Roster Focus - Defense

With the dismal performance of the Devils’ blue-line down the stretch and throughout their brief stay in the playoffs, it is no secret that upgrades, if not a complete overhaul, is needed on defense.

Players Under Contract:

Colin White - $3 million/2 yrs remaining – 81 GP, 2 G, 10 A, +8
The story of Colin White this season was eerily similar to that of Jekyll and Hyde. One night, he would show flashes of brilliance similar to that when he had two fully functional eyes and played his position above and beyond his current ability. Other times, however, he looked lost and was embarrassed on several occasions by opposing forwards. In White’s defense, he had little to no support from his staple partner Mike Mottau, who on most occasions rather than compensate for White’s aggressiveness, would play himself out of position, creating chances for the opposition. If the Devils will mercifully give him a new defensive partner, White could build on a good 2009-10 campaign, but that is a big if.

Bryce Salvador - $2.9 million/2 yrs remaining – 79 GP, 4 G, 10 A, +8
Salvador performed above and beyond expectations this season. When Paul Martin went down with a broken arm, Salvador stepped up his game tremendously and even contributed on the offensive side of play. His plus-8 was second on the team behind only Andy Greene and tied with Colin White. For a player who’s primarily defensive minded, this is quite an accomplishment as are his 4 goals. Salvador continues to bring to the team his physical edge and mean streak which is in desperately short supply, especially with White’s eye taking away from his willingness to drop the gloves [no slight to Colin]. The question mark will be whether the Devils re-sign frequent partner Paul Martin as he hits free agency July 1st, but the versatile Salvador showed ability to work well with whomever he was paired with.

Andy Greene - $750k/1 yr remaining – 78 GP, 6 G, 31 A, +9
Greene showed dramatic improvements in his all around game throughout the season. Taking on an everyday role helped allow Greene to showcase his offensive prowess by nearly quadrupling his point total from the previous season. Having 29 more games to play in, Greene regained the scoring touch he gave fans a glimpse of during the 2007 postseason against Tampa Bay. His awareness continues to be a valuable asset to the defensive corps and will only increase his contract value if he should hit the free agent market in 2011. One would hope the Devils make a serious pitch to retain his services beyond the end of his current deal.

Anssi Salmela - $625k/1 yr remaining – 9 GP, 1 G, 2 A, -5
His return to New Jersey as part of the Ilya Kovalchuk trade started off promising as he amassed his points in the first 5 games. However, as the team maintained its mediocre play, Salmela’s play dropped off, and he found himself a healthy scratch for most of the remainder of the season, and the entirety of the playoffs. With the retirement of Jacques Lemaire, Salmela may have a better shot to regain a playing positon but his competition will be stiff as Tyler Eckford and Matt Corrente seek to gain a spot with the big club and Mark Fraser seeks to become a regular.

Matt Corrente - $600k/ 1 yr remaining – 12 GP, 0 pts, E [2 GP, 0 pts, E in playoffs]
With the injury to Paul Martin, the Devils needed to find help for the blue-line throughout the organization. Corrente got the first shot, but the most amount of time filing in as the 6th defenseman went to Mark Fraser. Corrente played in 7 straight games before sitting. Corrente was looked upon to add some size and youth during the playoffs and he played well for as bad as the team played as a whole. Look for the 2006 1st round draft pick to be in strong competition to gain one of the 6 starting defense spots. Alexander Urbom, who almost made the team out of his first NHL training camp, could provide to be a formidable competitor.

Rob Davidson - $500k/1 yr remaining – 1 GP, 0 pts, E
Injuries were the only reason that Davidson made it to the Devils this season. It is highly unlikely that the former Sharks draft pick will be in consideration to make the team out of camp next season and will need to rely on injuries or inconsistency to allow him to crack the roster.


Restricted Free Agents

Mark Fraser – 2009-10 salary: $500k, 61 GP, 3 G, 3 A, +3
A pleasant surprise to the defensive corps with so many disappointments, Fraser logged the 5th most games by Devils’ defenseman this season. His size and aggressiveness gave the Devils an edge which they had lost when David Clarkson went down with an injury. With an increased role, and the status of Paul Martin as a Devil being uncertain, expect the Devils to at least offer Fraser a new contract this offseason. He has the talent and ability to make it in the NHL as a regular and will help the team greatly.

Tyler Eckford – 2009-10 salary: $685k, 3 GP, 0 G, 1 A, E
Eckford earned himself playing time at the NHL level in only his second season as a professional. He spent three years playing for University of Alaska-Fairbanks amassing 16 goals and 71 points, while his first season in Lowell, he tallied 2 goals and 27 points. Expect the 7th round pick to be given an offer from the Devils to remain part of the organization. While he should compete for a roster spot during camp, expect his contract to have a 2-way clause so that the soon to be 25 year old will have a chance to further hone his skills.


Unrestricted Free Agents

Paul Martin – 2009-10 salary: $4.5 million – 22 GP, 2 G, 9 A, 11 pts, +10
The decision on whether or not to retain Paul Martin will probably be the second most challenging one facing the Devils this offseason, right behind trying to keep explosive winger Ilya Kovalchuk. Martin has become one of the best American-born defensemen in the game and will probably be paid as such should he hit the free agent market. He could easily command over $5 million per season, and with how many needs the Devils need to address, retaining the 2nd round pick from 2000 could prove to be too difficult. His play since returning from injury was subpar and he never seemed to fully reach his pre-injury form. Expect the Devils to make an offer, but don’t be surprised if he tests the waters and earns a bigger paycheck from another club.

Mike Mottau – 2009-10 salary: $775k – 79 GP, 2 G, 16 A, +4
One of the biggest disappointments in the eyes of the fans, Mottau struggled to play consistent all season long and throughout the playoffs. His liability on defense and absentmindedness failed to compensate and cover his partners mistakes or aggressiveness. Failure to make reads, failure to play the body and not chase the puck around like a pee-wee player explained why he was a career minor leaguer until arriving on the Devils in 2007. How he continued to log not only top minutes, but play over 200 games during the past 3 seasons is a miracle in its own right, that or pure stupidity and lack of better options by an organization struggling to build a solid defensive core. Unfortunately, I see the Devils continuing to compound their mistake and give Mottau not only a contract, but a multi-year deal worth well above his value. I see a 3 year, $1.5 million for a massive liability, and why not throw a no trade clause to boot for this 32 year old.

Matrin Skoula – 2009-10 salary: $575k [acquired from TOR via PIT] – 19 GP, 0 G, 3 A, +7
Skoula didn’t put up jawdropping numbers, but for the first time in a few years, the Devils deadline deal for a defenseman did not leave the fans palm-slapping their faces and begging for a do-over. He sure was no Nick Havelid. Could Skoula remain a Devil? Yes it is a possibility, but look for the Devils to try and go with a younger look and for defenders who can fill a leadership role on a team dieing for some identity, backbone and heart.


Where to go from here?

The Devils could make a run at retaining Martin should they fail to sign Kovalchuk. Even with re-signing Martin, they would need to add at least one more veteran defender.

Mottau and Skoula should be allowed to walk, Mottau especially should be escorted out so that he may not plague our backline ever again.

Fraser and Eckford should be tendered offers to ensure youth is maintained.

Who’s out there that could fit?

Wishing on a shooting star:

Scott Neidermayer – 09/10 salary: $6.75 million, 80 GP, 10 G, 38 A, -9
With 48 points, Neids would have outscored almost the entire Devils roster, save from Elias, Langenbrunner, Zajac, and Parise. The bad news is he will turn 37 this summer so one has to wonder, should he not retire, how much will he have left in the tank. The really bad news is how large of a price tag he will garnish should he choose to leave Anaheim. The Devils should highly consider making him an offer if not just for his offensive prowess which the defensive unit is sorely missing, but for his leadership which the Devils are in desperately short supply. The Devils need a new leader, Neidermayer knows the system and could teach the inexperienced defense a thing or two about winning and being a team.

Who we should get:

Dan Hamhuis, NSH – 09/10 salary: $2.5 million, 78 GP, 5G, 19A, +4
At 27, Hamhuis looks to be entering his first free agency of his career. The Predators blue-liner has played in nearly every regular season game since 2003-04, missing a grand total of 9 games. He finished 3rd on the Predators defense in scoring but only registered one assist on the power play so his contributions in that category could be lacking. What he can bring to the team is an immense amount of experience from international competitions, so he knows how to adapt to various styles of playing. Hamhuis is also very disciplined when it comes to penalties, as he only amassed 49 minutes on the year, including one fighting major.


Who we probably will get:

Willie Mitchell, VAN – 09/10 salary: $3.5 million, 48 GP, 4 G, 8 A, +13
This former Devils’ season came to an abrupt halt thanks to a concussion suffered on January 16th against the Penguins. He has played in at least 60 games in every season since leaving the Devils except for the past one, and he has been a plus player his entire career except for a minus-12 in 2001-2002 while playing for Minnesota. Should Vancouver decide not to re-up their 4 year veteran, I could easily see Lou Lamoriello extending an offer to bring back Mitchell after a 9 year absence from the organization. He would bring consistency as well as leadership should the effects of his concussion not linger.