Quoting: zyyyp
He was actually fine defensively after the first few months, his skating I couldn't care less about. Plenty of great NHLers over the years that weren't great skaters. He was on pace for close to 60 this year despite awful coaching and it being his first year in NA, he could be close to a point per game player if put in the right situations imo.
So you want to surround the young guys with talent, but also trade the most skilled forward on the roster who's 27 years of age for a 2nd round pick? Lol, which is it? 6-7 years is way too much term for Palmieri, you know he'll be 30 at the start of next season right? If you're wanting to give him that kind of term at 6-7M aav like you stated earlier, that would turn into one of the worst contracts in the league pretty quickly. He plays a rugged style, I would bet he's going to start seriously dropping off in 3-4 years. What makes you think he's worthy of being the captain of this team? the fact that he's from New Jersey and throws a few hits every now and again? They should just roll with multiple A's until Nico is ready for the C in a year or two.
You are, by far, the most insufferable Devils fan on this site. And that's saying something, because as a whole, we're a pretty tough fan base (all 10 of us) to deal with.
Now to answer your question, almighty Devils fan, no, i'd like Palms to be the next captain because he's been around for a few years and is looked at as a leader in the locker room. Pretty simple. We must not be watching the same team, because he's the only guy who gives a consistent effort on a nightly basis. He's well worth a Kreider like contract because his game will translate well into his low-mid 30's. He doesnt really play a rugged style- he can throw a hit every now and again, but hes a sniper and extremely solid defensively, as evidenced by his underlying stats and multiple 25-30 goal campaigns.
I would rather not commit 6-7 million a season to Gusev because, as I said earlier, his skating and defense is extremely questionable. So much so that despite being extremely talented, he had to play with two defensive minded players so that he didnt stick out like a sore thumb. I wouldn't mind keeping him, but if the right offer came around next season, I would not hesitate to trade him. Especially since he does not like living in NJ.