The Official Trade Brian Gionta thread

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

I thought he should have been traded last year, he really has no passing and he just doesn't have a great shot. A garbage goal player who got to play with Elias and Gomez, Rafalski on the point on the PP helped too. I will probably get squashed for this and I don't know if Blues would jump but..

To New Jersey - Eric Brewer, Jay Mcclement

To St Louis - Brian Gionta, Cam Janssen

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

Man of man I will really et ripped up for this one but I am a huge fan and I know Sutter would love him. Darcy Tucker in NJ lol

[Devil Fan]

Point-wise, Gionta looks equal to Elias, but the way Gionta plays is a huge question mark. Like most of the people here say, he rarely passes the puck and he rarely creates a scoring chance. With skilled linemates Elias and Parise on his side, the only thing he needs to do is to stand in front of the net to create havoc to the goalies, which Bertuzzi DID when he played with Naslund and Morrison. Unfortunately, gionta fails to accomplish that and if his 4M cap hit can be freed up, please do so.

[devlman]

I agree. He has been dismal this season and I would trade him while you can still get something good back in return.

[Triumph]

Man of man I will really et ripped up for this one but I am a huge fan and I know Sutter would love him. Darcy Tucker in NJ lol

Tucker is the same thing as Gionta and we already have Clarkson and to a lesser extent Asham, plus Tucker's contract is terrible.

No no no no. You love too much, Jason.

[halfsharkalligatorhalfman]

Dov Grumet-Morris will never trade Brian Gionta, The Rochester Rocket

[HellOnICE]

I wouldn't mind Darcy the guy, just his contract.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

Tucker is the same thing as Gionta and we already have Clarkson and to a lesser extent Asham, plus Tucker's contract is terrible.

No no no no. You love too much, Jason.

Tucker is better then Clarkson, he has a better scoring touch and he will give 120%, something Asham will not. The guy is the type of player who will score a big goal at the right moment. Move Gionta for a defensmen and get Tucker for cheap. He is also a great skater. Do we have any big salary we can send back with him? Maybe Vishnevski?

Edited February 5, 2008 by Jas0nMacIsaac

[Triumph]

Am I the only one scratching my head on this one? Since when has Gio been dragging us down? Maybe he's not up to the level he once was, but does that mean we immediately dump him? Hell, I can think of at least a half dozen other guys I'd rather see leave before I let Gio go!

I mean, if we look at his stats, he has the same amount of points and Patrik Elias in a much smaller package. So he's not racking up the deflections he once did at the front of the net - ever think that maybe Gomez had a hand in that department?

Does it mean that since Gomez is gone, Gio is obsolete?

Elias got moved from left wing to center, and is traditionally a second half player. Elias was tied for leading scorer in January, and the way February's going, he'll probably be the leading scorer there too. He's been New Jersey's best player for more than a month - by the end of the season he will have 10 more points than Gionta, and half of Gionta's goals are setups that anyone else can get.

Gionta's gone from disappointing to just plain invisible. Gomez DID have a hand in that - but now that Gomez is gone, Gionta doesn't get all the plum setups. With our lack of transition, Gionta doesn't get any breakaways either, and Gionta has never been a very strong 1 on 1 player - his default is always to shoot rather than deke. The team needs a guy who can make his own breaks (i.e. Havlat), or another guy who can plug in the corners (i.e. Cheechoo) who carries the same skill set as Gionta.

[Sickman]

Am I the only one scratching my head on this one? Since when has Gio been dragging us down? Maybe he's not up to the level he once was, but does that mean we immediately dump him? Hell, I can think of at least a half dozen other guys I'd rather see leave before I let Gio go!

I mean, if we look at his stats, he has the same amount of points and Patrik Elias in a much smaller package. So he's not racking up the deflections he once did at the front of the net - ever think that maybe Gomez had a hand in that department?

Does it mean that since Gomez is gone, Gio is obsolete?

[u]P	#	Name		Height	GP	G	A	Pts	Shifts	Shots[/u]
C	26	Elias, Patrik	6' 1"	49	15	19	34	1175	174
RW	14	Gionta, Brian	5' 7"	53	13	21	34	1218	168

I'm with you on this one. I think the problem is that he is making pretty good coin and at this point he probably should have more production on the board then he actually has. He has looked lost out there recently but he isn't the only guilty party. Goals are at a premium and it's easy to get frustrated with him at a time like this. Confidence is a big part of this game and it's clear that he is lacking it right now.

I personally like the guy. I think he is a character player and he wants to be a Devil. Typical Lou guy. This is important. His production isn't there but neither is the "team" yet. They are a work in progress. He probably is missing Gomez but I'd like to see the Devils bring in somebody that may also give Gionta a second wind. I'm not expecting 48 goals again but he is still a capable player. I wouldn't give up on him just yet.

[Devil Fan]

Tucker is better then Clarkson, he has a better scoring touch and he will give 120%, something Asham will not. The guy is the type of player who will score a big goal at the right moment. Move Gionta for a defensmen and get Tucker for cheap. He is also a great skater.

Tucker has flaws too man. I agree he is gritty and has a scoring touch, but he is getting old and injuries have dogged him in the last couple years. His contract is way too long and too rich as well given his current performance.

[Triumph]

Tucker is better then Clarkson, he has a better scoring touch and he will give 120%, something Asham will not. The guy is the type of player who will score a big goal at the right moment. Move Gionta for a defensmen and get Tucker for cheap. He is also a great skater.

Oh please. Score a big goal at the right moment is code for you love him and would have his children. He's not a great skater, merely a good one, and he takes silly penalties. Not what New Jersey needs, plus they love him in Toronto and wouldn't auction him off, and New Jersey doesn't need another long-term contract on a player who is already declining. Darcy Tucker's decline won't be pretty either - he has a lot of NHL mileage on him, he's not very big, and he's taken a pounding for years.

Edited February 5, 2008 by Triumph

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

Oh please. Score a big goal at the right moment is code for you love him and would have his children. He's not a great skater, merely a good one, and he takes silly penalties. Not what New Jersey needs, plus they love him in Toronto and wouldn't auction him off, and New Jersey doesn't need another long-term contract on a player who is already declining. Darcy Tucker's decline won't be pretty either - he has a lot of NHL mileage on him, he's not very big, and he's taken a pounding for years.

Maybe he is on the decline but he won't hurt you for the playoffs. Just waive him after the seasons end, it probably wouldn't cost much.

[Beetlebum]

comparing gionta to elias is just silly here is why

elias gwg 7

gionta gwg 2

[NJDevs4978]

Funny how last year Gomez was dragging the offense down and now Gionta misses him

I'd rather try to get some more offensive talent around Gionta before dumping him. It's not as if he's not trying, he's pressing. The opposite of Elias when he gets in a slump, Elias never shoots when he loses it, Gionta shoots from all over the place.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

How much would LA like for someone like Lubomir Visnovsky. The guy is a beast in the new NHL. I think he is a UFA at the end of the season so worth a shot.

lol- He was signed long term

Edited February 5, 2008 by Jas0nMacIsaac

[Devil Fan]

Maybe he is on the decline but he won't hurt you for the playoffs. Just waive him after the seasons end, it probably wouldn't cost much.

Gionta makes 4M next season and then we can let him go, but Tucker makes another 9M for the next 3 seasons. Basically, we just pay a guy for 3M playing zero games??? If so, I would rather see Gionta for Tanguay.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

Gionta makes 4M next season and then we can let him go, but Tucker makes another 9M for the next 3 seasons. Basically, we just pay a guy for 3M playing zero games??? If so, I would rather see Gionta for Tanguay.

Didn't realize he was signed for another 3 years. The leafs are morons for given a player who is always playing through injury that long of a contract.

[Triumph]

Didn't realize he was signed for another 3 years. The leafs are morons for given a player who is always playing through injury that long of a contract.

Agreed, but it was that, or pay him 4 M for 3 years. He was coming off a season where he was on pace to score almost 40 goals. Someone was going to reward him foolishly.

I think Darcy actually gave them a big discount and it's still going to be a bad contract.

[Devil Fan]

How much would LA like for someone like Lubomir Visnovsky. The guy is a beast in the new NHL. I think he is a UFA at the end of the season so worth a shot.

lol- He was signed long term

LVisnovski signed an extension that pays him 5.65M for the next "FIVE" years. He is 30 right now and he is a good PP guy, but he is a very risky player though. Plus, he is only 5-10 and has trouble handling big forwards, so if he is not producing offensively, he'll become the next useless, overpaid whipping boy.

[CaptainLangs]

Havlat would be NASTY on a line with Patty, too bad he can't stay healthy to save his life. However, it could turn out to be a HUGE investment for this team if he manages to stay healthy.

And yes, with Patty at center and Zubrus at....where ever, the Devs could use an effective left winger. Calgary is desperate to get some cap room...Tanguay will be the first player to go if they even want to think about resigning Phaneuf along with Iggy's linemates Huselius and Langkow.

I would like to have Phaneuf above all else, though.

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

I really wish we could get an offensive defesemen on the backend. Dan Boyle or LM Liles. I'd love to see a forward pick up the defensmen on the rush for a goal.

I can't believe I am saying this but I think we should actually sign Tyler Eckford and give him a look at pro hockey. Before I always thought defensmen who are average to poor in their own end are useless but in todays NHL you need someone who can jump into the rush and Eckford is like a 4th forward on the ice. This guy is an offensive machine out there and apparently is getting better defensivly. Still way overweight.

[njdevils_info]

Oh please. Score a big goal at the right moment is code for you love him and would have his children. He's not a great skater, merely a good one, and he takes silly penalties. Not what New Jersey needs, plus they love him in Toronto and wouldn't auction him off, and New Jersey doesn't need another long-term contract on a player who is already declining. Darcy Tucker's decline won't be pretty either - he has a lot of NHL mileage on him, he's not very big, and he's taken a pounding for years.

Silly penalties?? He has less than 1.7 penalty minutes per game. Not great but give the kid some slack - its not like he was the cause of the Penguin's PP goals tonight - Elias and Brodeur were!

Funny how last year Gomez was dragging the offense down and now Gionta misses him

I'd rather try to get some more offensive talent around Gionta before dumping him. It's not as if he's not trying, he's pressing. The opposite of Elias when he gets in a slump, Elias never shoots when he loses it, Gionta shoots from all over the place.

Agreed! He still has some value left in him. Obviously someone at the Devils thinks so or else he wouldn't be playing on the top line.

And sorry, but GWG never meant much to me. G is what is important, because it includes the tiebreaking goal, the insurance goal, the goal that changes the momentum of the game, etc.

[maxpower]

Havlat would be NASTY on a line with Patty, too bad he can't stay healthy to save his life. However, it could turn out to be a HUGE investment for this team if he manages to stay healthy.

And yes, with Patty at center and Zubrus at....where ever, the Devs could use an effective left winger. Calgary is desperate to get some cap room...Tanguay will be the first player to go if they even want to think about resigning Phaneuf along with Iggy's linemates Huselius and Langkow.

I would like to have Phaneuf above all else, though.

If they change the CBA rules to allow parts of salary to be picked up by the original team, I'd be willing to take a flyer on Havlat. At a Jagr "half-price" deal, he could be a steal, if not, hey, it's not like Zubrus is doing much more.

[Triumph]

Getting this thread back on track - I'm looking at similar players who've got contracts expiring in 08-09.

Glen Murray (RW) - eh, Glen has 330 career goals (yes, really), but he's a power forward type nearing the end. If somehow Bruins management suffered a stroke and wanted to trade us Milan Lucic and Murray for Gionta..

Erik Cole (RW) - 11 goals so far this year. Carolina's stupid but they are not this stupid. Too bad.

Alex Tanguay (LW) - Tanguay brings the kind of skill set we'd be looking for from the wing - he's a playmaking winger. Still, Tanguay and Zubrus have a somewhat similar skill set, so they'd have to be kept apart - this would make New Jersey's lines inflexible. I don't know if Alex is playing center these days, either.

Martin Havlat (LW, RW) - please. I have loved the idea of this guy since I read about him in THN's draft issue in 1999 and it kills me that Ottawa took him one selection before New Jersey took Ari Ahonen. He is disgustingly talented and is exactly the kind of gamble New Jersey needs to take, considering their less-than-stellar drafts of the last 5 years.

Milan Hedjuk (RW) - Hedjuk is signed for one more year than Gionta, so there'd have to be some extra added. I've never liked Hedjuk, though. Then again I never really liked Gionta.

Jonathan Cheechoo (RW) - Wow, he's signed through 2010/11, I had no idea. But he's been so bad this year that San Jose has to consider selling as high as possible.

And that's about it. Fringe candidates include Pavol Demitra, Brad Richards, and Tony Amonte.

Edited February 5, 2008 by Triumph