In Lou We Trust

First, from Tom Gulitti's Fire & Ice, it's brief but important with respect to the bench. Larry Robinson is stepping back to return to his role as a special assignments coach and Tommy Albelin will step up into being an assistant coach. From the comments, Gulitti elucidates on what Robinson did the last time he was a special assignments coach. With a lot of young players, this additional focus could help. It will be interesting to see how Albelin's role will affect the defense - even though that probably won't be fully realized until well into the coming season.

The most intriguing thing about this move is that it may expand Sutter's hand in coaching. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Albelin has not been an assistant coach at this level. It wouldn't be a the worst idea for Sutter to be more active with the defenders - assuming he isn't already - and to help Albelin out. Then again, it's entirely possible that Albelin may not need the help, or if he does, he could possibly get it from Robinson. One thing's for sure, there probably won't be a coach in the press box on a regular basis next season. Unless that's where they want Jacques Laperriere.

At this point, I'm now just grasping at straws here with respect to the coaching. Perhaps anything could happen.

Second, as reported by Gulitti and Rich Chere of the Star Ledger, Fedor Fedorov is confident on making the team. The quotes in Chere's article are interesting, to say the least. It's good to see someone with confidence; it can definitely make a difference between a good camp and a bad camp. But he seriously was signed to a one-way contract? I guess the organization is confident in Fedorov. After all, he's making $500k if he ends up in New Jersey or Massachusetts. Good luck to Mike Rupp, Rod Pelley (who's in camp without a contract), and Petr Vrana! You all now have more competition for a regular spot.

Second and half, Gulitti finds out why some of the prospects aren't available - specifically Mattias Tedenby and Mike Hoeffel.

Third, I found out from HF Boards that Sutter did a long interview with "Boomer" Dean Molberg on Calgary's FAN 960. You can listen to the whole thing on the FAN 960 website right here. He is quite specific that he wanted Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik's role on the team (it rhymes with "north mine").

But you probably don't really care about that. What you do care about are the New Jersey Devils. And this week the Devils are in action. In that the Devils prospects are already getting a look at by the organization. As usual, Tom Gulitti is on top of things with a who's who at camp. (Aside: Seriously, Fedor Federov is now in the organization? I guess after Jean-Luc Grand Pierre and Ian Moran, I guess this signing won't do too much damage in it's stupidity/bizarreness.)

So far this offseason, the Devils' signings have taken three forms (all posts by Gulitti):

1. New forwards - Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik.

2. Depth signings for Lowell - Jay Leach, Jon DiSalvatore, Chad Wiseman, and the return of Scott Clemmensen to the Devils organization.

3. Re-signing Jay Pandolfo, Petr Vrana, and Bryce Salvador.

Notice that the team didn't sign any new defensemen. There's a common thought process I've noticed from Devils fans that the defense could use an upgrade for next season - an example of this was mentioned by Tom Gulitti after the initial free agency extravaganza. It's definitely a reasonable desire. After all, good is never as good as great; and even the best teams in the league in any sport can always find areas to upgrade. When Gulitti talked with Lou after the Salvador signing, the GM we trust says:

If you take that to mean that Salvador is part of the Devils upgrading their defense, then I'm inclined to agree. Among the Devils blueliners, Salvador does bring experience - which is invaluable for a position like defenseman. He's also a solid, stay-at-home defenseman, of which the Devils do not have too many players of that type. The only other one I'd confidently say fits that style is Colin White. Most of the other defensemen are more all-around (note: that is not the same as two-way), decent defensemen. A full year of Salvador should prove to be a benefit.

Curiously, Lou said that the retainment of Salvador is not the only move he'll make, giving further fire to the thought that the Devils need an upgrade on defense. To a point, this makes sense. The Devils blueline - with 8 signed and 2 prospects who will be looked at closely in training camp - there doesn't seem to be a true puck-moving NHL-caliber defenseman in the group. Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya - two players who have really stepped up their game last season - showed flashes of that they could do it, but not enough to do so on a regular basis. Given that the Devils' transitional game relied a lot on guys like Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski to make that first pass or to lead the breakout, this has been a flaw in the Devils' offense.

Therefore, I think it's important to note that if the Devils trade for a defensemen - at this point, I think they will make a trade because they don't have a lot of cap space to sign someone significant right now - it should be for someone who specializes in passing, puck movement, puck control, puck poise, and other traits associated with that sort of thing. I would not expect your traditional "#1" defenseman to lead the blueline. While it would be great for the defense, those players don't just grow on trees. Such talent commands a high price in a trade, and I don't think it'd be worth giving up, say, Zach Parise for a stud defensemen like Jay Bouwmeester. If only because it would further reduce an already low goal-producing team just to improve the defense. Also, with the signing of Salvador, I don't think the Devils need another stay-at-home defenseman.

That all said, it's worth pointing out that the Devils' defense last year wasn't all that bad. On paper, it was littered with questions. "Can Martin really lead the defense?" "Will Johnny Oduya stop falling down and be a top 4 defenseman?" "Who in the hell are Mike Mottau, Andy Greene, and Sheldon Brookbank and why are they getting so many minutes?" "How will Karel Rachunek and Vitaly Vishnevski fit into the team?" (Answer to the last one: Not particularly well.) Questions aside, they did a lot better as a unit than one would think. While the goals against total was so low thanks to the Best Goalie in the World, Martin Brodeur, the defense did help him out. Yes, the opposition was more accurate than New Jersey, but the defense did enough to limit them to an average of 27.5 shots per game. That's good for eighth lowest in the league, and an average of .2 fewer shots per game would have put the team in the top 5 in that category. As excellent as Marty is (as well as John Madden and Pandolfo), that stat is primarily a result of the play of the blueline - and it's a pretty impressive one, I think.

The coaching staff did a great job handling 8 (and eventually 9) defensemen and having the unit play much better than it would look on paper. Interestingly enough, I think the defense will be better in a way should most of the same players stay together. Just like with forwards, defensemen build chemistry with each other. With improved communication, knowing just what your partner will do in various situation, and knowing what to do while your partner is along the boards or in front of the net or elsewhere, the defense as a whole will be much better. As the season went on, the individual players started performing with more confidence and providing better performances. The best example of this is Johnny Oduya, who went from depth defenseman with an unfortunate knack of falling down, to playing 20+ solid minutes with Paul Martin. The role of chemistry is invaluable among defensemen, just as it is with forwards. Coming into this season, Mottau, Brookbank, and Greene would all have had a full season of hockey. They could be even better this season now that they know what to expect. The same can go for Martin - who has grown into the #1 role for New Jersey - and Oduya - who has grown into playing well on the top pairing. The chemistry among these players will only be further solidified, short of a bizarre pairing changes at a constant rate.

Here are something things going about that I'd like to touch on, before we take a look at the defense.

First, Jared Ramsden has a review of the Devils draft from this past year at Hockey's Future. As a rule of thumb, you really can't judge drafts until at least 3 years. Which is partially why Petr Vrana and Nicklas Bergfors are in such crucial situations for their careers. Nevertheless, Ramsden is pretty pleased with Mattias Tedenby being selected in the first round. The rest of them he's currently projecting to be mid-pairing defensemen, checking forwards, and depth players. Also, as indicated by the introduction, he's surprised that no goaltenders were drafted. Well, I don't know if it's good to put the goaltending future in the hands of a young prospect unless he's the right guy. Besides, Brodeur is likely to play into 40 anyway, assuming he stays healthy and in shape.

Second, Slap Shot at the NY Times is reporting that Sergei Brylin is looking to sign with SKA St. Petersburg. Brylin is looking for a three to four year deal and SKA St. Petersburg wants to give it to him. As much as I appreciate what Brylin has done for the team, he started regressing this season. If he honestly was looking for a similar length with New Jersey, I'm glad the organization and Brylin mutally agreed to part ways. If/When the deal gets signed, best of luck to Sarge in the future. If you want to learn about the team, the Wikipedia entry for SKA St. Peterburg is a good place to start. You'll learn that ex-Devil Ray Giroux played for them recently! Hey, Andrei Zyuzin is also now a part of them, apparently. Oh, the things you learn when you search international hockey.

Third, from HF Boards, the Tennessean has a big report about potential Nashville Predators owner William Del Biaggio wanting to seize and move the franchise. Take some time to delve into the matter and among the many linked articles. (As an aside, this is some excellent journalism by the Tennessean.) This is fascinating and at the same time shocking. Yes, I'm not a Predators fan, but I sympathize with their fans all the same. It's a terrible feeling not knowing whether your favorite team will be around next season. Don't forget that it nearly happened to New Jersey, as they danger of moving to Nashville (of all places) after their first Stanley Cup in 1995. Thankfully, the Devils remain and hopefully the Predators will too. A good sign is that the local owners will look to replace Del Biaggio's $9.8 million stake.

Fourth, Ted Nolan has been fired by the New York Islanders according to Newsday. Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy thinks this is an excellent move for the struggling franchise. I'm not so sure. I can understand the general manager and the coach not seeing eye to eye is definitely not good for the team. I can fathom that a poor season after making the playoffs is definitely cause for concern. These, in conjunction, can be considered good reasons to fire someone. However, it puts a lot of pressure on the Islanders organization to find the right head coach to replace Nolan. Basically, the team is looking to build their franchise as Wyshynski rightfully points out, they need a coach who shares management's vision. Greg suggests Mr. John Tortorella. Not bad, but I wonder if he's the best option. Torts will definitely get people in line and he has experience turning around a team. But the Lightning are in a similar position (to a point) and Tortorella got dumped because the players seemingly stopped listening to him. Should Garth Snow hire Tortorella, will history repeat itself - what will they do to prevent the same situation again?

As a Devils fan, I wouldn't mind Mike Milbury getting back behind that bench. If only for the hilarity. (I'm sorry for bringing up his name, Islanders readers.)

Fifth, Scott Clemmensen is in the Devils organization again according to Gulitti of Fire & Ice. 2 Man Advantage is pumped about this development. I am officially indifferent. Also, Vrana is a Devil, Matt Halischuk can go to Lowell, and Rod Pelley is still not yet signed. I'm pretty sure Pelley was qualified, so I think it should be a matter of time.

Lastly, IPB has discovered Brian Gionta in their today's edition of the creatively-written Project Bicycle Spoke. They list a number of trade proposals they'd make with Gionta. Also, they hint with subtlety wanting Devils games to start at 7:30 PM next season.

It's now time to take a look at the return of Bobby Holik! The center of the famous CRASH LINE, where he centered Randy McKay and Mike Peluso as a fearsome threesome that, well, crashed the other team to great success in 1995. He developed into a shutdown checking center and rightly moved up from the fourth line. In fact, he even showed some production, picking up at least 60 points from the 1996-97 season through 1998-99. While his numbers dropped from then, he was still an important part of the team on the third line (plus, he was crucial in the 2000-2001 Stanley Cup run).

Unfortunately, Holik left a very, very sour taste in all Devils' fans mouths when he signed with Our Hated Rivals for a $9.5 million/year contract. It was shocking, anger-inducing, and laughably ridiculous all at the same time. However, since then Holik's career has been on a down turn. He was bought out by the Rangers after two years. Don Waddel felt Holik would be a solid addition to the Atlanta Thrashers. A ton of money and three years later, he was not retained. Needless to say, the numbers for Holik's Atlanta tenure don't look good. In fact, the only thing to note from his stats is that he played all 82 games in the last two seasons, he was excellent on faceoffs (58.4% faceoff win percentage last year), he's still big, and he grew some hair.

What I could find about Holik online isn't complimentary at all. Mortimer Peacock at The Blueland Chronicle stated that Bobby Holik did (intercourse)-all for the team in his end of the season awards. The Falconer (ASIDE: The Falconer is awesome. This a must read post.) at Do The Thrashers Have Long Talons? is more descriptive of Holik's three stop with the Thrashers in this ruthlessly honest essay about Atlanta's current woes. Holik didn't provide leadership, he wasn't good on penalty kills, he wasn't consistently intense, he was well overpaid, and the only solace you can take is that he wins a lot of faceoffs. Ouch. Pat Lackey at the NHL Fanhouse bluntly states that this wasn't a good signing. Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy is a bit more apologetic in stating that he could help out on the third line.

Let's face facts. Holik is not going to be seeing any big minutes unless injuries happen and he needs to fill a role for a game or two. Holik is also not going to be a leader, he's not going to be the proverbial "straw that stirs the drink," and he's not likely going to be a difference maker. His production has declined, he isn't getting any younger at age 37 and will likely not learn some new skills to rejuvenate his career, there's no real need for him on special teams except to win crucial faceoffs, and his best role has always been as a checker. And that's perfectly OK with me. Because I envision Holik not to take any of those big roles. No, I expect him to give John Madden a rest.

Before you write angry notes and/or never read this site again, let me explain. I am very much pro-Madden. He is clearly the top checking forward on this team he's regarded among the best in the league in that role, evidenced by his Selke Trophy Finalist selection. He gets all the tough assignments against the best forwards on the opposing team on a regular basis. He also played more minutes than all the other forwards last season with an average ice time of 19:30. While the Devils have been successful defensively due to the blueline playing better than the sum of their parts (or how they are on paper, depending on which cliche you'd like to use), the unit of Pandolfo-Madden-X has been a big help as well. During his Selke analysis, you'll find Mirle's methodology rates Pandolfo and Madden highly in this regard. What does this have to do with Holik? Plenty.

At this point in his career and given the Devils' current status, Holik can fit the bill as a second defensive center. Even though he's not close to being the player he was for New Jersey, Holik is still regarded as a third line center. On the Devils, he won't even have to do that. Among the various changes among the line up, there wasn't a consistent fourth line (or a first and second line, but I digress). Rod Pelley is a defensive forward, but he's also a rookie - looking like, well, a rookie in some games. I don't think Pelley's bad, but he certainly didn't make enough a case to keep him as a regular. Holik can provide the experience in that role that Pelley can't just yet. Given that a big part of defense involves positioning, anticipation, and hockey sense, experience is invaluable.

So instead of Pelley, let's modify Wyshynski's thought, and consider Holik as the Devils' fourth line center. With that move, he can provide the Devils the base for a viable second checking line. In Holik you have his defensive skills and his proficiency on faceoffs helping keeping possession. As far as wingers go, David Clarkson didn't look out of place on defense when he played with Pandolfo and Madden. Clarkson can be a physical force, aggressive - even agitating - against opposition forwards, and can be an interesting fit in this possible checking line. For the other winger, this is more open. If the Devils want it to be a physical defensive line, Mike Rupp can bring the pain along with Holik (I know he's 37, but he's still 6'4" and 230 lbs. and had 147 hits for Atlanta last year) and Clarkson. If they want to favor youth on this checking line, they could try Pelley at wing to see how it goes or give the supposedly Sergei-Brylin-like Petr Vrana a shot. Pelley has a good upside as a checker, but I'm not sure how Vrana can handle it - so I'd favor Pelley going into camp. So as long as defense is the goal, it should work.

Just by considering Holik as a defensive center on the fourth line the Devils have accomplished two things. First, they don't need to rely completely on Pandolfo-Madden-X to be the one-stop shop for line matching. Pandolfo and Madden won't have to have to take so many shifts to help the Devils not concede goals. This will leave them more rested for their shifts, which always good. Second, should the unit play well enough, oppositions are going to have hard time setting up their lines. In the past, they could move their best forwards around so they are on the ice when Madden is getting tired or isn't there. They could hit the Devils with their secondary (or tertiary!) scoring lines when the Devils won't have their third line out there. With a secondary checking line, the opposition can't just wait out the Madden line and hope for weaker opposition.

So Holik was a poor leader for Atlanta, so he wasn't good at scoring for the team, and so he wasn't particularly into all the games he played. So what? The fourth line was never much of a scoring line in the history of this franchise, so I don't think anyone reasonable will is expecting 40-50 points from Holik. No one will ask Holik to become a leader for the team, with established veterans already filling those needs (e.g. Madden, Elias, Langenbrunner, White, etc.). Holik won't have to play big minutes on a fourth line and he won't be needed on a penalty killing unit already well filled with forwards who have been doing a good job at it. If he's dogging it, Sutter will almost definitely not put up with it. These criticisms may even not be applicable for the role I'm thinking Holik should be in for New Jersey. He just needs to win faceoffs, play good positioning hockey for 8-12 minutes, frustrate the opposition's forwards a bit, and that in of itself will provide an extra dimension of defense for the team. That's always good for the team.

The worst-case-scenario out of all this is that: Holik totally sucks. He comes into camp out of shape, he doesn't have his heart in the season, and he gets dumped (bought out, down to Lowell, etc.). A loss of $2.5 million isn't good, but it is only for this season. After which, the Devils will probably look long term as to what they want to do with the fourth line. That all said, with the Holik signing, the fourth line doesn't have to be a low-minute line just there to provide some hits. It can provide some good use and I'd like to think the signing of Holik shows that the Devils organization may be thinking the same way.