"HockeyBuzz + New Jersey Devils Season Ticket Holder"
New Jersey, NJ • United States • 28 Years Old • Male
Offseason 09: How to Fix the Devils
Posted 11:24 AM ET | Comments 23
Watching the Stanley Cup Finals now, I can't help but think how it should be us. We should be watching the Devils battle the Red Wings right now, and we very well might be had the team not decided to sit back as if they still had the likes of Stevens and Daneyko to save the day. But now that the offseason is unfortunately upon us, I'd like to try placing myself in the GM's chair with regard to the decisions that need to be made. Here is what I would do in dealing with free agency and why.
Keep
Johnny Oduya
Oduya should be priority #1 for the Devils this offseason. Rather underrated, and the only major piece of our defense set to become unrestricted, he will command—and deserves—a significant raise from the $600,000 he made in '08-'09, and will deserve every penny of it. He's only going to get better, and with every team needing good offensive defensemen, we'd be wise to lock him up now. Taking a look at our defense, keeping him together with Paul Martin will be critical in the coming years.
Travis Zajac
Zajac is set to become a restricted free agent, and Lou has already said he will make every effort to sign him long term. He and Zach Parise are our one-two punch of the future, and he should be treated and signed as such. His play dropped off toward the end, but early on in the season, he really broke free from his sophomore slump, and as he ages his play will become more consistent. With his new contract, however, he should be given a gym membership. He really needs to get stronger to become more effective.
Brian Gionta
I have nothing against Gionta, but this is a conditional "keep," the condition being how much money he wants. Lou will have his maximum value set well in advance, and should Gionta want more, we can use his cap room for better things, while giving offensive youngsters like Nicklas Bergfors the chance to finally prove themselves in the proper environment, i.e. NOT 6 minutes a night on the fourth line, as was the case early this year. Gionta is a tireless worker who needs to produce more, but if he stays at the right price, it will be worth giving him that chance.
John Madden
This is another conditional "keep," and for the same reason. Madden is one of the best defensive forwards in the game, an alternate captain, and an all-around team player. He is without a doubt one of our core players who must be re-signed, but only at the right price. Unfortunately, Jay Pandolfo is making $2.5 mil per year, which may dictate what Madden will ask for. It is hard to believe Madden and Gionta will both be back, but individually it should depend on how what they want will fit into our cap structure.
Andy Greene
An upcoming RFA, Greene has followed up a potential-filled first year with a couple of steadily improving performances. Greene is a keeper as long as he will not be relied upon to play like a top-four defensemen. Andy Greene is a third-pairing defensemen at best, and should be paid as such. No need to break the bank on him, if he really thinks he's worth more then let him go, but as a member of the 5-6 pair on defense, you can't do much better.
Mike Rupp
Rupp is in a conditional state as well. Pierre-Luc Leblond has emerged as a replacement, and although Rupp has the size advantage, Leblond may prove to be cheaper. Time will tell, but I am fine with either one of these two players or both returning. Someone needs to give David Clarkson some backup.
Petr Vrana
Vrana has reportedly signed a contract to go play in the Czech League, therefore taking him out of the situation. It's too bad, I really think this was the year he made the team for good.
Kevin Weekes
You were waiting for this one, weren't you? Which goalie to keep when both are UFA's? Weekes will require less money, and is the ultimate teammate when he's not playing. Unlike Clemmensen, he has no delusions of being a starter anymore. Clemmensen, meanwhile, has played phenomenal, but wants to become a full-time starter, and that opportunity cannot come in New Jersey. I will say this, however: if Clemmensen is willing to sign on as Marty's full-time backup again, then I would keep Clemmensen instead. I just doubt that is going to happen.
Pierre-Luc Leblond
June 1: Leblond re-signed to a 3 year, $1.575m deal. Good stuff, this effectively eliminates the need for Mike Rupp.
Ditch
Niclas Havelid
Havelid has signed a contract to play in Sweden next year. Thank you dear god, and good riddance to the worst deadline acquisition in Devils history.
Bobby Holik
Holik has officially retired. He knew all along he wasn't coming back apparently.
Scott Clemmensen
You can read the explanation above under why we should keep Kevin Weekes, but I will summarize by saying that if Clemmensen decides he is willing to return as Marty's backup, albeit with at least a fair share of games played, I'd rather keep him. I just don't believe he is willing to do that.
Brendan Shanahan
I put him here because he's probably going to retire anyway, but also because we're a very old team right now, and that's how you get yourself into salary cap trouble. I loved the concept of Shanahan coming back for this year to help us make a run, but now we need to start getting younger like everyone else. If, at the end of the summer, we have the cap room to bring him back for one more season, however, I am not opposed to it.
Disclaimer
Let me just clarify that I do not expect every single player on the keep list to return next season. Many of them are on there because they should be considered for being kept, but with the salary cap situation the way it is, all of them will not be brought back, nor should they. For example, even if Madden and Gionta both want to stay, it will take both accepting less money than they would get on the market to be able to keep both. So interpret the list with caution.
Looking Ahead
So now that we did all that, what do we need to add to make the 2010 Devils even better? The key is defense, defense, defense. If this year taught us anything, it's that you cannot rely on a group of minor-leaguers to fill out an NHL defense. Our top four of Martin, Oduya, Salvador, and White were capable, but those last two spots need a serious upgrading. It's not that Mottau played bad, but our top six needs to be stronger and more talented. I would focus my efforts this summer on signing a veteran stalwart defenseman, who can give our backline a higher profile. Stay-at-home or puck-mover, it doesn’t really matter. The bottom line is that any effort in free agency should be spent on making our defense corps far better. Without taking money into account, I'm talking about names like Aucoin, Komisarek, Beauchemin, etc. Impact players who can step in and provide an instant upgrade on defense.
Other than that, I like the pieces we have. I like our group of forwards, even though many need to produce a lot more than they have, and as long as some prospects like Bergfors that have been stewing in the minors for four or five years finally get the chance to prove themselves, I don’t think we need to do a whole lot else.
Keep
Johnny Oduya
Oduya should be priority #1 for the Devils this offseason. Rather underrated, and the only major piece of our defense set to become unrestricted, he will command—and deserves—a significant raise from the $600,000 he made in '08-'09, and will deserve every penny of it. He's only going to get better, and with every team needing good offensive defensemen, we'd be wise to lock him up now. Taking a look at our defense, keeping him together with Paul Martin will be critical in the coming years.
Travis Zajac
Zajac is set to become a restricted free agent, and Lou has already said he will make every effort to sign him long term. He and Zach Parise are our one-two punch of the future, and he should be treated and signed as such. His play dropped off toward the end, but early on in the season, he really broke free from his sophomore slump, and as he ages his play will become more consistent. With his new contract, however, he should be given a gym membership. He really needs to get stronger to become more effective.
Brian Gionta
I have nothing against Gionta, but this is a conditional "keep," the condition being how much money he wants. Lou will have his maximum value set well in advance, and should Gionta want more, we can use his cap room for better things, while giving offensive youngsters like Nicklas Bergfors the chance to finally prove themselves in the proper environment, i.e. NOT 6 minutes a night on the fourth line, as was the case early this year. Gionta is a tireless worker who needs to produce more, but if he stays at the right price, it will be worth giving him that chance.
John Madden
This is another conditional "keep," and for the same reason. Madden is one of the best defensive forwards in the game, an alternate captain, and an all-around team player. He is without a doubt one of our core players who must be re-signed, but only at the right price. Unfortunately, Jay Pandolfo is making $2.5 mil per year, which may dictate what Madden will ask for. It is hard to believe Madden and Gionta will both be back, but individually it should depend on how what they want will fit into our cap structure.
Andy Greene
An upcoming RFA, Greene has followed up a potential-filled first year with a couple of steadily improving performances. Greene is a keeper as long as he will not be relied upon to play like a top-four defensemen. Andy Greene is a third-pairing defensemen at best, and should be paid as such. No need to break the bank on him, if he really thinks he's worth more then let him go, but as a member of the 5-6 pair on defense, you can't do much better.
Mike Rupp
Rupp is in a conditional state as well. Pierre-Luc Leblond has emerged as a replacement, and although Rupp has the size advantage, Leblond may prove to be cheaper. Time will tell, but I am fine with either one of these two players or both returning. Someone needs to give David Clarkson some backup.
Petr Vrana
Vrana has reportedly signed a contract to go play in the Czech League, therefore taking him out of the situation. It's too bad, I really think this was the year he made the team for good.
Kevin Weekes
You were waiting for this one, weren't you? Which goalie to keep when both are UFA's? Weekes will require less money, and is the ultimate teammate when he's not playing. Unlike Clemmensen, he has no delusions of being a starter anymore. Clemmensen, meanwhile, has played phenomenal, but wants to become a full-time starter, and that opportunity cannot come in New Jersey. I will say this, however: if Clemmensen is willing to sign on as Marty's full-time backup again, then I would keep Clemmensen instead. I just doubt that is going to happen.
Pierre-Luc Leblond
June 1: Leblond re-signed to a 3 year, $1.575m deal. Good stuff, this effectively eliminates the need for Mike Rupp.
Ditch
Niclas Havelid
Havelid has signed a contract to play in Sweden next year. Thank you dear god, and good riddance to the worst deadline acquisition in Devils history.
Bobby Holik
Holik has officially retired. He knew all along he wasn't coming back apparently.
Scott Clemmensen
You can read the explanation above under why we should keep Kevin Weekes, but I will summarize by saying that if Clemmensen decides he is willing to return as Marty's backup, albeit with at least a fair share of games played, I'd rather keep him. I just don't believe he is willing to do that.
Brendan Shanahan
I put him here because he's probably going to retire anyway, but also because we're a very old team right now, and that's how you get yourself into salary cap trouble. I loved the concept of Shanahan coming back for this year to help us make a run, but now we need to start getting younger like everyone else. If, at the end of the summer, we have the cap room to bring him back for one more season, however, I am not opposed to it.
Disclaimer
Let me just clarify that I do not expect every single player on the keep list to return next season. Many of them are on there because they should be considered for being kept, but with the salary cap situation the way it is, all of them will not be brought back, nor should they. For example, even if Madden and Gionta both want to stay, it will take both accepting less money than they would get on the market to be able to keep both. So interpret the list with caution.
Looking Ahead
So now that we did all that, what do we need to add to make the 2010 Devils even better? The key is defense, defense, defense. If this year taught us anything, it's that you cannot rely on a group of minor-leaguers to fill out an NHL defense. Our top four of Martin, Oduya, Salvador, and White were capable, but those last two spots need a serious upgrading. It's not that Mottau played bad, but our top six needs to be stronger and more talented. I would focus my efforts this summer on signing a veteran stalwart defenseman, who can give our backline a higher profile. Stay-at-home or puck-mover, it doesn’t really matter. The bottom line is that any effort in free agency should be spent on making our defense corps far better. Without taking money into account, I'm talking about names like Aucoin, Komisarek, Beauchemin, etc. Impact players who can step in and provide an instant upgrade on defense.
Other than that, I like the pieces we have. I like our group of forwards, even though many need to produce a lot more than they have, and as long as some prospects like Bergfors that have been stewing in the minors for four or five years finally get the chance to prove themselves, I don’t think we need to do a whole lot else.
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05 Why Hockey Is The Best Sport
15 2008-09 Predictions
21 Captaining the Captainless
27 All-Time Greatest
30 Glory Days
15 2008-09 Predictions
21 Captaining the Captainless
27 All-Time Greatest
30 Glory Days
01 Offseason 09: How to Fix the Devils
09 Brylin? We're Talking About BRYLIN??
09 Good Riddance
11 Remember This Name
15 NJD Top Five Potential Draft Selections
24 An Open Letter to the Future Coach of the New Jersey Devils
28 Reviewing the Devils Draft
09 Brylin? We're Talking About BRYLIN??
09 Good Riddance
11 Remember This Name
15 NJD Top Five Potential Draft Selections
24 An Open Letter to the Future Coach of the New Jersey Devils
28 Reviewing the Devils Draft
Good read. I agree with everything you said, except, I think we should part ways with Madden, Rupp, and Weekes. Madden is over the hill and it showed this season, along with his inability to adapt to the new system. Rupp's roster spot can be given to an upcoming prospect. Weekes is not as potent, and my thing is why would be return to a team, when he'll only play 5, 10 games next season? I agree on upgrading our defense. It showed this year, and I think you should add Lamoriello on the ditch list lol.
My first post did not show of course, and do we have some psychic linkage or something, since we posted our writeups simultaneously?
Personally I think Madden will choose to leave anyway, he really didn't like playing on the 4th line. And that's fine with me, provided we can use that money to keep Gionta. I agree that Rupp's spot can be given to Leblond, it's just Rupp's size factor that makes him worth considering. I'm fine with letting Weekes go but understand that Clemmensen may not want to stay, and then what? I'm not trying to shoot down your points just continuing the discussion.
I see what you mean. You can get someone like Rupp anywhere though. He's not a potent fighter, and Id rather have a young guy like Leblond on that roster spot. At least he's young and shows he can play a little. Madden and Pando are has beens on this team, and they're spots can be given to kids to develop, or FA signings. We got that kid Frazee in the minors, but he may need a year or two, plus you can get a capable backup anywhere.
Unfortunately Pando is on the books until 2011. I agree that he needs to go as well, to me he's becoming a bit of a Brylin, and by that I mean a veteran who can no longer contribute to the benefit of the team, but remains due to Lou's fierce loyalty. I'll tell you what though, there isn't another pro or amateur team that would have given Pandolfo 2.5 a year. Between him and Zubrus we've got too much dead weight on this team.
Lou can waive both and have them rot in Lowell, since they weren't 35 when they signed. They would clear over $6 million in cap space, which could help us tremendously. Since both are deemed "system" players, no way Lou gets rid of them. He has too much pride in himself to admit signing either was a mistake, and like you said, his loyalty is a factor in Pando remaining with the team. I think bringing in both players is more evidence showing Lou has lost his touch. He's not a salary cap era GM.
poor nick posted 3 times
The Devils have re-signed left wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, who was slated to become a restricted free agent on July 1. Terms were not released.Leblond, who will turn 24 on Thursday, had no goals, one assist and 22 penalty minutes in eight games with the Devils this season. He also had five goals, five assists and 216 penalty minutes in 60 games with Lowell of the AHL.
Don't worry i cpied and pasted...let me try one more time"He came back this year with the hope of playing and quite frankly with his injury I think, in my mind, he would probably want to go there," Lamoriello said. "I think he still would like to come back to the NHL. We still would retain his rights and it might not do him harm to go there and play."
Ah wtf that's not what i wanted.
Good news on Leblond!! NickA i saw that quote on Vrana too, but I'm confused how we retain his rights if he is an RFA. I hope we do though, because I'd hate to see one of our better prospects leave.
leblond is one gutsy player IMO. I can see him getting a full time spot on the team next year, as long as he does not take a spot away from guys like Bergfors or Halischuk.
leblond signed 3-years $1.575 million
alot of comments for a MYHOCKEYBUZZ thread... good job mike.. lets keep the thread going
my bad i meant good job THEJERSYDEVIL
Now I am a buffalo Sabres fan, that being said I am outsider. I feel Devils have to take a serious look at finding Marty Brodeur's replacement for the future. It can take sometimes up to 4 years of playing in the AHL before being ready for the big time, for a goalie, and how much longer is Marty realy going to play?? He has done just about everything, and playing 77 games a year can wear you down, I just feel its time to start looking and preparing for life without Marty.
You just summed up what I've been saying since the start of last season.
You just summed up what I've been saying since early last year in one post.