SC Devs Fan Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2 Matvichuk no longer in Devils' game plan Thursday, October 11, 2007 By TOM GULITTI STAFF WRITER WEST ORANGE -- As much as Richard Matvichuk tried to be diplomatic, the soon-to-be former Devils defenseman could not hide his disappointment. After helping to bail the Devils out of their salary cap predicament and their first-round playoff series against Tampa Bay last season, Matvichuk believed being the good soldier earned him something heading into this season. Wednesday morning, however, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello informed Matvichuk that, after only three games, he no longer fits into the team's plans and that he will try to trade the 34-year-old Edmonton native to give him an opportunity to play elsewhere. Although the decision wasn't a complete surprise, Matvichuk believed his loyalty was worth more. "That's what I thought," Matvichuk said by telephone. "That's what the intention was coming in this year, that I was going to be a mainstay and it didn't work out that way." Matvichuk, who did not dress for the team's first three games, did not practice Wednesday or make the trip to Florida for tonight's game against the Panthers. "We've already talked to [other teams] and it's more than likely something will be done in the near future," Lamoriello said. Lamoriello said Matvichuk's stay-at-home game wasn't suited for the more aggressive, puck-control system first-year head coach Brent Sutter has installed. "Every player is not fit for every system and every system is not fit for every player," Lamoriello said. "But I believe Richard can play." Sutter talked around the issue, but did say, "We want to be a team that's quicker," a clear question of Matvichuk's mobility. Matvichuk believes he still would have been effective. "Our defensive coverage, as everybody has said in the last three or four days, I thought was the same," he said. "So, I don't buy that I couldn't play in the system." At first, Matvichuk stopped short of blaming Sutter, saying, "I've got to respect the coach's decision," but later added, "Obviously, he felt I couldn't play." "Lou's giving me a chance to look somewhere else and play somewhere else, so he as a general manager still feels that I can play," he said. "If I had my way, I'd have stayed here and been a Devil, but that's obviously not what the coaches wanted." Or what he deserved. After having off-season back surgery, Matvichuk remained on long-term injured reserve (exempting his salary from the cap) until the final regular-season game of 2006-07, though he was ready long before that. He never complained, however, and then helped beat the Lightning by playing head to head against Vincent Lecavalier's line. "He was pretty helpful against Tampa, so it's unfortunate he didn't get a solid chance to prove himself," goaltender Martin Brodeur said. Lamoriello said the decision to trade Matvichuk is not cap related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hattrick Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I think RM got screwed.... He can still be an asset to the Devils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SC Devs Fan Posted October 11, 2007 Author Share Posted October 11, 2007 I like the idea that we are trying to play a more uptempo game but with some of our signings on the back you wonder why Mati got picked. We try to get 'grittier' yet faster... that will be a neat trick to sign guy who are fast, can score and can fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swede Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=e...2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2"Lou's giving me a chance to look somewhere else and play somewhere else, so he as a general manager still feels that I can play," he said. "If I had my way, I'd have stayed here and been a Devil, but that's obviously not what the coaches wanted." Or what he deserved. E-mail: gulitti@northjersey.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJDevsFireOnIce Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 well after being a healthy scratch for the 3 games we played i knew this was bound to happen. im glad lou is helping him out though. i like Matvi but if he doesnt fit into our new system then ohhhhhhhhhhh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I dunno, Matvichuck is still a solid defenseman. Yes, he is a tad slow, but never misses his assignments, blocks shots and does very well in his defensive zone. This isnt something we can say about some of our other defensemen. I dont respect this decision by lou and staff. Personally i would much rather have him play than Oduya, who fcks up just about all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drivingrain27 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 You know what? With us giving up 20+ shots in every first period, I think it's probably a good idea to trade away our only defenseman who's been around for more than 4 years. After all, Devils fans are sick and tired of seeing players that they know. They want a bunch of no names to go along with their stellar ticket sales over the past 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dadds3424 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I dunno, Matvichuck is still a solid defenseman. Yes, he is a tad slow, but never misses his assignments, blocks shots and does very well in his defensive zone. This isnt something we can say about some of our other defensemen. I dont respect this decision by lou and staff. Personally i would much rather have him play than Oduya, who fcks up just about all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candydog Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 SHA NA NA NAAA, SHA NA NA NAAA, HEY HEY HEY GOOOOD BYYEEE! SHA NA NA NAA, SHA NA NA NAAA, HEY HEY HEY GOOOOD BYYEEEE! I thought that this would be a suitable good bye for a hockey player! Seriously though, Maty is a capable d-man who plays a solid position game and unfortuneatly he's just not in Sutter's plans. He'll find himself in the Western Conference as they have played a more defensive style of play the last few seasons than the east, which is right up his ally. What i find most interesting is that the normally "my way or the highway" Loyal LOU, is letting Sutter make that type of call for the team! I still believe that Sutter will takeover for Lou as GM in the near future and this maybe the tip of the iceberg........ LOOK OUT TITANIC! DEVILS FAN FOR LIFE, DEATH TO LEAF NATION! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I like the idea that we are trying to play a more uptempo game but with some of our signings on the back you wonder why Mati got picked. We try to get 'grittier' yet faster... that will be a neat trick to sign guy who are fast, can score and can fight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfsharkalligatorhalfman Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I just feel bad given that he essentially sat out most of the season for Lou so he could manage the cap. Then when he finally comes back he gets benched. Lou expects loyalty from his players, then he doesn't reward it? What's that about. I predict he gets traded with the idea of putting him in the best situation possible instead of the most bang for buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Fan Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I would be glad to see him playing elsewhere and gives us something in return (a 3rd round would be excellent) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ev0lemi Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 total disappointment. I've gotta trust that Lou and Sutter see something that we don't but i liked the guy. He earned his way out of the name i gave him (Matvisuck) with his play and is solid vetran. I'm not happy about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amberite Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I'm OK with this as long as we pick up Markov and White is close to returning (Lou is saying he is working out off the ice and that his eye has gotten much better) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 I just feel bad given that he essentially sat out most of the season for Lou so he could manage the cap. Then when he finally comes back he gets benched. Lou expects loyalty from his players, then he doesn't reward it? What's that about. I predict he gets traded with the idea of putting him in the best situation possible instead of the most bang for buck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halfsharkalligatorhalfman Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Well Lou's not going to override Sutter, so I expect him to repay Matvichuk's loyalty by trying to trade him to a good situation for him. Columbus with Hitchcock perhaps? I think thats why he publically let it be known he was moving him, he wants Matvichuk's allies to come out and let it be known they are interested instead of trying to play games behind closed doors to maximize value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HenrikIsNotGod Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 this is ridiculous. Its not like our defense has been phenomenal and we couldnt use him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesterDevil Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Am I the only one that doesn't like the new system? Granted it's only been a few games, but it just doesn't have that Devils "squeeze the life out of the opponent" feel to it that brought me to like the Devils in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njskaguy33 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Am I the only one that doesn't like the new system? Granted it's only been a few games, but it just doesn't have that Devils "squeeze the life out of the opponent" feel to it that brought me to like the Devils in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimaira_Devil_#9 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Columbus with Hitchcock perhaps? I also thought columbus would be a great match, other teams that could use help are Boston and possibly chicago. Im really not that dissapointed with this to be honnest. Matvi came across as a really really nice guy, but he is getting on and his skill set isnt really that suited to what sutter is trying to achieve. I dont think Markhov is the answer to anything we lack in the defensive department. Its goping to be interesting to see what comes about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsadvoc8 Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 How is this hurting Maty? Sutter doesn't want to use him in his system. They aren't cutting him, they are still paying him. If the team wants to move in another direction Where is the disloyalty? Should the devils be forced out of some writers definition of loyalty to play a player that the coaching staff doesn't want especially if he can be turned into another asset (a draft pick)? Nothing new from Lou or the Devils. This is the way they operate and it should not be a surprise to ANYONE on this board who is more than 12 years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brodeurrocks Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Am I the only one that doesn't like the new system? Granted it's only been a few games, but it just doesn't have that Devils "squeeze the life out of the opponent" feel to it that brought me to like the Devils in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 This "new" systems looks like the same "system" that 30 other teams employ. This "system" makes our defense look horrible these first three games and leaves Marty vulnerable. Matvichuk will be a huge loss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxchaznjxx Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 i don't know if this is the best sytem for the devs after only 3 games, but i can say that after the last 2 playoff exits i was done watching our old system. it worked well before the lockout but i hated watching teams spend what seemed like minutes in our zone pounding the defense while we waited for a breakout. and we don't have the same caliber of defenseman now that we had when we were winning cups. and we had trouble keeping the puck in the other teams zone for any extended period of time which i think is why we scored so few goals. i loved the way the devs played as much as any other fan, but i felt that after last years playoff exit that that style of hockey wasn't going to cut it any more. so i was very happy to read that the devs were changing things up a bit and becoming more aggressive. i felt bad for matvichuk, but not that bad. he wasn't a lifelong devil or anything like that. and as well as he played for us last year against TB, he was still slow as sh!t and i can understand why sutter doesn't think he would fit into this system. i do wish matty nothing but the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevestevens Posted October 11, 2007 Share Posted October 11, 2007 Its hard to be loyal to a player you cant work into the system. I think he would be better in our system then Oduya, even though Oduya has youth and is a differant type of player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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