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NJ Devils NHL Free Agency UPDATE: Kovacevic Trade Leading To Something BIG?!?

  • July 1, 2024



NJ Devils NHL Free Agency UPDATE: Kovacevic Trade Leading To Something BIG?!?

welcome back Devils fans it is your host Ace here on running with the Devils where we are talking New Jersey Devils hockey all season long baby rumors trades speculations game recaps anything and everything New Jersey Devils hockey please hit that subscribe button smash the like button share with the friend thank you very much and on to the news the news cycle right now is Fast and Furious it’s hard for me to keep up with it I got phones televisions computers laptops desktops tablets I got all the devices going there’s Al pinging alerts going everywhere text messages phone calls it’s getting crazy and the latest news to drop in New Jersey Devils land is that the New Jersey Devils have acquired Jonathan kovacevich from the Montreal Canadians in exchange for a 2026 fourth round pick and obviously I did not know much about this young man upon hearing his name and so we do the research here and we see this is an absolute monster of a man at 65 223 lbs he’s 26 years old he was drafted by Winnipeg in the third round in the 2017 draft and here we just take a look at the stats and last season in 62 games played he had six goals seven assists 13 points with a plus 11 you see he had limited career experience you know his rookie year he only played four games in the year before in Montreal 22 23 he played 77 games had three goals 12 assist assist for 15 points but the thing that makes me salivate is obviously that 65 223 frame you guys know I like the big boys hopefully he uses the size I’ve seen a couple clips of him doing just that and hopefully he does it regularly and when I first saw this come across the wire I thought this was a depth move you know for UDA or to have him as a seventh eighth defenseman um I think something similar with Nick D Simone happened last week and then for some reason and I’m not saying so don’t you know I’m not starting rumors I’m just thinking out loud right thinking out loud with you all here this guy’s a right d is there any way that for some reason at the 25th hour when everyone thought Brett pesy to the Devils was a foregone conclusion is it possible that there’s been some sort of snag something has happened and Brett peshi is not going to come here is it Poss possible or maybe something else unrelated and then I was thinking is it possible that possibly another player that we didn’t think was going to become available or at least consider coming to us did become available and then so Fitzy decided to save the peshy money go with a cheaper option with this kid and continue about his business it’s just something to think about you know because everyone thought peshi was a foregone conclusion as did I due to all the rumors but is it possible that this is a budget replacement for for peshi and we’re going to spend the money elsewhere something to think about we’ll come back to that in a minute and then the devil’s put this out they’ve tendered qualifying offers to Dawson Mercer Nolan foot Cent Haka niik Daws and Adam Beckman so these deals are going to cut into our cap space a little bit um it’s hard to say exactly how much but it will definitely cut into a little bit so that’s just something to keep into consideration that’s probably another few million bucks is or so on top of Mercer something to keep in mind when we’re running these numbers but then we get to the Insiders got to love the Insiders especially the active ones former New Jersey Devil goenda weeky and here’s his tweet from a little while ago NJ Devils might cook tomorrow with their top goalie situation finally locked they may add a top 5D top six Winger yeah I thought the top 5D thing was sort of interesting um a lot of other people did as well but top six Winger again that was the the one in the previous video I talked about it seems like the table set for Fitzy to easily check off his list of the five pieces he was looking to get in goal gender top four defenseman bottom four defenseman top six forward bottom six forward five pieces it seems like it’s all going to shake out to where it’s very easy to get four of the five with the missing fifth piece being potentially or arguably the sexiest of all and that is the top six forward a lot of names have been speculated there’s some big names in free agency but weekie puts that out and I’m like okay you know maybe you’re getting my hopes up a little bit and then I see Emily Kaplan posts this the devil’s making big moves this offseason already got Jacob markstrom and as empty netter’s pod first reported expectation is Brett peshi also signs don’t think they’re done after that either so what what exactly does that mean and then I just keep coming back to the thing with peshi and a lot there’s a lot of Rumblings out there that might be a surprise and I’m I’m starting to think now with all of this kind of chatter if we in fact do not sign peshi and kovacevich is GNA be that right d where we had peshi slotted in that frees up a lot of money is it possible hear me out is it possible that we didn’t believe we were firmly in the Steven Stam Coast sweep stakes and he wasn’t going to consider us maybe tried and maybe the initial feedback was you know Steven Stam Coos is not interested is it possible that he’s maybe rethought Revisited the possibility and now stammer maybe is open to joining the New Jersey Devils and that may have put Fitz in a situation where he thought stammer was was out of it and now all of a sudden maybe he’s back in and it would be hard to fit him under the cap with the peshy money going to him so is it possible that the the chain of events kind of set off where it was like I can’t get peshy and stammer we thought stammer was out Stam Coast came back I now need to move on and get a replacement instead of peshy and they brought in kovich is it possible I don’t want to start rumors and I’m not saying that this is all fact but as you people all know step Stam Coast is very high on my list and I just have to keep going back to the why not us we do have a bright future we have a fairly bright right now it could become much brighter at some point tomorrow with some of these free agent moves that we’re all anticipating Fitzgerald makes but I have to believe that there is at least a chance again I do think that we are going to get peshy it it just seems like there’s been too many rumors and it just seems way too yeah it’s just too rumored for it not to happen I think but I do think there’s a scenario where it is possible Fitz had another move in mind and thought it was gone and maybe it’s come full circle back now where he’s like I have to save money with the pesy replacement to do this other move or moves and maybe it’s not Stam Coast maybe it’s somebody else who knows but I do think it is possible when I first saw the kovich news I really thought it was a depth you know seventh defenseman eighth defenseman kind of thing but who knows maybe Fitzgerald and the team saw something in him similar to cter when we got CER from Vegas yesterday that they think you know he could play a much bigger role on the Devils than they were on their previous club and that could be a scenario so I’m very interested to know now you know is that kovich a depth move which it seemed like to me at first or do they think they kind of found lightning in a bottle with this kid where he can have an expanded role on the Devils from what he did in Montreal and maybe now they’re like you know what we don’t need peshi we can invest that money elsewhere better and I’m hoping that that brings us Steph Stam Co you could watch my previous video that came out earlier today I love stammer I listed all the reasons why I would love to see him in a New Jersey Devil’s Jersey there’s not too many guys like stammer but what do you guys make of this kovich thing am I looking too much into it is this 100% ad depth move and not possibly in place of peshi what do you guys think is peshi definitely coming here or do you think there’s maybe a little smoke to the idea that kovacevich might be the cheaper alternative solution to peshi and now Fitz has his eye on spending that money somewhere else let me know what you guys think I 100% thought it was a depth move when I first saw it but then I was thinking about it I’m like he is 65 you know Fitz wants that checklist heavier edgier more violent he definitely fulfills that more so than peshi and maybe you know Fitzgerald thinks that that peshy money is better spent on a different player or different position very curious to know what you guys think I I’m my mind’s going crazy right now with every one of these insiders tweets and reading the comments and people’s speculations it’s crazy this is one of the funnest times of the year for me as a devil’s fan you know free agency trade deadline you know a lot of lot of times they’re either joyous occasions or they’re absolutely devastating and heartbreaking I’m hoping that Fitzgerald has the tricks up his sleeve and that sometime tomorrow we all have something to come back to this very place to celebrate in the comments and maybe alive depending on how it goes or maybe if it’s bad I’ll do a live too I’ll probably do a live tomorrow at some point tomorrow night maybe seems like the logical move on free agency Day July 1 a little July 1 live bring your livers rest up get the beverage is ready we’re going live tomorrow it’s official one way or the other we’re going live and I’m hoping it is a Steven Stam Co arrival party on the channel tomorrow night that’s my number one hope I also would love to get zadorov obviously I don’t know how likely that is but now you know I think there’s a this opens up a whole world of possibilities if kovacevich is in fact a cheaper Brett pesi replacement and I don’t know that that is the case but I do think there’s at least a small chance that that is what’s going on here and if it is I think there’s going to be some other guys in play and I also believe that would increase the chances of us possibly getting zadorov so it is crazy it’s all Dominoes one piece Falls and the rest of it kind of Falls in line with it but if peshi is in fact not coming to the Devils that that makes things real interesting it really does everyone thought for a week that he was definitely coming here but maybe he’s not maybe kovich is the cheap replacement let me know in the comments what you guys think about any of this am I just crazy and looking too much into this is peshi still definitely coming here and kovich purely is a depth move or is there maybe something a little more Sinister at work here did Fitzy pull the deal back from peshi and now he’s going to invest that money elsewhere I’m curious to know what other people think um free agency opens up at 1200m tomorrow I did mess up for some reason I thought it was midnight I don’t know why I thought that but correction sorry if I messed anybody up it is 12:00 p.m. tomorrow so by the time this video comes out it’ll be roughly 9:00 so free agency 9:00 p.m. on Sunday night so free agency will be roughly 15 hours away and I’m going to be looking at all the devices looking at the alerts and looking for something to get excited about but as of now with all these Insider tweets everyone’s expecting the Devils to make this big move and maybe they’re just delusional and looking for some drama or something to report on like many of the fans are just looking for you know a big acquisition to make us happy but there might be something to it and um I really hope that Fitzy really is going to surprise us all and make us all extremely happy on July 1 we will find out soon enough I think a lot of the big names you’re going to see signed right around that 12:00 deadline we’ll see the reports come trickling out between you know 12:00 and dinner time a lot of these guys are going to be off the board but hopefully Fitzy right now is in the War Room strapped in with whoever he’s with they’re making their calls sending their emails whatever they’re doing and trying to figure out how to best spend this cap space to improve this Devil’s roster for next season and I’m not going to lie I kind of just eventually got on board with peshi if that’s what it was going to be because that is a replacement for Marino but I’m not going to be heartbroken if he doesn’t come if it means getting some of those other guys that I was looking at I really won’t but let me know what you guys think in the comments I am super jacked I don’t know if I’m able to sleep tonight I drink a lot of iced coffee with espresso shots in it throughout the day so I’m kind of flying high all the time and uh you know got to keep that keep that heartbeat pumping and keep the energy levels up throw it all out there in the comment Ms I’m curious to know what you all think about this am I making you know much much ad do about nothing or is there something here and maybe there’s there’s a whole another plan in the works for fits I don’t know we will find out soon I will be back as soon as anything happens but kovich happened I was sitting there thinking about it I saw the tweets and I was like maybe there’s something else going on here in an alternate universe that no one’s aware of and I’m hoping somehow it all just leads to Steven stamco joining the New Jersey Devils but I understand it probably is a pipe dream but I got a dream dream dream dream dream got a dream Steven Stam Coast is the current dream until the next one and we’ll see we will see what happens I’ll be back soon love you all thank you for watching like comment subscribe and all that jazz until next time friends let’s go devils [Applause]

The New Jersey Devils obtained Montreal Canadiens defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic in exchange for a 2026 Fourth Round Pick.

NHL Free Agency is about 15 hours away.

Was trading for Johnathan Kovacevic purely a depth move?

Is it possible that this has implications on other moves?

I discuss this and more in this video.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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46 comments

  1. If Stamkos comes, I will be over the ceiling happy. But if I think Zadorov is unlikely to come, I call the possibility of Stamkos coming unthinkable. But who knows, I m praying you're right on that.

    That being said, I think this trade was really nice as a move. Kovashevic looks like a good addition, on paper at least.

  2. Just nice to see your spirits lifted a bit after last night's sorrow session! Going to be a long wait tomorrow morning waiting for that clock to hit noon.

  3. Dude, I really love your channel; I found it about a month ago. Die-hard 28-year-old Devils fan here. Thanks for repping the team we love, my man!

  5. What does stamkos get deviks gonna have 17.4 million gling into fa 6 for pesce and 9 for stmakos ?? I dont think that heppeikg i think that guy is gonna be 100% depth move i think we are going df and a a top 6

  8. I have been a Devils fan for 38 years. My father would take me back in the day when there were no nets behind the goals and we would go watch the team practice at South Mountain Area. What a rich history for a relatively younger franchise.

  9. Indeed, I already feel better about this team. Cotter and Covacevic aren't names anyone was thinking about and could turn out to be gems … I would argue that is really the best way for a GM to earn a good reputation. If it actually works, of course.

    Plus as you said, these two guys do fit the bottom-six forward and bottom-four defenseman spots. With cap space we may be able to get the top-6 and top-4 guys as well. We'll still have to wait and see for tomorrow and the season itself, but these feel like very positive moves.

  11. And just like that Fitz replaced Bahl in a heartbeat ! Great signing ! For some reason I don’t share your excitement over Stamkos . I think we have enough fire power already . We are more in need of a Sasquatch defenseman . I would take Zadorov over Stamkos any day of the week .

  17. You saw Schmid didn't get a qualifying offer? He'll be a UFA tomorrow free to sign anywhere. That trade will hurt a little less if he signs elsewhere.

  19. Ace, your last live session was great. Looking forward to talk about the roster additions tomorrow night…Here's to hoping it's a Blanton's night!

  20. Yo Ace… You’re not crazy. I don’t want Pesce, especially at 6 mil. Pesce is good but 6 mil will be a regrettable contract just like Palat’s.
    If this move allows the Devils to get Stamkos and/or Zadorov it’s a fantastic move.

  22. By the way, I argued in the past against Stamkos and now … I'm really not sure why I did.
    My bad. I hope we can get him.
    I don't think it's impossible either. We have big potential and we have Palat, so there's that connection from the Cup-winning teams.

    I would argue that we still need that top-4 D-man, like a Pesce. I wouldn't count on Kovacevic to step into that kind of responsibility just yet. And I want Dillon or Zadorov too. The more hard-to-play-against defensemen, the better.

  27. What do you think of Jonathan Marchessault for a top six forward and veteran presence ? I was surprised to find out he’s been making only 5mil a year . He was the engine of Vegas champion team ! And something else : I know it’s irrelevant now but I just read that with resigning of Saros Yaroslavl Askarov may become available and may become a generational goalie for some franchise . Just food for thought …

  28. Instead of Pesce, maybe Matt Roy with Kovacevic as #7/8. And the additional money for Nikolaj Ehlers (6 years younger than Stamkos).

  31. This trade isn’t necessarily that the devils got a superstar as he’s a 3rd line rd, but what it does mean is that I highly highly doubt the devils sign pesce, my money is on zadorov after seeing this trade.

  34. Habs fan here. Kovacevic is a pretty reliable 5-6 defenseman. He can play 2nd pair but not too much. Also, don't expect him to be as physical as you wish he were. A good team mate from all accounts, and he will drop 'em.
    Good luck too him.

  36. Love your content, but am pretty close to certain this is nothing more than a depth move to pace Nemec's development. Kovacevic looks to be a decent third pairing defender at a low cap, nothing more or less. Look at his ATOI and gv/tk ratio. My mind ran a little overly speculative too at first.

  38. Hopefully zadorov and stamkos but any combination of zadorov, stamkos, pesce and bertuzzi will suffice
    Looking forward to talking with you again on the next call in live video.
    Let’s go fitz, get it done tomorrow!

  39. I live in Montreal, and I saw the way Jonathan played. I have to say, the devils didn’t give up much and they acquired a decent player. He had a lot on his shoulders from watching the games at the bell centre and this guy will do well. He won’t be the best d on the reliable spots, but he will come in clutch in most events as a 7th D or top 6

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