The Devils Have a Ton of Work Ahead of Them

This post may come at a surprising time for some, considering the Devils' season ended three weeks ago and the Kentucky Derby is today. However, this post spurned from playing NHL 14 seeing that the Devils are so bad. That and it's the two-year anniversary of Alexi Ponikarovsky's overtime winner in Game 3 against the Flyers. With that being said, let's dive into the off-season for the New Jersey Devils.

Jagr, DeBoer, and the Draft

These are the three positive things the Devils gong for them going to the post-playoff portion of the off-season. The first is the resigning of Jaromir Jagr. It was a no-brainer. He was the team's best player (at 42 years of age, which is sad, but I digress), and both he and Lou Lamoriello wanted him to be a Devil next season. This is different than other "over-the-hill" signings the Devils have made in the past. Jagr is still better than many players that are half his age in the NHL today. His work ethic and conditioning are unmatched, and that will hopefully rub off on the young guys that are coming up through the organization right now. If they adopt his good habits now, it will pay off hugely for them in the long run, and we could be talking about guys like Reid Boucher, Adam Larsson, and Eric Gelinas having long illustrious careers. For a team like the Devils that's in a bit of a transition period, it's never a bad thing to have a guy like Jaromir Jagr on the team.

Next is the return of head coach, Pete DeBoer. Let me start by saying, "Boy, people's memories are short." Apparently, a disappointingly large number of Devils fans have forgot that Pete DeBoer had us within two games of the Stanley Cup just two years ago. People also seem to also forget that we had two of the premier players in the league on the team as well in Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. So, when people wanted DeBoer fired this year, I was a bit surprised. It started to anger me once it became more fervent as the year went on. The fact that we were as close as we were despite the make-up of our roster should be a huge credit to DeBoer. When your best players are all 35+ year old Czechs, you don't deserve to make the playoffs (no disrespect meant to Jagr, Patty, and Zid). When your captain is the worst player on your team, you don't deserve to make the playoffs. And when you don't win a single shootout, you don't deserve to make the playoffs. However, the Devils were only eliminated just a few days before the regular season ended. Usually, all of the things I mentioned mean you're going to be one of the worst teams in the entire league. Instead, we challenged for the playoffs to just about the bitter end. Why did that happen? The only answer is coaching, which is why I have no idea why people want DeBoer fired. Not many other coaches would be able to get a team like the Devils even close to being competitive with circumstances like that. And when Jaromir Jagr endorses someone for head coach, you listen. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the man knows a thing or two about the game of hockey.

Third is the NHL Draft. Up until the Olympic break, I was hardly going to look at the draft because the Devils didn't have a first-round pick. Then, because Lou Lamoriello wins at everything in the end, Gary Bettman gave the Devils back their first-round pick. Granted, it's 30th overall and it can't be traded, but justice for Kovalchuk has been served. In the vast majority of drafts, the middle to the end of the first round is usually a toss-up as to what you get (1993 and 2003 being anomalies). You never know if who you're going to pick is going to pan out because they aren't considered "elite" prospects. The Devils have had some good picks in that portion of the draft (Parise, Zajac, and Gomez before has was terrible), so I'm hoping they can pick someone that will help us within the next couple years.

Marty

My thoughts on Martin Brodeur are this: I either hope he retires or is willing to accept a more backup-esque role with the Devils. Marty playing for another team is just wrong. I know Rangers and Flyers fans that agree with me on that, and they're the ones that hate Marty the most! I hope that he can realize that there is no market out there for a 42-year old goalie with a sub-.900 save percentage. His days as a full-time starter that plays 70 games during the season are long done. There's no team that needs him on their no roster. He's not going to go to a bad team just to hang on, but all of the Cup contenders already have an established starter or have a top-level prospect waiting in the wings. The last thing Marty needs to do is become the Brett Favre of the NHL. Preserve your legacy, Marty.

Addition by Subtraction

The Devils need to do this in the worst way possible, especially on defense. We have a ton of young talent ready to play everyday (Larsson, Gelinas, Merrill), and we need to trim the fat from our lackluster defense corps. I really don't care how it happens, but Salvador and Harrold have to go. There's no question about that. They are our two worst players on the team, not just defensemen. I'm not a huge fan of Mark Fayne, but he would serviceable as a 7th defenseman, not an everyday starter. Let Larsson, Gelinas, and Merrill play everyday. The transition to a younger defense needs to happen at some point. Why not now when we have capable young players?

At the forward position, less subtraction needs to be done, but Steve Bernier needs to go. He is borderline useless on this team. We already have two guys on this team that do his job better than he does in Ryane Clowe and Dainius Zubrus and they can score goals too. He is completely expendable. Now from there, I don't see much actual movement being made in terms of players leaving, but Tuomo Ruutu is an intriguing player. He has one year left on his current contract, so he could be traded away at some point. I would think the Devils would look to get picks or prospects for him if they did look to move him. However, he did play pretty well for us after he was traded, so I would be willing to see how he fits with us for an entire season.

Addition by Addition

The Devils need top-line scoring in the worst way. That was our biggest problem this past season, and it was readily apparent as the season was winding down. The Devils need to go after two of Thomas Vanek, Matt Moulson, and Ryan Callahan. We can't afford all three, but we need any combo of the two. It sounds like Moulson may want to stay in Minnesota, but with the Wild looking like they're going to make a massive push for Vanek, Moulson may not be able to stay in Minnesota, thus allowing him to hit the open market. The Devils need both of them, but will probably only be able to get one of them unless some salary is moved in a trade. Ruutu, Clowe, or Ryder would be the most likely candidates for a salary-dump trade. Now, many people I talk to wonder why I mention wanting Ryan Callahan. Well, he's that two-way forward with a scoring touch the Devils always covet. Also, Lou Lamoriello loves trolling the Rangers and what better way to do that than signing their former captain. Vanek/Moulson and Callahan would immediately help this team offensively and give DeBoer a ton of flexibility with line combinations next season. Now that we have owners that aren't filing for bankruptcy, I hope they open the checkbook and make a splash come July 1st.

Since today is the Kentucky Derby, my pick is a trifecta box of California Chrome, Danza, and Chitu (5-4-13)

NHL Trade Deadline: My Thoughts

Another NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and this one was one of the most exciting in recent memory. There were so many big pieces in play, so many rumors out there, and so many teams involved. Since it's nearly 24 hours since the deadline passed, it's naturally time to look at the winners and the loser of the deadline (even though it takes a couple years to truly determine winners and losers of trades).

Winner - St. Louis Blues

Not to state the obvious here, but the Blues getting Ryan Miller makes them a serious threat in a very top-heavy Western Conference. No disrespect to Jaroslav Halak, but Miller has better than decent numbers on a team that's absolutely atrocious. People all year were musing on the thought of Ryan Miller on a Cup-contender. Now, we get to see that. Let's see if the Blues could live up to their now newly-raised expectations.

Loser - New York Islanders

Other than Ryan Miller, Thomas Vanek was probably the biggest prize of the deadline. All Garth Snow did was turn Vanek into a mid-level prospect and a conditional 2nd round pick. Wait...what? That's it? How did the Islanders blow that? Islanders fans will probably point to the fact that teams were waiting for prices to go down on players like Vanek, Moulson, and Gaborik, but that's no excuse to not get a proper return for one of the biggest pieces in this deadline! If I was Garth Snow, I wouldn't have even traded Vanek for that package. I'd have waited for the draft when teams would want to trade for his rights because he is an unrestricted free agent and expected to be one of the top ones this Summer. Oh, Islanders...

Winner - Montreal Canadiens

Talk about fleecing someone! Montreal knows they won't be able to re-sign Vanek before July 1st, but they gave up almost nothing for an excellent piece. In the crowded Eastern Conference, this will help push Montreal into very solid playoff positioning. Look for Montreal to make some noise in the Spring now with Vanek in their lineup.

Loser - Philadelphia Flyers

It wouldn't be a trade deadline without a couple of head-scratching deals from Paul Holmgren and company. A mid-level defensive prospect, a 2nd rounder AND a 3rd rounder for Andrew MacDonald? I don't know about that. That's seems like quite a haul for someone is no better that average. Granted, that could be just because he was on the Islanders. We'll see if being in Philly helps him any. The Flyers did recoup a 3rd rounder by trading Andej Meszaros to Boston, but it may as well be a 4th rounder because Boston is one of the favorites in the East and will probably go deep into the playoffs. Sometimes, I don't know if Paul Holmgren understands what his job actually is.

Winner - Hockey in Florida

The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning made out like bandits during the deadline. Roberto Luongo goes back to Florida for almost nothing at the end of the day (no disrespect to Jacob Markstrom and Shawn Matthias). Luongo finally gets his wish to be out of Vancouver, and Mike Gillis will probably be on the chopping block this offseason. He has traded Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider for a total of a 1st round pick, Jacob Markstrom, and Shawn Matthias. That's entering Mike Milbury territory. Further up North, Tampa sent their captain to the Rangers for their captain, a 1st rounder in 2015, and a conditional 2nd rounder in 2014. The condition is that if the Rangers make the conference finals, that pick turns into a 1st! I don't care what kind of sentimental value Martin St. Louis holds in Tampa, if Glen Sather is going to let you fleece him like that, you pull the trigger. Sure, Ryan Callahan probably won't re-sign in Tampa, but this pick has the potential to net Tampa TWO 1st round picks. Good work Stevie Y.

Loser - New York Rangers

I really do wish the Rangers would stop trading for non-Devils that I like and thus forcing me to hate them. However, if they absolutely have to do that to me, I'm glad they're going to mortgage their future and make themselves look foolish. Ryan Callahan AND a 1st round pick AND a conditional 2nd round pick that could potentially turn into a 1st rounder? I hope Lou Lamoriello never finds what Glen Sather is smoking. I wish the Rangers would take a lesson from their neighbors up in the South Bronx. Mortgaging your future and signing over-priced stars is not how you gain long-term success.

Winner - Social Media Jokes

Dan Ellis was traded from the Dallas Stars to the Florida Panthers for Tim Thomas. His return to Florida means the return of the glorious hashtag, #DanEllisProblems. NHL Twitter fans, rejoice!

Losers - Michal Neuvirth, Rostislav Klesla, Torrey Mitchell, Chris Stewart

They were all traded to Buffalo.

And finally...

Winners - New Jersey Devils fans and Lou Lamoriello's legacy

I would be remiss to not mention the excruciating saga that was the Martin Brodeur trade rumors. The scene at Prudential Center on Tuesday was like nothing I had seen at a regular season game in a few years. Anyone at that game that owned a Martin Brodeur jersey was wearing it. The "MARTY!" chants were as loud and as frequent as 1st round playoff game. The energy and emotion the Devils played with showed they really wanted that game for Marty because they, like the fans, had no idea what was going to happen by that time tomorrow. Roll into it the fact that that game was crucial in the playoff race, and you have the recipe for an awesome atmosphere. But the fact that Marty was not traded was the biggest relief for all Devils fans. The idea of Marty playing in another jersey makes Devils fans sick to their stomach. We're all grateful that Lou decided not to trade the greatest goalie of all-time. Forget the "business" part of things, not trading Martin Brodeur was the RIGHT thing to do. I don't care about what we could have gotten for him, nothing would be able to replace what the New Jersey Devils organization would lose in trading him. Lou Lamoriello also saved his legacy by not trading Marty. Had he pulled the trigger on a deal, Lou would forever be remember as "The GM that traded the greatest goalie of all-time." Even though Lou has all of these awards and accolades, that would have shot to the top of his resume and stained it. Marty is were he belongs and everyone associated with the Devils can breathe again.