Lamoriello Asleep at the Wheel?

This was a thread posted on ESPN.com's New Jersey Devils message board last Friday. The contents of the thread are not as important as the title, but a few points within there make sense.

On Friday, the Devils made two trade and not one player was involved. First, the Devils traded their 1st round, 21st overall draft pick to the Washington Capitals for their 1st round pick, 23rd overall, and a 2nd round pick, 54th overall. Lou Lamoriello then took his new spot in the first round and shipped it to the Wild for their pick, 24th overall and a 3rd round selection in next year's draft. Two moves made and the Devils managed to get an extra two draft picks out of making it.

To some, this may seem like a great decision. I see this, however, as being an early indication of our team's complete lack of a true game plan. Now I do not know when the trades were mead in relation to the actual time in the draft, but it feels like Lamoriello was just trying to buy himself more time because he did not know who to go after in the Draft.

Their first selection, Mattias Tedenby, is a Swedish born player who was ranked third among European born players, according to newjerseydevils.com. The 5'10" 176 pound Tedenby has drawn comparisons to Montreal Canadiens captain Saku Koivu because of his ability to take a hit and keep on going. The Devils needed a goaltending prospect badly to begin grooming to take over Martin Brodeur's role when he hangs up his skates in the [hopefully not too near] future. They made two trades, not one of which addressed this need, nor put them in a position to address the need.

Also, a few decent players were available through trades, and neither avenue were pursued. Olli Jokinen, for example, was acquired for a 2nd line player, a 3rd-4th defenseman and a draft pick. Are you trying to tell me that Lamoriello, who has dangled Brian Gionta's name like a pinata at a birthday party, could not come up with a viable trade? I find this concerning because five years ago, he was able to pull off a deal with the Anahiem Ducks that by acquiring Jeff Freisen and Oleg Tverdovsky, helped deliver the Devils their third cup.

Thefourthperiod.com is reporting the the Devils are STILL undecided about what to do with veteran winger Sergei Brylin. The Devils' season ended almost two months ago, and Brylin is not the only veteran who should be returning who has not been re-signed. Jay Pandolfo is also without a contract as are many of the Devils' free agents except for little-used defensemen Mike Mottau and Sheldon Brookbank. Its not Brookbank that bothers me as much as Mottau. The former Rangers castoff had a mediocre season with the Devils last year. In the few games I was able to see him play in, he looked lost and opposing teams took advantage of it.

The Devils traditionally run a tight ship, so to hear few rumors about their potential moves is not something new. But to have them stall and delay because of a lack of a clean cut game plan is completely new. I hope that these blips on the radar are simply being over analyzed and that they are not a clear indicator of the off season to come. July 1st is rapidly approaching, offers have not been made to key veterans who need to be retained. They messed up at the trading deadling by not addressing the Devils' glaring need for a scorer, they in my opinion, messed up the Draft by not acquiring a goaltending prospect or an NHL ready scorer. If nothing significant is done this off season, that would be strike three in my book and I truly will have lost faith in our once great leader.

Melrose to Coach Again

It is been widely speculated that former Los Angeles Kings coach Barry Melrose would like to return to coaching. He even stated on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption that he misses coaching. It appears that on Tuesday, he will get his chance.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have interest in Melrose and an announcement could come as early as Tuesday afternoon.

This will come as a relief to many NHL fans around the league who must rely upon ESPN to be their source of hockey information. 'The Curse of the Mullet' will be put to rest for at least one season. The Curse is based uppon Melrose's annual playoff predictions. If he selects your team, then you are more than likely not to win the championship. It happened to the San Jose Sharks this past season, the Buffalo Sabres last season, so on and so forth.

On a more serious note, it is nice to see Melrose getting another shot at the NHL level. In his first year of coaching, Melrose, with the help of Wayne Gretzky, led the Kings to a 39 win seasona and a Stanley Cup finals run where they would fall to the Montreal Canadiens, who were lead by future Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy. Roy secured his second Conn Smythe trophy as his Canadiens defeated the Kings in 5 games.

Melrose lost his job after back to back non-playoff seasons that immediately followed the finals run in 1992-93. He then began a career in television by joining ESPN in 1996 where he has worked as color commentary on hockey games prior to the 2004-05 lockout, and has been an analyst since the lockout.

Good Luck, Mullet!

Bye-Bye Brylin?

According to the Newark Star Ledger, the Devils and Sergei Brylin have hit an impasse in contract talks. Brylin, who has been a member of the Devils since being drafted in the 2nd round in 1992, has a player option for next season but would like a multi-year extension for job security.

However, at 34, it will be a risky move to guarantee a lengthy contract to him, even though he is one of the two remaining players to have won 3 cups with the Devils [Martin Brodeur being the other].

During the 1994-95 season while the NHL was in their first major lockout, Brylin got is first work in America, playing with the Devils former affiliate, Albany River Rats, logging 63 games before playing the remaining 26 regular season games with the Devils. He played 12 of the Devils’ 20 playoff games before hoisting his and the team’s first Stanley Cup. Ever since that first season, Brylin has given the devils a reliable two-way forward, excelling more at the defensive aspect than offensive.

For the past 4 seasons, Brylin has not missed a single regular season game. Last season, Brylin saw his point total fall to over half is 06-07 total of 40. Scoring only 6 goals and having 10 assists, it is not difficult to understand why Brylin was relegated to the 4th line towards the endpoint of the 07-08 season. His place on the checking line was taken over by emerging forward David Clarkson.

Brylin, who is one of the smallest forwards on the Devils, listed at 5’10” he is taller than only Brian Gionta who stands at 5’7” - 5’9”, depending on which resource you look at. His heart can never be questioned as he continuously shadowed some of the league’s best alongside Jay Pandolfo and John Madden. Brylin also gave the Devils a quiet, yet focused leader. His experienced is rivaled only by Brodeur, as the two have seen the team’s rise to success and maintaining the pinnacle of their performance for nearly a decade, achieving 3 Stanley Cups in 4 appearances in the finals.

If Brylin elects to not exercise his player option for next season, I do not know if he would be able to find work elsewhere in the NHL.

I, for one, would be sad to see Brylin leave, as he has been with the team for almost as long as I have been following the Devils and hockey. I wish him nothing but the best, and hope for at least one more year.

Happy Trails!

Borrowing a bit from ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption:

“Happy Trails!”

Happy trails Ray Emery and Dan Cloutier. Today, both players’ tenure with their respective teams are over.

Emery, the key element in the Ottawa Senators Stanley cup finals run in 2007, was waived today by Brian Murray. The short fused goaltender had become a clubhouse cancer and gotten on everyone’s nerves, including Chris Neil… CHRIS FREAKIN NEIL. His age and experience are attractive points for the 26 year old, but his edgy personality is a major drawback and labels him a high risk player to try and acquire.

Cloutier, a journeyman goaltender who broke into the league with the New York Rangers, was let go by the Los Angeles Kings today also. Although he had 3 straight 30-plus win seasons with Vancouver, he was never able to regain that form with the Kings. At 32, Cloutier’s career might be on the downswing.

While both have a good deal of goaltending skill, I think I speak for many when I say that their legacy in the NHL can be summed up in these clips:

Cloutier:

Emery:

Draft Day 1

Thefourthperiod.com [one of the more credible rumor sites out there] is reporting that Olli Jokinen will be traded today before the first round of the NHL draft begins. They report suggests the key point in trading Jokinen is at least a first round draft pick, which Florida covets so that they may have a spot in the first round. Florida's 1st Round pick, which would have been 9th overall, was sent to the Nashville Predators as part of the Tomas Vokoun trade last summer.

Do not expect the Devils to be a player in Jokinen sweepstakes today unless GM Lou Lamoriello can convince the Panthers to take something other than a first round pick. First round picks are something that Lamoriello would love to horde like a squirrel to acorns. Lamoreillo has also told numerous media outlets that he would like to move up in the draft, and even would consider moving down for the right deal. A.K.A. - he'd do what any good GM would do on draft day. Again, don't count on the Devils landing Jokinen, the price tag is too high with no first round pick to work with on Florida's side.

Speaking of Tomas Vokoun, last night the Predators traded Chris Mason to St. Louis for a 4th round pick in this weekend's draft. This is the second time that the goaltender who started the season in net for the Predators has been shipped out the following summer. The move signals a full vote of confidence in Dan Ellis, who stepped up nicely when Mason showed his human side last season. The season prior, Mason platooned the Preds goaltending job with Vokoun and lead them to an incredible 51 win, 110 point season in only their 3rd season in the NHL. The Predators have not missed the playoffs since 2003-2004 [4 straight seasons], so there is some weight on Ellis' shoulders, but for a goalie who lead the league in save percentage last season and set the franchise record in shutouts with 6, it does not look like it will be a difficult task being the only go-to guy in net.

--2 PM Update--

Well here it is folks, my first Sabres post on the blog. Although it will come as no surprise to anyone in Buffalo, Max Afinogenov is being talked heavily by GM's at the NHL Draft in Ottawa. Hockeybuzz suggests that Washington and Chicago are the leading candidates. Now all you Buffalonians, do not get too excited when you read Chicago in there, because there is ZERO chance it will be for Calder winner Pat Kane, and that's an (e5). My guess is the deal will be centered around Patrick Sharp. The 26 year old center has a $3.9 million annual cap hit over the next 4 years [$15.9 mil/4 yr left on the current deal]. Max will be entering the final year of his contract, taking a cap hit of $3.5 million with him. If he goes to Washington, my guess is for prospects and picks. The move could also be an indicator that the Capitals are going to give up on re-signing Sergi Federov because the two have comparable contracts, but Max is 10 years younger and could still make an impact in a system that fits him. Could pairing up with Alex Ovechkin be that solution?

--5 PM EXCLUSIVE Update --

I have just received an exclusive tip from a Buffalo source about Maxim Afinogenov. The source has told me that the Sabres and the Florida Panthers are discussing a possible deal with Olli Jokinen being involved. My source has told me that the Sabres are offering Max and the 1st round, 26th overall pick in exchange for Jokinen and either prospects, picks, or both. the stumbling block right now is trying to figure out compensation for the extra $2 million plus in cap space that the Sabres will be taking on by acquiring Jokinen. Jokinen, 29, will be making $5.25 million next season and $5.5 million in 2009-2010, compared to Max's $3.5 million next season.

--7 PM Update--

Jokinen to Phoenix, Tanguay from Calgary to Montreal, Cammalleri from LA to Calgary

'08 Season Wrap-up

The 2008 season came to a close mere moments after Marion Hossa’s rebound attempt trickled harmlessly past a sprawling Chris Osgood.

0.0 on the clock.

23 Red Wing players, their coaches, and a handful of media personnel flocked to the ice and began the celebration 6 years in the making.

For Detroit, it was the beginning of the celebration.

For the other 29 teams in the NHL, it signaled only one thing, the off-season is upon us. Time to build, so that we can be that team next year.

“That team” is a phrase that has eluded the New Jersey Devils for the past 5 off-seasons. Yes, it has been a longer drought for many teams, so it may seem superficial to be complaining about the lack of a title berth since 2003, for a fan base that has grown accustomed to playoff atmosphere, simply making the post season is no longer enough.

Since the end of the darkest time in the sports history, the devils have failed to come even remotely close to advancing beyond the second round. And for an ownership and front office who claim to be so devoted to achieving success, that fans cannot help but ask when will that be seen in player movement?

Two seasons ago [06-07], the Devils had a critical decision to make. Trade Scott Gomez, see what they can get for him so that he doesn’t depart New Jersey in the off-season for nothing, or hang on to him, rely on the components of the then current roster and go for the Cup.

Their choice: Keep him.
Their result: a mediocre finish to the 06-07 regular season, finishing first in the division, 2 points ahead of Pittsburg, and 2nd in the conference, 6 points behind President Trophy winners, Buffalo. [This was considered a mediocre finish, because with the Sabres hitting a skid at the end of the season, the Devils had a significant chance to not only catch them, but pass them as well.] In the playoffs, inconsistency marred the Devils again, with a poor showing in a first round series win over Tampa Bay in 6 games. The defense, led by future castoff Brian Rafalski, was exposed by a much quicker Lightning team.

In the second round, the Devils were ousted the eventual Eastern Conference champions Ottawa Senators. The Senators completely dominated the Devils in ever aspect of the game. The Devils were quickly dispatched in 5 games, winning game 3 in overtime as Jamie Langenbrunner beat Ray Emery on a breakaway. The goal was sealed the final Devils victory at Continental Airlines Arena, it would also be the final time a core group of Devils who won the last cup in ’03 would be together.

As anticipated, Gomez asked too much of the tight pursed Devils and departed for cross-river rivals, the New York Rangers. Unexpectedly, however, the Devils failed to lock up the veteran offensive minded defenseman Rafalski, who departed for his boyhood team, the Detroit Red Wings.

To replace these two critical components, the devils signed veteran talent, but below top level. Winger Danius Zubrus, who spilt time with Buffalo and Washington, and Defensemen Vitaly Vishnevski and Karel Rachunek were brought in to be patchwork for major holes left by the departing Devils. None of the three achieved the success the devils were hoping for, especially the defensemen, who were sporadically healthy scratches throughout the season.

Devil fans were left again wondering what their team was becoming following the 2008 trade deadline when no major problem areas were dealt with. The only deal brought yet another veteran defenseman Bryce Salvadore to an already crowded defense corps for tough guy Cam Janssen.

Could yet another early playoff exit, this time to those same cross-river rivals who lured Gomez away, be the tipping point for the management to realize this team needs a major overhaul? We shall find out over the course of the summer.

Over the next few weeks leading up to the opening of Free Agency on July 1st, I will do my best to provide readers with my take on the Devils and hypothesize what their moves shall be. Feel free to comment, in objection or support, to the articles and I will try to respond accordingly.

Thank you for reading, and go Devils!