Lou’s Last Stand or Just Another Rebirth?

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Unrestricted free agency is an inevitable aspect of hockey.

While the age and terms required to reach that point in a player’s career may change, it is still as certain as death and taxes. General Managers are then labored with the duty to evaluate and negotiate new deals for their teams, which without having psychic abilities or infallible predictability, is one undoubtedly one of the most challenging aspects of their jobs.

New Jersey Devils’ GM Lou Lamoriello is no stranger to the UFA game. Being the GM of the Devils also brings with it the media circus that immediately pin any player who has one year left on their deal going anywhere but New Jersey. Recently, it has been a string of bad luck which has haunted Lamoriello in the offseason, but could that trend be ending this year?

Three years ago, Lamoriello traded for Ilya Kovalchuk a week before the trading deadline. This was extremely out of character for the now 70 year-old former Athletic Director of Providence University,  because he rarely traded for a superstar of Kovalchuk’s ability. Add to it the fact Kovalchuk was a UFA and you could clearly tell there were ulterior motives/ers behind the move.

That summer, the circus of signing Kovalchuk to a new contract was one of the largest blemishes on Lamoriello’s otherwise stellar career. The only other gaffe that could come as close to tarnishing his reputation was the summer coming out of the 04-05 lockout in which the Devils saw future Hall of Fame defender Scott Neidermayer change allegiances to the Anehiem Ducks and he was replaced with Dan McGillis and Vladimir Malakahov. Malakahov was later traded to make cap space thanks in large part to his oversized contract and the Devils lost a first round draft pick in order for the Sharks to take the player.

The Kovalchuk disaster also cost the Devils a first round pick, to be surrendered at next June’s draft. The Devils were fined $3 million on top of being humiliated by the selective enforcement of the NHL higher ups regarding their alleged salary cap circumvention which had been done by a handful of other teams as recently as the pervious summer.

During the very next summer, the Devils were again faced with a massive free agency dilemma: Zach Parise.

Sticking to his past practices and own principles, Lamoriello did not negotiate with Parise on a new deal during the season. The winger was coming off major knee surgery which kept him out nearly the entire 2010-2011 campaign so it is understandable why Lamoriello had some reservations about how large of a deal he wanted to offer the Minnesota native.

Feeding the New Jersey fans and media false hope of “I love it in here” and “I want to be here,” Parise dragged his charade out until July 4th where it came to light he not only had an never-before-heard close friendship with former Nashville Predator Ryan Suter, but was having conversations with him regarding free agency during the season and playoffs. The same playoffs where Parise was supposed to be captaining his team to the Stanley Cup Finals, not vanishing midway during the Eastern Conference Finals and barely showing up during the Finals.

With Parise gone, the Devils struggled to fill his void in an already meager free agency pool. While they found a keeper in Andrei Loktionov, acquiring Bobby Butler and Steve Sullivan while re-acquiring Alexi Ponikarovsky did not pan out as well as they had hoped. In the end of yet another strike shortened season, the Devils missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.

This summer was going to be different: Same core returning with only a few question marks hovering over a few players’ heads contracts wise, but the Devils were in prime position to exploit the free agent pool.

At the NHL Entry Draft, Lamoriello even traded away his coveted 9^th overall first round draft pick in order to acquire a reliable goaltender who, if re-signed following 2014-15, is the heir to the Brodeur throne. Tall order, yes, but Schneider has proven in Vancouver he is more than capable of handling not only the full-time goaltending duties, but stealing games here and there for his team.

On July 5^th, they landed their first two prizes: Ryan Clowe and Michael Ryder. Clowe gives the Devils what they lost in David Clarkson: grit, toughness and an ability to contribute offensively. Sure, Clowe hasn’t amassed the goals which Clarkson has over the past two years, and his performance in New York this past post-deadline was abysmal at best, but he’s on a less-media frenzied team and will have a handful more opportunities to contribute. Ryder, meanwhile, brings the Devils another power play specialist. At the time it was believed he could alleviate some of the focus off of Kovalchuk and thus create more success. Key phrase: at the time.

Just over a week after Lamoriello made his free agent frenzy moves, the hockey world was hammered with a shocking announcement: Ilya Kovalchuk was walking away form his $100 million dollar contract, “hanging up his skates” and returning to Russia.

Lamoriello was his typical diplomatic self when handling the post-retirement conferences. Choosing his words extremely carefully, you could hardly tell Lamoriello was disappointed in the decision but you knew it. The player he had worked so hard to appease the higher-ups in not only acquiring but retaining, had just up and abandoned his team.

The move stung worse than the Parise decision, where he at least left to stay in the NHL for larger dollar signs. Kovalchuk generated a massive crater in the Devils’ already problematic offense.

In traditional Lamoriello fashion, however, he began to scour the market for low-budget but high potential players.

Immediately, the Devils were linked to first year player but UFA because of his age Damien Brunner, formerly of the Red Wings. While the news and public conversation between the two sides were few and far between, it made the rumors more and more believable due to Lamoriello’s strict no public negotiations policy. The Brunner situation stalled publicly, Lou was quietly securing another asset.

Ever since he hit his free agency following his tenure with the Penguins, every Devils’ fan had dreamt of the prospect of Jaromir Jagr coming to New Jersey to play alongside his friend and countryman Patrik Elias. While time and age have cooled those emotions, it was hard not to crack a smile when Lamoriello landed the Czech winger.

While Jagr’s post season in Boston left much to be desired, the future Hall of Famer still has plenty to offer a team who was just slapped in the face by Kovalchuk.

Entering camp, the Devils finally went public by extending their formal invitation to Brunner two games into the preseason. He made an immediate impact on the team, gelling well with anyone he was on a line with. Before the team’s final game against the Flyers, the two sides reached a 2-year, $5 million contract.

Entering the team’s opening night contest against the Penguins, the Devils will have at least 4 new forwards in the lineup [Brunner, Clowe, Jagr and Ryder], and potentially a 5th in Ratislav Olez.

Not bad potential for a team who is projected to finish towards, if not at, the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Could this season potentially be the last one for Lou Lamoriello as it potentially is for his career defining find in Martin Brodeur? Only time will tell.

If it is, however, the moves made this offseason have assembled a strong team which will surprise many across the hockey community. While there are no guarantees in professional sports, there are also no written laws which state teams must play down to the level which they are predicted to by so-called experts.

Lamoriello has built a team to win-now and while offensive prospects have not panned out as well as they had in the past, the Devils are also in a position organizationally to have a steady diet of defenders reach the NHL over the next few years as well as having solid goaltending security for the foreseeable future.

Season Recap - The Year of "Really?"

Four days later, the loss still stings.

Not because it was against Philadelphia, and the fact their fan base is having a field day poking fun at the absolutely abysmal performance that their opponents put forth, but because there was so much more potential in this team that was never realized.

Off to an incredible start, the Devils looked primed to make a solid run at the Stanley Cup, something which had eluded them since 2003.

However, when the calendar turned from 2009 to 2010, the edge was gone.

Crisp passing, accurate shooting, and the hop in their step seemed to vanish and gave way to mediocre performances.

Then in February, the Devils made a very un-Devils-like move by trading for winger Ilya Kovalchuk. Giving up a top 2 defenseman in Johnny Oduya, third line winger Niclas Bergfors, prospect Patrice Cormier and a first round pick, the Devils seemed to send their fans, as well as the rest of the league, that they were ready to make a serious run at Lord Stanley.

While he managed to average a point per game with his new squad, the team as a whole still struggled to come close to their level of success during the first half of the season, as their record from the February 4th trade until the end of the regular season was a disappointing 12-9-5.

It seemed as though the Devils were content with simply playing to the level of their competition rather than creating their own identity of taking over games, especially against teams not in contention for the playoffs.

This created an air of doubt in many fans heads as the playoff picture began to unfold, especially when it became clear that the Flyers would be a potential first round matchup if a perfect storm of scenarios played out.

Going into the final day, the bottom 2 playoff spots were still up for grabs between 3 teams, as were the seeding for second and third in the conference.

The Flyers, Rangers and Canadiens all vied for the final spots, with the Habs having only positioning to worry about, the Rangers and Flyers would square off in the deciding game. It was simple for both teams, win and you’re in while the loser is left to wonder.

The Devils and the Buffalo Sabres both had a stake in interest for this game as well, since the loser would play the 6th seeded Bruins while the winner could face the Flyers or Canadiens.

While sitting in a bar in Buffalo with three Sabres fans and one fellow Swamp Rat, the topic of who would you rather face was a frequent topic of conversation. Then different scenarios began to play out.

“Well if the Flyers win, I hope the Sabres win so that they get Philly and we get Boston. But if the Rangers win, I hope we win so we can get the Canadiens.” Was just one of the many comments made through the duration of the contest.

As soon as Olli Jokinen’s shootout attempt was turned aside by Brian Boucher, the reality had begun to set in, it was almost fate sealing the kiss of death with Travis Zajac’s 25th goal of the season to tie the score in the 2nd period.

Buffalo would need to net another goal behind goaltender Martin Brodeur during the 3rd period for the Devils to avoid a team which they had gone 1-4-1 against during the regular season.

The Sabres would try to pull out all the stops to clinch the 2nd spot in the east, but with under 2 minutes to go, fate reared its ugly head again as the Sabres took 2 penalties in succession leaving them two men down. Coach Lindy Ruff in a last ditch effort to steal a win, pulled his goaltender Patrick Lalieme following the Mike Grier which I know I wished the Devils could have declined.

When Jamie Langenbrunner had his open look from the offensive blue line, he ripped a shot to prevent an unnecessary overtime, but put a seed of dread into the pit of my stomach.

Two weeks later, the seeds of dread had sprouted and become full flowers of disappointment.

After a hard fought loss in game one, and a very spirited victory in game 2, the Devils had seemed to find themselves.

The motivation and high of exuberation lasted until the overtime of game 3 when “noted sniper” Dan Carcillo took a nifty pass across the crease from Mike Richards and deposited it into the gaping 4x6 behind Brodeur who was protecting the post against a wraparound.

While not a soul stepped up in this game other than Brian Rolston and Martin Brodeur, Mike Mottau forgetting to pass off his man, Travis Zajac forgetting that Mottau tried hard all series to do everything he could to kill the Devils chances, and Colin White not being able do a simple chip over Richards’ stick all contributed to the horrendous goal.

Game 4 started off promising as Kovalchuk would net his first goal of the postseason when a goaltender was in his crease. However, the 2nd period proved to be an almost Twilight Zone as the Devils would not only surrender the lead but fall behind.

20 minutes away from having to perform a miraculous comeback in the exact same fashion as they had done ten years previous, one would have thought that the Devils would come out flying [no pun intended] in the 3rd period.

What happened next, I believe, was the personification of the past 3 months, the Devils did not show up. Coming out flatter than road kill on the Jersey Turnpike, the Flyers sniper Dan Carcillo struck again just 4 minutes and 10 seconds into the period.

The Devils were dead to rights, and when Jeff Carter scored on a power play just over 5 minutes later, the heart left the team as well.

There was no fire in the team, no desire to comeback and give the fans who were planning to support them in Game 5 at the Prudential Center a glimmer of home.

Even with a sellout crowd trying desperately to will them on, the Devils game out in game 5 just as sloppy as they had left game 4. The Flyers capitalized on their early powerplay opportunity, something the Devils failed to do consistently throughout the series, with a Daniel Briere goal just 3:16 into the competition.

It came as no surprise that the Devils would again have a horrific second period, and in a game they needed to have, they would not be able to muster a single goal past a goaltender whose last playoff experience game five years prior in mop up duty for the San Jose Sharks.

What followed in the next day and a half was almost more horrific than the embarrassing performance put on by the team during the series. There was almost no one holding themselves accountable for the losses.

Constant quotes of “we didn’t execute, we tried, we just didn’t have it” became staples from the players all the way to their General Manager. Even the head coach did not address the team following the game 5 loss.

The only real fire game following game 4 when General Manager Lou Lamoriello allegedly threw a jar of jelly across the locker room in a tirade.

Sure, many said they were disappointed, but with this being the third straight year they have not only were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, but losing on home ice, no player truly seemed upset over having to trade their hockey equipment in for golf clubs.

As fans, we seem to hold our team to a higher standard than they are being held to by the front office, Owner Jeff Vanderbeek aside. The air of content with winning the Atlantic Division and being KO-ed by the 7th seed is not only nauseating but beyond frustrating.

Having given up a significant amount of talent for 30 games from Ilya Kovalchuk and not getting out of the first round is embarrassing.

There’s no guarantees he will even consider an offer from the Devils before July 1st, and going off past history of hard-nosed negotiating tactics, an offer from this organization might not even be in his ballpark, leaving many to feel at this point the deal may have been a waste by not coming home with our 4th Cup in 15 years.

Knowing that Jacques Lemaire will be returning as head coach signals another season of constant line juggling and a more defensive slant than offensive.

Watching the playoffs outside of the NJ-PHI series, one thing that was constant is the lines remaining the same. At no point do you hear commentators saying “here are the lines, but as we know it can and more than likely will change.”

Players cannot be treated as interchangeable parts, it is not the industrial revolution out there, there needs to be chemistry. Players need to be able to anticipate what their line mates will do in a given situation and without that, there will be an uphill battle to find success.

The Devils have a laundry list of needs to address this offseason, starting with the critical need for NHL level talent on the blueline.

Over the next few weeks, I will be brining to you, the reader, my offseason analysis, where I feel the Devils need to improve, what they can do, what I wish they will do, what is realistic that they will do and the deals which will probably be done because of past history which most likely leave many scratching their heads, if not palm slapping themselves in the face, as the organization makes the same mistakes they have been since the lockout, refusing to adapt to the new NHL.

Do not get me wrong, I love this team, but when an organization seems so set on recreating their success from the 90s when it is clearly a different game, I cannot help but be pessimistic that we will suddenly learn from previous mistakes.

When the GM blows up at the coaches during a series, but then says all of their jobs are safe, that is not a good sign, especially going from absolute disappointment to feeling content. The almost robotic and automated responses in his press conference also do not paint an optimistic picture for the fan base.

When it is no secret that there was open tension between the captain and the head coach, and a temper tantrum playing out through reporters by said captain, and yet there is a feeling of no need for a change anywhere in leadership, there is something critically wrong with your organization. Allowing insubordination, especially from someone in as high of a leadership position as Captain, proves there is no accountability for other players in the team, thus allowing for room to slack off and for heartless performances.

Free Agency opens July 1st, but the Devils could start to retain players now, especially certain ones whose contracts expire a year from now (I’m looking directly at the guy wearing number 9).

For now, we’re left hoping maybe a lightning bolt of New NHL Knowledge will fall from the heavens and strike at least two people in our organization right in the melon.

Enjoy the remainder of the playoffs, since any series out there will be better than ours was.

Whoa Johnny O!!!

All signs, including a rather optimistic quote from the man you'd never expect, point to Johnny Oduya remaining with New Jersey Devils.

A report on NJ.com from the Newark Star Ledger quotes the enigmatic Lou Lamoriello all but guaranteeing Oduya will be wearing the Red, Black and White next season.

Originally, this story broke from a website, in Oduya’s native Sweden, that when run through a Google translator, stated Oduya was signing for roughly $3.2 million a season. A New Jersey reporter approached Lamoriello late Sunday about the story, to which he received a stern “nothing is finalized yet.”

I know that when I read the GM’s denial of the deal, I was worried, and I’m almost positive that I was not alone.

But now hearing straight from the source, being as it is usally a silent one in terms of speculation, I’m very, VERY satisfied.

If the cap hit is correct at $3.2 million, Lamoriello has done it again, convincing a player to stay in New Jersey close to, if not significantly lower than market value. Oduya came out and stated he wanted $4 million right after the season had ended. Many felt he was over pricing himself right out of town, and some even stated, “is he on crack?”

I put a value of $3.5 million on the speedy defender, and was hoping the Devils would not exceed that. And they did not disappoint.

Lamoriello also went on in the article to state that he hopes not one, but two moves could be completed by the end of tomorrow.

This allows for rampant speculation by fans, but assuming that Oduya is one of the deals, the possibilities are seemingly endless for the 2nd.

Could it be a new head coach, which many people would be announced by the end of today [Monday]? Could it be the re-signing of Brian Gionta, or maybe restricted free agent Travis Zajac?

I, for one, am hoping that its either Zajac or Gionta.

I’d love for it to be Zajac because that means we set the bar for him, and got him at our price, without having to worry about other team’s convincing him to sign their insane offer sheets (yes, Kevin Lowe, this is directed to you).

With Gionta, I’d love for the team to keep him cause he’s a great person [I’ve met him and it wasn’t outside of a hockey rink, either], and he has potential to be a solid scorer, but we cannot afford the $4 million of his last contract and $3 million he should command from another franchise, could handcuff the Devils next season if, and more than likely when, the salary cap takes a nose dive.

If we could keep both, that’d be great, but we definitely have to keep the cap in mind.

Either way, Lou has already started this offseason on the right foot. I’ll give him a +2 on the score sheet, one for keeping Oduya and a big bonus point presuming the cap hit is under $3.5 million.

p.s. – please, for the love of god and the sake of our franchise in the near future, do not bring Lemaire back. We have enough trouble drawing crowds, who wants to come and watch defensive hockey after we’ve seen some semblance of offense the past 2 seasons under Benedict Arnold… I mean Sutter.

"You're Officially on Notice"

That simple phrase should be in the opening paragraph from New Jersey Devils owner James Vanderbeek in a letter to General Manager Lou Lamoriello. It’s put plain and simple, giving him fair warning that he’s on the hot seat.

I, for one, would have absolutely zero qualms with knowing that going into this season, our GM had to either produce a winner or be sent packing.

Some may consider this statement sacrilegious, others would think its about time, and a select few would have no comment at all.

Yes, it does sound a bit drastic to be calling for the job of the only General Manager to bring three Stanley Cups, let alone one, to the franchise and the Garden State. And yes, he did turn a franchise which was once insulted by the Great One, into a perennial contender, but as of late, can they still hold the same title.

Sure, the Devils find ways to get the job done during the regular season, even when mountains upon mountains of adversity are thrown in their path, such as this past season playing with 3rd string Scott Clemmensen for over two-thirds of the regular season while seemingly invincible Martin Brodeur recovered from a biceps tear. The Devils still persevered and managed to not only excel, but make a serious run at the President’s Trophy until late in the year, ironically, when Brodeur returned and the team seemed to sputter.

Many Lou supporters want to turn to the coaches as the blame. Well, I argue, it is rather difficult for a coach to establish a system in a team when they have a shelf-life that’s shorter than milk in the New York City sunlight in August. The Devils have gone through four different coaches in the past 5 years, and thanks to Brent “Benedict Arnold” Sutter’s actions of the past few weeks, we’re in line for a fifth coach in six years. It almost feels as if the only man right for the job, in Lou’s eyes, is himself. And when he has had that opportunity, on two occasions, he has also failed.

Supporters also want to turn on the players, and shoulder them with the blame. I would even be willing to agree that the team quit on themselves and forgot the offensive game plan once Brodeur returned. I personally, however, blame the coach in this instance for a complete and utter lack of discipline and ability to motivate the team. This is also part of the reason I have absolutely no problem with Sutter taking his Mr. Bean personality and shipping up to ride the coattails of older brother Darryl in Calgary.

Others cite a lack of leadership in the locker room. Alright, now for my counterpoint, if you want a leader in the locker-room, who should you turn to? Who is the man in charge of analyzing talent, finding the role players and creating a winner? Oh, of course, why, that’d be the definition of a General Manager’s role in a hockey organization.

Sure, Lou has made some absolutely remarkable deals in the past, including as recent as acquiring Bryce Salvador from the Blues for the human equivalent of a punching bag. But to find another deal which made big impacts, we’d have to go back to 2003 when then-locker room cancer Petr Sykora was the key figure in a deal with the then-Mighty Ducks for Jeff Freisen and Oleg Teverdovsky. That move, paired with the McKay/Arnott for Langenbrunner/Neiuwendyk deal the previous season helped put all of the gears in place for the run to the franchise’s third cup.

But many are quick to forgive all of Lou’s post-lockout blunders by sweeping them under the carpet of 3 Cups. They overlook the Dan Mcgillis, Vladimir Malakhov, Sean Brown and Alexander Mogliny deals by saying “well he still won us 3 cups and we continue to make the playoffs.” They then forget that to get rid of the severely overpaid and completely useless Malakhov, we had to ship him AND a first round draft pick to San Jose so they would eat the cap space and let him rot away.

Oh, and just some further food for thought, when the USA hockey team made its embarrassing appearance in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano where they not only disgraced the nation on the ice by playing horrendously, but also off the ice where some of the players, who played shamefully, suddenly found their aggression and fire in their hotel rooms and proceeded to destroy them accordingly, who was the mastermind behind that team? You got it, Lou Lamoriello. And is it any wonder why they haven’t even invited him back for an interview, yet alone the position?

Well Lou, the draft starts Friday, free agency opens in a week, and you’re all out of lifelines, time to put up, or shut up.

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.