Think the Devils are gonna just give Blackwood a chance. Varlamov is too old

vegas says no, they love theo

Vegas say no.
Lou has been very clear he is not trading Varly.
Milano is not a top-6 player.

Milano has fantastic metrics tbh. He probably can play top six in a supporting role. But he has to be the second winger on his line imo to be effective.

If I was Vegas I wouldn’t trade Theodore for that package anyway tbh. You are 110% correct.

I still think Varly can start. Flower is still doing it in Minnesota tbh and I’m not sure there is a gap in ability between the two at this point.

Devils need a goaltender moving forward though, not just next year. Looking for Blackwood to bounce-back is worth the risk just for the potential of him still becoming a proper starter.

I don’t disagree but I think Vanecek is their guy long term.

Hindsight is 2020 but they should’ve made the same deal for Fleury that Chicago made. He would’ve made perfect sense to mentor Blackwood if he was willing to come to NJ. And really why wouldn’t he have?

So what? Lou says a lot of stuff.

Beauvillier is not a top 6 player either.

If Lou was going to trade Varly it would have happened when the goalie market was hot at the beginning or Free Agency. So him saying he is not moving Varly, then not moving him seems to indicate he is being truthful and honest.

Beau is absolutely a top-6 player, while he may not be the most gifted player offensively his speed and forechecking drives the play helping his line mates.

I wouldn’t go that far with Beauvillier. That being said he is probably a second liner cause he goes thru stretches where he plays too soft. There were some points last year where I thought Wally and Bellows were trying harder along the boards. Hell Bellows was probably better at it. At least he always tried to make an impact.

It's actually funny you say that. Devils tried to get Fleury the offseason prior to the one when Chicago traded for him, but they were on his NTC.

Doesn't really matter though. You remember that the Devils signed Crawford and Bernier to try to accomplish the same thing right? Crawford retired before playing a game and Bernier got what seems to be a career ending injury in camp. And of course Schneider was meant to be the mentor the season before Crawford... before his injuries caught up to him and ended his career too.

Devils did Fleury a favour by not trading for him, his career would be over otherwise. That's just how it goes.

Lmao devils could’ve made the playoffs with him imo

Idk how he didn’t end up in Colorado tbh lol

You don't know what's going to happen. All it takes is a good enough offer to come across Lou's desk and boom Varly is gone.

Also, having the tools and showing potential to be top 6 doesn't make you top 6. Beauvillier has not done enough to prove himself as a legit top 6 player imo. You can disagree all you want. I'm not going to change my mind because my eyes + all the facts point to me being right lol.

Yup. Beau couldn't win a board battle or a loose puck battle if his life depended on it. And he doesn't score or drive play enough to make up for how easy he is to play against.

You're quite wrong, but OK.

He can he just doesn’t always want to lol

Yeah but if Blackwood has a good year we have a stud 25 yo goalie, not someone whose gonna retire in 2 years. Willing to bet on Blackwood