Money-in, money-out for the Recent Jersey Devils
The Chris Johnston Show: Chris Johnston, talking concerning the Recent Jersey Devils trying to add, but are a bot handcuffed, given their cap situation. Moving the contracts of Dougie Hamilton and Ondrej Palat have come up. They may need to move Hamilton so as to add up front.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Julian McKenzie: “One team I’m also intrigued about that may be very much in your trade board is the Recent Jersey Devils. Obviously a loser within the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes. We’ve seen reports of a possible deal that would have been on the market, nevertheless it seems as if they simply weren’t in a position to filter cap space to make that work.
I discussed Ondrej Palat. He’s number six in your board. Dougie Hamilton can be on the board as well. What do you’re thinking that might be in store for the Recent Jersey Devils?
Johnston: Well, you understand, I feel that it’s true that they may use, you understand, clearing out some, some cap space along with attempting to improve their roster, right? And you understand, where they’re at with Palat is, you understand, he’s still pretty defensively sound player, but he’s not bringing the offense he once did.
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And you understand, he’s just set a stage where he’s not putting up points to justify a $6 million cap hit. And you understand, in some cases that is likely to be okay, but when your team is capped out, and also you’re on the lookout for ways to squeeze more out of your roster, I feel that’s where his name comes into play.
You realize, it’s definitely not, he’s a principally a no-maintenance guy with tremendous respect across the league and experience, obviously, from all those years in Tampa and the cup runs he had with the Lightning. But, you understand, it just is likely to be attending to the time where that, that’s a bit they will play to create cap room.
You realize, I don’t know that anything’s going to occur with Hamilton. I’ll be clear on that. I mean, he’s, he’s got an enormous cap hit. I don’t think it’s a case where the Devils are only attempting to unload him. I just think it’s a possibility, given, you understand a number of the other players they’ve on that blue line, right?
You realize, Brett Pesce is getting back from injury. Obviously, they’ve signed Luke Hughes to his big deal. They’ve got Simon Nemec there. You realize, they’ve, they’ve potentially got a capability, in the event that they start moving money around, to remove someone like Hamilton and use that cash to enhance their forward group.
So I feel what the Devils have is, is, you understand, a good little bit of internal pressure immediately to attempt to search for improvement. I mean, you understand, let’s, let’s make no bones about it, the season turned unfortunately on that, tha,t that accident that, you understand, took Jack Hughes out of the lineup, or, you understand, cut his hand and needed surgery. And, you understand, he’s, he’s form of the straw that serves a drink there.
They’ve had various other kind of situations too. I mean, like a whole lot of teams, and think injuries have been a consider where they’re at. So, you understand, there’s, there’s an actual push to make the playoffs for the Devils.
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And so I feel that the, you understand, after I take a look at as a complete, you understand, they’re going to attempt to, they’re going to try so as to add pieces specifically a forward. And you understand, to do this, as it will have with the Quinn Hughes trade, they may need to also filter some salaries.
So, you understand, all the things is all form of tied together there. And you understand, definitely, that’s why you see a pair Devils players on the board? It’s simply because they might be a part of, you understand, some, some falling dominoes here, in the event that they can, can line up a trade.
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