Confirmation Grier lost this trade.

That’s a big commitment to a guy who was unimpressive since joining them last season, but I guess he’s shown enough in his career that they’re willing to dismiss that as an adjustment period. Their only other options were probably to buy time with a 1-year contract, presumably at his $10M qualifying offer, or let him go.

How do they still have $10M in cap space after locking up all of their core and acquiring Toffoli too? I guess they still need to fill out the fourth line, but this team looks scary.

We were patient with the cap being at a standstill for the past 5 years, waited on buyouts to expire, waited out/traded pointless contracts for picks. Shero/Fitzgerald have said since day one to weaponize cap space and boy have they ever.... sound management from both of them, patience always wins in the end.

He's recorded 66 points or more three times in his career, which is three more times than $8.5 million Pierre-Luc DuBois has, so the money is right.

I'd be wondering whether NJD would be willing to trade McLeod? Seeing as their giving monies away to wingers like this, its McLeod's turn. I know they left you dude, but Mr McLeod consider Otts as a full time home, just consider.

He was never getting 10M, same as Debrincat was never getting 9M.

The structure of those qualifying offers was made when the cap was projected to be in the 90 to 100 million range because of the increase the US TV deal and further expansion would have on HRR. The owners had no way of predicting that COVID would happen. COVID changed the cap projections substantially, and now we're stuck with close to a flat cap for many years. The NHL & NHLPA even went as far to amend the QO calculation rules in their return to play agreement in order to prevent this kind of contract, but players already signed to one were grandfathered in.

9.5M would be his ceiling with guys like Tkachuk signed to that number, then 8.5M would probably be the floor with Dubois and Horvat both signed there.

It is why the Senators elected for arbitration with Debrincat. Because it is club-elected arbitration, they can now get him at 85 percent of his QO. I don't know if NJD elected for arbitration with Meier (which would have been a formality anyways). Regardless, since both sides clearly wanted to get something done, 10M was never a possibility.

people who were hinting at 7m were and still are completely out to lunch
however I have no doubt SJ would have had to give him around 9.5m
Hischier discount

You can't just judge players by production, or else Brandon Pirri would be an NHLer on a multi-million dollar contract.

Teams want to win in the playoffs. Teams need size and strength to win. Players who bring that and can also score are extremely important. A 30/60 playoff style warrior is worth more than a 40/80 undersized and/or soft player because that regular season production doesn't always translate to winning in the playoffs. It's obviously not entirely about size, but also play style. There are some bigger players who are soft and lazy, and some smaller players like a Pageau who play like they are 7 feet tall...but you get the idea.

This...
and I'm taking Meier over PLD every day.

Can't see that happening in 4 years 8.8 will be fine year 6 on it's easy buy-out

under 9 is an automatic W here man lol

How will they sign Mercer and Hughes?

Gimme fuel gimme fire gimme 70.4 million ****ing dollars

Hughes is 2 years away from free agency. Also, he will be a 10.2(c) free agent. This means he won't qualify to sign an offer sheet. That leaves very little room for problems. Based on Capfriendly's projected cap ceiling, they have approx. 34M in cap space the year Hughes will need to be re-upped. Assuming he pans out as a #1-2 defenseman on his ELC, a bridge deal likely comes in at 5-6 million, long term at 8-9 million.

In the case of Mercer, they could likely sign him to a long term extension in the 7M-8M range, which is the established norm for young forwards who break out as stars on their ELC. I assume they do not plan on extending Toffoli, because then things would get dicey.

Even including those two 7M-8M contracts, they would still have close to 20M in cap space for 2025-26 with 11 players already signed.

They could gamble on Schmid and sign him to a mid-term deal at lower money than he would earn if he plays 40+ games this season and proves he is legitimate. 3 years would be the sweet spot because then he doesn't need to be re-upped until the year after Hughes gets his big extension, which gives them cap flexibility. I would venture to guess that if they offer him a 3 year extension this summer in the 1.5-2.0 million range, most players in his shoes would absolutely take that as a 5th round pick who has only played about 30 NHL games over two seasons and playoffs. Andrew Hammond signed for 3 years at 1.35M.

They have cap flexibility, so they ultimately should be fine.

Who the hell is voting no? He's worth this deal and proably a few hundred k per year more.

His main contribution this playoffs was being a highlight on a big hit compilation and he is a physical player that is signed till he is 35...

I like Meier just seems too much and too long. Also I was really high on Mukhamadullin so I am still petty about that.

??

well the forward Core. D is a little less. Still quite well done

Dougie is signed for 5 more years (I wouldn't want any more than that at his age and cap hit anyway), as is Siegenthaler, and Marino for 4. I'd be pretty happy with that. The only core skaters they'll have to worry about between now and 2027 are those who are on entry level contracts now. If they can figure out their goaltending, they'll be tough to beat for a long time.

I expected $8.5m-ish…but really anything in the $8’s was plausible as Meier’s agent started at $9m and NJ started at $8m.

Sure beats $10 million x 1 year (or not having Meier).

Agreed. Just not 7-8 as the first poster said. It's honestly quite well down

This is a great deal for the devils.

Meier is an elite play driving winger with a lot more physical edge than he gets credit for. He's a monster in transition and carrying the puck up the ice, so Jersey can either decide to completely overwhelm teams by putting him and Hughes together, or play about 2/3's of every game with at least one of them on the ice at all times. Either way, that's a luxury.

Meier is the heavier and more physical player though. Dubois is "Nastier", but that leads to an awful lot of penatlies taken, and neither player has enough of a playoff track record or winning pedigree, so I don't see those are reasons to try and put Dubois on Meier level despite the fact that Meier has been a far more effective player thus far in his career.