With PK off the books next year, having Dougie locked in at say, 9.5, is decent value considering he is the premier UFA available. It would be the biggest FA grab in our history and it would make watching next season far more exciting. This would allow our lineup to actually play in roles that fit their skill.
- njmezzy

Exactly. The only potential downside is if he somehow plummets due to age or injury, but I’m willing to take that risk for the benefit of the majority of our developing roster.

Guys like PK falling off a cliff at 30 are rare.

Not true at all. Most players over 30 see a rate of decline every year after get steeper and steeper. The guys that remain valuable after 30 are high skill, finesse players like a Joe Sakic build. Physical guys almost never retain their value long term.

You can’t pass on Hamilton because you want yet another top pick.

I'm not trying to tank for a better pick. I'm trying to wait until we get our top prospects locked up long term before we prioritize UFAs. You don't build successful teams through UFA. I'm trying to save our money so we don't lose Jack, Ty or anyone else just so you can make moves just to make them b/c you're a bored fan. This isn't the NBA, we HAVE to be smart with how we spend money and look at the bigger picture than just this year. Stud d-men are in UFA almost every year.

Not true at all. Most players over 30 see a rate of decline every year after get steeper and steeper. The guys that remain valuable after 30 are high skill, finesse players like a Joe Sakic build. Physical guys almost never retain their value long term.



I'm not trying to tank for a better pick. I'm trying to wait until we get our top prospects locked up long term before we prioritize UFAs. You don't build successful teams through UFA. I'm trying to save our money so we don't lose Jack, Ty or anyone else just so you can make moves just to make them b/c you're a bored fan. This isn't the NBA, we HAVE to be smart with how we spend money and look at the bigger picture than just this year. Stud d-men are in UFA almost every year.
- jtylerm

This is being smart with how they spend money. We barely spent anything in Free Agency the past few years for a moment like this to come up and capitalize on it.

The past few years have been filled with many many fans female doging and complaining about the team doing nothing and being okay with sucking, and complaining about how the owners are cheap and dont want to spend money. Well, it looks like that was right move all along if Hamilton signs today.

Not true at all. Most players over 30 see a rate of decline every year after get steeper and steeper. The guys that remain valuable after 30 are high skill, finesse players like a Joe Sakic build. Physical guys almost never retain their value long term.



I'm not trying to tank for a better pick. I'm trying to wait until we get our top prospects locked up long term before we prioritize UFAs. You don't build successful teams through UFA. I'm trying to save our money so we don't lose Jack, Ty or anyone else just so you can make moves just to make them b/c you're a bored fan. This isn't the NBA, we HAVE to be smart with how we spend money and look at the bigger picture than just this year. Stud d-men are in UFA almost every year.
- jtylerm

I haven’t seen any player go from Norris to borderline NHLer from age 29-30 without significant injury like PK... unless he had some injury that resulted in this. I don’t bet on that happening to Hamilton.

You don’t build successful teams throwing all the responsibility on the shoulders of 19yr olds. We will have plenty of money for Jack, and Ty isn’t Makar. We will be waiting 3+ years to get our prospects locked up long-term due to the length of ELCs. And even then, some may opt for bridge deals or not have developed to the point of mega deals.

There are so many what-ifs there. Dougie is a definite, and will help that team of kids develop. You don’t learn how to be great from someone else that’s also learning how to be great at the same time as you. This is anything but a move just to make a move cuz of bored fans. Yes, this will help put butts in the seats, but that’s because the team as a whole will be better- for example 2nd year Smith will be on the 2nd pair instead of first, thanks to a top pair of Graves-Hamilton. We don’t have that otherwise.

I think Ethan Bear is interesting.

I think Ethan Bear is interesting.
- Devils Advocate

As do i, and hes apparently available. Not sure of the cost though, but if i was Fitz i would certainly be checking in

Especially one that projects incredibly well like Hamilton. If his contract is 9.5M AAV, his projected value has him being equal to or still above expectation throughout the entirety of the deal

Plus you add PK coming off the books next offseason, AND the cap isnt staying flat forever. It should start increasing again in a couple years at the latest. Zero reason to be against signing Hamilton
- vlongo4419

Exactly

Does Tampa have the cap to sign Coleman? Because if not I’d love him back on this team.

You don’t build successful teams throwing all the responsibility on the shoulders of 19yr olds.

You can get mentors on the cheap, no one is saying only play the kids.

Ty isn’t Makar.

Neither are Heiskanen or Chabot, but they both got $8M+. Signing top prospect d-men is an expensive process. NOT saying Ty gets $8M, just that it's not as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.

No one is definite and there's a Hamilton quality guy almost every year in UFA. Signing him isn't getting NJ out of the bottom group of the league bro.

You can get mentors on the cheap, no one is saying only play the kids.



Neither are Heiskanen or Chabot, but they both got $8M+. Signing top prospect d-men is an expensive process. NOT saying Ty gets $8M, just that it's not as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.

No one is definite and there's a Hamilton quality guy almost every year in UFA. Signing him isn't getting NJ out of the bottom group of the league bro.
- jtylerm

Theres a top 5, top 10 at worst, defenseman in the entire league available in free agency almost every year? Thats news to me. He's far better than Pietrangelo is/was last year.

https://twitter.com/sarac.../1420388647984115713?s=21

If the Canes final offer was really 8 years at 6 mil per it’s no wonder they were never really close to an extension. He gets 50% more than that on the market.

Does Tampa have the cap to sign Coleman? Because if not I’d love him back on this team.
- shvingter88

I think he’s going to take his talents to Dallas.

DOOMED.

https://twitter.com/saracivian/status/1420388647984115713?s=21

If the Canes final offer was really 8 years at 6 mil per it’s no wonder they were never really close to an extension. He gets 50% more than that on the market.
- smellmyfinger

I saw that, thats an absolutely insulting offer. Sheesh, talk about actual cheap owners...

I think Ethan Bear is interesting.
- Devils Advocate

I think they are going to want way more than we are going to be willing to move for him.

I saw that, thats an absolutely insulting offer. Sheesh, talk about actual cheap owners...
- vlongo4419

Yeah. If I’m Hamilton’s agent I just hang up on them and advise him that he doesn’t even want to know what the offer was.

You can get mentors on the cheap, no one is saying only play the kids.



Neither are Heiskanen or Chabot, but they both got $8M+. Signing top prospect d-men is an expensive process. NOT saying Ty gets $8M, just that it's not as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.


No one is definite and there's a Hamilton quality guy almost every year in UFA. Signing him isn't getting NJ out of the bottom group of the league bro.
- jtylerm

Hamilton is a bit better/younger than most free agent dmen that hit the market. What makes this low risk to the Devils as far as I’m concerned is you have over $12 million in expiring cap space with Subban and Butcher after this season. More than covers Hamilton’s contract. Then the focus next season can move to long term extensions for Hughes, Bratt and Zacha.

This mentality is how Lou and Vanderbeek ran this franchise into the sewers
- jtylerm

The worst part about this comment is how lazy and not factual it is.

Jeff Vanderbeek sold the team in August 2013 because of his limited financial resources. He poured a ton of money into the team. You know, the one that went to the Stanley Cup in 2012. So they weren't run into the ground on his watch.

And what ran the team into the ground was decades of success (because winning windows do close on everyone) along with losing Parise to Minny because he wanted to go home. Kovy to his own insanity and David Clarkson to a insanely stupid contract offered by Toronto. The team got gutted.

I'll take Lou's mentality of being deep in the playoffs every year with a mediocre Islanders team vs. the fact that we are actually in sewer looking forward to the lottery every year.

Lou's a hall of fame GM. He's won 3 cups and is even the winningest (percentage at .680 over in 50 games in 2005-2006) coach in Devils history. You're entitled to you're opinion but you're wrong.

Does Tampa have the cap to sign Coleman? Because if not I’d love him back on this team.
- shvingter88

Technically no, but it's Tampa so the cap is irrelevant.

You can get mentors on the cheap, no one is saying only play the kids.



Neither are Heiskanen or Chabot, but they both got $8M+. Signing top prospect d-men is an expensive process. NOT saying Ty gets $8M, just that it's not as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.

No one is definite and there's a Hamilton quality guy almost every year in UFA. Signing him isn't getting NJ out of the bottom group of the league bro.
- jtylerm

Fine. Name the one guy who is getting NJ out of the bottom group of league, bro.

It's a team sport. You need to build a team and add some quality players to tip the scales. You could put McJesus on this team and we could miss the playoffs BUT not adding quality players won't improve anything.

Anyway, I doubt we are going to actually land Hamilton but I'm glad to go all in. Panarin hasn't turned the Rangers into a contender but he sure as poop scores a ton of point for them. They just need to round out the team. But ELITE talent is pretty rare and hard to come by. Taylor Hall who's arguably not elite, carried this team into the playoffs. This team still lacks talent. Add some talent! It's not really complicated.

According to LeBrun on Free Agent Frenzy, the Devils deal with Bernier is expect to be 2 years, 4M. Theres no confirmation on whether thats 4M total or 4M AAV

You can get mentors on the cheap, no one is saying only play the kids.



Neither are Heiskanen or Chabot, but they both got $8M+. Signing top prospect d-men is an expensive process. NOT saying Ty gets $8M, just that it's not as cut and dry as you're making it out to be.

No one is definite and there's a Hamilton quality guy almost every year in UFA. Signing him isn't getting NJ out of the bottom group of the league bro.
- jtylerm

You’re not processing half of what I’m saying as I intend it to be understood lol. Maybe that’s my fault. I doubt Smith will command a large contract when his ELC is up. He’s not Makar, but he’s also not those players you mentioned. But smith isn’t the point. The point is we don’t know if all our guys will command money so we don’t know if we’ll have cap issues. Regardless, that won’t be for a few years, so we can’t surround a bunch of kids with nothing, or “mentors” that can’t product and push the skilled kids because the mentors just don’t have that level of game anymore. Mentors, one or 2, are important, but so are high skill players on their prime—- Dougie Hamilton.
And the point isn’t to get out of the bottom this season- though signing Hamilton WILL be conducive to that. The greater goal is development and progression of the team as a whole. Dougie will help the growth of the kids. Dougie will also help us win games, and as the kids get better.. be a part of winning playoff series. He’s a part of this puzzle and part of progression.

And a Hamilton is not available as a UFA or even trade almost every year. Top flight player just turning 28.. let alone Dman... let alone RHD? This is a rare opportunity that coincides with the organization being at the perfect time to add him. It’ll be a big loss this year and the next several to not have Hamilton on that top pair right side.

I think Ethan Bear is interesting.
- Devils Advocate

Well there goes that lol. Ethan Bear traded to Carolina

According to LeBrun on Free Agent Frenzy, the Devils deal with Bernier is expect to be 2 years, 4M. Theres no confirmation on whether thats 4M total or 4M AAV
- vlongo4419

Just saw Kulikov may be back as well. If that happens I’d imagine Butcher is gone for sure, even if they need to eat salary.

According to LeBrun on Free Agent Frenzy, the Devils deal with Bernier is expect to be 2 years, 4M. Theres no confirmation on whether thats 4M total or 4M AAV
- vlongo4419

$4M total with a $2M AAV would be sweet. Like I said earlier, I really like the idea of Bernier on the Devils.

Just saw Kulikov may be back as well. If that happens I’d imagine Butcher is gone for sure, even if they need to eat salary.
- smellmyfinger

That would be interesting IF we do sign Hamilton

Unless the plan is for kulikov to be the 7th Dman