Dany Heatley rejects trade- Yes, its true, the man who wants out of Ottawa badly did in fact shoot down a potential deal to the Oilers. Speculation has it he doesn’t want to play in Edmonton, others say it is to make sure Ottawa pays him his roster bonus of $4 million. Either way, there is no doubt Heatley will be out of Ottawa, and my guess is it’ll happen before the end of July 1st, maybe even before free agency opens at noon.
Scott Clemmensen to Detroit? – The former Devils’ season-savior is looking for a starting job. While he is open for a return to the Devils, his heart yearns for a starting role, if not a chance to have significant playing time. What better place to find that than in Detroit. The Stanley Cup runners up have Chris Osgood locked up for another season, but backup Ty Conklin is 33 and is testing the market. Clemmensen is 31, and when Osgood needs a break, it is quite apparent after this past season that given a chance, can be a solid starter. Yeah, his tenure in Toronto was less than remarkable, he now has confidence from being the heir to Martin Brodeur’s throne for a season.
Marion Gaborik to Rangers? – By freeing up $7 million dollars in cap space by trading away Devils’ traitor Scott Gomez to Montreal, the Rangers are in buying mode. They have an absurd amount of free agents on their current roster, as previously reported, but that are looking for a good combiniation of home grown talent and free agents. Gaborik, who has also been linked to a potential landing in Vancouver should the Canucks not be able to keep the Sedin twins, is going to need a new home, the question will be can he handle the spotlight in NY or would he prefer a potential reunion with Pavol Demitra, this time in Vancouver.
Ironman Chris Chelios – Who needs a leader? Anyone, anyone? The question many teams will be asking before even contemplating taking a chance on Chelios is can his 42 year old body handle half a season, let alone a 60+ games.
Martin Havlat back to the City of Angels? – Chicago probably wont make an offer, seeing as they haven’t even given the man a call, so the Kings would probably be more than willing to bring him right back. I’d almost guarantee a return to the black and purple [I cannot help but laugh at their colors]. On a quick personal note: I really hope the Devils do not make a pitch for him, as much as some fans would love it, he is way too frail for this team. Sure the points will be a great addition, but loss in games played could be better suited by being filled with some of the prospects from Lowell.
Rob Scuderi – A solid playoff performance revived this man’s career, and what more of a perfect time than right before hitting the free agent market. The Pens have been pretty quiet when it comes to attempting to retain the defender, and he is only a few hours from entertaining offers from other clubs. The Devils should make a pitch, as he is a solid top 4 defender, especially on this team. He’s quick, and can move the puck well, something that is desperately needed on the defensive corps.
Claude Lemieux – please just retire, playing in China didn’t help your transition back to the NHL and it showed. It only proved how desperate the Sharks were for help considering you ate up significant chunks of playing time. A playoff hero twice in Jersey, thanks, but hang them up already.
Brian Gionta – the mighty mite will probably be wearing a different uniform next season and it’s a shame too because he is a victim of the impending salary cap drop next season. If the owners felt more confident in the state of the league and believed the cap would not plumbet next year, there is no question Gionta would remain in Jersey. The problem is me may be unwilling to move very far down from his previous $4 million a year salary. If he would take a home-town discount, the Devils would undoubtedly make a pitch for him, but as we all are well aware of, money can influence many decisions. If the Devils do not keep him, look for the Sabres to make a move. He’s still got the wheels on ice so he would fit right in with their fast paced system, and he is originally from Rochester, which is a mere hour away from the Queen City.
John Madden – do not expect him back in New Jersey. His role diminished rapidly last season as the new NHL proved that checking lines were all but obsolete. Given the right system, he could be effective again, so his career will go on. My guess is either his hometown of Toronto, or taking the New York State Thruway over a few bridges to Long Island. Why the Islanders, you ask? Well, look at their GM, their trades and all other moves they’ve made, and answer that question for yourself. Happy trails, John! Good luck.
Brendan Shanahan – Please stay in New Jersey, please. You played well, you added leadership, and you even added a few goals. Please stay!!! Was I begging, too much? Oh well.
More to come tomorrow....
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Showing posts with label Brendan Shanahan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brendan Shanahan. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A Loss, a Streak and an Addition (or Two?)
- Washington snapped the Devils’ 8 game winning streak. While doing so, they extended their own streak to 3 games.
- Washington won the season series by capturing two victories in regulation. The Devils’ two wins came in overtime, thus giving Washington 6 points and the Devils only 4.
- The Caps now lead the Devils by 3 points in the Eastern Conference.
- With his shorthanded goal, Jamie Langenbrunner has seven goals in 4 games. 2 of the 7 have come shorthanded, 3 were game winners.
- His 3 straight 2 goal games with 3 straight game winners, Langenbrunner tied an NHL record with the likes of Wayne Gretzky.
- Travis Zajac’s assist on Langenbrunners’ Game winning goal against the Penguins set a new career high for assists with 27. It also tied him for his career high in points. He broke that mark with his assist on Langenbrunner’s shorthanded goal against the Capitals, he now sits at 43 points, and is just 2 goals from breaking that mark as well.
- Brendan Shanahan now has 3 goals and an assist for the Devils. Two of the three goals have come by way of the power play. And if his current trend holds true, Shanahan is due to register at least a goal in Friday’s game against the Thrashers.
- Following the loss, the Devils announced a trade – Sheldon Brookbank to Anaheim for the contract rights to Colgate University center David McIntyre. Brookbank was a waste of a roster spot outside of the one, maybe two, good games he played for the Devils. He struggled to keep up on defense, and was an even more dismal forward while eating up 59 games. He amassed a staggering 8 assists in that time period. What possible role could he fill for the Ducks is unclear, but it does a few things for the Devils: A) Frees up over $500,000 in cap space. B) Frees up a roster spot making Lou Lamoriello’s life easier when Martin Brodeur returns to action. C) Gives the Devils another Colgate standout in their system, Corbin McPherson being the other.
- McIntyre has been touted as a great player with excellent speed and solid puck handling abilities by many scouting websites. The junior currently leads the Raiders with 30 points in 26 games, with 17 goals. Speculation has him returning to Colgate for his senior season.
- Brodeur is currently on track to make his return to the Devils for the February 26th game at The Rock against the Anaheim Ducks. While Brodeur has high hopes of returning as quickly as possible, coach Brent Sutter has no intention of rushing his rehab and even has gone as far as saying that Marty will not be playing every day like he has been used to over the past few seasons. – This is a brilliant move. The Devils should keep riding the hot hand of Scott Clemmensen while giving Marty spot starts to shake off the rust. This will allow him to be 100% in form and health wise by the time the playoffs roll around. Keep Kevin Weekes on the NHL roster but use him sparsely and as a healthy scratch.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Langenbrunner Carries Devils in 3 Straght
A few weeks ago, Jamie Langenbrunner was in the midst of a scoring slump. Then the All Star break happened.
Upon the team’s return, Langenbrunner not only took the opportunity to mock out Zach Parise for failing to score in the Elimination Shootout, but he added some goals of his own, in a huge way.
In Ottawa, Langenbrunner and the Devils maintained their hot streak by controlling the flow of play and dominating time of possession in the Senators end. Langs broke a 1-1 tie late in the 2nd period by bouncing a shot off the glove arm of rookie goaltender Brian Elliott for the eventual game winner. Just 19 seconds into the 3rd period, Langenbrunner added a 2nd and Brendan Shanahan added his second since joining the team, as the Devils won 4-2.
Then Devils then traveled to Boston to take on the 1st place Bruins. 15 minutes in, while on the penalty kill, Langenbrunner broke out with Travis Zajac, and scored on a deflected pass as it tipped off the back of goaltender Tim Thomas. Parise added his 29th in the 2nd period before the Bruins rattled off 3 third period goals. On the ropes and in danger of dropping their first game since being out west against the Ducks, the Devils battled as hard as they could to break the Bruin’s trap.
With 1:45 remaining in the 3rd period, Brian Gionta out skated a defenseman for the pukc, threw it on net where Patrick Elias deflected it with his skate and in for the game tying goal and his 22nd of the season, his highest total since 03-04 where he scored 38 goals. Langenbrunner would again step up to be the hero in overtime as the Devils won their 7th straight game as he out battled two defenders, including Zedno Chara for the winner.
His magical week was not done as he was called upon again in Friday’s contest against the Pittsburg Penguins. Down 2 in the 3rd period, Shanahan scored on the power play to pull within one. Langenbrunner found the puck on hit stick and a clean shot at the net with 31 seconds to go, thus tying the game. And in overtime, Zajac drew 2 defenders to free Langs in the slot and he rifled a one timer past Fleury to seal the 8th victory in the row for the Devils.
Thanks in large part to his recent success, Langenbrunner was named the NHL's first star of the week. Later that afternoon, he was named the NHL's first star of the month along with Buffalo's Ryan Miller, who last proved the team cannot win without him.
NOTES: Scott Clemmensen picked up his 20th victory of the season against Ottawa… Patrik Elias has more points this season at this point than he did all of last season... Elias also needs just 16 points to reach 700 for his career, and 14 goals away from 300 goals… The Devils are 26-14-2 since losing Brodeur… Brodeur has begun skating on his own, but Brent Sutter is in no rush to get him back in the lineup.
Upon the team’s return, Langenbrunner not only took the opportunity to mock out Zach Parise for failing to score in the Elimination Shootout, but he added some goals of his own, in a huge way.
In Ottawa, Langenbrunner and the Devils maintained their hot streak by controlling the flow of play and dominating time of possession in the Senators end. Langs broke a 1-1 tie late in the 2nd period by bouncing a shot off the glove arm of rookie goaltender Brian Elliott for the eventual game winner. Just 19 seconds into the 3rd period, Langenbrunner added a 2nd and Brendan Shanahan added his second since joining the team, as the Devils won 4-2.
Then Devils then traveled to Boston to take on the 1st place Bruins. 15 minutes in, while on the penalty kill, Langenbrunner broke out with Travis Zajac, and scored on a deflected pass as it tipped off the back of goaltender Tim Thomas. Parise added his 29th in the 2nd period before the Bruins rattled off 3 third period goals. On the ropes and in danger of dropping their first game since being out west against the Ducks, the Devils battled as hard as they could to break the Bruin’s trap.
With 1:45 remaining in the 3rd period, Brian Gionta out skated a defenseman for the pukc, threw it on net where Patrick Elias deflected it with his skate and in for the game tying goal and his 22nd of the season, his highest total since 03-04 where he scored 38 goals. Langenbrunner would again step up to be the hero in overtime as the Devils won their 7th straight game as he out battled two defenders, including Zedno Chara for the winner.
His magical week was not done as he was called upon again in Friday’s contest against the Pittsburg Penguins. Down 2 in the 3rd period, Shanahan scored on the power play to pull within one. Langenbrunner found the puck on hit stick and a clean shot at the net with 31 seconds to go, thus tying the game. And in overtime, Zajac drew 2 defenders to free Langs in the slot and he rifled a one timer past Fleury to seal the 8th victory in the row for the Devils.
Thanks in large part to his recent success, Langenbrunner was named the NHL's first star of the week. Later that afternoon, he was named the NHL's first star of the month along with Buffalo's Ryan Miller, who last proved the team cannot win without him.
NOTES: Scott Clemmensen picked up his 20th victory of the season against Ottawa… Patrik Elias has more points this season at this point than he did all of last season... Elias also needs just 16 points to reach 700 for his career, and 14 goals away from 300 goals… The Devils are 26-14-2 since losing Brodeur… Brodeur has begun skating on his own, but Brent Sutter is in no rush to get him back in the lineup.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Shanahan in, but who's out?
Monday night’s game against the Nashville Predators marks the debut of Brendan Shanahan. It also marks a critical point in the season where head coach Brent Sutter must decide who to push off the carousal that will become the back two lines of the line up.
There is no question, Shanahan needs to be in the line up. The Devils need the help on the second power play unit, even with Rolston and Clarkson beginning to show productivity while on this road trip. Shanahan brings experience and skill to hopefully make both units equally dangerous.
Sure questions linger with brining in Shanahan. At 40, it can be wondered how effective Shanahan will be. Health and durability at that age can always become suspect. Which is why the Devils need to hold off on making any trades until they can effectively gauge Shanahan’s contribution.
The question, when that time comes, is who to move.
Jay Pandolfo and John Madden have been the most frequent names kicked around. Brian Gionta’s name was also tossed around earlier in the season. Mike Rupp has also been suggested as being the one who should be sitting to make room for Shanahan.
Jay Pandolfo just signed a contract extension over the offseason for 3 years/$2.5 million a season. With the new contract, it was assumed Pando would be able to keep his effectiveness from last season. But his productivity, as well as role, have both diminished significantly this year. Sutter’s new offensive-based system seems to be paying off dividends in the win column but has also diminished the need for a line dedicated to shadowing the opposing teams’ top lines.
The new system has also taken a toll on Madden, who is arguably one of the best defensive forwards currently playing in the NHL. His has a high value for teams who need to secure up a defensive line but his offensive abilities have been lacking, amassing a mere 14 points in 39 games, split up due to missing time because of an ankle injury and a bout with the flu. Madden has also suffered one of the longest goal droughts in his career with a 20 game skid, his longest being 29. It is very clear at this point, being a shadow to an opposing team’s top scorer even a role on the devils anymore as they currently sit 10th overall in scoring, and 5th in goals against, entering the Nashville game.
There has been speculation in news papers in New Jersey that Mike Rupp will not only lose playing time, but also could be moved from the team. Don’t believe it. There is no reason to move Rupp, and they need a player like him on the team, someone who is not afraid to drop the gloves, or send a physical message to an opposing player. Bryce Salvador and Johnny Oduya have done their part at times, as has David Clarkson, but Rupp has been the most physical of the Devils. He is filling the role vacated when Colin White began donning a visor. Rupp will stay on the Devils, he may lose a game or two here and there to gauge who should stay out of Madden and Pandolfo, but I firmly believe he’ll be around for the season.
The wild-card who I think has the most potential to be traded is Brian Gionta. I think his trading value will skyrocket if he can keep his offensive streak going and Shanahan can be a solid offensive threat. If both of those hypothetical come to fruition, Gionta could be moved for a solid defenseman to sure up the defensive corps. Currently at 38 points, Gionta is on pace to reach his highest points total since he scored a Devils record 48 goals and racked up 89 points in 2005-2006. Shanahan has averaged nearly a point a game throughout his entire career and matching that offensive productivity could be reason enough to gamble on moving Gionta, who is in the final season of a four year, $4 million contract he signed following the 48 goal campaign.
Further changes will be coming to the Devils, the only variable at this point, is time. Shanahan’s role will be identified within the next few weeks [I say weeks only because they have a game Monday and then Wednesday vs. Montreal before reaching the all-star break] but I believe moves will come well before the trading deadline on March 4th.
There is no question, Shanahan needs to be in the line up. The Devils need the help on the second power play unit, even with Rolston and Clarkson beginning to show productivity while on this road trip. Shanahan brings experience and skill to hopefully make both units equally dangerous.
Sure questions linger with brining in Shanahan. At 40, it can be wondered how effective Shanahan will be. Health and durability at that age can always become suspect. Which is why the Devils need to hold off on making any trades until they can effectively gauge Shanahan’s contribution.
The question, when that time comes, is who to move.
Jay Pandolfo and John Madden have been the most frequent names kicked around. Brian Gionta’s name was also tossed around earlier in the season. Mike Rupp has also been suggested as being the one who should be sitting to make room for Shanahan.
Jay Pandolfo just signed a contract extension over the offseason for 3 years/$2.5 million a season. With the new contract, it was assumed Pando would be able to keep his effectiveness from last season. But his productivity, as well as role, have both diminished significantly this year. Sutter’s new offensive-based system seems to be paying off dividends in the win column but has also diminished the need for a line dedicated to shadowing the opposing teams’ top lines.
The new system has also taken a toll on Madden, who is arguably one of the best defensive forwards currently playing in the NHL. His has a high value for teams who need to secure up a defensive line but his offensive abilities have been lacking, amassing a mere 14 points in 39 games, split up due to missing time because of an ankle injury and a bout with the flu. Madden has also suffered one of the longest goal droughts in his career with a 20 game skid, his longest being 29. It is very clear at this point, being a shadow to an opposing team’s top scorer even a role on the devils anymore as they currently sit 10th overall in scoring, and 5th in goals against, entering the Nashville game.
There has been speculation in news papers in New Jersey that Mike Rupp will not only lose playing time, but also could be moved from the team. Don’t believe it. There is no reason to move Rupp, and they need a player like him on the team, someone who is not afraid to drop the gloves, or send a physical message to an opposing player. Bryce Salvador and Johnny Oduya have done their part at times, as has David Clarkson, but Rupp has been the most physical of the Devils. He is filling the role vacated when Colin White began donning a visor. Rupp will stay on the Devils, he may lose a game or two here and there to gauge who should stay out of Madden and Pandolfo, but I firmly believe he’ll be around for the season.
The wild-card who I think has the most potential to be traded is Brian Gionta. I think his trading value will skyrocket if he can keep his offensive streak going and Shanahan can be a solid offensive threat. If both of those hypothetical come to fruition, Gionta could be moved for a solid defenseman to sure up the defensive corps. Currently at 38 points, Gionta is on pace to reach his highest points total since he scored a Devils record 48 goals and racked up 89 points in 2005-2006. Shanahan has averaged nearly a point a game throughout his entire career and matching that offensive productivity could be reason enough to gamble on moving Gionta, who is in the final season of a four year, $4 million contract he signed following the 48 goal campaign.
Further changes will be coming to the Devils, the only variable at this point, is time. Shanahan’s role will be identified within the next few weeks [I say weeks only because they have a game Monday and then Wednesday vs. Montreal before reaching the all-star break] but I believe moves will come well before the trading deadline on March 4th.
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