft – which came and went yesterday with only one trade for the Devils – and that was a trade down to move out of the sixth round and acquire two more seventh round picks. Instead of using their ten day two picks to move up or acquire NHL players, GM Ray Shero stood pat and had faith in head of scouting Paul Castron to unearth some gems in the later rounds. Though picking Nico Hischier to lead off the draft was always going to be a good start, Day 2 could in many ways be almost as pivotal for the future of the franchise going forward in a stacked Metro that has the two-time Stanley Cup champions, the President’s Trophy winners, and three teams drafting in the top ten including the Devils and Flyers at the very top.
Among the Devils’ ten picks on Day 2 were seven Europeans and three North Americans, starting with a pair of talented Swedish forwards, drafting 5’11 165 pound center Jesper Boqvist early in the second round at #36, and 5’10 195 pound winger Fabian Zetterlund with the first pick of the third round at #63. Both skaters should add even more speed and skill to a system that is slowly gaining in both after three drafts from Shero. With the Devils’ second third-rounder at pick #81 they picked their first defenseman – USA product Reilly Walsh, who’s off to Harvard and Walsh’s numbers suggest he has a lot of offensive skill from the blueline. Perhaps the only mild dissapointment from Day 2 of the draft was that Walsh was the only defensman we picked before the seventh round, for an organization that desperately needs defensive help at both the NHL level and in the prospect pipeline.
Be that as it may, the Devils’ round 4 pick at #98 is an intriguing Russian forward, huge (6’5 219) Nikita Popugaev. Thought to be a first-round talent after scoring 20 goals in his first 29 WHL games his production dropped significantly in the second half of the season and Popugaev was traded from an eventual Memorial Cup winner. At least he has a good role model, wearing #71 for his idol Evgeni Malkin. With New Jersey’s two fifth-round picks they chose overage Swiss goalie Gilles Senn at #129 and Slovak forward Marian Studenic at #143. Senn is a big 6’5 191 presence in net who might be ready to turn pro sooner rather than later at age 21, unlike most drafted goalies, while the 6′ 164 pound Studenic could add more RW depth to the organization (despite being a LH shot), and he scored 18 goals in 58 games playing his first season in the OHL.
While the Devils continued their Euro-rush in the sixth round, this time they went to Finland for center Aarne Talvitie (5’10, 198 pounds) at pick #160. Finally in the seventh round the Devils decided to scratch off a few blueline lottery tickets, rattling off picks Jocktan Chainey (Canadian-born teammate of #1 overall pick Hischier at Halifax) at #191, Russian-born Yegor Zaitsev – no relation to the Leafs’ Nikita – at #205, and with their final pick went with American-born Matthew Hellickson at #214, concluding a busy Day 2 for Shero and Castron. Albeit one that took just under four hours, as the NHL briskly – which is great for viewer attention – finished its final six rounds yesterday afternoon.
With the draft concluded, Shero can now turn his attention to potential trades and free agency – our biggest decision in the latter might be what happens with former Devil and perennial drama king Ilya Kovalchuk, and in an ideal world he gets flipped for either defensive help or to facilitate our rumored interest in Habs forward Alex Galchenyuk. If the expansion draft was phase one of the offseason and the regular draft was phase two, we’re coming up on the third phase of this offseason. So far there have been few splashes, although the Mirco Mueller trade and letting Jon Merrill go in the expansion draft was a mild surprise. Hopefully that – and drafting Hischier – won’t be the biggest moves this offseason for Shero, otherwise we’re clearly looking at a longer hike than some of us hoped before seeing light at the end of the Devils’ tunnel. At least we can get a brief look at that light in development camp where many of the recent draftees (starting with Hischier) will likely get a lot of attention.
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