Why Did The Devils Trade For Paul Cotter?; Best & Worst Moments From The Offseason So Far

Why Did The Devils Trade For Paul Cotter?; Best & Worst Moments From The Offseason So Far

yesterday I talked about Jonathan kovage being an underrated get for the Devils is Paul Carter in the same boat Also let’s reflect on the off season yet again what was my favorite thing about it and what was my least favorite thing about it in terms of the moves made by Fitzgerald we have a lot to break down in today’s episode lockon 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 brce Salvador and you’re locked on devil try [Applause] Matthews St stepped up got the a shot the Devils win the Stanley Cup all righty now what is up New Jersey welcome back to lock on podcast here on lockon network I’m your host College hockey club play announcer Del R Puck pitchforks also parttime credential M member Trey Matthews what’s on the agenda for today’s episode well if you missed the previous one I talked about Jonathan kovich and how I felt as though he was an underrated get for Tom fit cheral when dissecting kovic’s game yes he doesn’t really focus that much on offense but he did lead the Montreal Canadians in a few statistical categories including plus minus and defensive point shares I said it sort of reminded me of the impact that Ryan Graves might have and let me just make something perfectly clear I I never said that kova Sage was on the same level as Graves all I said was like they show similar traits and even though kov svage might not suit up in a good amount of games unless there’s an injury it still goes to show you that the devil’s Blue Line has gotten better in terms of depth because that was one of their biggest issues especially when they dealt with a few key injuries including douge Hamilton and Yoda Sean thaler during that episode I talked about how I didn’t really focus that much on kova Savage when the Devils first acquired him from the Canadians because it was really hectic around free agency time for the Devils because the draft recently concluded the Devils were signing all new players they made that trade for kovage like I just mentioned Fitzgerald had his press conference development Camp was still going on it was just a whirlwind and I’m glad this week and the weeks following we get to slow down a little bit and let’s revisit some topics in today’s episode we’re g to focus on another player that I didn’t really give that much attention to and that is Paul cter now I reacted to the trade for Paul Carter live from the Vegas spear because as you guys know I was credential for for the NHL draft but I sort of had to rush it because I had limited time to plan and record my episode because they were kicking people out at a certain time I couldn’t really take my time to dissect C’s game but I did provide some background information saying that he’s a bottom six player he’s gonna rack up the hits he plays physical but I talked more about the assets that the Devils had to give up to get cter which was Akira Schmid and Alexander Holtz and I stand by my original statement which is I think the devil sacrificed just a little too much to get Paul cter but I understood the direction that Fitzgerald was trying to go that will be the main focus in segment one then in segment two let’s just reflect on the off season in general I’ve been seeing a lot of devils content creators whether it’s print or video talking about the devil’s off season what did they like what didn’t they like and I just want to say Fitzgerald he had a goal going into the off season and check off all the boxes because he stood by his goal then in the third and final segment to close things out I’ll talk about what I didn’t like in the off season but just a spoiler alert it has nothing to do with the moves that the Devils made because I’m actually satisfied with the moves that Tom fitzerald did the past couple weeks but let’s talk about Paul Carter and let’s play some sound bites from his media availability all right Carter he appeared in 76 games for the Vegas gold kns during the 2023 2024 season he had seven goals 18 assists for a grand total of 25 points not really that much of an offensive asset he does have a few PowerPlay points four of his 25 points came via the power play he scored two Power Play Goals and had two power play assists but I think it’s safe to say that he’s not going to play that big a factor on the Devils power play if at all because I think the Devils have some other options to turn to but we’ll see how the lineup shakes up for Sheldon Keefe when training camp hits plus minus he was tied for last on the gold Knights roster with a plus minus rating of minus1 and he was tied for Brett Howen once again for worst on on the roster but here’s the two categories that I think Fitzgerald was paying attention to in terms of cotter’s game 233 hits second on the team and he had a Face-Off win percentage of 49.1% ninth on the team Carter talked about the tangibles he brings to the roster and we know the agenda heading into the offseason for Tom Fitzgerald and Company it was to replace the production of Miles wood and Michael McLoud two players that are blue collar type players aren’t afraid to throw their weights around and we all know what Michael McLoud was capable of doing on the face off and cter sort of fills that hole a little bit he’s not the ideal replacement but he certainly knows how to play physical he talked about that during his media availability take a listen I think one of my biggest assets is being able to be you know versatile and being able to play I mean I can play first line I can play fourth line second third you know I can fit a lot of different roles so whatever is needed of me um you know that’s what I’ll do and I think my core game itself being physical and and Puck possession and high energy on the bench that’ll always be there and um hopefully I can contribute to whatever line them on so I talked about this in a prior episode The Devil’s record for most hits in the single season season belongs to Blake Coleman who had 225 during the 2018 2019 season now you add people like Carter and Dylan to the mix and they could actually break Coleman’s record if they still maintain that physicality the one thing that Carter needs to work on is consistency and being efficient because if you look at his offensive Point shares his defensive point shares and I talked about his plus minus he he doesn’t stick out in either category so my thing is like he cannot hinder the offensive attack for devils like you can be physical but you cannot slow down this Devil’s unit and just because you don’t score doesn’t mean that you’re a bad player but you got to find ways to bring value to the roster without slowing it down if that makes sense Devil’s team reporter Sam kassan put this out on X when the Devils first got him cter is a big physical power Ford played mostly third but some second line Center for Vegas last season projects as a mid to bottom six type of player also cheap at 775,000 and two years remaining on his deal once again I think that’s what Fitzy was looking at and the Devils wanted to go after peshi and Dylan and you’re gonna have to pay those players a little bit and he also signed n to a three-year deal getting rid of Alexander holson and Kira Schmid I guess it was the easier thing to do because Schmid pending RFA while Schmid didn’t receive a qualifying offer with the gold Knights he did ultimately sign there for two years we’ll see what happens and Alexander Holtz was on the last year of his entry-level contract and of all the assets on Devil’s roster probably one of the easier players to move who has some decent upside but let’s focus just more on on cter cter talked about his motivation going into the season take a listen obviously you know what Vegas drafted me and they saw something in me and um I think now that I’ve I’ve shown and progressed as a player that I can be in the NHL you know the Devils have seen that and for them to reach out and and make a trade for me to want me is is awesome I mean you want to go where where you’re wanted right so for me you know they’ve they’ve put the belief in me and now it’s time for me to give back so um I’m super pumped okay for the past couple weeks we’ve been talking about leadership and team culture within the devil’s locker room that’s why they signed players like Stephen n Brett pesy Brendan Dylan Tomas Shar even though he’s been here before you’re signing veteran players that have been around the block before but of all the moves made by Fitzy this off season only one player has hoisted the Stanley Cup and that is Paul cter he now joins Andre palot and Jake Allen as previous Stanley Cup winners prior to joining the Devils cter was a part of that gold Knights team that won it just a couple seasons ago and that goes a long way because I always talk about playoff pedigree and how it goes a long way for a young team like the Devils but when you add Championship experience as well it it it plays a huge Factor going into the season and Beyond especially come playoff time wild cter might not be the first name you think of when you look back on that Vegas gold Knights Championship run you can’t take away from the fact that he’s a champion and he has his name engraved on that trophy cter brings Championship experience similar to Andre palott poot not the best player on the roster but he has that Championship experience he knows what it takes to get there and yes you got a player like tomasar who’s been to the Stanley Cup Final before he didn’t win it and he didn’t really play that much of a role with the Canadians That season but digressing a little bit that’s the one thing I want people to just magnify a little bit more with Carter which is we’re talking about a winning culture in New Jersey we’re talking about changing team culture we’re talking about leadership Cotter has won a Stanley cup let’s highlight that a little bit more because that goes a long way and we saw what happened when P Hala and Smith signed with the Devils during the 2022 off season and what happened after that the Devils had a historic season and remember this is a franchise that has won three Stanley Cups once again I think the devil still sacrificed just a little too much to get his services but at the end of the day they got more experience with cter and a few other players that have been to the playoffs many times throughout their career and that’s the takeaway I got from Carter he can rack up the hits he can do faceoffs I’m sure he’s not afraid to play those dirty areas work on being efficient and consistent and maybe a change of scenery can help him and he also brings Championship experience cter won’t be the best player on the roster but I’m sure he could play a vital role especially since Depp was a main issue of concern for the Devils just this past season all right we’re going to talk more about the moves that fitsy made during the offseason so far but before we continue let me tell you about FanDuel I love sports I love them so much I never want them to stop but as the playoffs wind down we get fewer games and the sports aren’t sportsing like I want them to but FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want all I have to do is open up the app and dream up any bets anytime I’m in the mood and this summer FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or bonus daily that’s right there’s something for everyone every day all summer long so head over to fanduel.com and start making the most of your summer FanDuel official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball visit fanduel.com the look at the odds and please remember to gamble responsibly all right I’ve been inspired I’ve been seeing a lot of Devil’s content creators share with their audience like what was their favorite part of the offseason because B sherald recently revealed at his press conference that the devils are done for the most part because due to the cap space and also having to give Dawson Mercer a new contract I don’t think the devils are going to make another trade or sign another player who’s available in the free agent Market I think fitsy is really satisfied with what he’s put together and in this segment we’re going to focus on the good of the off season for Tom feral let’s Circle back to something he said to the media a while back what was his offseason wish list he said he wanted to get a goalie a top six forward a bottom six forward a top four defenseman and a bottom four defenseman I said that maybe a few of those goals will come into fruition but I had my doubts that fitgerald would be able to achieve all five of his wishes and and he got to work and that’s exactly what he did before I break it down I actually want to give a shout out to Jim Beringer friend of the show he’s over at full press hockey he and I were covering the draft and he was always relaying information to me he spoke to Tom fisherald and he was telling me Trey the devils are not done this was shortly after they acquired Paul cter and also traded away John Marino he said that Fitzy wants to get uh more grit he wants to get more experience and the devils are going to be very busy come the first day of free agency and lo and behold that’s exactly what happened all right let’s go over the wish list shall we get a goalie the Devils did that with Jacob markstrom I’ve already broken it down in Prior episodes but that’s exactly what happened top six forward tomasar I get it people had other plans when it came to a top six for I’m sure it’s Gerald also had different plans because we were seeing the rumors that maybe Jonathan marcheso Steven stamp Co whomever would show interest in the devils and I think the biggest one created by Mike rup was that the Devils would have a chance to get Brady kachuck and I constantly said that it wasn’t going to happen at least not this off season but tomasar is a capable top six player we’ve seen it happen a couple seasons ago can he rekindle that magic we don’t really know but technically Fitzgerald did get a top six forward but I think that was at the bottom of his list because he said during his press conference that offense was never the issue for devils and I think people need to be more appreciative of what the Devils got and not who they don’t got be grateful for what you for what you have is the old saying right because the Devils have Jack Hughes he can become a once in a generation type Talent if he stays healthy teimo Meer 40 goal scores in that sort of body frame don’t just grow on trees Nico heer one of the better two-way players in the entire league and also Jer brat had an Allstar caliber season and he is one of the more consistent players on the devil’s roster and similar to Dawson Mercer he is an Iron Man because he suited up in all 82 games for the Devils this season and also last season I don’t think tops six forward was the main priority for fer but getting a bottom six forward he got two of them Stephan n and Paul cter because both of them play physical and both of them are not afraid to throw their weights around and like I been saying a lot on this show you gotta replace miles wood you gotta replace Michael McLoud and Carter he could do faceoffs he can rack up the hits but n is the more complete player n is physical he’s electrifying he’s improved his game a whole lot the past few years I was really inspired by his story in which he spent a season with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL and then he was given a bigger shot The Following season with the Carolina Hurricanes and now this has led him to a three-year deal with the Devils I’ve been truly inspired by n and I’d say he’s going to be one of of my favorite players to watch this upcoming season I think n and cter with n obviously being the better player there you go you get your bottom six forward top four defenseman he got two Brett pesy and Brendan Dylan I’ve already talked about both of those players and both of them are really good peshi knows where to position himself and I think he can definitely have somewhat of an impact for the devils not really offensively even though he shown glimpses of it but just knows where to position himself and Brendan Dylan physical guy love it bottom for defenseman Jonathan kovage I talked about him in the previous episode kova Savage very underrated will he play in all the games no but he still had a solid showing with the Canadians I just got to give a lot of credit where credit is due Fitzgerald had a list going into the off season and he checked it once he checked it twice and he got to work a goal without a plan is a wish is the old saying he got all of the things that he wanted to get and not to mention he got Sheldon ke I know I’ve touched on this in the past but I would say that’s been my favorite part of the offseason which is people always complain saying that fitsity only gets half the job done f is this F50 is that people were turning on him after people were literally saying including myself that Fitzy should have gotten consideration for general manager of the year I never lost hope in Fitzy I just said Devils had a rough season it happens they’ll rebound from this and I think another thing that I loved about the off season was when I talked about Stephen n and toas Shar possibly returning to the devils in a few silly season episodes and got called out on social media but lo and behold they reunite with the devils and man did I have a field day on social media it’s all fun and games at the end of the day don’t take it personal It’s Just Sports it’s all I got to say but it I love it when I do a silly season episode or a silly season discussion and it comes with fruition so you can add that to the list I remember talking about teimo Meyer B vanich I’m sure a few other players because silly season is one of my favorite things to do during the off season and now nayon and Tatar added to the list and I was always talking good about Tatar I think you would have to go back like last August in which I did in episodes saying like I’d be open for Tatar to come back to the Devils but just given the ti of to fley situation didn’t foresee it but welcome back tuna all right obviously there’s a lot of good in the offseason but what were some of the things that I didn’t like about the offseason my answer might surprise you all right talked about the good let’s talk about the bad had during the off seon and let me make something perfectly clear this is not a jab towards anyone in particular but when I see people on social media when I see people on my YouTube comment section wherever if I see someone saying like this offseason was a fail for New Jersey honestly that boils my blood a little bit because it’s just like the Devils did what they were supposed to do during the off seon what made the Devils so successful during the 2022 2023 season they had depth and they were also healthy and this is one of their main fixes going into the off season which was how can Fitzgerald fill out the roster and fill in some of those missing puzzle pieces because losing Damon Severson Ryan Graves miles wood didn’t make things easier for Devils running it back with AK Kira Schmid and VCH Vanek that didn’t really pan out too well but I kind of understand the mindset he went the cheap route and unfortunately it didn’t pan out and he got Jacob markstrom to try to fix it and Jake Allen is the backup and I think Allen was pretty good fisherald heard the criticism loud and clear and my thing is like I think if you were to ask a lot of people they would say like the Devils need to improve in in goal tending and they did that and then everything else was gravy like can you add add more defensive depth can you add more bottom six depth the Devils did what they were supposed to do but it just frustrates me when people find ways to criticize like I said I don’t think that sherald’s job is on the line I think he has made all the correct moves and now it comes down to can this product actually work in a game and the Devils might get off to a slow start they might get off to a fast start I don’t really know I’m not a fortune teller but what I can say is like I think once again this is similar to what I said in segment two don’t focus on what you don’t got focus on what you do have yes would love to have Brady kachuck on the roster yes I would love to have a few other big name players on the roster but the Devils do have that Jack Hughes Nico heer Jer brat teimo Meyer douge Hamilton just to name a few I think this Devil’s team did what they had to accomplish during the off season and I think people should be a little bit more grateful that’s one of the issues I had during the offseason which is people still weren’t satisfied Fitzy did the correct moves and that’s where where I’m going to leave it at but let me know what you think what were some of your favorite moves that Fitzgerald made during the off season and where do you think the Devils go from here because we got a long way to go before training camp comes around and share your thoughts on Paul CER and that trade in in general 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 trat 4 or the show’s xpage app locked on Devils as for’s episode that’s all time I have for you continue stay safe have a wonderful day in New Jersey thanks for listening go Devils I’ll catch you guys next episode thanks for listening once again

In yesterday’s episode, I talked about Johnathan Kovacevic being an underrated get for Tom Fitzgerald. When the New Jersey Devils first obtained Paul Cotter, it sparked a debate. Because the team sacrificed Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid to get his services. Even though he’s projected to be a bottom-6 player, Cotter does fill a need for New Jersey. I also talked about some of my favorite and least favorite moments from the offseason so far.

Interview soundbite: Paul Cotter (Courtesy of the New Jersey Devils)

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