New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has been making moves. Earlier this week The NJ Devils sign Juho Lammikko and today they Traded Erik Haula to the Nashville Predators to clear out some much needed Cap Space for future moves. What Will Fitzgerald do next?
#njdevils #erikhaula #juholammikko #nashvillepredators #nhltraderumors
@New Jersey Devils
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The first domino has dropped. Fitz now has to move Palat's $6 million contract. If Drury can do it, so can Fitz.
With the recent moves, Lammikko will likely be the expected replacement on the 4th line for Lazar as it's unlikely that he will be brought back. Hanzel is most likely going to be a Utica player at best so he's not really part of the Devils future. As much as we all want to see some fantastic Fitz maneuver to happen, we have to temper our expectations because he's not in a good position to do much unless he really rolls the dice and makes a big move for a notable player and give up guys like Mercer, Casy, Nemec, etc. Even though Drury was able to clear cap space with some of his guys, he moved players who were more likely to have a chance to make an impact where they got traded to. Palat… yeah I don't know if he's shown anything in the time he's been in NJ where a team is going to want to go after him unless they are trying to reach the cap floor or without a sweetener like draft picks or prospects. Free agency doesn't offer a hell of a lot, either, because unless they CAN get Palat off the books, there's just not a lot of room to get anyone significant. I expect small moves for guys to fill in holes in the bottom 6 and MAYBE a move to help the top 6 that would mean trading away Nemec or Casey. I also wouldn't mind seeing a guy like Sammy Blais get a PTO and see if he would be able to step into that 4th line as an agitator who will provide that aggressive hitting and snarl that they need. We'll see… it's going to be a tough offseason for Fitz.
Hate the scrub Swiss signing. Love the Haula trade. To get a quality prospect and a pick for a overpriced BUM like Haula was tremendous.
Nashville as an organization is a joke.
Fritz has some tough work ahead of him….. gotta find someone to take Palat – if not, buyout is option #2.. signing Luke is super important this off-season, and I don’t think it can be a bridge deal.. I think Hamilton is expendable, and I would hope a top 6 forward could be a return for him, or a mid 6 center – I dunno – that’s why Fitz makes the big $$…. If they do trade Hamilton, do they bring back Dumoulin? Not much offense there, but pretty decent D…. And how about Sprong? He never really seemed to fit in, but then again, his opportunities seemed to be a bit limited.. is he worth bringing back? I do think they can move Nemec or Casey if the return is worthwhile – not just a bag of pucks! I don’t know enough about Lammikko, but it looks like just a depth piece…. Hanzel will be at Utica…. LGD!
Good post. As a Devil fan I am concerned. I don't think that Fitzgerald has a clue on what he is going to do. This is the problem with the whole organization. We wasted a lot of potential in the past several years.
The biggest reason that the Devils created more cap space by trading Haula is because it will be easier to re-sign Luke Hughes.
Cody Glass will probably sign a contract that's MORE than $3M AAV. I wouldn't be surprised if the Devils trade his rights or a sign & trade with him.
If the Devils do get rid of Palat, I hope it's by trade & NOT by a buyout. A buyout would create wasted cap space.
I think Daws will be the Devils backup next season. Allen will sign somewhere else.
Great video! Only thing I’d have to add is I imagine if he’s still here that we start Mercer in the top six to at least give him the best chance to score a bit more and improve his value. I don’t see too many pathways for us to improve without moving Palat, and even if we do, it’s still pretty limited in what we can do. I do think we should bring back Glass, since acquiring centers is obviously not easy. Before we traded Haula, I thought those two with Gritsyuk or Bratt again may make a solid third line. The center market is pretty thin in FA, especially now that Duchene and Donato re signed. I hope Fitz has a plan (and several backups) to pursue likely via trade for another center (or two ideally). Can’t afford to “come in second” or overpay for another player whose best days are behind him.
The Scouching report for both Colorado (drafted him) and Nashville's (traded to) 2024 prospects lists Hanzel as a "maybe" guy. One tier above "everybody else" hopefully a 3rd pair D-guy if Casey is in Utica this season.