Offseason Situation

[Devil Fan]

Klee, Kozlov, Langenbrunner, Albelin and Langdon should be gone in my opinion. Rasmussen, yes, as long as he makes around 700,000. EGG line must be kept for sure. As for UFA next season, I hope I can see Ethan Moreau, Richards (hopefully) or Savard and one of Chara/Redden/Kubina would be terrific.

[Voros19]

Moreau is actually an intriguing option. I dunno if he has the offensive ability to score 20 goals again like in 03-04, but he's big, can skate well, and is good defensively. He could, again, be a replacement for Langs/Brylin.

Everyone else on your list is too expensive.

[Devil Fan]

Moreau is actually an intriguing option. I dunno if he has the offensive ability to score 20 goals again like in 03-04, but he's big, can skate well, and is good defensively. He could, again, be a replacement for Langs/Brylin.

Everyone else on your list is too expensive.

Any cheap scoring players who are UFAs next season??? Oh, Roenick could be one! I think he'll take a 3M contract.

[Gomer23]

I forsee a Sykora return. First, because he wants to play with Patty, and second, Lou will try all possible options to retain Elias, even resign Sykora. At 1.8 or so, around what I expect Langs to get to stay, I'm ok with him again. At least he has two working hips. If Lou could swing Redden(please!), and someone like Vyborny, Brier, or maybe even a cheap Zednik, those top two lines are OK.

Klee goes, so does Kozlov, Rassmussen, Marshall, & Weimer. Let the fourth line be Sarge, Tallakson, Janssen, and Miscellaneous Albany dude.

If the cap is 43 million, it may be a doable feat.

A quick question, can Lou sign Raffy to an extension before next year (the last on his deal), and actually lower his cap number? Say for example, a 3yr, 10million deal? Just curious.

[Voros19]

I wouldn't mind Sykora back, but I dunno, he's not really the type of guy who can make stuff happen, do you know what I mean? I know Parise could probably be at the point of setting him up, but Sykora is simply a very good finisher w/ a good shot and can pass reasonably well. He's not terrific on one-on-one's, is a bit timid w/ the puck in the corners, etc. I don't think having him on the second line would really help all that much.

I think a more feasible option for maintaining Elias for long-term might be trying to go after Havlat in 07-08 when we have more cap space.

I would expect Briere to get a big pay-day, in the 3-4 Million range, so i sorta think him as a second line center is out of the question. Although he is terrific.

[Devil Fan]

I forsee a Sykora return. First, because he wants to play with Patty, and second, Lou will try all possible options to retain Elias, even resign Sykora. At 1.8 or so, around what I expect Langs to get to stay, I'm ok with him again. At least he has two working hips. If Lou could swing Redden(please!), and someone like Vyborny, Brier, or maybe even a cheap Zednik, those top two lines are OK.

Klee goes, so does Kozlov, Rassmussen, Marshall, & Weimer. Let the fourth line be Sarge, Tallakson, Janssen, and Miscellaneous Albany dude.

If the cap is 43 million, it may be a doable feat.

A quick question, can Lou sign Raffy to an extension before next year (the last on his deal), and actually lower his cap number? Say for example, a 3yr, 10million deal? Just curious.

Zednik is still under contract with the Habs next year. I think the Sabres will try anything to keep Briere and he seems like to click with the team.

Reconstruct Rafalski's contract???? Yeah, that happens to Turek and the Flames before, but will Raffi do the same??? it is a 50/50.

[Gomer23]

Zednik is still under contract with the Habs next year. I think the Sabres will try anything to keep Briere and he seems like to click with the team.

Reconstruct Rafalski's contract???? Yeah, that happens to Turek and the Flames before, but will Raffi do the same??? it is a 50/50.

If Lou could get Rafalski to go a little longer term for a little less money, he would have just enough space to address a second line scorer and a big defenseman as well.

Sykora will be affordable. Redden will be costly. Someone like Vyborny at 2.3 may be doable.

Either way, some fourth line 'energy' players making near 1million each need to go, those spaces get filled with young, minimum wage prospects.

[Triumph]

Well, only one thing is for certain, this summer will be painful for devils fans as we are sure to see many long time favorites end up moving along. Fact is, you can't have a roster full of 1 to 2 mil a year players so any number of the following are not likely to take the ice in red and black come september:

Rasmussen

Marshal

Weimer (why do we need 3 of the same player)

Brylin

Pando

Langenbrunner (see above question)

Klee and lukowich (neither of these two has done anything to impress anyone)

Kozlov (don't shoot, don't get invited back)

Langdon (why is he still here?)

Albeline (thanks for your years of service, here is your gold watch)

Clemenson (too much to pay a guy who plays less games than he has fingers - get one of those wooden cut-outs to take his place)

Matvichuck (i think it will be a choice of him or white, not both)

Talackson (although youth/low payroll makes it likely he'll be here)

Janson (same as talackson)

About the only people I would be shocked NOT to see are:

Marty

Elias

Gomer

Gionta

Parise

Raffalski

White

Martin

Hale (only cause he's still young and cheap)

madden

Fact is, we're stacked with mid-level players at mid-level salaries. Some of them have to go to make room for young and cheap players. I'd say any player over 28 who is not "top line" quality is going to be a year by year decision. Lou will be trading some of our long time favorites for draft picks and prospects. Expect guys like Ryznar and Vrana and Bergfors to make the jump to the pro's a year or two earlier than the devils typically would allow - our 2nd and 4th lines will be predominantly rookies next season (assuming line 1 is egg and line 3 is maddog checking line with whoever low keeps around for him)

Actually, wouldn't surprise me if white gets moved too - payroll creeping up, definately has value in the market - could get us a high draft pick or good prospect.

And none of this addresses the Malakhov/Mogilny/McGillis payroll issues.

Big changes coming people.

I very strongly disagree with this. The Devils are not going to change their philosophy of how they bring along rookie players to save a few million dollars - and they are certainly not going to start putting young players on the 4th line to bring them along. With the new NHL and power plays per game up, this means less ice time for the 4th line, and less time to develop.

I think these players will definitely be back next year: Elias, Gomez, Gionta, Pandolfo, Madden, Langenbrunner, Janssen, Parise, Rafalski, Martin, White, Matvichuk, Lukowich, Hale, Brodeur.

I think these players under contract could get moved or waived, but I wouldn't be shocked to see them either: Brylin, Marshall, Wiemer, McGillis

I think these players could be let go through unrestricted free agency: Langdon, Kozlov, Klee, Clemmensen, Rasmussen, Albelin

As for McGillis, Malakhov, and Mogilny - McGillis will be waived again or traded. Malakhov is retired and I don't think he will count against the cap. Mogilny might if he retires. Either way, if they do count against the cap Lou will buy both of them out and they will cost approximately 2.5 million for the next two years on the salary cap. Not devastating.

Lou's not blowing this whole team up. He won't gain anything by it since the forwards in the system are one or two years away, most of them. We saw what happened this year with Parise. To bring up rookies to fill significant spots on the roster when the team is pretty good is penny wise and pound foolish. I think Tallackson may replace Marshall next season on the second line - other than that, I don't see really significant changes coming. There are no NHL ready defensemen in the system. There are arguably no NHL ready forwards in the system. It's two offseasons from now when everyone's contract expires and several players will be eligible for UFA status that this entire team may be different.

[sundstrom]

as for clemmy and the fact that he's overpaid, he makes the league minimum which is exactly what brodeur's back up should make.

other than langenbrunner and elias, i don't think there is a chance that any ufa returns.

this is the 1st year of a 4 year deal for rafalski. lou won't give him 3 years on top of that. his number is set.

this year's team is a product of not having elias for the first 1/2 of the season. if he was here, i'd think the devils would be in a solid 4th place.

it's not lou's way to just completely make over a team and so i think that the most we might see is a tallackson for marshall swap and a project type guy like vasicek (thanks triumph) for sarge.

[Voros19]

Raffy signed a 2-year deal, I am pretty sure.

[Gomer23]

Raffy signed a 2-year deal, I am pretty sure.

I'm positive he signed a 2-year deal.

[Tretyak 20]

Here's my ideas, for what they're worth...

Signed 06-07:

C-Sergei Brylin ($1.52M)

C-John Madden ($2.80M) - Shop him, trade for the right deal.

LW-Zach Parise ($703k)

LW-Jay Pandolfo ($836k) - ditto Madden.

LW-Jason Wiemer ($950k)

LW-Jason Ryznar ($500k)

RW-Grant Marshall ($760k) - Waive/trade him.

RW-Cam Janssen ($450k)

RW-Barry Tallackson ($510k)

D-Brian Rafalski ($4.20M)

D-Richard Martvichuk ($1.38M) - Shop him. (lukowich is better/younger)

D-Brad Lukowich ($1.00M)

G-Martin Brodeur ($5.20M)

G-Scott Clemmensen ($450k)

UFA:

C-Erik Rasmussen (Current Salary: $532k) -- Resign

LW-Patrik Elias (Current Salary: $4.18M) -- Resign

LW-Darren Langdon (Current Salary: $450k) -- Pass

RW-Jamie Langenbrunner (Current Salary: $1.65M) -- Pass - (Can no-one else see he lacks a brain!?!)

RW-Viktor Kozlov (Current Salary: $1.75M) -- Resign

D-Ken Klee (Current Salary: $1.9M) -- Please G-d get rid of him!

D-Tommy Albelin (Current Salary: $450k) -- Maybe resign for league minimum.

RFA:

C-Scott Gomez (Current Salary: $2.20M) -- Will likely sign elsewhere.

RW-Brian Gionta (Current Salary: $627k) -- Resign

D-Colin White (Current Salary: $1.71M) -- Resign

D-David Hale (Current Salary: $502k) -- Resign (next year should be a break-through)

D-Paul Martin (Current Salary: $502k) -- Resign

Lou also needs to sign or trade for a scoring forward in the off-season. Forget Redden, Chara, blahblahblah. Get a scorer.

[Voros19]

Trade Madden, Pando, Matvichuk, and re-sign Kozlov over Langenbrunner. I don't think I could disagree more.

And unless another team wants to give us like 3 first round picks as compensation, Gomez is staying.

Dunno if anyone cares, but I sorta made the stuff more organized, and just re-thought the estimated salaries and took others advice regarding them:

[devils744]

Here's my ideas, for what they're worth...

Signed 06-07:

C-Sergei Brylin ($1.52M)

C-John Madden ($2.80M) - Shop him, trade for the right deal.

LW-Zach Parise ($703k)

LW-Jay Pandolfo ($836k) - ditto Madden.

LW-Jason Wiemer ($950k)

LW-Jason Ryznar ($500k)

RW-Grant Marshall ($760k) - Waive/trade him.

RW-Cam Janssen ($450k)

RW-Barry Tallackson ($510k)

D-Brian Rafalski ($4.20M)

D-Richard Martvichuk ($1.38M) - Shop him. (lukowich is better/younger)

D-Brad Lukowich ($1.00M)

G-Martin Brodeur ($5.20M)

G-Scott Clemmensen ($450k)

UFA:

C-Erik Rasmussen (Current Salary: $532k) -- Resign

LW-Patrik Elias (Current Salary: $4.18M) -- Resign

LW-Darren Langdon (Current Salary: $450k) -- Pass

RW-Jamie Langenbrunner (Current Salary: $1.65M) -- Pass - (Can no-one else see he lacks a brain!?!)

RW-Viktor Kozlov (Current Salary: $1.75M) -- Resign

D-Ken Klee (Current Salary: $1.9M) -- Please G-d get rid of him!

D-Tommy Albelin (Current Salary: $450k) -- Maybe resign for league minimum.

RFA:

C-Scott Gomez (Current Salary: $2.20M) -- Will likely sign elsewhere.

RW-Brian Gionta (Current Salary: $627k) -- Resign

D-Colin White (Current Salary: $1.71M) -- Resign

D-David Hale (Current Salary: $502k) -- Resign (next year should be a break-through)

D-Paul Martin (Current Salary: $502k) -- Resign

Lou also needs to sign or trade for a scoring forward in the off-season. Forget Redden, Chara, blahblahblah. Get a scorer.

out of the list of ufas the only ones that need to be signed are elias, langs and or kozlov. the list of players that are signed for next year is pretty disturbing though. i'm sure all the rfas will be signed so that leaves hopefully a few million to spend on a 2nd line scorer.

Edited March 22, 2006 by devils744

[Voros19]

I'm starting to really think that a lot of the Devils problems scoring come from the backline. Really, when I watch good teams like Detroit, Ottawa, Carolina, Nashville, etc., they all have active defenseman who can step up and keep a play alive, or simply just bury the puck in the net. Other than Raffy and I guess Martin (although he isn't quite there yet offensively), the Devils have no defensemen who can do much offensively. It's a real big problem, imo.

Who could be some relatively affordable backliners who are pretty good offensively? Kuba, Havelid?

[cjmurph76]

I'm starting to really think that a lot of the Devils problems scoring come from the backline. Really, when I watch good teams like Detroit, Ottawa, Carolina, Nashville, etc., they all have active defenseman who can step up and keep a play alive, or simply just bury the puck in the net. Other than Raffy and I guess Martin (although he isn't quite there yet offensively), the Devils have no defensemen who can do much offensively. It's a real big problem, imo.

Who could be some relatively affordable backliners who are pretty good offensively? Kuba, Havelid?

Slegr, Frank Kaberle, Baumgartner, Corvo, and possibly Kim Johnsson should be relatively inexpensive.

[Gomer23]

Trade Madden, Pando, Matvichuk, and re-sign Kozlov over Langenbrunner. I don't think I could disagree more.

And unless another team wants to give us like 3 first round picks as compensation, Gomez is staying.

Dunno if anyone cares, but I sorta made the stuff more organized, and just re-thought the estimated salaries and took others advice regarding them:

That's a nice spreadsheet, Voros, but if my hopes are correct (which they won't, but it's nice to hope), Grant can go away, along with, and I apologize already because this hurts to say, but Brylin, also. Dial, back some of those raises about 200-400k each, and the cap room is about 35mil, with a solid 8 or so to spend, if the proposed number of 43mil is correct. That can give the team enough to go after Redden at 5mil, a cheapy, like Sykora, at 1.8 or so, and fill in the remaining second line whole with someone like Tallakson, or trade either, Lukowich, or Matvi for another scorer. The lines may look like this:

PariseGomerGio

SykoraEliasTallakson

PanMaddenBrunner

CamWeimerRyznarVrana

We could also hope that Zajac comes out, too, so we could have another awesome talent we rushed to the NHL to moan about. If so, he and Tallakson can flip flop between lines 2&4.

[Voros19]

I think your hopes are correct. The Devils are going to be in a great bind when it comes to the Cap. Even more so if the Mogs/Malakhov things come to fruition. Lou can't afford to keep guys like Brylin, Marshall, Wiemer, and maybe even Langs at their current price, when the need for secondary scoring really outweighs what these guys can do. I mean, i love Brylin, Langs, and Marshall, but their spots can be pretty much filled by the likes ot Ryznar, Murphy, Tallackson, etc. The need for more scoring is more pressing than the need for marginal third liners. I think Lou has come/will come to this realiziation.

[Gomer23]

I think your hopes are correct. The Devils are going to be in a great bind when it comes to the Cap. Even more so if the Mogs/Malakhov things come to fruition. Lou can't afford to keep guys like Brylin, Marshall, Wiemer, and maybe even Langs at their current price, when the need for secondary scoring really outweighs what these guys can do. I mean, i love Brylin, Langs, and Marshall, but their spots can be pretty much filled by the likes ot Ryznar, Murphy, Tallackson, etc. The need for more scoring is more pressing than the need for marginal third liners. I think Lou has come/will come to this realiziation.

Agree. Except that Langenbrunner is almost definitely staying, too, IMO.

[Tretyak 20]

I'm starting to really think that a lot of the Devils problems scoring come from the backline. Really, when I watch good teams like Detroit, Ottawa, Carolina, Nashville, etc., they all have active defenseman who can step up and keep a play alive, or simply just bury the puck in the net. Other than Raffy and I guess Martin (although he isn't quite there yet offensively), the Devils have no defensemen who can do much offensively. It's a real big problem, imo.

It's a problem, but it's a secondary one. The fact that we lack "active" defensemen is not a personnel problem IMO either. It's a strategy problem. Lou doesn't want his D's stepping up to keep plays alive, he wants them back so they don't risk giving up a scoring chance. This is precisely the attitude that A). won us three Cups, and B). won't work in the new NHL. The good teams are the teams that have figured this out. They take chances to try to score goals. Lou doesn't believe in taking chances. He believes in trying to "not lose", and it worked well when the League allowed all the little hooks, and holds. It doesn't work now.

The Devils don't lack talented D's, and signing new ones won't help much if the team strategy stays the same. Lou needs to focus on signing forwards so that we have two balanced scoring lines, and then change the team's philosophy to one that allows players to gamble offensively and play to win, not just to "not lose". If he can do that, he will prove himself to be one of the all-time great GM's. If he can't, he'll prove he's an ostrich.

[Triumph]

It's a problem, but it's a secondary one. The fact that we lack "active" defensemen is not a personnel problem IMO either. It's a strategy problem. Lou doesn't want his D's stepping up to keep plays alive, he wants them back so they don't risk giving up a scoring chance. This is precisely the attitude that A). won us three Cups, and B). won't work in the new NHL. The good teams are the teams that have figured this out. They take chances to try to score goals. Lou doesn't believe in taking chances. He believes in trying to "not lose", and it worked well when the League allowed all the little hooks, and holds. It doesn't work now.

The Devils don't lack talented D's, and signing new ones won't help much if the team strategy stays the same. Lou needs to focus on signing forwards so that we have two balanced scoring lines, and then change the team's philosophy to one that allows players to gamble offensively and play to win, not just to "not lose". If he can do that, he will prove himself to be one of the all-time great GM's. If he can't, he'll prove he's an ostrich.

I hardly think this has been proven in the new NHL since no one has won a Cup yet in the new NHL.

Given the team's makeup, pressing for offensive chances makes no sense. If we had the Senators' forwards, we should think about being more offensively oriented - the 2001 Devils certainly did. Like the Senators now, it also turned them into a largely undisciplined team that felt they could win whenever they decided to, which cost them a Stanley Cup. Tampa has also played that way in the past and right now they're struggling with defensive lassitude (as well as poor goaltending).

To me it's a simple math equation why the Devils don't press more offensively. Having that extra man in the offensive zone isn't worth the possibility of giving up a 2 on 1 the other way. An opponent is going to score more often on a 2 on 1 than the Devils would score by having 4 men in deep. None of the Devils are particularly good at holding on to the puck, so this makes the problem even more apparent.

If you put a 2nd scoring line on this team and leave it playing the same style, I think it's a Cup contender for sure. I can't believe you're saying it doesn't work when we ran off a huge winning streak with Lou as coach, and that was without that 2nd scoring line.

[SC Devs Fan]

If you put a 2nd scoring line on this team and leave it playing the same style, I think it's a Cup contender for sure. I can't believe you're saying it doesn't work when we ran off a huge winning streak with Lou as coach, and that was without that 2nd scoring line.

Tri - normally I agree with you but I think your wrong here. Sure we ran off a streak but remember how terrible we played to start the season - and you can't use excuses like it was a new season or we were missing Elias because that's all they are, excuses. Would we be better with a strong second line? Obviously. There is no way that our backline scares anyone... that is not a Stanley Cup contender backline (or frontline). What we're counting on is for Marty to play out of his mind and steal games but I haven't seen that in him this season; to me, he's giving up more rebounds then he ever has. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy but he's not playing at 'Marty' level. Either Lou wakes up and realizes that the game has changed or he continues to pound his square peg in a round hole thinkink D and only D will win games. That isn't what the powers that be want.

[Devils731]

I don't see how pointing out the Devils missing one of the best players in the NHL is an "excuse". Wow, what a surprise, the Devils performed better when they added a prolific goal scorer to their lineup for nothing. For the addition of Elias to be used an excuse there would have to be some expectation that they should win as much with him as without him and that is just silly, IMO.

[Triumph]

Tri - normally I agree with you but I think your wrong here. Sure we ran off a streak but remember how terrible we played to start the season - and you can't use excuses like it was a new season or we were missing Elias because that's all they are, excuses. Would we be better with a strong second line? Obviously. There is no way that our backline scares anyone... that is not a Stanley Cup contender backline (or frontline). What we're counting on is for Marty to play out of his mind and steal games but I haven't seen that in him this season; to me, he's giving up more rebounds then he ever has. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy but he's not playing at 'Marty' level. Either Lou wakes up and realizes that the game has changed or he continues to pound his square peg in a round hole thinkink D and only D will win games. That isn't what the powers that be want.

At the beginning of the year, Marty was bad, the coach was bad, we had Alex Mogilny, Vladimir Malakhov, Dan McGillis - we had an almost completely different team. The team had no confidence and would give up leads all the time. There were games where Sean Brown was our best defenseman. Even in our recent horrible losses we haven't looked like that team.

Our backline has 6 solid defensemen on it, most of them veterans. We don't have a true #1, but no one on this club is less than a #4 defender. Of course it scares people - they're physical and they don't give up. Which defense would you rather have: Niedermayer, Martin, White, Albelin, Giroux, Rafalski or Rafalski, White, Martin, Klee, Lukowich, Hale? I'd rather have the latter in the playoffs.

Marty has been playing out of his mind up until this recent stretch. He went through a month where he didn't give up a bad goal. He had several shutouts in January. He hasn't played as well of late, but who could keep that up? His run in January and early February could be the best I've ever seen him play.

I don't see how the game has changed. If it has, too bad - scoring is way too expensive on the open market for the Devils to build a contender that way. The Senators and Hurricanes haven't done it that way, and neither have most of the successful teams in the league. The Devils don't have a Jason Spezza or an Eric Staal who can put up 85-90 points on an 800K salary, and what you guys are saying is that you need one of those. I don't believe that it takes that kind of player to win in today's NHL.

[SC Devs Fan]

I don't see how the game has changed.

You must not have Center Ice. You still think a clutching and grabbing team can be a dominant team in the NHL?

I don't see how pointing out the Devils missing one of the best players in the NHL is an "excuse". Wow, what a surprise, the Devils performed better when they added a prolific goal scorer to their lineup for nothing. For the addition of Elias to be used an excuse there would have to be some expectation that they should win as much with him as without him and that is just silly, IMO.

Elias alone did not wake this team up; certainly adding our best scorer improves us but there is no way that we were that terrible at the start of the year because he wasn't in the lineup.