That's awesome to hear man, thanks for sharing! Love a player that hustles and plays physical, which is a huge need for this Devils team. Holtz definitely has the potential to be a 30 goal scorer with the Knights. Good luck next season!

Great to hear from you Vince! With the much needed upgrades on defense and goaltending, and hopefully with less injuries I'm really excited for next season's team. Hope to see you again when the Devils are back in SoCal this season!

Thanks man it's been great! Maybe a bit too hot haha but in the evening it's been a really fun city to explore

Really strong FA for Fitzy, just hoping for a 1-2 year Tarasenko deal and it would be a strong off season!

Yeah I'm excited for a Devils team that will hit, it's felt like a long time since we've had such a physical team. Thanks man, I unintentionally happened to arrive on Canada day and it's been really fun!

Yeah what was particularly alarming to me was the lack of support from Lindy/Fitzy. I do think a fresh change of scenery will help Holtz, just hopefully not enough to the point where it ends up looking like an awful trade. Hoping for the best for Cotter!

Holtz will not be in the top six of anything. He’s coming to a real team. We have dudes in the AHL better than this kid.

Yeah, I am a bit afraid of Holtz flourishing with his new team. Vegas just seems to be the place where players figure out their game. But hey, hopefully the Devils make the playoffs again, and I do think they have a good shot with their roster (including what they'll be adding in FA).

Vegas didn't qualify Schmid so... maybe

If holtz is top 6 for vegas then they are not making the playoffs cause with that many minutes of holtz on the ice playing 0 defense they will lead the league in goals against ..

@@megapromo3771Vegas does not have a guy in the big club who has the ripper that Holtz has lol He can really shoot the puck.

The worst ....ever

This is the first i'm seeing of this take haha, really hoping it's good in hindsight.

I do love the space we have that we'll need these next few years. You never know how a trade will work out until they play, but if things go wrong for the Devils it's gonna look real bad with both Holtz and Schmid potentially figuring things out. But I do like Cotter and we'll just have to see how the next few seasons go. Devils need a RHD so I do think they need Pesce, but it does seem like they're going after Dillon as well, who could definitely slot well on the left side third-pairing. Bertuzzi is probably up for a decent contract with long term, but if the Devils could fit him in he'd be an awesome addition!

TERRIBLE take. This is the worst NJ trade I've ever seen. Keep drinking that Fitz Kool-Aid 🤡

Holtz value was definitely at an all time low. I do think with the right system, and in his prime, he has the potential to be a 30 goal scorer in this league, with at least more defensive awareness (though he'll certainly never be a two-way player). At Schmid's age he still has time to figure out his game. It's a big payment for what the Devils got in return, but I do like the grit that Cotter will bring on that fourth line. It'll be interesting to see what we're thinking a few years down the road about this trade, it could be different! Or it could be a whole lot worse. Hoping for the best!

Horrible take. He has not been used properly by nj and since Vegas is losing so many forwards he will get at least 2-3 line minutes and will be able to show what he can do, he’s a 4 liner and he put up 16 goals

​@yoholmes273 bahahaha . When san jose last year ..the worst team In league says no tnx to holtz plus the utica coach says don't send this uncoachable kid back down to us followed by his national team picking a semi pro to cut him ... yet here you are saying this guys is the worst devils take ... its obvious you refuse to admit you are wrong in life. .im betting you were one of the 🤡s saying it was ruffs and fitz mishandling of holtz that was the problem. .. .. what's even better is watching you badmouth the best gm in the nhl for the last 3 years.... bahahahaha #freeholtz. ..

How was Schmid mishandled? He had every opportunity this past season to take the net from Vitek and he couldn't do it.

Fitz should have been fired years ago

Yeah Schmid is a loss, and it would be a bummer (though I would be happy for him) if he does figure out his game with Vegas. We're losing some assets, and it'll be interesting to see if they turn things around with their new team. I am optimistic about Cotter!

@@NJDBLOG yes I like the elements Cotter will bring to the team 👍

Cotters on league min, schmid had no spot and was probably gonna let walk with markstrom/allen in NJ, Daws/poulter in utica. Holtz wasnt wanted in any trade and has only a shot and nothing more. Doesnt matter where someone gets drafted, if they dont work out they dont work out.

Wood was trash

And Cotter is not as good as Wood

I do see some parallels with Wood, mostly with speed, but Cotter is a bigger hitter, and I feel like his grit/effort outmatches Wood. And on Michael's point, two more years at league min is very valuable. I do think it was overpay, but I think he can be a contributor for this team both in the regular season and playoffs.

A worthless 7 over all pick .

Devils are getting a player that they need, some grit and toughness is something they were massively missing until MacDermid came in. Hoping this is another piece that brings them back to the playoffs!

Such a "beast" ...... ....he was benched every single game during the playoffs during The Cup run.

@@yoholmes273 I’m surprised anyone from Jersey even knows what a “cup run” is. You probably learned that term watching other teams play. Trust, no one in Vegas is happy with the trade either. Trading a man for a 4th line center who will be a healthy scratch every other game isn’t a solid deal. But at least he will finally know what it’s like to win.

I've heard a lot of great things about his effort and grit, I'm really hoping he slots well as our fourth line center. Those are sometimes the extra pieces you need to make a strong run in the playoffs, which I'm desperately hoping for!

@@megapromo3771they’ve had plenty of cup runs clown shoe

Cotter for holtz 3 rounder for schmid I’m pretty sure that’s how it lined up and I thing individually that makes sense. Holtz hasn’t been good enough to fetch more and schmid had only a handful of good nhl starts. I’ll love shmido forever for beating the rags but he’s super inconsistent so a 3rd rounder is fair

It does feel like an overpay, and I'm concerned with how Schmid/Holtz will develop with a new team like Vegas, which seems to do wonders with player turnarounds. I do like Cotter though, and I hope he'll be one of the extra additions that will help push the Devils into a playoff fun. We'll see what happens!

@@devilsandchargersfan385 It does seem to match up that way, it hurts that a 7th overall four years ago only gets Cotter in a return, but it's clear that Holtz return value was as low as ever, and the Knights do value Cotter in their lineup. Really hoping Cotter ends up being one of those missing pieces for a potential run!

No one in league wanted holtz. . How you don't understand this is crazy.

@@mostlycrazyallthetime “how you don’t understand this is crazy.” lol. Take a walk.

I'm really impressed with what I'm reading regarding his skating, I'm no longer concerned about his foot speed with that larger frame. If the Devils can get him to leave his KHL contract early after next season (and I know that that's a big if), he can definitely be an important piece in a potential playoff run

Yeah, and that's exactly the kind of player the Devils need. I'm really hoping he'll pull a Michkov and leave his contract early after next season, I think he's good enough to make an impact in this line up in the 25-26 season.

Absolutely, it's a bummer there's a likely chance he won't be able to join before then as the Devils are in win now mode, but if he continues to develop well in the KHL there's a good chance he'll be a strong 2nd pairing shutdown defenseman for this team

Absolutely, averaging 18+ minutes per night in the 2nd best league on a good team speaks a lot about what he brings. I've even seen some people claiming he's faster than Hedman, which takes away my concern about his ability to move with such a large frame. Devils could really use a large shutdown defensive defenseman, and I'm really hoping he'll be able to leave his KHL contract early after next season

That's my main frustration in that he probably doesn't play for us for another couple of years. I do think that he can be a positive contributor for the Devils in 25-26 if he's able to leave the KHL early like Michkov

We never saw Crawford and it would have been really interesting to see how that would've played out if he chose not retire after signing with us. Injuries are always a big concern with their age, but if they're able to stay relatively healthy throughout the season I'm feeling solid about the tandem!

Welcome man! It's a tough one, I feel like the Devils really need to push these next couple of years and try to be real contenders if they're making moves like trading for an older Markstrom, and they definitely could get a strong top pairing defenseman with that 10 OA. We've also seen time after time how much of a mistake it can be to trade top picks for guys that don't pan out/teams that don't end up contending. I think it's a risk worth taking, but only if the right player is available. Drafting Catton would be sick though if he's available at 10, skilled playmaking center that can play wing, and can also shoot the puck as good as any other top prospect coming into the draft. We'll see what happens, LGD!!

next on the to do list. pick up some defense

@@00devils Devils need to acquire a strong defensive defenseman if available. There are options in FA and always the option of trade as well, but with the Markstrom trade the Devils really need to push these next couple of years!

Thanks man! Hope everything's been good on your end!

That year he was 2nd in voting for the Vezina! With the standard of goaltending we've had this past season, let's hope he's at least average, but hopefully much more. With him being a 2 year investment (I'm kinda doubting the Devils will resign him at 36) I'm really hoping he can make us a cup competitor

There are some solid options on defense in FA (Zadorov, Pesce), though if the right top defenseman is available via trade I'm always open to trading the 10 OA. I think with the Markstrom move the Devils are really trying to contend for the next two years, so might as well throw everything at that chance (within reason!)

Haha thanks man, given what was potentially rumored to be involved in the trade I'm happy about it too. LGD!!

Thanks man, missed your comments! Yeah I think given how weak the goalie options are in this year's FA and how there are so few goalies available for trade his stock was higher, but it's great the devils didn't have to give up the 10 OA or Casey. There's a lot of pressure on Markstrom next year, let's hope it all plays out!

Oh no way! You also did the Cali trip?

Exactly what I was thinking the whole time while watching him play haha, let's hope!

Thanks man!

Thanks man - yeah I really lucked out with some awesome seats!

I was surprised about how many Devils fans I saw, especially vs Anaheim! We got so many devils chants going that night.

Thanks Goya King! Honestly once in a lifetime, the trip couldn't have gone better!!

no way u just called jesper bratt of all people the goat💀

@@eIcucuy he is the best player to ever lace up skates Jbitbpitnhl