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)
