Todd Cordell: The New Jersey Devils Need To Abandon The Traditional Top-6/Bottom-6 Setup

Schneider AND Elias got surgery? Wonder what happened

Need skilled wingers eh...

soooooo what youre saying is they need more skilled players throughout their lineup

...more to come

soooooo what youre saying is they need more skilled players throughout their lineup

...more to come
- YuenglingJagr

Precisely

Todd - I fully supported you on your proposals/idea...until you mentioned Kennedy.

Need skilled wingers eh...


- Wildschwein

No Larsson for you...

No Larsson for you...
- redmonsters

Nuts...

So your saying we should do what Pittsburgh does and we can ignore the fact they have THREE of the best players in hockey. Beyond Crosby, Malkin and Kessler they also have some very good 'depth' players.

If you divide up the Devil's talent the same way you end up with four lines that can't score. I think both DeBoer and Haynes tried spreading things out at times and were forced to abandoned it.

If Shero were to hold onto all assets and add through the draft/ free agency rather then make any trades, I'd like to see..

Cammalleri-Henrique-Okposo
Boucher-Zajac-Palmieri
Blandisi-Zacha-Smith-Pelly
Kalini-Josefson-Martin

Those are 4 solid lines who could compete. If Zacha was to be sent for another year of development, Shero could still go the Elias route and give him one more final year to play 3rd line center. As for the other changes, Okposo is exactly what New Jersey needs. I'd understand if he doesn't fit the plans and Shero doesn't want to overpay, that's fine, but he should at least be considered. The fact that he plays RW alone makes him an attractive option for New Jersey. Signing Matt Martin for a bottoms 6 role could help lure Okposo to New Jersey and he's is the type of player New Jersey needs! Aside from Farnham and Tootoo who aren't that big and may not even be back next season, the Devils lack grit. At 6"3, 220 pounds he would add a lot of nasty to New Jerseys bottom 6.

Best part about this scenario? New Jersey doesn't lose a single draft pick and still manages to improve the on ice product. With a ton of cap space to play with, I wonder if Shero tries to lure those 2 over the river and into Devils red. Thoughts?

My ideal realistic NJD off-season, so because i am trying to be realistic, I will not include Stamkos who would obviously be the biggest get:

Draft- Brown, Keller, Jost or one of top D available, preferably in that order.

Sign Matt Martin for 3 years for 4th line
Sign Troy Brouwer- This may no longer be a good idea, as his outstanding postseason so far will drive his price up.

These two would be great additions to our bottom 6 as big guys who can skate and push people around, we were small last year. Can also score some.

Trade to EDM for Yakupov- only if we are not giving anything significant ie Merrill package of later picks Helgeson Jacobs etc.. I know many may disagree, but i believe the talent is there and for our team, it could be worth the low risk/high reward. He has high work ethic, speed,shot, young. Could work out but again i can see why many wouldnt want this route. Not sure what the perceived cost of him would be however.

BONUS: Sign Keith Yandle or Demers

Sign stempniak back. Some may complain wont be enough spots, but we all know cam is a lock to miss at least 25 games and if elias comes back he will most likely miss 30.

Thoughts?

I'm all for innovation, but you can't replicate what's being done in Pittsburgh unless you're drafting #1 two years in a row and you get a generational player.

Your advice is excellent advice... for the Edmonton Oilers, or for the Canadian national hockey team.

The reason Jersey integrated this top six bottom six in the first place (and found success with it) is because they didn't have the same budget/talent other teams did, especially up front, so they played a stifling game with attrition.

Ray Shero is probably trying to integrate this new kind of offense and for all we know it could work, but we're at the same spot we were in 1995 and our forwards were only slightly better then (we had a top 5 d and a top 3 goaltender... which we're actually close to now).

I say follow the LA/Boston model; put together a bunch of big dudes with big shots and a skilled player peppered in the line up here and there. You don't have to wait for top three draft picks to execute the plan (even though they had Seguin in Boston/Doughty in LA).

Today @ 1:35 PM ET
If Shero were to hold onto all assets and add through the draft/ free agency rather then make any trades, I'd like to see..

Cammalleri-Henrique-Okposo
Boucher-Zajac-Palmieri
Blandisi-Zacha-Smith-Pelly
Kalini-Josefson-Martin

Those are 4 solid lines who could compete. If Zacha was to be sent for another year of development, Shero could still go the Elias route and give him one more final year to play 3rd line center. As for the other changes, Okposo is exactly what New Jersey needs. I'd understand if he doesn't fit the plans and Shero doesn't want to overpay, that's fine, but he should at least be considered. The fact that he plays RW alone makes him an attractive option for New Jersey. Signing Matt Martin for a bottoms 6 role could help lure Okposo to New Jersey and he's is the type of player New Jersey needs! Aside from Farnham and Tootoo who aren't that big and may not even be back next season, the Devils lack grit. At 6"3, 220 pounds he would add a lot of nasty to New Jerseys bottom 6.

I can see this, however, I would probably look for bringing Elias back basically no matter what. And with that send Blandisi down to the AHL or Zacha down depending upon camp results. Okposo would be amazing at the right price but, I see it, we are still at least 1 year out from playoffs. So if we have to sign a guy to a 1 year deal like we did with Stempniak; that wouldn't be the worst in the world.

With this; I think the goals of the organization is to focus on Zacha/Boucher in the NHL and then let Quenneville/Blandisi work more defensively in the AHL. This way, when next year comes around, we'll have the proper pieces to compete

actually, just heard that Elias had yet another surgery... maybe he should just retire for his own good

Trade the 1st round pick(11th) and Severson/Merrill to Anaheim for Cam Fowler.

Trade the 1st round pick(11th) and Severson/Merrill to Anaheim for Cam Fowler.
- hilom22

How will that help your scoring woes?

Trade the 1st round pick(11th) and Severson/Merrill to Edmonton for Eberle and Yak.
- hilom22

Fixed.

My ideal realistic NJD off-season, so because i am trying to be realistic, I will not include Stamkos who would obviously be the biggest get:

Draft- Brown, Keller, Jost or one of top D available, preferably in that order.

Sign Matt Martin for 3 years for 4th line
Sign Troy Brouwer- This may no longer be a good idea, as his outstanding postseason so far will drive his price up.

These two would be great additions to our bottom 6 as big guys who can skate and push people around, we were small last year. Can also score some.

Trade to EDM for Yakupov- only if we are not giving anything significant ie Merrill package of later picks Helgeson Jacobs etc.. I know many may disagree, but i believe the talent is there and for our team, it could be worth the low risk/high reward. He has high work ethic, speed,shot, young. Could work out but again i can see why many wouldnt want this route. Not sure what the perceived cost of him would be however.

BONUS: Sign Keith Yandle or Demers

Sign stempniak back. Some may complain wont be enough spots, but we all know cam is a lock to miss at least 25 games and if elias comes back he will most likely miss 30.

Thoughts?
- TwoPumpChump91

I wouldn't go after Martin or Brouwer. Just put DSP on the 4th line. As for Brouwer, the term he's gonna want, to me, wouldn't be appealing.

Wouldn't mind Yak, but wouldn't give up Jacobs. Probably a 2nd and 3rd, it doesn't matter where he was drafted at this point.

Yandle could be a good get, but from what I've heard, he's kinda like Gelinas, just not as bad defensively.

If Shero were to hold onto all assets and add through the draft/ free agency rather then make any trades, I'd like to see..

Cammalleri-Henrique-Okposo
Boucher-Zajac-Palmieri
Blandisi-Zacha-Smith-Pelly
Kalini-Josefson-Martin

Those are 4 solid lines who could compete. If Zacha was to be sent for another year of development, Shero could still go the Elias route and give him one more final year to play 3rd line center. As for the other changes, Okposo is exactly what New Jersey needs. I'd understand if he doesn't fit the plans and Shero doesn't want to overpay, that's fine, but he should at least be considered. The fact that he plays RW alone makes him an attractive option for New Jersey. Signing Matt Martin for a bottoms 6 role could help lure Okposo to New Jersey and he's is the type of player New Jersey needs! Aside from Farnham and Tootoo who aren't that big and may not even be back next season, the Devils lack grit. At 6"3, 220 pounds he would add a lot of nasty to New Jerseys bottom 6.

Best part about this scenario? New Jersey doesn't lose a single draft pick and still manages to improve the on ice product. With a ton of cap space to play with, I wonder if Shero tries to lure those 2 over the river and into Devils red. Thoughts?
- Youwont_noballs

I would trade Cam, not go after Okposo, look at Dustin Brown, Okposo contract would hurt when we need the cap the most. The Devils didn't have a ton of grit when the went to the cup final in 2012, don't need guys that refs will be looking to penalize.

My ideal realistic NJD off-season, so because i am trying to be realistic, I will not include Stamkos who would obviously be the biggest get:

Draft- Brown, Keller, Jost or one of top D available, preferably in that order.

Sign Matt Martin for 3 years for 4th line
Sign Troy Brouwer- This may no longer be a good idea, as his outstanding postseason so far will drive his price up.

These two would be great additions to our bottom 6 as big guys who can skate and push people around, we were small last year. Can also score some.

Trade to EDM for Yakupov- only if we are not giving anything significant ie Merrill package of later picks Helgeson Jacobs etc.. I know many may disagree, but i believe the talent is there and for our team, it could be worth the low risk/high reward. He has high work ethic, speed,shot, young. Could work out but again i can see why many wouldnt want this route. Not sure what the perceived cost of him would be however.

BONUS: Sign Keith Yandle or Demers

Sign stempniak back. Some may complain wont be enough spots, but we all know cam is a lock to miss at least 25 games and if elias comes back he will most likely miss 30.

Thoughts?
- TwoPumpChump91

Yak might be a bust but he isn't that big of a bust. Not to mention the Oil don't need another fringe NHL LD and a bunch of your spare change...

I wouldn't go after Martin or Brouwer. Just put DSP on the 4th line. As for Brouwer, the term he's gonna want, to me, wouldn't be appealing.

Wouldn't mind Yak, but wouldn't give up Jacobs. Probably a 2nd and 3rd, it doesn't matter where he was drafted at this point.

Yandle could be a good get, but from what I've heard, he's kinda like Gelinas, just not as bad defensively.
- Devils9503

Man you guys are clueless. All you hear is this narrative that he is a bust (which is true relative to his draft position) and you assume he is completely worthless. Jesus, give your head a shake and think for yourself for a second.

Yak has flaws (mainly IQ and decision making flaws), don't get me wrong, but he is still an NHL quality player who can move up and down the lineup. He is also still very young and RFA cost controlled for quite some time. Furthermore, he has proven given the right circumstances he can be an effective producer (as he was with Horcoff, Roy and McDavid).

Drop this Yak for a 3rd horsepoop, you only make yourself look like an uneducated fool.

Trade the 1st round pick(11th) and Severson/Merrill to Anaheim for Cam Fowler.
- hilom22

Your fired

Yak gets nothing more than Jon Merril at this point. These oil fans coming on here sound like a used car salesman trying to sell us on all his "good" qualities. Maybe a change of scenery would do him good, but I have no interest in Yak.

Man you guys are clueless. All you hear is this narrative that he is a bust (which is true relative to his draft position) and you assume he is completely worthless. Jesus, give your head a shake and think for yourself for a second.

Yak has flaws (mainly IQ and decision making flaws), don't get me wrong, but he is still an NHL quality player who can move up and down the lineup. He is also still very young and RFA cost controlled for quite some time. Furthermore, he has proven given the right circumstances he can be an effective producer (as he was with Horcoff, Roy and McDavid).

Drop this Yak for a 3rd horsepoop, you only make yourself look like an uneducated fool.
- RonPielep

what do you think he's worth then?

Yak gets nothing more than Jon Merril at this point. These oil fans coming on here sound like a used car salesman trying to sell us on all his "good" qualities. Maybe a change of scenery would do him good, but I have no interest in Yak.
- rawwdogg88

I'm the used car salesman? That's laughable, I came here to respond to a stupid trade proposal and call it what it is. I'm not trying to sell Yakupov at all, you geniuses were trying to buy him in some kinda wet-dream fantasy where you don't have to give up anything of any value whatsoever...