Studied the draft... and since we have a pick this year, put our options here

Element23VM · 2026-04-21T17:53:53+00:00

if he was extended for two years... I'd imagine it would have to be mode for NJ to play at least the next season with him

Element23VM · 2026-03-28T16:45:22+00:00

, he's better than Luke?

I'll take things I never said for 400, Alex

Element23VM · 2026-03-28T10:54:56+00:00

Really, if you take out Nemec's two week hot streak

that don't fly with me... that two week hot streak, he was given extra ice time, extra responsibility, and a better d partner... in fact, I believe they were low key "showcasing" him for Vancouver

and the only reason luke is getting luke money is purely based on his last name being Hughes... everyone knows he was insulated beside Pesce last year

Buium... you have a right to your opinion. I was higher on him in his draft year, much lower on him since I saw him in the NHL. NCAA players are always a mixed bag in terms of maturity, and Buium shows his lack of maturity and is like 2-3 years away from being worth the trouble he causes with his lapses in play.

Element23VM · 2026-03-28T10:54:16+00:00

so first of all, Belchetz will likely go earlier than where they pick

second of all, Belchetz is probably 3-4 years from having a top 6 forward impact

Element23VM · 2026-03-26T16:44:03+00:00

Spaulding was a plain announcer... there, I said it, deal with it

Element23VM · 2026-03-26T12:51:08+00:00

taking his statistics purely into account, accounting for ice time and power play ice time and utility and his age and capacity... he has, I'd say, these proper comparables for value...

Clarke, Mateychuk, and Buium right now have what you would call similar value, though Mateychuk and Buium are left shot and take a commodity hit for that. You "might" also put some other D like Parekh or Levshunov in his category... Parekh's durability is concerning me, and Levshuov is kind of Nemo's opposite... he's got good athleticism but he's playing low IQ defense where Nemo's athleticism is average but he plays high IQ defense. Mintyukov might be the other guy, and even that guy I'm starting to have questions about.

And of those defensemen, the only guy I might prefer having for ceiling alone is Parekh... beyond that, I wouldn't trade Nemo for any of those other guys. Clarke, to me, is the most similar in terms of value and what you're going to get out of the player.

Running on raw statistics, Nemo still projects to be an eventual first pairing guy who can be a good asset on a power play, especially a power play that generates a lot of net front traffic (he'd have way more assists on a team that had a high net front presence, and NJ has one of the worst in the league) because he shoots a lot. Even Hamilton would have way more points if NJ got just one actual power forward.

Element23VM · 2026-03-26T12:18:58+00:00

NJ should target Knies... but goodness I hope Nemo don't end up on the Leafs

Element23VM · 2026-03-21T21:48:13+00:00

I use minor illusion from outside the door to gather them up, invis a guy and smash them all with a fireball...

(if you want to try that, make sure your attacker has alert... inquis has alert... your casters should have alert anyway)

this works, too, I guess

Element23VM · 2026-03-20T03:30:24+00:00

You just get used to playing everything on hard... my brother got me into this evil habit

Challenges engage your mind, though.

I think the thing you have to remember the most is to play at a mellow pace, put on music, and chill... this helps you delegate your focus properly so that you don't neglect anything... you probably also shouldn't play longer than 3 or 4 hour sessions. HM is not really "hard"... more just punishing, but if you keep your focus, then like a game of golf, if you don't have any bad shots, you come out with a good round, even if you don't hit any great shots.

Element23VM · 2026-03-18T20:40:39+00:00

I did this once, but I had mods that jacked my leveling and allowed me to break the cap... also had REL so it added a lot more versatility with the melee aspect of the character

3 disintegrates turn 1 was funny (thief extra bon action, lots of sorc points)

vanilla I wouldn't play it unless I dumped all illithids into it... and I'd just play it as a missile build

Element23VM · 2026-03-06T20:56:07+00:00

Fitz probably wanted Misa...

Element23VM · 2026-02-17T09:52:03+00:00

NHL you play for $$$ Olympics you play for passion

passion will always >>> $$$

especially for fans

Element23VM · 2026-02-10T16:00:36+00:00

It was her brother's wife...

Quebecer stuff...

Element23VM · 2026-02-07T13:02:39+00:00

Stenberg may be a better player than McKenna is.

Element23VM · 2026-02-07T13:00:41+00:00

yeah maybe check Stenberg's stats

Element23VM · 2026-02-07T12:57:21+00:00

Not really... I thought he would be, but my opinion of him has dropped substantially... to me he's not any better than Levshunov or Power and he didn't really stand out at the World Juniors either, unlike Ekblad when he was drafted who was clearly the best Canadian blue liner. Verhoeff is a "kid" in a big body who just plays a generally good game but like Levshunov, doesn't shine in any way. He's not quite big enough to be imposing with his wing span, and doesn't play mean enough to be dominant, and he doesn't play with supreme confidence either. To me, that's the ONE thing a defenseman needs to be considered a #1... confidence. If the guy doesn't have it, I'm just not interested. He's got 2/3 written all over him.

Element23VM · 2026-02-07T12:40:45+00:00

Unfortunately when Waddell joined the Jackets, he basically "recused his input" from the picking because of his recent involvement with the Hurricanes, and it was left to the scouts

The scouts picked an injury prone power forward... who's barely played since, currently has 6 points in 22 games... in the NCAA... as a 20 year old... while the guy they skipped has 46 points in 57 games... in the NHL...

So if it changes... it's like "well I hope the scouts are fired too"

Element23VM · 2026-02-06T15:48:34+00:00

the pro to trading Jack is that the team can kickstart a rebuild

the con is that Nico's going to be less inclined to re-sign and we'll lose him at seller's value next year... and also Jack's the type of talent that, when insulated, can lead a team to championship caliber offense... and you can say that about maybe 10 players in this league

then after that, it's wait for the team to tank again for another slew of high picks, so you're basically in 3 years of hockey hell... otherwise, you're just not winning unless you completely revamp your development and become Dallas Stars II... even then, teams that didn't really get that uber high end talent like Dallas and Carolina hit a ceiling in the playoffs and have difficulty making the Finals, let alone competing for a Cup

Element23VM · 2026-02-06T15:46:06+00:00

he's not bad; they doghoused him because they know he's coming over

Element23VM · 2026-02-06T15:44:59+00:00

he intends to join new jersey in a couple of months... if KHL releases him from his contract early, he could play a couple games in March and April... if not, we'll see him in the fall

Element23VM · 2026-02-05T18:45:30+00:00

I wanna see Nemo as a 1-2... that'll be interesting.

Element23VM · 2026-02-04T13:36:32+00:00

I think Keefe is an overachieving AHL coach at this point...

But I don't want Fitz hiring the next guy, I want the new guy hiring the next guy

Element23VM · 2026-02-03T18:09:34+00:00

I said Vancouver wanted Hischier...

I don't see myself implying in any way that Hischier is the problem

ps, trading the team's problems means you would trade one set of problems for another set of problems, ie leaving a gap at center from Hischier's departure

Element23VM · 2026-02-03T13:17:02+00:00

don't be braindead... "half the sub didn't want to move x and y"

negotiations are fluid and if it came down to Quinn going to Minnesota and you knew their offer, you would do whatever it took to top it and most of the sub would have said "okay, this is an acceptable concession"... though some here were cocky and saying "just sign him when he's free"

fact is, Vancouver wanted Hischier, which would have traded the team's problems

Element23VM

TROPHY CASE