I also assume because it's The Devils that's why all the footage is washed out too! Conspiracy!!!! Anyway look how exciting they look! Actually i'm sure all of the teams "Because It's the Cup" vid make them look super exciting. But I doubt this is ever really gonna see the light of day on network or cable TV, but you never know right?

KInd of surprised at the lack of Kovy highlights. The Marty saves are pretty stellar though.

Just trying to get the room's temperature. Just follow your gut, don't try and over-rationalize it. Since we have almost a week before the start of the playoffs, lets all get ourselve sinto a tizzy debating just "what sort of team" the 2011-2012 NJ Devils are.

Being irrational and preachy about it is totally encouraged!

Sorry NO MIDDLE GROUND. If you feel like you're in the middle then steer your vote toward the direction you're leaning in your heart. YOUR HEART I SAY!!!!!!!!

And by remember, i mean you actually watched and followed the team then. I ask this because I'm curious of those of you who do remember those years if you at any point in the regular season thought you were watching a true Stanley Cup contender? Not talking about the playoffs... just the regular season.

There's been a lot of positivity surrounding the team's play of late, and some sobering back to reality prognostications about it as well (I'm looking at you Triumph44!). I by no means am imply that that when i look at this team I see Cup contender... but that's my point. I didn't at all feel that way about the '95, '00 and '03 teams as well. They all had their ups and downs and positives and negatives (some more than others. I'm looking at you '95 team!) and at no point during the season did I think i was watching a team that would eventually hoist the cup. But they did. I actually remember being shocked once everything was said and done that the devils were Cup champs and the last team standing again and again and again.

Conversely the one time during a season where i thought I was watching a team that i assuredly felt could win the cup ('01), the Devils lost it in 7.

Just curious regarding the fans mindset about those teams of yesteryear when they were actually playing... what were your thoughts of them as they played through the regular season? Did you think at any point you were watching the eventual Cup champion? Hell I'll even extend that to the last 5 or 6 cup winners overall when you watched them play in the regular season.

Just something to think about as we're throwing out advanced stats and roster analysis on why this team will fall short once they hit the playoffs.

P.S. I'll proof this for typos later. Off to lunch!

I love when Gulitti undoes his collar a bit in the comments section of Fire & Ice. Always priceless stuff that's way more intersting than his and most other devil's articles. Today's is a real gem.

Peltz is not getting the Devils. Word is he’s as disliked by the NHL as Balsillie.

By the way, Peltz is friends with Rupert Murdoch.

Do you think there’s any connection between that and these stories that keep coming from one paper.

Who would benefit from making lenders think the Devils’ financial situation is worse than it is?

Posted by Tom Gulitti on 01/26 at 03:23 PM

The Devs for the Whale!?!?

From what I understand, Peltz wants an NHL team that would play in Connecticut.

Posted by Tom Gulitti on 01/26 at 03:51 PM

dum Dum DUM! What say you?

I often wish Tom Gulitti would write his articles with the sort of candor he uses to respond to his commenters over at Fire and Ice. Today he was in rare form going into the prolonged negotiations (or lack there of) in getting a contract with Parise done. Here are some choice remarks. You can sift through all of the comments and his replies over here.

Regarding the long delay in getting a contract worked out with Parise.

They had two and half open months after the season to get ready for the draft and they picked the player fans here were talking about since December.

Most of the draft preparation, which began well before the Devils even won the lottery, was done by people other than Lamoriello anyway.

They didn’t even start preliminary talks until the week leading up to the deadline for the team to file for arbitration.

But, to go back even farther, as I’ve said many times, they should have been negotating a long-term deal with Parise after last season when Kovalchuk wouldn’t talk deal with them before July 1. Parise was willing to do it. They could have locked him up and announced the deal at noon on July 1, 2010.

It was nearly a year later before they did anything.

So, yes, they easily could have gotten done months ago without Lamoriello haven’t to strain himself too much.

But, he chose to do it this way and, yes, Parise fell into later in the order behind players less important than him.

Posted by Tom Gulitti on 07/20 at 12:29 PM

Then some more on the topic. My own emphasis in bold

I think it was the plan from last year to put the screws a player who they should not be putting the screws to.

If they had started talks last spring, Parise would have been so impressed by the idea that Lamoriello actually went out of his way to do something like that (he’s never done it), he would have been quite agreeable. It was something that should have done and something plenty of other teams have done with similar players. (I know at the time he was even considering doing the contract without an agent—before the complications with long-term contracts that came from the Kovalchuk mess made that impossible)

Then, Parise hired these current agents, who probably would prefer he sign a one year deal right now and go for the jackpot next summer as a UFA.

Since showing last summer that Kovalchuk was their priority, the Devils have given Parise every reason to wonder if they really want him here long term and plenty of time to think of reasons why he might be better off playing somewhere else.

Posted by Tom Gulitti on 07/20 at 01:34 PM

On not opening negotiations with Parise last summer. My own emphasis in bold

Kovalchuk was a UFA with a small window to get him signed by his own choice—and right.

The Devils could have had a much bigger window to re-sign him if he gave it to them by agreeing to negotiate with them before July 1.

When Kovalchuk told the Devils he wanted to see what he could get on the market and the Devils not only waited for him to do that, but gave him $20 million more than any other team offered (and also waited 17 days for him to accept)—while making no attempt to try to start negotiatuons with Parise from the end of the season on—they clearly showed who was more important to them.

Posted by Tom Gulitti on 07/20 at 01:52 PM

On the Devils acting fully within their rights Vs. handling things the right way.

It seems to me the difference in what some of you are talking about and what I am talking is what the Devils have the right to do under the CBA and what they should do/should have done to lock up a player who is very important to them and has been nothing but a good soldier for the organization.

You might want to look at it another way, but if Zach Parise does end up becoming a UFA next summer and leaves, I’ll see it as the result of the Devils not handling this the right way and nudging him slowly toward the door.

You guys like to complain about players leaving, but you never look at the steps that led to them getting to the point where they could leave and the factors that would even make them even consider leaving.

Scott Niedermayer wanted to play with his brother, sure, but there were other things that led him down that road to leave and put him in position where he wantned to be a UFA in the first place.

One of them no doubt was the time the Devils played hardball with him in negotiations as an RFA and he held out until he finally gave in and took what they offered because he had no choice.

The Devils had every right to do what they did, but you could definitely argue that they picked the wrong player to do that with. Niedermayer was that important that he deserved the kind of treatment Brodeur and Stevens received.

I think Parise falls into that category as well.

I still think Zach Parise will get re-signed long-term mostly because that’s what he wants. The Devils are playing with fire here, though, by leveraging the guy with an arbitration hearing and dragging this out to try to squeeze a few dollars out of him.

Again, that’s their right. They’re doing nothing that’s not in the CBA. But that doesn’t mean it’s the right way to handle things with a player of this importance.

Posted by Tom Gulitti on 07/20 at 04:47 PM

In Lou we trust right? Right? I sure hope so.

Just speculating here but I get the sense these three may be NJs targets come Friday IF (and that's the key word here) Greene is let go and Lou is planning on stashing Salvador in Albany if he doesn't call it a career. These are also the three targets who I feel could come in and maybe, maybe our cap can handle their addition.

Why JovoCop? Just a hunch that if Greene and Salvador are gone Lou may go for an old timer vet on a 1-year deal. There is no way the Devils ice up 4 rookies/2nd year D guys to start the season. Just don't see that happening.

But my main reason for this post was who YOUR hunches were for NJ targets come Friday. Personally I'm rooting for White.

After the combine, I did extra testing with the New Jersey Devils. It was one of the craziest fitness tests I've ever done. They had me and few other guys running on treadmills for as long as you could with the incline getting steeper and steeper, I didn't have a shirt on and had electrodes all over my body — I ran for 16 minutes with a huge increasing incline — which was the longest of anyone there.

This is from Landeskog's draft diary for Puck Daddy. He just revealed Lou and Conte's secrets. First rule of being (or drafted by) a Devil, never reveal Lou and Conte's secrets. Ya blew it Gabby, ya blew it!

Anssi, poor Anssi. You have become synonymous 'round these parts for "bad defenseman." And while you've had your blatant lapses, I for one Anssi didn't think you were that horrible. I actually thought you really started getting things together in the second half of the season. Am I the only one?

Sure he's 26 (or is he 25?), but it also took Brian (edit: mental fart ) Andy Greene a lil while to have the fans stop screaming "You suck!" I'm not gonna do the advanced stats thing because that was already kind of done to death in John's 4-part post about replacing Greene from within. They weren't that pretty to look at anyway. Seriously though, was I the only one who saw him improve vastly in a short span of time at the end of the season? Which he then followed up with a gold medal at the World Championships (was anyone watching his play game to game or just reading the box-scores... I wasn't). His positioning was getting better, he started coming up more in the rush and I get the general sense from his comments he REALLY wants to be here and has something to prove. And I don't mean "here" in the NHL, but with the Devils specifically. I think a lot of his issues stemmed from a lack of confidence and not his ability and hockey sense.

I don't think he's going to develop into a puck-mover or a truly offensive defenseman, but if he continues on the foundation he started to lay at the end of 2011 he could turn into steady and reliable two-way D-guy as a #4 (high expectation) or bottom pairing at probably under 1 million a season. I'd much rather the team qualify him over Mark Fraser because he his skill set (please no jokes) and experience with the club is a much rarer commodity than what Fraser brings.

So... Is it just me who's got a soft spot for this Finn?

via freezethepuck.files.wordpress.com

Not sure about some you, but after the trade I thought to myself: "There's no way Steckel can keep up or help out with Tedenby's development and Tedenby's defesinve shortcoming are just going to create  a line with no identity or benefit if the two are put playing with one another. They probably should just move Clarkson up with Steckel if the plan is for him to truly center the 3rd line alongside Zharkov. At least that way at least you have two defensively responsible players and a hulking bruiser with some scoring ability.

That to me describes a classic NJ Devils checking line. Defensively sound. Punishing and will pinch in when you need them too if the opportunity arises.

The 3rd line of Arnott and whoever was on his wings since January hasn't really done much of anything of note. It's been a mess when they've stepped on the ice. And the best I usually hoped for was that they wouldn't give up a goal, and they weren't really generating too many scoring opportunities unless Kovalchuk was being double-shifted which I don't think is smart to do game after game after game.

Needless to say I was pretty pleased to read over on Gulitti's site that Steckel was indeed centering Zharkov and Clarkson at the first practice. Will it stick? Who knows.. but of the bottom six forwards that pairing makes the most sense and I hope they get a few in-game shifts to gel and do their thing. I don't see them scoring much, but then again the 3rd line wasn't scoring much to begin with... But at least they have the skills to wear down the opposition which will make it easier for the top 6 to do what they should be doing (scoring) and spell some relief for Rolston/Elias/Zubrus who have basically been playing the dual role of the team's second scoring line and best checking forwards.

Move Tedenby to the 4th as a shot of energy when the needs it and keep giving him some time on the Power Play. But he wasn't really doing much of anything or getting anything out of his limited time on what was a patchwork 3rd line.

Something I've been pondering lately. Ultimately I don't think it was either of them alone that sunk the 2010-2011 Devils (salary cap issues, injuries, distractions due to Kovy's contract, etc, etc) but I think one played the straw that broke the camel's back.

I find it a little too neat and coincidental that the teams sudden "turnaround" (not sure if 7 games fully constitute a turnaround) time perfectly to Langenbrunner getting shipped out. If you remember, when Lemaire took over the team from MacLean they pretty much continued playing just as lousy as ever. Now of course it's fair to expect some time before a new coach can implement a new system and see results. That said,  we've all seen plenty of coaching changes in the NHL that seem to immediately revitalize teams (Bylsma in 2008-2009 for example) if even just for a short-while right away. This one didn't.. not even in the slightest really until *poof* Langenbrunner was gone.

While coincidental, and I doubt we'll ever know the real story of what went on, to me all signs point to the NJ lockeroom being an absolute mess and the atmosphere there was just ripe to breed losing and underachieving in such a way that no coaching could necessarily overcome. That doesn't mean the players didn't like Langenbrunner, but even if they did that doesn't mean his presence, energy and possibly conflicts elsewhere weren't effecting their mood and attitude as their leader. Being liked or not, doesn't mean he had a positive effect on the team.

Now on the flipside, I had no clue what MacLean was doing in those first 30+ games really. The team played with absolutely no system in place..or at least none that was recognizable. They just kind of hovered on the ice firing pucks in the general direction of the net. Kind of like the "Mites on Ice" during 2nd period intermissions.

That clearly hasn't been the case recently as they are actually playing like a team. The defense is starting to play well in their own zone and stepping up to join the offensive rush. Coupled with some pretty effective and aggressive fore-checking from the offense it's really re-energized the team and probably even Marty.

Also it appears that someone finally figured out the best way to use Kovalchuk on 5-on-5. Chico Resch has made this comment a few times over the past couple of games and it's absolutely true... letting Kovalchuk play second string on an offensive rush has left him in an ideal position to rip in shots off of rebounds or when the initial play breaks down. He's just there swooping between the circle ready to fire his cannon at an unsuspecting goalie and defense.

Now obviously the combination of getting rid of Langenbrunner and replacing MacLean has lead to this "turnaround" (again I feel it's too soon to use that word). So don't swoop in here and act all bright and say "It was a combination of both!" That's kind of a given. My point is which one was having a more detrimental effect on the team and it's play?

Had Lemaire started the season behind the bench would he be having the same results he is now if Langenbrunner stayed with the team and remained captain? They weren't doing so hot at the end of last season which I'm sure you all don't need reminding about. Or had Langenbrunner been shipped out in the offseason, could MacLean have been able to...I don't know... do something, anything with the team resembling coaching?

via cdn.msg.com

The "Fire MacLean" Choir has grown loud and in-sync (read through the comments).

I don't really know what to think. I honestly still feel it's 8 games and way too early to call anything or anyone a wrap. But his "healthy scratch" of Kovalchuk and giving no reason for it is not only puzzling but echos the whole  Langenbrunner vs. Lemaire scratch late last season. I am starting to get the paranoia bug that something is amiss in the locker room.

Yeah, yeah we all know the season hasn't started off the way we hoped. Parise is in a slump, Clarkson may as well not be playing, Volechnkov is injured, Arnott's and Langenbrunner's +/- are in the toilet, and the ZIP line has been zapped. Enough posts about what's gone wrong. It's 6 games, and we're about to head into our first road trip. I've seen this team struggle before and then pull it together when placed on a long road trip which has historically helped bond teams and formulate chemistry. 20 guys on the road hitting up enemy territory, all you have are your teammates. So I'll worry about "these devils" if and when they return from the next 8 games and are still at the bottom of the Atlantic.

But that's not what this post is about. It's about talking about one of the early bright spots on this season that is seemingly getting overlooked... Mr. Matt Taormina.

I'm not going to go into advanced stats and CORSIs because that's what John does. I'm going by what I've seen so far in person from Taormina's play. At the start of the season this team desperately needed another offensive D-man, and well they got him in spades! Yes there have been a few defensive lapses but lets focus on what he has been doing incredibly well.

Taormina is great skater and he's willing to lead the rush. He has good vision and makes good decisions for a kid who just entered the NHL. He can pass and best of all he shoots, man does he shoot! Just check out his CORSI for shot differential! ;) I haven't seen a Devils D-man in quite some time fire from the top of the blue-line at even strength with the sort of poise Taormina has shown in just 6 games. He's also not shy about taking a chance and he's good at getting it on net. And as good as all of that is ,he does one other thing extremely well that I feel may get overlooked (and killed us last season), which is he is very good at stopping the puck before it crosses the blue line when the opposing defenders try to get it out, and putting it back into play.

One of the positives I noticed in that horrible Boston loss is that when Taormina was on the ice at even strength, his play on the offensive rush particularly by the blue line allowed the devils to swarm Boston for a few rushes that felt like they were Power Plays.

I know it may be a bit premature to say, but I have liked..nay LOVED what I've seen from him and i think he'll not only be with the club for the whole year, but he is that puck-moving, offensive D-man we have all craved for quite some time. By the end of the season he is going to really grow into one hell of a PP quarterback, you watch.

Another unearthed and undrafted North American gem. Great job Lou and Dave!

via assets.nydailynews.com

I see the writing on the wall and I know that one of the likely casualties of Kovalchuk being a NJ Devil may be Dainius Zubrus. I'm sure that probably comes to the delight for the many of you who have labeled him "Zubust."

I for one hope it isn't Zubrus who goes because he's a valuable part of this team. I'll admit that yes, he's overpaid for what he does... but that doesn't mean what he does is an asset that's easily replaceable.

I think few fans actually watch this guys work his butt off game in and game out around the boards to make it easier for his teammates to score. They just look at the stat sheets and see a one 60pt player, getting only 40pts a year and label him a "Zubust." It's sad, but I know it's a reality that comes along with casual fans.

Zubrus has for me been a quintessential Devil, a hard working grinder who goes unappreciated. I really hope that this isn't the last we're seeing of him because I am in the campwho think he could and would thrive as the team's 3rd line center. But I also know that bringing Kovalchuk in means there will be some attrition somewhere and since he has no clause on his contract and it is relatively "movable" he is a likely candidate as any to go.

If it is Zubrus, i'd just like to raise a toast for him and show him some of the appreciation that has been sorely lacking from most Devils fans. I think he's earned it and I think those of us who have watched our Devils closely feel the same way I do. If he is on his way out I wish him much luck and success on his next team and hope those fans appreciate him more.

I caught this observation over here and well I just really found it intriguing. No guaranteed contracts whatsoever one year past Marty's contract and there are only 3 players (Elias, Zajac and Zubrus) under contract for 2012-13. I do however fully expect Parise to be extended for at least that long if not much longer. But I digress... Is this a possible signal for a changing of the guard in not just players, but front office personnel?

Not really much to add, just thought it was an interesting observation and fertile ground for fan speculation during the off-season.

Good or Bad, my Thoughts on Trading Parise? post proved pretty popular in generating some talk on the site, so why not a little sequel? Please know i'm not just doing these for the sake of doing them and hope they'll merely engage an intelligent debate on said player and any realistic return a trade could bring.

Let me start things off by saying I know Clarkson is a fan favorite... Hell he's one of my favorite Devils! He embodies NJ Devils style hockey and is an asset to the team. That said while perusing Fire & Ice I couldn't help but notice some fans refer to him as "Irreplaceable." Really? Is Clarkson irreplaceable?

When I thought about it some more it hit me that "no he wasn't"...  at least not to me. While I do love his game, there are always players to varying degree out there that can be plugged in essentially do what Clarkson does. Maybe were he more of a Power Forward in the traditional mold, I'd think otherwise but there's no reason to think that Clarkson will somehow someway turn into a 30+ goal scorer, 60pt player.

What Clarkson is however, is young and forceful. He made quite an impact in his short time playing last season. Enough so that I'm certain he caught the eyes of a few GMs. As pointed out by user dr(d)evil, Matt Cooke just resigned for 3 years at 5.4 mill. That's a 1.8 cap hit annually. Clarkson is probably going to command anywhere between 2 to 3 per given his age, but they are essentially players of the same mold.

What If...

What if we traded Clarkson, packaged him with a bad contract like say Salvador's for a mobile puck moving defenseman? We're pretty good on wingers (overstocked in fact). But a puck moving, offensive skilled D-man? Not so much. Clarkson is also desirable enough to not only get us back something we need, but possibly even allow us to move out a bad contact (well one within reason, like say Salavdor's) along with him.

What if Clarkson brought us back a Kaberle and we could also still keep Martin? What if indeed.

So anyway... What are your thoughts? Is trading Clarkson tantamount to a mutiny amongst your ranks? Or does anyone else feel that while he is an asset to the team, he could also bring back something we have a greater need for than his particular skill set.

tI'm really curious what some of you on here think about trading Zach Parise?

Ever since the Pens were eliminated they have been subjected to loads of people, blogs and reporters questioning if it's time to perhaps trade Malkin for a capable winger to play with Crosby and allow Staal to assume the #2 role. The NY Post's Larry Brooks casually floated a comment in a recent column that were that to happen the Pens would need to be getting back a player of Zach Parise's caliber at least.

Then today, Tom Gulitti reported on Parise recently firing his agent and not expecting Lou to really engage him in contract extension talks this Summer. His reasoning is that Lou has never done this with any players a year before they were slated to be free agents (actually I think Marty is the lone exception). This article of course got the comments section on Fire & ice all riled up (and I'm sure will continue to do so all week) with some people preaching there's no need for alarm and others just indulging in paranoia.

Personally, I can't help but have noticed what I feel is some frustration in Parise's comments as of late regarding how the team and management view him and his role. It really makes me wonder if he does want to stay here, even if the Devils hold all the leverage in that decision. Granted, Zach is not a FA this year and there doesn't  need to be any real reason for Lou to try and sign him to an extension RIGHT NOW... but does it make any one else wonder why not? Precedents have been made league wide with young stars/futures of the franchises locked up to lengthy extensions even before they become RFAs.

If NJ does view Zach as an integral part of the organization's future why not lock him up now? Show him that the organization values him, is planning a future around him AND as a result allow them to plan said future with the knowledge that Zach will be on the team and his cap hit will already be accounted for.

Brook's comment, combined with Gulatti's report today (which also stated that the Devils has begun contract negotiations with Kovalchuk) really made me curious about how other Devil fans felt were NJ to go and trade Zach for a guy like Evgeni Malkin?

What if the new direction and shake-up is something like keeping Kovalchuk and pairing him with Malkin at the cost of Parise? Gulatti even commented that he felt were NJ offered that trade they'd accept it in a heartbeat. But how would you guys feel about it?

The Christmas break is upon us and we're one of the best teams in the league. I think this year was the year more than any other that the experts decried "This is the year the Devils fail, Two many key players lost and Leamaire can't coach in the new NHL" and well lo and behold, we're on top again. Call me a Homer, but I truly believe that Lou ices up a team every single season that can compete but this year it's different.

So with almost half the season gone where do we stand? Are these Devils for real?

This team really reminds me of the 2000 Devils. The influx of youth coupled with the veterans all of whom are playing well and this is with many an injury to key players to boot! While Parise is Parise, Elias is Elias and Brodeur is Brodeur. The way guys like Greene, Bergfors, Clarckson (pre-injury), Mottau, Salvador, McAmmond, Niedermayer, Zharkov & Fraser have stepped up their game is unbelievable and make me excited for the franchises future even more than ever. And lets not forget Rolston finally back to being Rolston, our Captian, Jamie Langunbrunner who seems to get better with age and the guy who is quickly turning into one the legue's best two-way centers, Travis Zajac.

And while I can shower accolades on the players all day long, I think the teams true MVP is Jacque Lemaire. Oh= I had my doubts like many of you on weather the old dog can learn some new tricks... and while a good chunk of the media like to stick with their old adage that the team still plays boring, trap devils hockey" us fans who watch every game know that this team does not remotely play boring games nor do they trap their way to victory. There have been nights where we clearly were not the best team on the ice, yet we are were still the team to walk away with the W. Why? because despite our talent, the team is ridiculously well coached and manages to make the necessary adjustments for whatever problems they encounter with the sometimes superior opposition. That is the mark of a great coach, and Lemaire is just that.

I look around at our nearest opposition and i think we're able to take them all down if it came down to it.

Penguins: While they are not easy to beat, we seem to really know how to outplay them and i think that is something that will continue all season long

Capitals: another team we're 3-0 against but one win was in a shootout an dthe other 2 were without Ovechkin playing. Still Ws are Ws and I feel teh Capitals have way too many questionmarks in net and on defense to go the distance come the playoffs.

Buffalo: While surprising and have the possibility to play spoiler i don't think they they have the components to make that long of a run. But besides Brodeur, i think Miller is truly the leagues most elite goaltender. Yes ahead of Luongo.

Blackhawks: While we haven't played them yet I look forward to the challenge. Also like the capitals I feel come the playoffs i don't trust their goaltending.

Sharks: Call me naive but i think whoever the Sjarks bring in every seasson to ensure them a cup, it'll still end up being the same old story come the playoffs. They have the talent, but i don't think they have the heart or are that well coached to win those games they should have lost.

So I ask all of you, realistically... knowing we have not fared well the past few years when going into the post-season. How do you like the looks of your Devils now and can and will they continue playing at this level for the rest of the season?