Steep price for 1 year of Sturm

I'd say that's probably fair value for Colton. Don't want to see him go but I could accept that offer if it has to be him and somebody has to.

NJD should be interested in any/all of:

Georgiev
Girard
Lehkonen
Colton

Whatever colorado decides to move in terms of cap, NJD should be on it. Obviously try to play hardball as much as possible due to the cap, but ultimately if needed pay market value

I think the only one of those who probably wouldn't be available would be Lehky. Georgie next. Goalie you could probably fill from FA anyway but if the right offer was there I'd consider it as the Avs could also sign a UFA goalie I guess and possibly save a bit more cap there.

My "fill the entire roster out at once" incredibly unrealistic offer would be our top 10 pick for Colton, Girard, and Georgiev. Maybe some sweetener added on if necessary

I think it would need more than that but you'd probably be better gambling on the '25 1st being lower on a bounce back season (especially with the additions) and package that with other picks/prospects. Might take a chunk but it would be effectively a full reload filling most of the current holes and probably popular with Colton being a Jersey boy and all that jazz. Could even send you Wood back as well as he's fitted nicely with Colton. Would allow us to keep Trenin at least rather than NJ signing him lol.

I'd rather NJD go for Trenin than wood, although losing wood, McLeod, and Boqvists speed in the bottom 6 has been a killer

People don't want to talk about it due to the on ice stuff, but from a hockey perspective McLeod was hard carrying the bottom 6.

A fully healthy devils team this year (which we never really had) had a bottom 6 of:

Mcleod-Mercer-Holtz
Haula-Lazar-Bastian

Due to injuries and trades it's been

Macdermid, Lazar,Holtz,Nosek,Willman,Tierney and other garbage in there

Yeah the off ice stuff is what it is or will be what it will be. That's not being dismissive just not somewhere I want to go. Purely as a player, well you'll remember the fun thread discussion we had earlier in the season I'm sure with regards to my thoughts on McLeod. Losing much of your bottom 6 can hurt you almost as much if not as much as losing some of your top guys for a while. I'm feeling like Trenin is one that the Avs will try hard to keep. Comparatively cheap, good friend of Nichushkin's I believe from what I've read so may help keep his head on straight, does the job well and has been the best of the additions (imo), likes to mentor younger Russians coming over (like Kovalenko), just a great fit all round.

The timing of that thread was certainly something.

Trenin is a bottom 6 stud, and his impact on the PK is also slept on.

I've had him as a target all year and will continue to do so. Loved that trade for the Avs.

In a perfect world NJD would have been in a position to buy at the deadline and have a roster of

Hischier-Bratt-Meier
Hughes-Haula-Toffoli
Haula-Mercer-Holtz
Mcleod-Trenin-Lazar
Siegs-Hamilton
Hanifin-Marino
Hughes-Nemec
Kahkonen
Allen

But we move onto next year.

Yeah not a thread I'd want to try out now but hey-ho, who knew anything for sure back then. Was fun to have the pleasant chat with the likes of yourself and your other fellow Devils fans on that one (and my fellow Avs fans too of course, possibly even some neutrals), and it was one of the most civil and interesting chats I've had on here. Was chuffed with the Trenin trade myself, really liked the line at NAS with him, Sissons and Jeannot. Next year your guys will be back to competing I'm sure even without any massive deals like we're kind of proposing here. There's too much quality there when everyone is fit. Injuries, the McLeod situation and goalie issues kind of made a 'perfect storm' but am sure it will come good.

I went and bet on the Avs to win the cup immediately after I saw that Trenin trade lol. I think he's a stud.

Everything you could hope for from a bottom 6 guy with a bit of offense, excellent on the PK, defensively strong, and willing to fight and be physical.

We're agreed on Trenin, basically summed it up right there, and I hope your bet comes in, for you and me both lol. Not sure I'd be willing to bet on the Avs this year. I'm still hopeful as every year but they need to shore up the mistakes on the D somehow and fast.

I think the Avs come out of the west and the Canes out of the east

I can only hope you're right. Wouldn't mind that at all. Probably be quite an entertaining final as far as the actual hockey goes. Not sure it would be great for the NHL though money-wise. Probably the best you could hope for would be L.A. from the west and one of the O6 teams from the East if we're considering the salary cap increasing.

I wish Ross was a bit cheaper on his contract