Devils Re-Signed Kurtis MacDermid to a Three-Year Extension; Craig Berube Joined The Maple Leafs

Devils Re-Signed Kurtis MacDermid to a Three-Year Extension; Craig Berube Joined The Maple Leafs

Curtis McDermot is back for three more seasons and Kevin week’s cryptic social media post has some people including myself a little puzzled when are the Devils going to announce their next head coach and who’s the new leading candidate now that Craig baru is off the table we have a lot to break down today’s episode locked on Devils buckle up everybody you’re locked on Devils your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day hi this is Bryce Salvador and you’re locked on devil Trey Matthews scor oh Steven stepped up nailed inor got the P what a shot the Devils win the Stanley Cup alrighty now what is up New Jersey welcome back to locked on Devils podcast here on locked on network I’m your host College hockey club play announcer d r Puck pitch forks and also part-time credential Mia member Trey Matthews Kevin weeks and his cryptic tweets stried again last night at the time of the recording he put out on X A’s hinting at the fact that the New Jersey Devils were close to doing something big remember they’re still looking for a head coach so maybe they were going to announce who’s going to be behind the bench and nothing amounted except for the fact that the Devils resigned Curtis mcdermit to a threeyear extension and while Curtis McDermot is a fan favorite because we all know what happened between him and Matt Ry at Madison Square Garden it was absolute chaos all hell broke loose we’re being realistic he’s not gonna play in all of the games and I think the length of his contract caught a lot of people by surprise that’s what we’re going to talk about in the first segment I will read the pr report and give you guys my thoughts on his contract and then in the second segment I will play some sound bites courtesy of exit interviews and mcder spoke on his impact his Stanley Cup run and the comparisons it might have to this current Devil’s team and what he sees his role is going to be moving forward and then the third and final segment remember what I said that Kevin weeks put out a cryptic tweet on X we’re gonna talk more about that because Craig baru is now off the market he is headed up north to become the next head coach for the Toronto Maple Lees and now there goes a candidate for New Jersey all right Curtis mcder 20122 Stanley Cup champion it was recently announced that the devil signed him to a three-year extension worth $3.45 million with a $1.15 million average annual value mcder was acquired bya trade with the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a seventh round pick in this year’s ANL draft and Ford zakar bakov and he stands six foot five which means he is the tallest Ford on the roster and he weighs 235 pounds that makes him the heaviest player on the roster he played in 16 games for the devils and he recorded 50 penalty minutes and four fighting Majors mcdermitt’s 50 penalty minutes since March 1st ranked first on New Jersey while his four fighting Majors were tied for the most in the shell the Devils knew what they were getting from mcder a lot of people had complaints that this team was too soft they needed more physicality they needed more sandpaper they needed someone to stick up for the star players because you see that players are going to play extra hard on Jack Hughes and niik heser which resulted in niik heser actually being sidelined for almost a month due to a head injury he took at the hands of Conor Clifton and Jack Hughes he was playing hurt for I would say a good chunk of the year but mcder he definitely changes that a little bit and I think that was felt in the lock room before joining the Devils he played in 29 games for Colorado this season and recorded two goals a plus minus rating of plus three and 23 penalty minutes he is 2.94 hits per 60 Minutes ranked second on Colorado for the 2023 2024 campaign mcder saw action at both forward and defense during his time with the Avalanche he was acquired by the Avalanche in a trade with the Seattle Kraken in 2021 in seven NHL seasons mcder has skated in 265 regular season games scoring 31 Points 11 goals 20 assists while accumulating a whopping 368 penalty minutes all right we’ll talk about his stats in more detail and what his role will be with the Devils moving forward but let’s just talk about the contract because it’s a threeyear extension which I think some people are viewing as maybe one year too many because Tom ferel made it clear towards the end of the season that he wanted to bring back Curtis mcder and mcder was aware of this during exit interviews and he said that there was something in the works all right it shouldn’t be a surprise that mcder is back with the Devils now my thoughts on the contract is I do think it might be a year too long but the thing is it’s a team-friendly deal let me reiterate something it’s an average annual value of $1.15 million it’s not like the devils are paying him like $5 million per season it’s a Team friendly deal and mcder he does bring more physicality we cannot deny that and that’s been a big complaint amongst the devil’s discourse in case things get out of hand once again come next season then we can rely on mcder to be inserted into the lineup and definitely ring the bell of some players because I think Conor Clifton while he got his come upet thanks to Brendan Smith he he definitely needed to be taught a lesson or uh the examples I used just a few minutes ago is that Nathan Bastion he had a run in with the Rangers Matt rampy and Jacob trouba then Yona sea thaler he took an elbow to the side of the Dome thanks to Ry and it was McDermot who stepped in a few weeks later to basically make Ry pay the piper which instantly made him a fan favorite the contract I guess can be viewed as a little long but I think what Fitzgerald is just trying to do is that he he sees that the Devils do have potential to do something and when you have mcder on that roster someone who has Stanley Cup experience it goes a long way and I’ll talk more about that in the second segment because uh when he was speaking to the media I couldn’t help but reminisce back to Last Exit interviews in which I spoke to some veteran Devils players who had nothing but positive things to say about this young core but before we continue let me tell you about game time I’ve used game time to purchase myself some MLB tickets recently and what is it well last minute deals save up to 60% off buying last minute for sports concerts comedy theater and more Flash Deals save even more with exclusive inapp deals on select seats ahead of the game or event Zone deals save even more when you choose a section and let game time choose the seats all in pricing toggling this feature shows the total upfront with no surprise fees at checkout seat views get a great view from your seat in the app before you buy the lowest price guaranteed or game time will credit you 110% of the difference game time ticket coverage your purchase is covered with the most flexible 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here so I enjoyed my time here you obviously you know had was we’re on a Avalanche team that won the stle C I mean is is do you see some early early Roots I guess of of you know of that in this team are there any similarities at all yeah for sure I mean there’s great team here great young cor so um obviously there’s uh um some good pieces and just got put it together and um there’s a bright future for this organization for sure what would intrig you about wanting to come back be like what you learned about this group that that you feel comfortable in I mean just being able to help them out and um bring what I bring for the team and I can tell uh you know it makes a difference for them and um being able to grow with the team and improve so um that’s something that I really enjoyed here ctis how comfortable were you playing in a role where you weren’t in the lineup every night uh that’s kind of been uh um my role on past few years anyway so it’s nothing new okay I want to break all three of those talking points down a little bit impact sometimes impact in the locker room goes a long way that’s why Brandon Smith is usually given a longer leash compared to some other players because we can all have our opinions about Brandon Smith and what he does on the rank but what he does in the locker room certainly should not go unnoticed and CR Christy flry of the hockey news for bringing this to my attention last season because I didn’t have good things to say about Brandon Smith in fact I even pushed for the Devils to try to get him waved but she said like no you need to like be able to go into the locker room talk to him and he’s a great guy and I think the whole team feels that sort of energy and once I got my credentials I got to see it firstand and I think the same can be said for Curtis mcder because when I hear him talking about his impact on the team or his impact in the locker room I just think back to last year’s exit interviews when I spoke with Eric Holla once again Brendon Smith Andre palot some veteran pieces on the roster that just had nothing but good things to say about the young core and the young core feeds on that remember Jack Hugh said that he was a big fan of erical and he even said during his exit interview that he wanted to see the team resign Hala for a few more seasons and lo and behold Hollow was signed to a three-year extension because veteran leadership is important and the Stanley Cup run I I I’ve been talking about it for head coach candidates and I’m gonna say it for the players as well if you have Championship experience that also goes a long way you can lean on the shoulder of someone like Andre poot who’s won a couple Stanley Cups and now Curtis mcder who’s won a Stanley Cup Jake Allen who is won a Stanley Cup they know what it takes to get there and actually win it and all of them come from certain backgrounds in terms of winning the cup because poot he comes from a dynasty Lightning roster that won two Stanley Cups within a three-year span they almost won back to back to back and then the Colorado Avalanche they have some great talent themselves and Nathan McKinnon kale MCR and mcder while he did not play in a single playoff game he still saw it firsthand into getting to that point and then his role with the team that’s going to be the biggest thing for me because he’s not going to have a huge impact on the ring unless he needs to fight someone if we’re being completely honest when we’re looking at his stats once again he has appeared in 265 NHL games and he has racked up 368 penalty minutes all right clearly how he gets his rest is he fights one and he goes to the Penalty Box for a lengthy period of time and the most games he’s ever played in was 58 and that was in 2022 when he was on the Avalanche and that was the same year that the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup I can understand why people are a little confused as to why Fitzgerald resigned mcder to a three-year extension my educated guess and this is just pure speculation on my end is that that when you have players like vouching for a certain player it definitely carries some sort of weight and like I said in the first segment this is a Team friendly deal I don’t think this is a deal that’s going to come back to bite the Devils it’s similar to yodis Sean thaler or John Marino they’re signed long term but they also have team-friendly deals for their level of impact on the roster and what they do on the rank which is why not many people are complaining about it someone like Andre lot a little overpaid if you ask me but mcder if the devils are good I don’t anticipate for him to play in more than 45 games because if the devils are legitimate and trying to get back to the playoffs then you might not need mcder on the rank but if there’s a situation in which a player needs to have his Bells rung and he needs to pay the piper then you can best believe next time that the Devils play that certain team mcder will be in the lineup and he’ll be ready to go or if mcder does happen to be playing in that game you can best believe that mcder is not going to take it while sitting down I would argue and say that McDermot is one of the toughest guys in the NHL and he is definitely an enforcer and that’s something that’s kind of lost in the modern NHL I think the devil should be very grateful to have him and this goes back to a point I’ve been making during the course of Silly Season discussions regarding you know who out Ottawa Devil’s discourse has been complaining about physicality well I said you could get physicality at a much cheaper rate and lo and behold now here he is at a much cheaper rate it’s Curtis mcder you wanton physicality you got it I think McDermot checks off all the boxes for what he is supposed to bring to this roster he has a positive impact in the locker room he has Stanley Cup experience and he knows what his role is going to be with the team he is basically here to be a big brother to some of these players and to come to their aid if needed and I think the players definitely feel his energy and his overall impact so yeah the contract might be a little bit long but I’m not going to toss and turn at night I think it’s just fine and it’s not it’s not that expensive all right we’re gonna talk about the head coaching drama surrounding the Devils yet again because one of their top candidates is now off the boards but before we continue let me tell you about eBay Motors passion drive and patience the formula for winning championships is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you’re into speed and power or style eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or 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finally got into an agreement with Sheldon Keef basically everyone’s imaginations were roaming Wild and the only big news that could really be taking place for New Jersey is that they finally found their next head coach the man behind the bench and the very next day the only big thing that happened with New Jersey was Curtis McDermot resigning to a three-year extension with all due respect to mcder I literally talked about in the previous two segments that he does have a positive impact on this roster but is he really worth that sort of cryptic tweet if I’m being honest here no why is Kevin weeks putting that out there when nothing has been made official a few hours ago weeks put this out on a and he said in speaking to people involved I’m told those are among the factors in decision making process both Woodcraft and Keith are young and have coached Superstars as well which is is also Paramount these two are among the top remaining head coach finalists for the Devils why didn’t he just say that instead of like putting the I emoji with a picture of the credential center now you got people’s imaginations roaming wild and people speculating because remember Pierre LeBron put out about 11 days ago when this episode goes live that the Devils were going to find their next head coach within the next s to 10 days all right the 10 days have expired and when weeks put that out on X we were still within the 10day window you see what I’m I’m getting at here and when douge Hamilton was put onto the ltir weeks also put out on X and said that the devils are looking to make a splashy move for a big time defenseman or a goalie stay tuned we stayed tuned for a few weeks nothing happened I was really patient what happened they got Jake Allen and kappo kinan two solid players who finished out the rest of the season nicely if you ask me but once again they’re not worth that sort of tweet the The Mao Canadians were trying to get rid of Jake Allen that’s why they retained half of his salary and kinen was basically a shortcut for the Devils to open up a roster spot this off season because VTech Vanek if he was still on the roster he would have one year remaining on his respective deal my thing for Kevin is that I’m not trying to hate on the brother but this seems somewhat misleading and you’re just teasing us at this point maybe I’m just nitpicking here but I just want to get your guys opinions on it so leave a comment down below if you’re watching on YouTube but here’s the update Kia Pierre LeBron the devil’s continue to work through their coaching search process among the candidates interviewed so far Todd mclen big no Craig baru no longer available and Jay Woodcraft plus as mentioned before the Devils have interest in speaking with sheld and Keith all right something tells me that Sheldon Keefe is trying to contemplate whether or not he wants to jump right back into the fire because he was recently fired by the Toronto mapley as we all know and there was some speculation going out there as to whether or not he would take some time off and that’s not out the ordinary in sports usually when a coach is fired they don’t jump back into it sometimes they’ll take a year off and then they’ll sign a new deal it is really hard and it can be mentally straining especially when you have to go into a new environment but uh I really hope that they could come to an agreement with Sheldon Keefe he’s my second option if you ask me just based on what he did with the core 4 and the 100 plus Point seasons and not to mention he made it out of the first round at the Helm of the maple Le and that was the first time that it happened since 2004 give him credit where credit is earned but if I had to make an educated guess I would say that Jay woodc is probably the leading candidate and this is just speculation on my end if I basically have to put on my Sherlock Holmes cap and put two and two together I just think like based on everything I think the devils are aware as to what happened with Todd mlen during his tenure with San Jose emont and also Los Angeles which is the main problem is that mlen does not make adjustments which is why Patrick Marlo does not have a Stanley Cup added to his resume and why the Kings despite getting off to a pretty decent start with a lot of expectations heading into the new year fired him after the team had lost 14 of their last 17 games I think the Devils will pick up on that that might just be a worst version of Lindy Rock I think Jay Woodcraft might be the favorite to come to New Jersey if the Devils can’t get through to Sheldon Keefe and they might just be waiting for Keith to make a decision and I really hope that Keith is behind the bench I really do but I if if if it’s been this difficult to land an interview with them or get even further in the interview process if they’ve done so already then something tells me that it might not come into fruition and for baru we always knew that he had his heart set on Toronto he’s Canadian himself that’s a hard opportunity to pass up I totally get it but expectations in Toronto and New Jersey are a little bit different you could do nothing but exceed expectations of New Jersey resing Toronto just getting out the first round apparently it’s not enough you got to go a little further with the core pieces you have and we’ll see what happens but for the time being Devils still do not have a head coach and the process is taking a lot longer than people anticipated but let me know what you guys think who do you anticipate to be the next head coach for the Devils Jay Woodcraft he does have experience coaching Superstar players obviously when you have the two past heart Trophy winners and Conor McDavid and Leon dyle he knows how to handle them but my question is will it transfer over to New Jersey just because McDavid and drle they’re like they’re like Elite of the elite like they’re above even the Superstar players and they might make you look better but I’m just optimistically cautious but that’s just uh my perspective it might change what whatever the case might be but leave a comment down below if you’re watching on YouTube if you’re listening on podcast streaming service hit me up on my personal xpage app at trm 4 or the show’s xpage app at lockon Devils as’s episode that’s all time I have for you continue to stay safe have a wonderful day New Jersey go Devils I’ll catch you guys in the next episode thanks for listening once again

The New Jersey Devils re-signed their top enforcer Kurtis MacDermid to a three-year, $3.45 million extension. Even though he’s a fan favorite, people were still shocked once they discovered the length of his contract. However, he brings a lot to the organization. Despite a possible tease by Kevin Weekes, the Devils still haven’t found their next head coach. Craig Berube is now off the market.

Interview soundbite: Kurtis MacDermid (Courtesy of the New Jersey Devils)

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