Devils See Rise In Gionta Stock

[msweet]

http://www.nypost.com/sports/devils/26435.htm

Can this guy write anything about the Devils without suggesting we trade 23 year olds?

December 4, 2002 -- Odd how things happen. There were two scouts for Atlanta, already almost out of the playoffs with upcoming unrestricteds Slava Kozlov and Shawn McEachern burning up the league and thereby burning holes in their pockets.

And there were both the Devils and Flyers - one looking for scoring, the other desperate for scoring.

Smart money says that the Thrashers soon will be ready to deal the oldsters they'll lose in July anyway.

Buffalo has been swarming around the Devils, too, and the Sabres may be looking to shed some of their high-salaried scorers, while Vaclav Varada is a trade possibility, too. Each team likely would be seeking young can't-miss players, the sort already showing they can handle the NHL, to further build the future since the present isn't very pretty.

The double-teaming scouts received an eyeful when Brian Gionta broke up a tense, scoreless deadlock with a clutch overtime goal to give the Devils a 1-0 win at Philadelphia on Monday.

Such performances raise Gionta's stock with his own team, too. He'll bring a two-game goal-scoring streak into tonight's game at the Meadowlands, where the Devils face the rampaging Canucks.

A 23-year-old with five goals in 22 games is probably more desirable to the Devils - and the Thrashers - than a 33-year-old McEachern with nine goals, or a 30-year-old Kozlov with 21 points, though both totals would lead New Jersey. Gionta might not be quite so preferable without this two-game goal streak, with three goals in 22 games.

Gionta's heroics Monday capped a road trip where the Devils went 3-0-0-1, the lone OT loss in Detroit being an item of dispute - the Devils still believing they actually won that game on John Madden's disallowed OT goal.

Still, Pat Burns would not give his millionaires a day off yesterday. Even if they didn't choose to skate an optional, they had to show up, whether for training or strategizing.

"Because [tonight] is an even better challenge. We have a hot team coming in," Burns said. "There's nothing wrong with guys skating. Some did, some didn't. You call this hard? Practice was very short.

"Hey, it's work. I'm from that school. You come in and report for work."

It's different from some previous regimes. So far, this way has worked, too.

[BFett]

Too bad Danton couldn't pry loose Kozlov or McEachern from Atlanta......

[Jimmy Leeds]

Gionta for Satan.

[msweet]

I was thinking the same thing JL.

Then I realized I was playing into (N)Єverson's BS.

[Triumph]

The Devils don't need another pedestrian 20 goal scorer like MacEachern or Kozlov, they need someone who can do more than score goals.

Vaclav Varada I've always hated and he's never been a good scorer. Danton part II.

With the lack of depth on the Thrashers, I think they might be interested in Mike Danton.. and the Devils could get someone like Hkrac Circus back.

[NJayDevil]

oh his stock his raising for a little one!

Great to see him kicking it up a notch lately.

[BFett]

The Devils don't need another pedestrian 20 goal scorer like MacEachern or Kozlov, they need someone who can do more than score goals.

So you're saying if the Devils could get McEachern or Kozlov back in a deal straight up for Danton, they shouldn't do it?

yeah teh team needs more offense but youre not going to get that back in a trade of just Danton

[Triumph]

Yes, Kyy, I am saying that.. although if they could be thrown onto the 3rd line, perhaps I'd accept it. MacEachern is a good two-way forward, but he doesn't add anything. We have speed already. We need someone who can hit.

I don't think Danton will draw that much interest.

['7']

Kozlov isn't a hitter, but he can still score 30 and hold his own defensively. I wouldn't mind having him here.

[Triumph]

Score 30? Kozlov?

You've got to be joking.

Kozlov is a tier 2 winger, by far. So is Friesen. We have enough 2nd line left wings.

['7']

well he's scored 30 twice before, 29 in 1999. Still only 30 years old. If not 30 goals, he's at least good for 60-70 points and can play on any line. Has experience playing deep into the playoffs and winning cups.

Kozlov and McEachern is the best you're going to get at the deadline this year.

[Triumph]

Wow, he scored 30 goals playing with either Fedorov, Yzerman, or Larionov. Huge achievement there.

Kozlov is not good for 65-70 points, he was good for 50 during most of the years in Detroit, and he would not be on the top two lines here, as he is not better than Elias, or Friesen, and he is not a right wing.

There will be better players available at the deadline, there always are.

If Kozlov is so good, why was he dropped for.. a 3rd round pick, I believe it was?

['7']

he asked to be traded last year, something about ice time. It was a rare thing, the guy never complained before

and there are a lot of guys who can't score 30 goals playing with Fedorov, Yzerman, and Larionov, so what's you're point? He was talented enough to play with them, and succeeded. Kozlov will put up 20-25 playing with anybody. Also put up very good numbers in the playoffs.

Kozlov can play either wing, and is just as good as Friesen.

[Triumph]

20-25 playing with anybody?

Then why didn't he put up 20-25 two years in a row in Detroit? I guess he was playing with no one?

I just enjoy messing with your biases ^7^.. Kozlov is a player who can score 30, put up 65-70 points, even though he hasn't done this in years..but Friesen is something to worry about because he scored 14 goals last year.

Kozlov was good, he no longer is. Last year's goal total projects out to 20 goals, this season projects to 20 goals, and the two years before that, he scored barely 20 goals. He's a 20 goal scorer without the Russian 5.

I don't think I'd mind him as a deadline acquisition, anything before that...

['7']

Kozlov had 18 in 72 games and 20 in 72 games, so that's in the 20-25 goal area. Yea he's not scoring as much as he should, like Friesen, but it's still more than Friesen.

his point projection this year is 75 according to ESPN. He certainly is capable of that. I wish ESPN would get rid of the projection column though.

plus his playoff stats are impressive, he's been through the wars before.

Kozlov can do a lot of things well, he's like Brylin, only better, and tougher. He'd be a good addition.

[Triumph]

Kozlov's playoff numbers are rather impressive, but one has to keep in mind who he was usually playing with.

Kozlov is tougher and better than Brylin? What hockey have you been watching? Brylin is one of the toughest players in the league, there wasn't a game that went by in 2000 where he wasn't rubbed out by an opposing defenseman. Brylin played on a knee that needed surgery for how many years?

Don't ever compare Brylin and Kozlov. Kozlov is a perennial underachiever, Brylin is an overachiever who almost lost his shot at the NHL in the late 90s, but came back. Kozlov was rumored to be traded from Detroit for years.

Kozlov is on pace for 70 points on a run and gun Atlanta team. I really could care less how many points he scores with Atlanta until that team starts winning consistently. The fact that he has 5 goals on such a team is worrying.

['7']

Kozlov is not an underachiever and was not rumored to be traded from Detroit for years, I don't know where you get this stuff but Detroit was happy with what Kozlov did for them. He was an integral part of those 2 cup teams.

Kozlov is just more skilled than Brylin, but his work ethic is just as strong.

Remember he was the one Stevens knocked unconscious in game 2 of the 95 finals, and kozlov returned to the ice

Kozlov scored with Detroit in the 90's, in the regular season and playoffs, and that team won consistently. And it wasn't all because of the great playmakers he was paired with occasionally, because he did play with Draper, Maltby, and Lapointe.

[Triumph]

Kozlov is an underachiever.

A guy goes from 30 goals in his (ostensibly) rookie year to just barely cracking 20 every year, and Detroit was happy with his performance? Chalk it up to a reduced role, chalk it up to the decline in scoring in the NHL, but many NHL experts talked as if Kozlov was going to become a 40 goal scorer in the mid to late 90s. Every year they were waiting for his breakout season. Call me crazy, but when a player scores 30 goals in two of their first three seasons, and then they barely crack 30 points 5 years later, doesn't that suggest something was wrong?

Kozlov was consistently in Bowman's doghouse from 98 on.

He is a pedestrian scorer in the Martin Rucinsky arena. The only thing that differentiates the two is Kozlov's rather remarkable playoff numbers, which belie what kind of player he could have been. I'm also willing to chalk up some of his playoff success to Fedorov, who was dominant in both the Cup years.

[Derek21]

Kozlov is a headcase. I don't know what all the fuss is over.

But one thing Tri is wrong on is Kozlov's playoff success. This guy was always a very good scorer in the postseason for Detroit.

That being said, he's gotten lost in the shuffle the last year and a half.

['7']

So Kozlov never made it to 40 goals like some expert from Manitoba predicted in 94, so what. The guy has still had a good career and has been very dependable in the playoffs.

he's only 30 years old, I see no reason why he can't have another 30 goal season and be a major part of some stanley cup winner.

he can play on any line, play the pp, kill penalties and is a hard working forward like brylin.

[Triumph]

You're still comparing Brylin and Kozlov. There is no comparison. Kozlov is not a hard working player, he's actually rather lazy. He does have very good playoff numbers, though. There is no similarity between the two players at all except that they are Russian.

No expert from Manitoba predicted it, everyone around the league said it and thought it. You're telling me when someone comes in and scores 30 goals at 23 that that's all people think they're capable of? They've hit their NHL prime? Kozlov was supposed to be an elite scorer and he never made it there.

He's 30 years old with 9 years of NHL experience. A lost cause. He wouldn't unseat any of the Devils and he hasn't come close to 30 goals in years. He can play on any line, but he shouldn't, because his salary and talent are too high for him to be doing that. Only a team like the Red Wings could afford to have such a good player as Kozlov on their bottom 2 lines.

If the Devils had a big scoring winger, I'd be all for adding Kozlov, but he's not a very good player right now. And he certainly hasn't had a good career.

['7']

It has more to do with the league wide drop in scoring, as soon as it really hit in about 96, kozlov's numbers were affected, as were everybody else. Nobody has ever though of him as a bust.

back in 94, just scoring 30 on a run & gun team in your rookie year does not cause shockwaves throughout the NHL, especially when you have Selanne scoring 76 the year before.

he settled into a 25 goal scorer who can, and will score 30 goals again. He had 29 in 79 games back in 99.

being able to play on any line shows that he's versatile, so what's wrong with that? He can easily take Friesens place and Jeff could move down to the 3rd line.

[Triumph]

I still don't understand how Kozlov is a 25 goal scorer. He hasn't scored 25 goals in 4 years. He's not on pace to do it this year.

I guess for every Selanne there's a Joey Juneau. Kozlov just turned out to be Joey Juneau.. peaked early, then when the NHL tighetened down on B scorers like him, he stopped scoring.

Being able to play on any line shows that he's not talented enough or didn't put enough effort into staying on the top two lines in Detroit. His squabbles with Bowman are well documented. Players who score 30 goals in their first few seasons shouldn't ever be back on a third line unless there is a talent problem or an effort problem.

When Kozlov starts being traded for more than 3rd round picks to last place teams, maybe I'll believe that he's as solid as you say.

['7']

Kozlov was in the Hasek deal, so the guy does have some value around the league.

the NHL tightens down even more in the playoffs, yet Kozlov is still able to score. Under Bowman and with the NHL going to a more defensive league, Fedorov, Yzerman, and Shanahan also saw there numbers fall, Kozlovs fell too but he became a better 2 way player.

Fedorov scored 30 his first couple of seasons, and he's played on the 3rd line.

[Triumph]

The Hasek deal can't be evaluated like that. Hasek demanded to be dealt in 48 hours, I believe. There was little market for him other than Detroit (St. Louis was considered the only other suitor).

But on draft day, when any team could have picked up such a "versitale" asset as Slava Kozlov, Atlanta volunteered a 3rd round pick for him, and that was evidently the highest offer. Blame it on Buffalo's financial woes if you like, the fact is that Buffalo still could have used a prospect instead of a pick back.

Fedorov has played on the third line. What's your point? Fact is, Fedorov still put up a point a game or thereabouts on the "third line", whereas Kozlov's numbers dipped sharply.