Counter offer: Gaudreau, 2nd round pick, and a 4th round pick for Jesper Bratt

Don't see Fiala signing for that either.

What about Zacha and a 2023 1st with top 5 or 10 protection?

the center core is gross

Zacha does nothing for us. Rossi will take over Fiala's spot in the top 6 and we already have Jost as our 4C, so Zacha would just be an expensive 4th line winger. I don't think we'd be too keen on getting a pick for next year considering Kaprizov is only under contract for 4 more years. Ask yourself this question: what would it take for you to move Bratt? I think the cost would be your 1st round pick this year (assuming it's not a top 3 pick, we'll see tonight) and maybe a decent but not amazing prospect.

First off that doesn't come close to getting Kevin Fiala, And secondly Fiala probably doesn't take anything less than $8,000,000 x 8 years.

This is bad for MINN. I can't wait for the end of MINN/NJD debates. Both sides have had their really bad takes about it. It's so old.

If Jersey gets the 1st overall, the fix is in.

That 3rd line is crazy

If they win (they wont) 1OA, trade down with Mtl or AZ to get more assets. Take one of Slav or Jiricek + whatever ya get for moving.

Gonna take Holtz to get Fiala.

Holtz + Zacha for Fiala + 3rd round pick

when we have 14M in buyouts looming, you should absolutely consider doing something like this

(though this is def a bad offer)

This is just the beginning

takes two to tango. Though im definitely in favor of trading down, I doubt it'd happen

Lol. A PPG winger for a player that would be an overpaid 4th liner on our team, a 2nd round pick, and a 4th round pick? If I were GM, I'd tell Fitzy to get lost if he proposed this.

Sure. Like I've said a TON on this subject, Fiala is worth a lot more. But you need a market in which one person thinks he's worth his full value if you're not paying him.

I don't think it's hard to see a world where this is the return. I dont think it's hard to see a world where 5th overall and Gritsyuk is the return. Too many factors.

This is a bad offer. Move on. Can't put lipstick on this pig.

But Bratt does not play for a team with cap issues. And Bratt is not potentially 1-year from UFA. Maybe if Bratt signs 1-year deal this year and we spend like crazy this summer, we would be in similar situation.

But if we were forced to move him some some reason, I don’t think I would be targeting a team with a top-5 pick. They are never traded.

That would be ideal. (Except I’d take Nemec at #2/#3).

I dont follow the prospects like you guys do but here is a write up on Devils HF Boards By Steven Ives:
RD David Jiricek, HC Plzen Czechia huge and physical D can also skate, puck-handle and features a howitzer of a shot; potentially dominant 1D
RD Simon Nemec, HC Nitra Slovakia best puck-moving D and transition D in draft is also excellent defensively; potential all-situations, all-star 1D

I still pick Jiricek, but it would be a great problem to have a choice!

We cannot fall out of our spot tonight!

Agreed, Its in Montreal though, if they could run to the podium first, they will. Whats the price though?

They legit don’t have much that I want.

Romanov and 3 for 1?

You say cap issues like we can't re-sign him. We can. We just have to choose between him and Dumba, and I imagine we choose Dumba if Guerin gets the package he wants for Fiala, but he chooses Fiala if the packages are lackluster. Put it this way: if we get lowball offers on Fiala and Dumba, the smart move is to to take the lowball offer on Dumba.

Devils fans keep saying top 5 picks are never traded, which is true. But what is the value of a player taken 5th overall? Here's a list of 5th overall picks the last 14 years:

Year Player Team GP G A Pts PIM
2021 Kent Johnson
2020 Jake Sanderson
2019 Alex Turcotte Los Angeles Kings 8 0 0 0 2
2018 Barrett Hayton Arizona Coyotes 81 10 14 24 26
2017 Elias Pettersson Vancouver Canucks 233 87 115 202 48
2016 Olli Juolevi Vancouver Canucks 38 2 1 3 4
2015 Noah Hanifin Carolina Hurricanes 503 39 148 187 130
2014 Michael Dal Colle New York Islanders 112 8 13 21 18
2013 Elias Lindholm Carolina Hurricanes 649 173 263 436 156
2012 Morgan Rielly Toronto Maple Leafs 640 68 295 363 173
2011 Ryan Strome New York Islanders 609 124 224 348 370
2010 Nino Niederreiter New York Islanders 719 178 181 359 338
2009 Brayden Schenn Los Angeles Kings 766 214 299 513 421
2008 Luke Schenn Toronto Maple Leafs 851 36 130 166 666

Honestly somewhat of a lackluster list. Only "star" players are Petterson and Lindholm. Rielly, Hanifin, and Schenn have been very good players too. The only guys on that list that I think I'd take over Fiala are Pettersson and Lindholm.

Edit: for some reason the list is readable in the html, but looks terrible when I post. Here's a link to the table.

Johnson, Sanderson, Turcotte too early to tell. Hayton, Juolevi, Dal Colle are bad picks. The rest are pretty good.

But how many of those picks were traded at the draft?

Sean Farrell, Blake Biondi to trade up from 3 to 1