SB Nation - Bobby Holik

New Jersey Devils Departures and Replacements at the Quarterpoint

John Fischer — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:51:44 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

How does Niclas Bergfors, the rookie scoring winger for the Devils, compare to Brian Gionta, who was the team's second line right winger last season? (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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In this past offseason, the New Jersey Devils have lost some significant players to free agency. Here's a list of the notable departed players from last season:

John Madden signed with Chicago
Brian Gionta signed with Montreal
Scott Clemmensen signed with Florida
Mike Rupp signed with Pittsburgh
Bobby Holik retired

To replace those spots, the Devils gave Nicklas Bergfors a real shot to make the team as a scoring winger and has stayed up ever since. Also, after training camp, the Devils assigned Rod Pelley to center the fourth line as Bobby Holik did for much of 2008-09. With respect to the other three spots the Devils signed Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Andrew Peters, and Ilkka Pikkarainen as "tough" wingers; signed Rob Niedermayer to play center on the fourth line; and signed Yann Danis as a backup goaltender.

A reader suggested that I compare how these players are doing with respect to how the departed players are doing at the quarterpoint mark of the season. A quick comparison of stats via NHL.com follows after the jump.

Second Line Right Wing - The Departed: Brian Gionta

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Brian Gionta	19	8	5	13	3	8	2	0	1	20:53	65	12.3

The Replacement: Nicklas Bergfors

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Nicklas Bergfors	21	5	9	14	0	6	3	0	2	15:23	55	9.1

Now, Gionta broke his foot; but prior to that he was enjoying his hockey with Montreal. He's been scoring goals and playing on Montreal's top line. Only injury has really slowed down Gionta so far this season. Who actually is playing right wing on the second line is debatable as Jacques Lemaire switches his lines from game to game, often within the game. Based on his role as a scoring winger, I feel Bergfors would be the appropriate choice as his replacement. While the rookie doesn't have as many goals, he's got one more point than Gionta with less average time per game, and he has shown a good tendency to shoot. Of course, Bergfors should remain more productive just because he's healthy; but I feel he needs work with his consistency. After putting up 5 points in 2 games, he only has 2 shots on net in his last 4 games. He can't dip into spells like that, not as an offensive winger. But so far, so good.

As an additional note, David Clarkson potting in 7 goals (3 PPG) and 8 assists is a significant amount of production in Gionta's departure not necessarily being a big deal. Since Clarkson's role changes along with where he's moved to in the lineup (e.g. more physical on a fourth line, more defensive on a third line), that's even more impressive than Bergfors' start as a rookie.

Third Line Center - The Departed: John Madden

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - John Madden	21	4	4	8	-1	10	0	0	0	16:47	36	11.1

The Replacement: Rob Niedermayer

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Rob Niedermayer	13	2	5	7	3	4	0	0	0	17:38	19	10.5

Madden has been playing his brand of defensive hockey for the benefit of Chicago. Rob Niedermayer was a late signing in preseason, but has been a mainstay on the Devils' third line until he got injured. Niedermayer has fit in well and even provided some early production as a nice bonus. Niedermayer was actually used more often than Madden has been in Chicago; but Madden has the advantage in shots against differential per 60 minutes in even strength situations over Niedermayer according to the numbers at Behind the Net. Had Niedermayer not get hurt earlier this month, the comparison would be more meaningful. As of now, it's Tim Sestito holding the role and there really isn't much of a comparison there. But when Niedermayer does get healthy, he'll retake his spot as the third line center.

Fourth Line Winger - The Departed: Mike Rupp

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Michael Rupp	23	4	2	6	2	29	0	0	0	9:05	25	16.0

The Replacements: Andrew Peters, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Ilkka Pikkarainen

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Andrew Peters	13	0	0	0	-4	18	0	0	0	5:49	10	0.0

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond	7	0	0	0	-3	0	0	0	0	5:16	2	0.0

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Ilkka Pikkarainen	13	0	1	1	-3	6	0	0	0	8:17	7	0.0

Yeah, this isn't really close. Rupp has been very useful in his limited role with Pittsburgh and has gotten more ice time on average than any of these three players. Whereas these three Devils wingers are incredibly limited and haven't contributed much of anything this season. Even in hits, Rupp has 53 - which is 5 more than these three Devils combined (Peters has 17, Pikkarainen has 17, and Leblond has 14). Granted, the position isn't crucial for success; so it's not like the Devils are sorely missing Rupp. Yet, you want a contribution from all your lines and the fourth line hasn't done much of that for New Jersey.

Fourth Line Center - The Departed: Bobby Holik

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2008 - Bobby Holik	62	4	5	9	-2	66	0	0	1	10:11	79	5.1

The Replacement: Rod Pelley

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	ATOI	SOG	PCT
2009 - Rod Pelley	20	0	2	2	-6	11	0	0	0	7:11	18	0.0

Since Holik is retired, I'm using his numbers from last season for comparison. And it's not really that bad. Holik didn't contribute much outside of getting limited action per game, throwing a couple hits, winning faceoffs, and contributing a little production. I have no issue with Pelley's offense, but if he got minutes similar to Holik's then it should improve slightly. Pelley does have one big advantage over Holik. Pelley's not likely going to get benched in the second half of the season for getting aggressive and taking really dumb calls regularly. Then again, Lemaire hasn't shown much faith in the fourth line as seen by their average ice time, so it may be a moot point. So far, Pelley has done OK in that spot.

Backup Goaltender - The Departed: Scott Clemmensen

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Scott Clemmensen	5	247	3	1			17	4.13	139	122	.878	0

The Replacement: Yann Danis

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Yann Danis	3	140	2	0			5	2.14	65	60	.923	0

Scott Clemmensen has had a rough time in Florida as Tomas Vokoun's backup. He's been shelled for goals and not inspiring any confidence in his team. A big contrast to how he played in relief of Martin Brodeur when Brodeur was injured. Danis has been earning the confidence of the Devils' coaching staff however. They gave him two starts in back-to-back situations and was given the start in Dallas on Saturday after two losses. Sure, Danis was pulled in that Dallas game, but he had no real chance at the goals and I doubt he'll be placed in exile for it. While he hasn't played as much as Clemmensen, Danis has the better numbers and will likely continue getting a few more games here and there in New Jersey. Best of luck to Clemmensen in turning it around in Florida.

Looking just at the numbers, it's clear to me that the Devils have done an adequate job in filling in these larger holes in the roster. Granted, if Gionta wasn't injured, then it may be a different story. But we can only compare what has been done and honestly, the only real big gap is at fourth line winger as Rupp's job has not really been replaced. You can argue that third line center is an issue now with Rob Niedermayer injured and leaving Tim Sestito - an AHL callup - to take over with spot duty (though the job may be Dean McAmmond's now).

Perhaps this is to be expected. After all, despite going winless in their last three games, the Devils are still 14-5-1 and only a point outside of the Atlantic Division lead. From that alone, one could say the Devils have not been rocked too hard by the losses of these players. However, it is heartening to see that some of the replacements for their positions are generally doing as well as the departed players for the most part. Hopefully, this continues for the rest of the season.

Feel free to disagree or agree with how I'm looking at the departed and replacement players. Are you happy with the replacement players who aren't fourth line wingers? Do you wish any of those departed players didn't leave New Jersey as they did over the summer? Do you have a better way of comparing these players, or a different perspective? Please let everyone know what you think in the comments.

Tom Awad on Sakic and Sundin

Hawerchuk — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:23:33 -0000

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Tom Awad has a nice post on the Sakic and Sundin legacies. Unlike Tom, I was watching the 1989 draft...My memory could be failing, but the consensus was that Sundin and Bobby Holik should go #1 and #2, but Sundin needed to finish his military service and Holik might never show up in North America. Also, Jason Herter was projected to be a huge star. Twenty years later, it feels like another lifetime: 15 of 21 first round picks came from Canadian Tier I junior, and picking a European player seemed like a huge risk.

Interestingly, Sundin never led the NHL in any category of consequence in any season, and Sakic tied for the lead in +/- once and tied for the lead in short-handed goals once. Of course, neither did Mark Messier.

Rangers Pregame: Scouting the Devils

Jim Schmiedeberg — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:00:37 -0000

This Ranger fan got attacked by all four Devils fans at the last Rangers-Devils game at The Rock in Newark.

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Taking a look at tonight's opponent, the New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

Head Coach: Jacques Lemaire

2008-09 Record: 51-27-4 (Lost EastCon Quarterfinals)

Last Season vs. Rangers: 3-3

Stars:

Martin Brodeur

#30 / Goalie / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Born: May 06, 1972

More after the jump.....

Patrik Elias

#26 / Center / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Born: Apr 13, 1976

Who's In: G Yann Danis, D Rob Davison, D Cory Murphy, C Rob Niedermayer

Who's Out: Brian Gionta, John Madden, Mike Rupp, Niclas Havelid, Barry Tallackson, Kevin Weekes, Bobby Holik.

New Jersey Devils Season Preview from In Lou We Trust, the SBNation Community for the New Jersey Devils.

Devils News and Notes:

Devils cram before showdown (Bergen Record)

Devils brace for date with Rangers, go to work on the power play (Fire and Ice)

G Martin Brodeur played his 1,000th NHL game and his 15th straight opener Saturday night but it wasn't a good game as he gave up five goals on 27 shots in a 5-2 home loss. "Not really his best game," said Devils coach Jacques Lemaire. "It was kind of tough for him. You get a couple of easy goals on him and, after that, maybe he was questioning himself."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "What's new? When the team isn't playing well they're not going to praise you. It's disappointing for everybody, a situation like that. I hate to break the news to you, but it's going to happen again. If we don't perform, people won't be happy. That's the nature of everything." -- Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, after allowing five goals on 27 shots in the opening-night loss to Philadelphia. (Fox Sports)

2009-10 Season Preview: New Jersey Devils

John Fischer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

The Devils hired a new head coach, plan to have a few faces on the team, and yet keep the core together for 2009-10. How well will they succeed? (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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At the start of every season for a team there are so many uncertainties that could make the difference between a successful and a disappointing season. In fact, we can save time by just listing what is certain that we will see from the New Jersey Devils:

The Devils will play 82 games, 41 on the road and 41 at home. There will be games where the Devils are the better team, and win. There will be games where the Devils aren't the better team, but find a way to win anyhow. There will be games where the Devils are the better team, but lose somehow (a bad break, a fatal error, etc.). There will be games where the Devils look terrible and deserve to lose.

None of that answers the real question: Given the current team, how well will the New Jersey Devils do in 2009-10?

Overview of Last Season

The Devils had a fantastic regular season and managed to prove that there is indeed life after Martin Brodeur. Martin Brodeur was sidelined for 4 months with a torn bicep injury that required surgery in early November. Yet, contrary to what one may have expected, the Devils didn't wilt with the loss of their legendary goaltender. They soared. Brent Sutter managed the team to play solid possession hockey en route to another Atlantic Division title and a 51-27-4 record, a franchise high for wins in a season. Not a bad mark to hit given the success the team has had since 1993-94. As with most successes, there is much credit to be given: Scott Clemmensen playing very well in Brodeur's absence; the excellent play of Brodeur before the injury and not skipping a beat when he returned; the emergence of Zach Parise as a top scorer; Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Travis Zajac rebounding to put up some really productive seasons; and Paul Martin leading an unheralded defense.

The playoffs were not what one expected. The Devils drew the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. The series was quite tight series with each team trading off wins, with Brodeur and Cam Ward playing excellent in net as the only constants. Alas, the Devils couldn't build off the momentum after either one of their three wins. They paid for it as the team collectively collapsed under some bad breaks to blow a 2 goal lead in 80 seconds in Game 7 to take an early exit from the postseason.

Offseason Overview

Disappointment was the best feeling one could have after that Game 7. Such a great season was marred by an embarrassing playoff exit. This was the first major reason that, I think, drove the Devils management - Lou - to reconsider the team's plans going forward. The second was Brent Sutter ~~quitting on~~ resigning from the New Jersey Devils instead of fulfilling the last year of his 3 year deal with New Jersey, and signing with the Calgary Flames to be their head coach in late June. After a season where the Devils thrived on offense due to Sutter's system, the Devils had to find a new head coach in addition to dealing with the NHL Draft and the beginning of free agency.

So the Devils basically stood pat on July 1. Truth be told, the Devils didn't do nothing; but their major deals were to retain Johnny Oduya, Andy Greene, Brendan Shanahan, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, and Travis Zajac - all of whom received raises. It can be argued that the biggest move made in the offseason, however, was to hire Jacques Lemaire as a head coach. Lemaire initially made his mark as a NHL head coach with New Jersey back in the mid-1990s. He's best known for bringing back the Montreal Canadiens' "neutral zone trap" to the NHL and leading the Devils to be NHL contenders and their first Stanley Cup in 1995. Initially, the concern was - perhaps still is among some fans - that he would be a defensive minded head coach. However, training camp has revealed so far that he wants to more offense within the team and the first preseason game indicates that he is planning to tweak Sutter's system instead of starting from scratch.

Who's Out: Outside of Oduya and Shanahan, the rest of the Devils unrestricted free agents were left to pursue other offers. Brian Gionta? Off to Montreal. John Madden? Off to Chicago. Mike Rupp? Off to Pittsburgh. Niclas Havelid? Off to Finland. Barry Tallackson? Off to St. Louis. Kevin Weekes? Now off to the television studio. Bobby Holik? Off to his ranch in Wyoming, as he retired. The only restricted free agent to not return to the organization is Petr Vrana, who will play for Vitkovice in the Czech Republic; though his NHL rights are still owned by New Jersey.

Who's In: The New Jersey Devils only made signings for depth. They added goaltender Yann Danis, brought back former draft pick forward Ilkka Pikkarainen from Finland, and signed two-way deals with defensemen Rob Davison and Cory Murphy along with some minor-league specific moves (e.g. trading Tony Romano for Ben Walter). The lack of activity was a clear sign that the Devils intend to go with a "youth movement" to spark the team overall, and to keep the overall salary cap low when the cap goes down next season - something that Lou is confident will happen.

Three Team Strengths

Chemistry - While the Devils lost a number of free agents, the core really is still the same. When Patrik Elias is healthy enough to play, they will have 5 of their top 6 forwards available - and the sixth may be Brian Rolston, who was on the team last season. The entire defense from last season returns for a third season. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the blueline to work even better as a unit now that they have been working together for so long. There may be open spots of the team, but the main parts of the team that won 51 games last season remain.
Coaching - Jacques Lemaire may have a reputation for defensive hockey and the trap. But he's publicly stated that he wants "a little more offense" than what the team was doing under Sutter. Based on the first preseason game, I felt the team played similarly to how Sutter had the team play. A few tweaks here and there, of course. And that's the strength. Lemaire is smart enough to know that the Devils don't need to be taught a completely different system or force square pegs into round holes. He knows what the organization wants and demands, he knows what the players can do, and he has responded accordingly.
Goaltending - Martin Brodeur is still one of the best goaltenders in the world today and he's completely healthy. I'm confident opposition forwards are already trying to figure out how to deal with it. Yann Danis did a fairly good job last season on an awful Islanders team and looked good in his first preseason game with New Jersey. Really, there's no reason not to be confident in this goaltending tandem.

Three Team Weaknesses

Depth at Center - Travis Zajac had a great 08-09 season and will continue to improve. At least, I expect him to improve. Dainius Zubrus may not be a good second line center, but he showed he can play the center position well enough and he's good on faceoffs. Beyond that, the Devils are hurt here by not replacing John Madden. Lowell's Rod Pelley is expected to be on the team (and was tipped by Lou as his replacement back in July, who knows if that's true now) but his lack of experience is a cause for concern. There were plans of Elias playing center yet again, but that's not happening because he had recent surgery to remove scar tissue from his groin. So Elias is now out for 3-6 weeks. The Devils have some options to get a fourth center on the team, but even then they will have to hope no other center gets injured.
Special Teams - The Devils power play wasn't so bad last season at 18.9%, but they only scored 48 goals in 5-on-4 situations (1 of 8 teams to score less than 50) and the majority of those goals came from either Parise, Elias, or Rolston. The penalty kill was poor, finishing with a success rate under 80%. The Devils will do well to improve the power play; but the penalty kill was surprisingly porous despite the Devils' normal commitment to defense.
Offense...from the Defense - Paul Martin was the only defenseman to put up more than 30 points last season; Oduya led the blueline in goals scored with 7 and shots on net with 108; and the defensemen combined for 3 power play goals. None of the Devils' top 6 can be considered as a true offensive defenseman and it showed when Brent Sutter used 1 defenseman on a power play (and sometimes, none at all). Cory Murphy was signed to help out on that front, as he put up 15 points in 25 games - 4 goals and 6 assists on the power play. He may be a specialist at best, though, so it'll still take a team effort to provide more points from the point.

Player Mentionables

Most Important Player: In most seasons, the answer to this question is normally Martin Brodeur. But last season proved that success doesn't rely entirely on Brodeur's shoulders. Don't get me wrong, I'll happily have Brodeur in net anytime. It's just that I think Zach Parise is the most important player for the Devils' offense and for the team. Parise broke through last season and his goalscoring and play making abilities made opposing defenses crazy and ensured success for the Devils more often than not. Parise led the team with 45 goals - a total that included 8 game winners, 3 overtime goals, 14 power play goals last season. He's pretty crucial, and what's more, he has the skills to prevent from being a one-year wonder (like Brian Gionta) since his game is so dynamic. It's not that he'll crash the net and put in a rebound, but he can also fire from mid-to-long range, set someone up from the side, and beat defenders for loose pucks all game long.

As the team's best offensive weapon, he'll need to continue to put up points at a similar rate next season to give the Devils the best chance of success. When Lemaire is saying you can't sit on a lead anymore in this league; that means the best defense is a good offense. Otherwise, the Devils' offense will be significantly weaker and the team will suffer for it. As a result, Parise is crucial to the team's success this season.

Player with the Most to Prove: Brian Rolston signed a 4 year, $20.25 millon deal in the summer of 2007 with the intention that he would an immediate significant contributor to the offense. Instead, he suffered an early injury, and ended up contributing only 15 goals and 32 points - his lowest totals since 1999-2000 - from the third line after said injury. Now that Brian Gionta is signed to Montreal, there is at least one spot for a top 6 winger available. Rolston will almost assuredly get the chance to play on an offensive line and attempt a comeback season. I'm expecting him to do that and replace Gionta's numbers in the process, and he's himself told the media that he's looking to rebound from last season. Now he just has to do it. Keep an eye on him.

Player who will Breakout in 2009-10: While multiple previews are tipping David Clarkson (and I don't disagree), I'm going to through some respect and high expectations to Johnny Oduya. Since coming to the NHL from Frolunda after the lockout, he has risen from a third pairing defenseman to be Paul Martin's defensive partner. He's pretty good at moving the puck, but his positioning and awareness in his own zone has improved by leaps and bounds over the years. He's not an offensive powerhouse, but he's improved his point totals with every season in addition to his defensive play. Now that he's guaranteed to be a Devil for another 3 years, I think the best is yet to come from Oduya - who is still only in his fifth season in North America professional hockey.

A Bold Prediction of a Depth Chart: This is a guess at a depth chart, assuming all players are healthy. I emphasize guess due to the ongoing training camp, along with injuries making a difference. So don't write these down in pen just yet.

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - David Clarkson
Jay Pandolfo - Dainius Zubrus - Brendan Shanahan
Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond - Rod Pelley - Ilkka Pikkarainen
Extras/Could Make Team: Nicklas Bergfors, Vladimir Zharkov, Patrice Cormier, Tim Sestito, Matt Halischuk

Paul Martin - Johnny Oduya
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Bryce Salvador - Andy Greene
Extras/Could Make Team: Cory Murphy, Jay Leach, Rob Davison, Matthew Corrente

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

A Bold Prediction

Predictions are risky by their nature. The unknown could strike at any kind and throw all hopes and predictions into doubt: a series of massive injuries, an unforeseen incident or problem wrecks the team internally, or even a string of bad hockey games. So many uncertainties can cause problems. Or even bring fortune, like a player unexpectedly becoming a regular producer or blowing out a rival when they least expect it. Again, the list of what is certain is far shorter and doesn't really tell us much about what a team will do in the future. Still, I think based on past history and what we do know about the team, we can make a decent attempt at a prediction.

As I've told Wyshynski, when asked for a "testimonial" for his preview, this is a franchise that has missed the playoffs exactly once and has the second best combined record in the NHL since 1993-94. The core of the team is back, Martin Brodeur is healthy, and so far, it seems that Lemaire really is just tweaking Brent Sutter's system. No, this team probably won't match the 51-win season last season unless they go some torrid streaks in 2009-10. Yes, there are still issues the Devils still have to address. Yes, the other teams in the Atlantic/East/League have made big changes that may make things harder for the Devils. But again, that core has been through a lot over the years and they know how to handle adversity. The history and the core lead me - and perhaps you - to be bold and confident in the Devils' chances this season.

So let's be bold and confident. Not only will this team definitely make the playoffs; I'd be shocked if they finish by more than 10 points behind the Atlantic Division winners. I'm predicting that the Devils finish second in the Atlantic and fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Given that I've been going through and criticizing other Devils previews, I fully invite you to tear this apart as you see fit. Feel free to leave any other comments you have about this preview and where you think the Devils will finish in 2009-10 - or just vote in the poll. I thank you for reading this preview and your continued readership.

Poll

Where will the New Jersey Devils finish in the Eastern Conference in 2009-10?

1st Place - Atl. Division & Conference Winner

21 votes

2nd Place - Atl. Division Winner

26 votes

3rd Place - Atl. Division Winner

30 votes

4th Place - ILWT Prediction

27 votes

5th Place

17 votes

6th Place

14 votes

7th Place

2 votes

8th Place

3 votes

9th Place or Worse - Out of Playoffs, Specify in Comments

11 votes

151 votes | Poll has closed

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: New Jersey Devils

James Mirtle — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:00:16 -0000

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Who's in: Yann Danis, Rob Davison, Cory Murphy
Who's out: Scott Clemmensen, Brian Gionta, Niclas Havelid, Bobby Holik, John Madden, Mike Rupp, Kevin Weekes

Outlook: Never a huge player in free agency, GM Lou Lamoriello stayed relatively silent this summer, adding only a backup netminder/bench door opener in Yann Danis to replace the loss of Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes and two depth defenders in Cory Murphy and Rob Davison.

Also leaving via free agency were Brian Gionta, John Madden and Niclas Havelid, while Bobby Holik opted to hang em up after averaging just 10 minutes a night under now departed head coach Brent Sutter last season.

All of the departures leave plenty of question marks up front in New Jersey, although the scoring lines appear to be relatively set. What there may not be much of, however, is scoring from those lines.

Sutter exited stage left in the summer, heading back to his ranch in Alberta, and as a replacement, Lamoriello turned to Jacques Lemaire and his patented brand of defensive hockey. As a result, the Devils are sure to be (a) low scoring, (b) strong defensively and (c) hard to beat, factors that will make Martin Brodeur a good fantasy pick and perhaps not many others.

If anyone takes a step forward in the offence department, however, it’ll be Lemaire favourite Brian Rolston, who averaged 67 points a season in the low-scoring environment in Minnesota under his former coach.

Ultimately, even with the losses, this should still be a playoff team, but there’s always the danger Brodeur, now 37, hits the decline at some point. That he'll likely also see significant duty at the Olympics in February only adds cause for concern.

X-factor: Brian Rolston

For a more in-depth Devils preview, visit In Lou We Trust
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Devils finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

10 votes

2

12 votes

3

14 votes

4

36 votes

5

37 votes

6

30 votes

7

36 votes

8

9 votes

9

12 votes

10

9 votes

11

2 votes

12

0 votes

13

0 votes

14

0 votes

15

9 votes

216 votes | Poll has closed

What Do You Think of the New Jersey Devils' Summer?

John Fischer — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:07:07 -0000

Free agency frenzy took place on July 1, a seemingly long time ago now that it's September 3rd. The summer may be over and so the Devils head into training camp with many changes in their roster. Going into training camp, the Devils have their defense, their goaltending, and their core still intact. I think the biggest loss won't be Brian Gionta, but John Madden as the Devils are now quite thin at center and you may have to pencil in the relatively-inexperienced Rod Pelley to fill in a big, big hole on the third line.

Now, the offseason isn't technically over yet, as the regular season starts in October. The Devils can still sign and trade players at any point in 2009. Moves can still be made. The roster is definitely not set and with the number of players who are still free agents (e.g. Manny Malhotra) as well as teams who are near or over the salary cap (e.g. Vancouver), I can imagine that there will plenty of action should Lou want to get involved. With a little over $5 million in cap space available to New Jersey, they have the room to sign another player or take on salary in a trade.

Overall, when looking back at the posts I made after a signing, I made a point of it to looking back at the polls asking for your reaction to the signing as well as comments. While the Devils lost 8 players to free agency and 1 to retirement, followed by the lack of action on July 1, your comments and the poll results indicated a positive reaction to most of the deals. I think this largely because the Devils were able to re-sign Johnny Oduya and Travis Zajac, two players that I think were important to retain. In my opinion, the only signing that garnered the most negative reaction was Ilkka Pikkarainen and that may be more confusion than anything else as well as frustration at the lack of other activity on July 1 by New Jersey.

So that being said, I would like to know your opinion about how the Devils did this past summer. Time has past and so the initial "gut reaction" won't be a factor. The poll is looking for your overall feeling; hence, it is an arbitrary rating. Given the reaction to the individual signings at the time, I expect it to be positive - but, as always, I'm willing to be proven wrong. If you have a more specific comment - praise, complaints, criticism - please bring it up in the comments and let's discuss the matter. After the jump is a quick summary of the Devils' current cap situation, all the moves the Devils made as well as who's released.

New Jersey Devils Total Salary as of Sept. 3, 2009 per CapGeek: $51,620,833

Available Cap Space: $5,179,167

Players Out: John Madden (UFA -> Chicago); Brian Gionta (UFA -> Montreal); Mike Rupp (UFA -> Pittsburgh); Niclas Havelid (UFA -> Linkoping HC in Sweden); Scott Clemmensen (UFA -> Florida); Barry Tallackson (UFA -> St. Louis); Kevin Weekes (UFA); Petr Vrana (RFA -> Vitkovice in Czech Rep.); Bobby Holik (Retired)

Players Re-Signed (Links to ILWT Post about Signing unless otherwise specified):

Johnny Oduya: $10.5 million for 3 years - Reaction from Comments: Positive.

Andy Greene: $1.475 million for 2 years - Reaction from Comments: Positive.

Travis Zajac: $15.55 million for 4 years - Poll Results: 49% love it, 40% like it, 7% on the fence, 1% don't like it, <1% hate it.

Brendan Shanahan: $1 million for 1 year - Poll Results: 45% love it, 45% like it, 6% on the fence, 2% don't like it, <1% hate it.

Patrick Davis: $522,500 for 1 year, Source: CapGeek.

Players Signed:

Ilkka Pikkarainen (Reaction from Comments: Confused/Underwhelmed) - Salary per CapGeek: $500,000 for 1 year.

Yann Danis: $550,000 for 1 year. - Poll Results: 57% like it, 24% on the fence, 9% love it, 5% don't like it, 2% hate it)

Cory Murphy: Two-way deal, $500,000 for 1 year per CapGeek (I got the salary wrong in the initial post) - Poll Results: 39% like deal, 32% on the fence, 19% love it, 5% don't like it, 2% hate it)

Minor Player Deals: Conditional pick traded to Edmonton for Tim Sestito; Rob Davison, Ben Walter, 6 others signed for Lowell.

New Coaches: Jacques Lemaire and Mario Tremblay (assistant); John MacLean named head coach of Lowell

Poll

On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), how would you rate the New Jersey Devils offseason?

5 - I love what the Devils did this summer!

1 votes

4 - I liked most of the deals the Devils made; they had a good offseason.

41 votes

3 - I liked some deals, I didn't like others; the Devils just had an average summer.

82 votes

2 - With a few exceptions, I don't like what the Devils did overall.

31 votes

1 - I hate what the Devils did (and didn't do) this summer!

16 votes

171 votes | Poll has closed

How the New Jersey Devils Drew and Took Penalties Last Season

John Fischer — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:00:34 -0000

Behind the Net is a wonderful site. If you've been reading here for a while, you may have noticed that I have referenced that site more times I can count. I find that the compilation and calculation of many statistics based on the raw data taken in games is both fascinating and enlightening. Why look at raw +/- when you can notice how the shots against change when a player is on the ice to judge their defensive work? Why not consider CORSI in addition to purely production to measure a player's worth on offense? Thanks to Behind the Net, we can make the discussions more interesting and without resorting to "Well, I saw the player and I think he's X, Y, and Z - things you can only see live."

In my expectation post about Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, ILWT user Murdoc made a comment stating how he'd like to see a penalties created versus penalties served stat and how Leblond did in that regard. Well, Behind the Net has an entire section of stats for penalties drawn and penalties taken in even strength situations. This did the trick and his request was served. Thinking back on that comment, I took a second look at those numbers for the Devils today. Here's some highlights about how the Devils did at drawing and taking penalties last season .

For all skaters who played averaged 2 minutes of even strength last season and not including Niclas Havelid (I can't split up what he did in Atlanta with NJ), the Devils took 231 penalties and drawn 197. That's a drawn-taken differential of -34. I don't know how it stacks up for all teams, so I can't say for sure whether that's good, bad, or just plain mediocre.
The most successful Devils at drawing penalties were Zach Parise (28), Patrik Elias (23), and David Clarkson (20). Seeing Parise and Elias lead the way shouldn't be surprising as the dangerous forwards force opposition defenders to committ an infraction. Clarkson drawing 20 could be the result of his pestering, gritty style of play. That may also explain how Mike Rupp drew 19.
Not that we should start lauding Clarkson or missing Rupp for drawing calls) Clarkson and Rupp also finished tied for third in most penalties taken with 19 along with Dainius Zubrus (!?). As you may expect, Bobby Holik led the team in taken penalties with 27; Bryce Salvador finished in second with 21 taken in even strength situations.
Seriously, Zubrus and Clarkson has to got to be a little smarter out there.
In general, I can understand defensemen taking significantly more calls on even strength play. It's basically the same reasoning as forwards drawing penalties - a defender is caught or burnt and has to penalize a player to prevent a worse occurrence (e.g. a goal). Incidentally, the only regular defenseman to not have taken more than 10 penalties on even strength was Andy Greene (6).
Still, I want Salvador to take less calls on even strength. Colin White can improve there too, as he took 18.
Only two Devils who played at least 20 games did not draw any penalties last season: Jay Leach (who took 2) and Brendan Shanahan (who took 9). I'm really confused as to why Shanahan didn't draw any. I know he's not fast, but neither is Salvador and he managed to draw 6 (somehow).
As far as call-ups go, Leach took 2 and drew none; Leblond took 2 and drew 1; and Petr Vrana took and drew exactly one penalty.

And this is only from the raw count of penalties taken from Behind the Net. I find these sorts of stats to be interesting and I hope you got something out of them. With respect to the team as a whole, I'm confident the Devils will take fewer even strength penalties if only because Holik and Rupp aren't on the team anymore. That's 46 calls right there. Should Salvador, Zubrus, Clarkson, and White play a little smarter, it can fall even further. Likewise, the differential will improve as long as Parise and Elias keep doing their thing; should the other forwards play with more speed, I think the Devils will be drawing even more calls next season.

Feel free to have your say regarding how the Devils took and drew penalties last season. Is this what you expected? Do you think the Devils will do better in this regard? Please leave your comments and thank you for reading.

A Common Thread with Past Devils Arbitration Results

John Fischer — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:39:59 -0000

As Chere reported yesterday, Travis Zajac has elected to file for salary arbitration for next season. I noted the possibilities of what could happen and it's been a point of debate and concern both here and elsewhere, like the comments on Gulitti's post. (Aside: Gulitti actually responds in comments in his posts, so they are worth checking out.) Personally, while I'm not saying this is the end of Zajac as a long-term Devil, there's definite reason to be doubtful. However, I'm the one stressing perspective and such on ILWT, so I figure I should challenge my doubts. I decided to search for past arbitration hearings the Devils had, see what the results were, and find out whether there's anything to be worried about.

From what I found, the Devils didn't have too many arbitration hearings but they all involved players that you know and they all have something in common that, unfortunately, justifies my concern.

Let's start with a former infamous Devil and a current Devil: Claude Lemieux and Brian Rolston. You know the former from his absolutely ridiculous 1995 Playoff Run (13 goals, 4 very frustrated forwards) and as a POAT (Pest of All Time, up there with Esa Tikkanen). You know the latter as Brian Rolston - the man who's going to be on the second line in 2009-10, but who knows where right now. Anyway, in 1999, Rolston filed for arbitration as a RFA with the Devils. According to the NY Times, Rolston won the hearing:

Forward Brian Rolston was awarded a new two-year, $2.77 million contract after an arbitration hearing yesterday. Rolston, who made $750,000 last season, was seeking a one-year pact worth $1.7 million while the Devils offered $2.08 million over two seasons. His new pact will pay him $1.3 million in 1999-2000 and $1.47 million in 2000-2001.

HOWEVER! Astute Devils fans are already talking to their computer screens, "But John! Rolston wasn't on that 2000 team that won the Stanley Cup!" And you're right. He and his arbitrator-awarded contract was traded in a deal with Colorado, bringing back the legendary agitator to the Swamp. Ralph Vachianno of the NY Daily News had the whole story back in November 1999. I don't bring this up to get all nostalgic about another shrewd Lou move. Here's the relevant bit from the article that explains why Claude wasn't a Devil for long after 1995:

"Well," Lemieux said yesterday, "sometimes, as you get older, you realize you can never say never."

Certainly not after yesterday's shocker, when the Devils shipped forward Brian Rolston to Colorado and brought back Lemieux. And what better way to solve the franchise's postseason problems than with the return of the best postseason player they ever had?

But still, it couldn't have been an easy deal for Devils GM Lou Lamoriello to make. There were several bridges burned between the franchise and the MVP of its 1995 Stanley Cup run during a nasty contract dispute that summer. It began when Lemieux declared for free agency, claiming the contract he agreed to hadn't been faxed by the Devils to the league as required before July 1.

The dispute went to arbitration and the Devils won, but Lemieux was traded to Colorado within hours in a three-team deal. Yesterday, Lamoriello said the dispute was behind both of them and "There is certainly nothing hanging or nothing we feel uncomfortable with."

So far we have Lemieux that went to arbitration, lost, and was traded shortly thereafter. Rolston went to arbitration, won, and got traded later that season.

The common thread though isn't that Devils that go through arbitration aren't Devils for long though. This brings us to 2001 - the Bobby Holik arbitration hearing. Jason Diamos of the NY Times had a complete article about the aftermath of that hearing back in August 2001. On the surface, Holik didn't get what he wanted. And Holik wasn't particularly shy about his feelings on arbitration in general.

''The number is just a number,'' Holik said. ''But the arbitration process itself has changed the way I look at a lot of things. I've learned how they look at me. Every player should go through it and find out that this is a business and nothing else.''

When asked if he felt like a piece of property, Holik said: ''Yes, of course. They make you look like you're not worth as much as you think.'' And while Holik said he harbored no animosity toward the Devils and their president and general manager, Lou Lamoriello, he will most likely be playing elsewhere after this season.

''Some people would take it personally,'' Holik said. ''I don't take it personally. They treat it as a business, so I'll treat it as a business. They're looking for the best possible labor at the lowest possible cost, and I want to maximize my earning potential. The way I'll do it is by becoming an unrestricted free agent.''

If you ever wanted proof at how damaging arbitration is to a player-organization relationship, then Holik's experience is a good place to go. Incidentally, despite his own blunt (as usual) admission that he felt like he was going to be traded, as reported by Darren Everson of the NY Daily News, Holik was not traded. However, Holik kept true to his word, sought out deals on the open market, and ultimately decided upon that infamous $9.5 million/year deal with the New York Rangers.

However, the next one to go through the arbitration ringer wasn't Gomez, but Scott Niedermayer in the summer of 2004. Niedermayer not only demanded significant money for his talents - and few could argue that - but what he was awarded tied a record high in arbitration hearings with the NHL. Dave Caldwell has the short briefing at the NY Times back in August 2004 and amazingly, it appears that the Devils got the benefit by being closer to the lower end of the value offered:

Niedermayer, who made $4 million last season and was voted the Norris Trophy winner for the first time as the N.H.L.'s top defenseman, becomes the Devils' highest-paid player. Defenseman Scott Stevens will make $6.92 million, and goaltender Martin Brodeur $6.89 million.

Still, the arbitrator's award was closer to the $6 million that the Devils had offered than to the $9 million Niedermayer sought.

Yet, the Devils, Neidermayer, or the NHL didn't have a next season. So Neidermayer became an unrestricted free agent, thought about his decision for quite a while, and ultimately headed west to Anaheim.

Lastly, we come to Scott Gomez. After a monster 2005-06, Gomez felt it was time to get paid and felt he was worth more than the Devils were offering. The Devils, already up against cap constraints at the time, did not get any good news from this hearing. As Mike Kerwick reported, via USA Today, Gomez was awarded $5 million and the cap only became more of a concern:

In a decision that might price Scott Gomez off New Jersey's roster, an arbitrator awarded the restricted free agent forward $5 million for the upcoming season Tuesday night.

Gomez and his agent/father Carlos Gomez asked for $6.5 million, but the $5 million award more than doubles his 2005-06 salary of $2.2 million.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello had the option to decline the award, allowing Gomez to become an unrestricted free agent, but he said Tuesday he is accepting the arbitrator's decision.

"We're going to accept the award," Lamoriello said. "We're not going to walk (away)."

The challenge for Lamoriello now is trying to fit Gomez's salary under the NHL's $44 million payroll. Lamoriello would not say whether the $5 million price tag would force him to trade Gomez before the start of the regular season. Lamoriello traded forward Jeff Friesen before the start of the 2005-06 season in order to get under the league's then-$39 million cap.

...

So does Lamoriello have room for Gomez?

"I'm not going to get into any of that," Lamoriello said. "The only thing I mentioned, on day one, we have to be at a certain number and we will be there on day one."

After an entire season of looking for any kind of relief and the Devils resorting to playing with a shortened roster on nights where too many players were injured, I believe Lou learned the importance of cap space that season (to say the least). Gomez, on the other hand, did what Holik did 4 years earlier. He became an unrestricted free agent, fielded offers from multiple teams, and settled on the giant pile of money offered by the NY Rangers.

Let me sum it up all for you:

Claude Lemieux filed for arbitration, "lost," and was immediately traded to another team.

Brian Rolston filed for arbitration, "won," and was traded early in the 1999-2000 season.

Bobby Holik filed for arbitration, "lost," and left the Devils when he became a free agent.

Scott Niedermayer filed for arbitration, "lost," and while he didn't play the next season, also left the Devils when he became a free agent.

Scott Gomez filed for arbitration, "won," and left the Devils when he became a free agent.

The common thread is that each of these players weren't Devils for very long after their hearings. Be it after their awarded deals ended or even during their deals. It didn't matter who "won" or "lost," they did not last for long in New Jersey. None of those five stuck around after their awarded deals - either by their own choice or Lou's choice.

That is why I am so concerned about Zajac filing for arbitration. This brief history has shown that those who file for arbitration are not going to be Devils for a long time. One big difference here is that Zajac is young enough such that he can't become an unrestricted free agent even after an awarded deal - he has to wait until he's 27. That said, if Zajac comes out of the hearings thinking along the lines of Holik did, then he may not want to remain in NJ.

Let us hope that history does not repeat itself in the case of Travis Zajac's arbitration hearings.

NHL Free Agency: New Jersey Devils Preview - Take 2

John Fischer — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:13:35 -0000

Now that the NHL Draft is over - and feel free to read through this massive overview in case you'd like to learn more - it's time to turn our attention to free agency. Which begins on Wednesday. We finally have a salary cap floor and ceiling set for next season, and now is a good as time as any to recap the Devils' current status. After this welcoming aside:

WELCOMING ASIDE: If you have visited for the first time over the past few days or for today or for tomorrow (yes, this is a message for the future), I welcome you to SBN and to In Lou We Trust! Feel free to register, leave your thoughts on what is being discussed either in a comment or more extensive thoughts in a FanPost. If you'd like to point out a link to something interesting and hockey-related, post a FanShot. Just keep it clean, age-appropriate, and relevant to the Devils. I'll have a Rules & Guidelines section later going into further detail. Until then, welcome and I invite you to join on in the conversation.

The title is not to fool anyone. I've done a more in-depth preview way back on May 1 of all of the Devils' restricted and unrestricted free agents - that was Take 1. Therefore, this is Take 2. Much has changed since May 1.

Pending UFAs: D Johnny Oduya, RW Brian Gionta, C John Madden, G Scott Clemmensen, G Kevin Weekes, LW/C Mike Rupp, ~~D Niclas Havelid, C Bobby Holik~~, RW Brendan Shanahan

The Devils finished the 2008-09 season with 9 Unrestricted Free Agents. However, they currently only have 7 to deal with. The 36 year old defenseman, Niclas Havelid, has transferred over to Europe for next season. He will play for Linkoping in the Swedish Elite League, according to Gulitti, so he is out of the picture. Bobby Holik will also not return to the New Jersey Devils, but he will be playing for no team. Holik has retired from hockey - here's the news post broken by Gulitti and here is a post I had thanking Holik for what he did for the Devils. Therefore, both of their names are crossed out.

Anyway, this leaves the Devils with 7 UFAs. And according to Gulitti's post today, he explicitly states that Gionta, Madden, Clemmensen, and Rupp are expecting to field offers. Johnny Oduya is the team's top UFA priority and while Aftonbladet broke news yesterday that the Devils did re-sign him, Gulitti got a quote from Lou yesterday stating that "nothing has been done" yet. Still, it is true that the Devils are looking to keep him.

As far as Weekes goes, Chere talked to Weekes, who stated that he wasn't sure if he'll return for next season with New Jersey. It seems to me that he will likely field offers on Wednesday as well. Lastly, Shanahan or his agent hasn't said anything one way or another about returning to New Jersey - just that he's playing hockey next season, according to Gulitti.

Why hasn't Lou talked to these guys any earlier? Well, the salary cap floor and ceiling wasn't announced until Friday afternoon, so no GM knew exactly how much they had to play with, which is fair, in my opinion.

Not Included: RW Barry Tallackson (Group VI) - Minor leaguer, not expected to get a NHL contract anyhow.

Pending RFAs: C Travis Zajac, D Andy Greene, LW Pierre-Luc Leblond-Latourneau, C Petr Vrana

Petr Vrana will play in the Czech Republic next season after a disappointing and injury-plagued 2008-09 campaign. While he got a few games up with New Jersey, he didn't get significant minutes in most of them, so he couldn't prove what he could do on the ice. And a broken leg cut short his season in Lowell. According to Gulitti, Vrana will play for Vitkovice of the Czech Extraliga, but the Devils will still hold his rights. Based on Lou's comments in Gulitti's post, he could still have a future with the Devils.

Pierre-Luc Leblond-Latourneau's name is only crossed off because the Devils actually signed him. According to Gulitti, it was a three-year deal worth $1.575 million total. He'll make the minimum NHL salary in the first year, with increases of $25,000 every year. So he's definitely returning, who knows whether he has a spot on the team.

As far as Zajac and Greene are concerned, Gulitti did report that Lou would give them each qualifying offers. Lou had to do that by 5 PM today but if he said he was going to do it, I would think he had done so. My understanding of salary rules means that the qualifying offers must include at least a 5% raise in salary for players making between $600,000 and $1 million (Last year: Greene made $600,000, Zajac made $987,000). I expect both to get that - much more than that for Zajac - and expect both to return.

Not Included: C Patrick Davis - He is a RFA, but given that he's been with Lowell and will likely remain there, I also wouldn't expect a NHL contract.

Salary Cap Space: According to ESPN, the salary cap floor is set at $40.8 million and the salary cap ceiling is set at $56.8 million. Based on what NHL Numbers has put together, the Devils have 14 players committed to next season with salaries totaling $40.433 million. This leaves the Devils with $16.367 million to spend, however, the Devils will have much less than that to spend considering that they have to sign Zajac and Greene and it is not expected (or wise) to spend up to the ceiling for next season. Assuming Zajac and Greene are signed for a combined $5 million, I think the Devils will spend $6-8 million of what's left.

Projected Budget: The Devils spent $55.919 million last year on players according to NHL Numbers. I would expect the Devils to spend no more than $55 million. In fact, I'd expect a much lower number in anticipation for a falling salary cap ceiling for 2010-11 as well as having money available for Paul Martin and Zach Parise when their contracts end in the next few years.

Key Needs: The Devils need to upgrade their defense, preferbly with an offensive or two-way defenseman. It is the one type of player the Devils do not have on their blueline. Up front, fans want to see an upgrade over Dainius Zubrus at centering the second scoring line. But the needs will really be guided by who does and does not come back to New Jersey. The Devils also need a backup goaltender with both of them being UFAs. Nobody huge, just someone who can step in and do well occasionally. Preferbly a veteran. Oh, and while it's not technically a free agency need, the Devils need to hire a new head coach.

Additional thoughts

Defense: Should the Devils not be able to grab a proper two-way/offensive defenseman, just another top 4 capable defenseman who would be an improvement on Mike Mottau would be very useful. If the Devils can't keep Oduya, they will need to find a top pairing defender among a FA group that doesn't have too many of those. Again, keeping Oduya is quite important.

Offense: The Devils will have to fill in spots on their fourth line with Holik retiring, with Rupp and Shanahan as question marks. It gets worse if Madden doesn't return. Should the Devils get a second line center, Zubrus could be moved down and fill in at wing or center elsewhere; but don't be too surprised (or unhappy) if Zubrus is still a center on the top two lines at the start of next season.

Coaching: I would prefer that Lou wait if it means getting a very good coach for the Devils, rather than going out and signing someone just to have a coach on July 1. Yes, not having a coach for those free agent talks could be a problem; but the agents are dealing with Lou, who can easily relay to the agents what type of coaching their clients can expect for 2009-10. That's my rationalization, and I'm sticking to it.

Potential Targets: Since May, I have done a series of posts on available free agent defensemen and centers that someone think could be a good fit for the Devils. I took a stab at analyzing each of them, considering their performance, recent history, style of play, and their potential contract. Among the posts I've done, I would like the Devils to consider the following players (in no order):

Defensemen: Mattias Ohlund, Rob Scuderi, Adrian Aucoin, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Francois Beauchemin, Dennis Seidenberg

Centers: Saku Koivu, Manny Malhotra (for 3rd line position), maybe Jason Williams, and if he's willing to go back to center and if his back is OK for one more year: Steve Sullivan

As far as who Lou is actually looking at, well, I couldn't tell you. Lou keeps that sort of information to himself as to not reveal his intentions too easily. If you know, you probably work with Lou - and in that case, I'm sure Lou would like you to keep it to yourself. (And if you're reading this Lou, uh, hi! Welcome! Don't mind me, just offering opinion here.)

What Our Rivals Want: Like anyone else, success. But as far as free agency is concerned...

I would think the Flyers and the Rangers want to have some actual cap space. The Flyers did make a big trade for Chris Pronger on Friday (great analysis at Broad Street Hockey). Given that the team struggled with fitting all players under the cap, they will be looking to offload some players for some cap relief. The Rangers have too many bad contracts as it is. Therefore, if they look to sign anyone, I would think they want some bang-for-their-buck players. Bargains, if you will. Unless they can move some of those massive contracts, they won't be going after anyone looking for significant money. I am also assuming the front offices of their respective teams also know what they are doing. Glen Sather may have figured it out by saying "no" to Nik Antropov's demands, according to the NY Post via Blueshirt Banter.

The Islanders got their sexy, star-studded #1 draft pick, but for free agency, I would expect them to at least get a solid, #1A goaltender should Rick DiPietro become injured yet again. It's one of the options Dominik has at Lighthouse Hockey about the subject and I agree that it's really their only big need. If they can get someone in that role, the team will be much more competitive, no disrespect intended for Joey MacDonald, though. other than that, the re-building continues on the Island. Perhaps Scott Clemmensen can be that goalie.

The Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2009 Stanley Cup. Now that is over with, I think they need to get better on the wings. Some signings from last season were dire all season long (namely, Miroslav Satan), some just couldn't get it together in the playoffs (e.g. Petr Sykora, Chris Kunitz). The Pens are set at center, yet they would become a much stronger team with more offensively-threatening players next to Crosby and Malkin. They may want to snag a defensive defenseman should Hal Gill or Rob Scuderi go elsewhere.

My Thoughts Overall: My thoughts from May actually still remain. It's good that Zajac and Greene will be given qualifying offers; and I think the Devils need to re-sign Oduya. That's the important goal internally.

I would like Madden and Gionta back but only for less money - and I only expect Madden to do that. Gionta's spot can be taken by Rolston and I'm convincing myself that Rolston will (have to) be better next season. With the Leblond signing, that could be the end of the Mike Rupp Experience in New Jersey as Leblond can provide energy, hits, and punches to the face just as well as Rupp. I wouldn't mind Shanahan returning for a little money. I expect someone else to give Clemmensen a shot a playing time and I would like to see Weekes return then; but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing if the Devils get someone new as the backup.

Outside of the Devils, I'd like to see the Devils go after a two-way defenseman. If they keep Oduya, they can afford to get a player who isn't as sharp or isn't able to play a ton of minutes. That would be ideal. Of course, it will all happen on Wednesday, so until then - we speculate!

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. Draft Day Do-Overs.

gallagher — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Paul Chiasson - AP

Helllloooo! Helllloooo! Helllloooo! Hello! If someone showed up with a sports almanac and a smoking Delorean, would you listen to his advice on which guy you should draft? We would.

Browse more photos »

Ah, draft day. We remember way back in 2006 when we were vehemently arguing whether the Blues should be taking Erik Johnson first overall or if the Blues should skip conventional wisdom and draft either Jordan Staal or Jonathan Toews or Phil Kessel instead.

This year it's Islanders fans who have to suffer through the "Is Tavares the next Sakic or is he the next Daigle?" discussion. Poor/lucky bastards.

For the record, we're firmly in the Erik Johnson camp, but the discussion did cause us some questioning. What if we could go back to 1989 (the year that Back To The Future II was released), in a stolen suped-up Delorean with a 2009 sports almanac, Biff Tannen-style and hand over a list to the Blues' management team? What if we gave them the ability to look at the careers of the 18-year-olds before they ever stepped onto NHL ice?

Who could they have picked?

Leaving out the really deep, surprising picks (look, everyone could have picked Datsyuk and/or Zetterberg, we get it), here's who the Blues picked with their first choice in each of the last 19 years... and who they would have chosen (from players taken within one round's worth of picks) if we had a time-traveling sports car. Damn we loved that movie. Now we just wish it was real.

1989 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, ninth overall, defenseman Jason Marshall from the Vernon Lakers.

1989 Re-Do: The Blues select center Bobby Holik (actually drafted one pick later, 10th overall by New Jersey)

Bobby Holik

#16 / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-4

Weight: 230

Born: Jan 01, 1971

1990 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 33rd overall (2nd round), left wing Craig Johnson from Hill-Murray High School.

1990 Re-Do: The Blues select center Doug Weight (actually drafted one pick later, 34th overall by New York Rangers)

Doug Weight

#93 / Center / New York Islanders

Height: 5-11

Weight: 196

Born: Jan 21, 1971

1991 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 27th overall, defenseman Steve Staios from Niagara Falls.

1991 Re-Do: The Blues select defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh (actually drafted three picks later, 30th overall by San Jose)

1992 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 38th overall, center Igor Korolev from Moscow Dynamo

1992 Re-Do: The Blues select center Michael Peca (actually drafted two picks later, 40th overall by Vancouver)

Michael Peca

#19 / Center / Columbus Blue Jackets

Height: 5-11

Weight: 183

Born: Mar 26, 1974

1993 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 37th overall, left wing Maxim Bets from the Spokane Chiefs.

1993 Re-Do: The Blues select defenseman Bryan McCabe (actually drafted three picks later, 40th overall by New York Islanders)

Bryan McCabe

#24 / Defenseman / Florida Panthers

Height: 6-2

Weight: 220

Born: Jun 08, 1975

1994 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 68th overall, center Stephane Roy from Val d'Or Foreors

1994 Re-Do: The Blues select center Chris Drury (actually drafted four picks later, 72nd overall by Quebec)

Chris Drury

#23 / Center / New York Rangers

Height: 5-10

Weight: 190

Born: Aug 20, 1976

1995 NHL Entyry Draft

The Blues select, 49th overall, center Jochen Hecht from Mannheim.

1995 Re-Do: The Blues select Jochen Hecht. Within the next 26 picks (one round's worth in 1995), Hecht has had the longest and most prolific career of anyone else selcted after him.

Jochen Hecht

#55 / Center / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 6-1

Weight: 191

Born: Jun 21, 1977

1996 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 14th overall, center Marty Reasoner from Boston College

1996 Re-Do: The Blues select center Marco Sturm (actually drafted seven picks later, 21st overall by San Jose). Despite the availabilty of Daniel Briere, we take the rugged German over the fragile French Canadien.

Marco Sturm

#16 / Left Wing / Boston Bruins

Height: 6-0

Weight: 194

Born: Sep 08, 1978

1997 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 40th overall, center Tyler Renette from North Bay

1997 Re-Do: The Blues select Kristian Huselius (actually drafted 7 spots later, 47th overall by Florida)

Kristian Huselius

#20 / Left Wing / Columbus Blue Jackets

Height: 6-1

Weight: 179

Born: Nov 10, 1978

1998 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 24th overall, defenseman Christian Backman from Vastra Frolunda

1998 Re-Do: The Blues select center Scott Gomez (actually drafted three picks later, 27th overall by New Jersey)

Scott Gomez

#19 / Center / New York Rangers

Height: 5-11

Weight: 200

Born: Dec 23, 1979

1999 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 17th overall, defenseman Barret Jackman from Regina

1999 Re-Do: The Blues select Barret Jackman. Within the next 28 picks (one round's worth in 1999), no one compares to Jackman's solid NHL resume.

Barret Jackman

#5 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 203

Born: Mar 05, 1981

2000 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 30th overall, center Jeff Taffe from the University of Minnesota

2000 Re-Do: The Blues select defenseman Nick Schultz (actually selected three picks later, 33rd overall by Minnesota Wild)

Nick Schultz

#55 / Defenseman / Minnesota Wild

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Aug 25, 1982

2001 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 57th overall, center Jay McClement from Brampton

2001 Re-Do: The Blues select Jay McClement. Tomas Plekanec, taken 14 picks later by Montreal, is a close second, but we feel like we're watching an underrated Selke Trophy winner develop right before our eyes in Silent Jay McClement.

Jay McClement

#18 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 201

Born: Mar 02, 1983

2002 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 48th overall, center Alexei Shkotov from Elemash

2002 Re-Do: The Blues select defenseman Duncan Keith (actually selected six picks later, 54th overall by Chicago)

Duncan Keith

#2 / Defenseman / Chicago Blackhawks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 194

Born: Jul 16, 1983

2003 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 30th overall, defenseman Shawn Belle from Tri-City

2003 Re-Do: Lots of good players to choose from (Patrice Bergeron and Kevin Klein among them, but the Blues select defenseman Shea Weber (actually selected 19 picks later, 49th overall by Nashville)

Shea Weber

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-3

Weight: 213

Born: Aug 14, 1985

2004 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 17th overall, goalie Marek Schwarz from Sparta Praha

2004 Re-Do: The Blues select center Travis Zajac (actually selected three picks later, 20th overall by New Jersey)

Travis Zajac

#19 / Center / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Born: May 13, 1985

2005 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 24th overall, center T. J. Oshie from Warroad High School

2005 Re-Do: The Blues select center Paul Stastny (actually selected 20 picks later, 44th overall by Colorado). It makes us want to vomit too, but the Blues' alumnus offspring and offensive sparkplug would rival the Teej's popularity if he was wearing a Bluenote.

Paul Stastny

#26 / Center / Colorado Avalanche

Height: 6-0

Weight: 205

Born: Dec 27, 1985

2006 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 1st overall, defenseman Erik Johnson from the USNDTP

2006 Re-Do: The Blues select Erik Johnson. As Blues Director of Amateur Scouting Jarmo Kekalainen has said, if all things are equal between players and one is a forward and one is a defenseman, always take the defenseman. Golf cart-lost season aside, we'll take Johnson's future over Jordan Staal (2nd overall; Pittsburgh), Jonathan Toews (3rd overall; Chicago), Niklas Backstrom (4th overall; Washington) and Phil Kessel (5th overall; Boston).

Erik Johnson

#6 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-4

Weight: 219

Born: Mar 21, 1988

2007 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 13th overall, center Lars Eller from Frolunda

2007 Re-Do: The Blues select Lars Eller. Despite the fact that he has yet to suit up for a single NHL game, the only player who has out-performed him at this point is one David Perron. Knowing what we know, thanks to our time-traveling ~~cocaine-fueled~~ plutonium fueled car and sports almanac, we re-select Eller here and pick up Perron at a discount with the 26th overall pick.

Lars Eller

#61 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 198

Born: May 08, 1989

2008 NHL Entry Draft

The Blues select, 4th overall, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo from Niagara

2008 Re-Do: The Blues, hindered by an almanac that only covers up to this draft, decide to pass on Nikita Filatov and instead select Alex Pietrangelo because according to Jarmo 3:16, "When Thy Lord Giveth Two Players Of Equal Upside, Thee Wilst Always Select Thyselves a Defenseman."

Alex Pietrangelo

#27 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 206

Born: Jan 18, 1990

And so, Doc Brown, there you have it. The flux capacitor did its job and Biff and his almanac did theirs. Now there's nothing left but to keep these guys together and build your dynasty. Good luck, god speed and know this: we plan to win a shit-ton of money off of this, so don't fuck it up.

SB Nation - Bobby Holik

New Jersey Devils Departures and Replacements at the Quarterpoint

Tom Awad on Sakic and Sundin

Rangers Pregame: Scouting the Devils

#30 / Goalie / New Jersey Devils

#26 / Center / New Jersey Devils

2009-10 Season Preview: New Jersey Devils

Overview of Last Season

Offseason Overview

Three Team Strengths

Three Team Weaknesses

Player Mentionables

A Bold Prediction

Where will the New Jersey Devils finish in the Eastern Conference in 2009-10?

1st Place - Atl. Division & Conference Winner

2nd Place - Atl. Division Winner

3rd Place - Atl. Division Winner

4th Place - ILWT Prediction

5th Place

6th Place

7th Place

8th Place

9th Place or Worse - Out of Playoffs, Specify in Comments

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: New Jersey Devils

Where will the Devils finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

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What Do You Think of the New Jersey Devils' Summer?

On a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest), how would you rate the New Jersey Devils offseason?

5 - I love what the Devils did this summer!

4 - I liked most of the deals the Devils made; they had a good offseason.

3 - I liked some deals, I didn't like others; the Devils just had an average summer.

2 - With a few exceptions, I don't like what the Devils did overall.

1 - I hate what the Devils did (and didn't do) this summer!

How the New Jersey Devils Drew and Took Penalties Last Season

A Common Thread with Past Devils Arbitration Results

NHL Free Agency: New Jersey Devils Preview - Take 2

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. Draft Day Do-Overs.

#16 / New Jersey Devils

Doug Weight #93 / Center / New York Islanders Height: 5-11 Weight: 196 Born: Jan 21, 1971 1991 NHL Entry Draft

#93 / Center / New York Islanders

#19 / Center / Columbus Blue Jackets

Bryan McCabe #24 / Defenseman / Florida Panthers Height: 6-2 Weight: 220 Born: Jun 08, 1975 1994 NHL Entry Draft

#24 / Defenseman / Florida Panthers

Chris Drury #23 / Center / New York Rangers Height: 5-10 Weight: 190 Born: Aug 20, 1976 1995 NHL Entyry Draft

#23 / Center / New York Rangers

Jochen Hecht #55 / Center / Buffalo Sabres Height: 6-1 Weight: 191 Born: Jun 21, 1977 1996 NHL Entry Draft

#55 / Center / Buffalo Sabres

Marco Sturm #16 / Left Wing / Boston Bruins Height: 6-0 Weight: 194 Born: Sep 08, 1978 1997 NHL Entry Draft

#16 / Left Wing / Boston Bruins

Kristian Huselius #20 / Left Wing / Columbus Blue Jackets Height: 6-1 Weight: 179 Born: Nov 10, 1978 1998 NHL Entry Draft

#20 / Left Wing / Columbus Blue Jackets

Scott Gomez #19 / Center / New York Rangers Height: 5-11 Weight: 200 Born: Dec 23, 1979 1999 NHL Entry Draft

#19 / Center / New York Rangers

Barret Jackman #5 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues Height: 6-0 Weight: 203 Born: Mar 05, 1981 2000 NHL Entry Draft

#5 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Nick Schultz #55 / Defenseman / Minnesota Wild Height: 6-1 Weight: 200 Born: Aug 25, 1982 2001 NHL Entry Draft

#55 / Defenseman / Minnesota Wild

#18 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Duncan Keith #2 / Defenseman / Chicago Blackhawks Height: 6-1 Weight: 194 Born: Jul 16, 1983 2003 NHL Entry Draft

#2 / Defenseman / Chicago Blackhawks

Shea Weber #6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators Height: 6-3 Weight: 213 Born: Aug 14, 1985 2004 NHL Entry Draft

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Travis Zajac #19 / Center / New Jersey Devils Height: 6-2 Weight: 200 Born: May 13, 1985 2005 NHL Entry Draft

#19 / Center / New Jersey Devils

#26 / Center / Colorado Avalanche

Erik Johnson #6 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues Height: 6-4 Weight: 219 Born: Mar 21, 1988 2007 NHL Entry Draft

Doug Weight

#93 / Center / New York Islanders

Height: 5-11

Weight: 196

Born: Jan 21, 1971

1991 NHL Entry Draft

Bryan McCabe

#24 / Defenseman / Florida Panthers

Height: 6-2

Weight: 220

Born: Jun 08, 1975

1994 NHL Entry Draft

Chris Drury

#23 / Center / New York Rangers

Height: 5-10

Weight: 190

Born: Aug 20, 1976

1995 NHL Entyry Draft

Jochen Hecht

#55 / Center / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 6-1

Weight: 191

Born: Jun 21, 1977

1996 NHL Entry Draft

Marco Sturm

#16 / Left Wing / Boston Bruins

Height: 6-0

Weight: 194

Born: Sep 08, 1978

1997 NHL Entry Draft

Kristian Huselius

#20 / Left Wing / Columbus Blue Jackets

Height: 6-1

Weight: 179

Born: Nov 10, 1978

1998 NHL Entry Draft

Scott Gomez

#19 / Center / New York Rangers

Height: 5-11

Weight: 200

Born: Dec 23, 1979

1999 NHL Entry Draft

Barret Jackman

#5 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 203

Born: Mar 05, 1981

2000 NHL Entry Draft

Nick Schultz

#55 / Defenseman / Minnesota Wild

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Aug 25, 1982

2001 NHL Entry Draft

Duncan Keith

#2 / Defenseman / Chicago Blackhawks

Height: 6-1

Weight: 194

Born: Jul 16, 1983

2003 NHL Entry Draft

Shea Weber

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-3

Weight: 213

Born: Aug 14, 1985

2004 NHL Entry Draft

Travis Zajac

#19 / Center / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Born: May 13, 1985

2005 NHL Entry Draft

Erik Johnson

#6 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-4

Weight: 219

Born: Mar 21, 1988

2007 NHL Entry Draft

Lars Eller

#61 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 198

Born: May 08, 1989

2008 NHL Entry Draft