TRADES
1 - This makes sense as a "hockey trade" for both sides. NJD has a ton of left-shot D in the system that are either ready or almost ready, but need a steadying presence in goal (they used 7 goalies this season and 6 of them had SV% below .900 - yikes!) Varlamov is still good enough to be part of a tandem, if not a 60 start guy anymore, and I think pairing him with Blackwood will hopefully stabilize Jersey's net. Graves fits a need for the Isles at LD2 as well - with both being pending UFAs, and cap not really being an issue, I feel like one-for-one is fair to both sides.
-Florida is in a bad place cap-wise this summer - only $3.9M available and a handful of contributors that they need to replace. We'll help them out by taking all $5.3M of Patric Hornqvist and sending them back a decent middle-6 winger on a lower salary. Instead of throwing us picks, however, they give us something we can use - a right shot D in Brandon Montour. Panthers will still have Ekblad/Weegar/Forsling/Gudas as their top 4 next year, so it doesn't decimate their D corps, and frees up about $8M in cap space for them. Montour works for the Devils too with his extra year of term, because he can jump up for Damon Severson if they wind up moving on from him in his UFA year - or slide over to LD2 if needed. His versatility will be a huge asset to a team figuring out their way this season.
SIGNINGS
-Is 6x$6.5M too light for Bratt? There's room to go up but I feel like it's a sweet spot that rewards him for a good year without overcommitting cap to him.
-Kept most of the depth RFAs at sub-$1M deals - Geertsen, White, Zetterlund & Thompson. Signed Patrick Moynihan to an ELC because I think he's ready to jump to the AHL - 25 points in 38 games for Providence this year, turns 22 next season, it's time buddy. Could be a decent bottom-6 guy out of a 6th rounder.
I don't think you do a lot to this team this summer, it feels like they're close but still a year away. There's no goalie in UFA this summer that could save them, but Varlamov for a year is a nice placeholder til summer 2023 when the goalie class starts shaping up much better - Tristan Jarry & Alex Nedjelkovic both go UFA that summer, plus vets like Freddie Anderson, Cam Talbot, & James Reimer - even Spencer Knight will be an RFA if you want to get spicy.
This team has a ton of expiring deals and a ton of guys in the last year of their ELC. It sets up 2022-23 as a major evaluation year - I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of guys cycling in and out of the lineup to get some good evaluation time and seeing who can build chemistry together.
And now, to be properly and thematically roasted by the Devils fans of the boards.
Why would we want Varlamov? He’s 34. I’m gonna give away a 26 yo top 4 dman for a 34 yo goalie? No thanks. And FLA isn’t touching that trade
Graves is good but pending UFA - with the amount of LD the Devils have in the system (Bahl/Muk/Okhotiuk being legit prospects, Vukojevic/Vilen as long shots, plus Siegenthaler and Ty Smith), he's extremely unlikely to get extended. The Devils used 7 goalies this season and none of them came close to Varlamov's numbers (.912/2.88 GAA/4.7 GSAA for Varly vs. a collective .886/3.52 GAA/-53.1(!!!) GSAA for the seven headed monster.) Maybe you tweak around the edges, but I think having average-to-above-average goaltending, even from an older goalie, would really help stabilize the Devils. If you want to throw picks in around the margins of this trade, I could be fine with it, but I think it's a solid base for a deal that helps both teams.
McDavid, Connor
$250,000)
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