An Overview of the New Jersey Devils Free Agents for 2010
by John Fischer on May 4, 2010 8:00 PM EDT
in Devils Issues, Views & Analysis
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Over the past week or so, I've looked at the basic defensemen stats, the power play, the penalty kill, and the team's scoring and shooting percentage. I've even taken a closer look at the impact Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk had in terms of Corsi% in a with or without you (WOWY) analysis.
Also, and even more relevant to this post, I explained why Devils fans should expect Brian Rolston, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Colin White among other Devils with no-trade or no-movement clauses to be on the team for 2010-11. It's highly unlikely that they are going anywhere - I wouldn't even consider the quite low possibility at this juncture. Throw in the fact that Jay Pandolfo will need surgery and so he would be ineligible to have his contract bought out this summer, and you could very well see all six Devils with no-trade clauses still in New Jersey.
With the playoff loss suffered by the New Jersey Devils now over a week old and all that in mind, I think it's time to look at the complete free agency picture for the 2010 offseason. I will be using CapGeek for the contract information for each player, recording their team (NJ or Lowell), their 2010-11 cap hit, special status (e.g. NTC, two-way), and how long the deal will run through (e.g. through 2012 means the contract ends after 2011-12). per their team chart listed for posterity's sake.
I will also list the free agents with their 2009-10 salary without bonuses (which is why Tyler Eckford had a $984k NHL cap hit but only $650k NHL salary - both didn't kick in for more than a few days as he was in Lowell). Do keep in mind that for many of the Lowell players, they were/are on two-way contracts so they earned less than what their NHL salaries were. I still put down their NHL cap hit as a point of reference, especially for those wondering what could happen should the Devils really go for a youth movement. For those players, assume they are on two-way deals unless otherwise specified.
Beyond the jump, I break down the signed players, unrestricted free agents (UFA), and restricted free agents (RFA) by position and offer some brief, gut-instinct opinion about each. More detailed posts about other free agents will come later and I reserve the right to change my opinion, of course.
Technically, the New Jersey Devils have already begun signing players in this offseason. CapGeek reported three new contracts for the Devils recently: Windsor Spitfires captain defenseman Harry Young, now-graduated Colgate center David McIntyre, and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies forward Jean-Sebastien Berube. All were signed to two-way entry level deals. Berube and McIntyre were assigned to Lowell and played a little in the playoffs. Young is still with Windsor in the OHL Championship Finals and will be for a little while longer. He and fellow Devils prospect Adam Henrique will likely go to the Memorial Cup provided Windsor doesn't botch a 3-0 series lead against Barrie. Incidentally, Game 4 is tonight.
All the more reason to look at the other free agents in my opinion.
Salary Cap Summary
I am going to assume that the salary cap for 2010-11 will be flat. Therefore, the maximum is $56.8 million.
Number of Devils Under Contract for 2010-11: 15 (10 F, 4 D, 1 G)
Current Cap Hit: $41,100,00 (+$240,000 for bonuses - if activated)
Current Cap Room: $15,940,000 - Can go above by 10% before training camp, must be under by then.
Goaltender
Signed in NHL (1): Martin Brodeur (NJ, NTC, $5.2 million through 2012)
Signed in AHL (2): Jeff Frazee (Lowell, two-way, $541.6k through 2011); Mike McKenna (Lowell, two-way $500k through 2011).
Unrestricted Free Agent (1 from NHL): Yann Danis (Last Season: NJ, $500k salary)
A Quick Opinion: Danis didn't play all that much, but he was serviceable when he came in for relief or in spot duty as a starter. If he sticks around, I wouldn't mind. Incidentally, if the Maven's to believed, the #2 goalie in New Jersey may get more starts and minutes in 2010-11 (my take: We'll see about that.) Maybe that'll convince Danis to stay? Either way, the Devils shouldn't have to spend so much money for a backup.
Defensemen
Signed in NHL (4): Colin White (NJ, NTC, $3 million through 2012); Bryce Salvador (NJ, $2.9 million through 2012); Andy Greene (NJ, $737.5k through 2011); Anssi Salmela (NJ, $612.5k through 2011)
Signed AHLers/Prospects (5): Alexander Urbom (Prospect, entry level, $900k through 2012); Matt Corrente (Lowell, entry level, $821.6k through 2011); Harry Young (Prospect, entry level, $536.6k through 2013); Matt Taormina (Lowell, entry level, $510k through 2011); Rob Davison (Lowell, one way, $500k through 2011)
Unrestricted Free Agents (3 from NHL): Paul Martin (Last Season: NJ, $4.5 million salary); Mike Mottau (Last Season: NJ, $762.5k); Martin Skoula (Last Season: NJ, $575k); Cory Murphy (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $500k)
Restricted Free Agents (1 from NHL): Tyler Eckford (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $986k salary); Mark Fraser (Last Season: NJ, two-way, $500k); Olivier Magnan-Grenier (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $515k salary)
Quick Opinions on the Free Agent Defensemen: A quick look at the UFA defensemen for summer of 2010 shows that Paul Martin could very well be the only player on the market who can lead a defense who isn't over 30. Yeah, Paul Martin's going to get paid this summer. Combine that with the fact that the Devils have only Andy Greene as a two-way defenseman, and keeping Martin is almost a must for New Jersey in my view. I thought Andy Greene was great in this past season, but I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Martin as the #1 instead of hoping Greene can repeat his 09-10 season.
I think Mike Mottau's better than some give him credit for. Well, he's been more effective than some give him credit for. He'll likely get a well-deserved raise. But his lack of offense as well as the thought of whether he could follow up on his 2009-10 season means that I'm ambivalent. I don't think the Devils can easily plug in a rookie into his spot. Into Martin Skoula's spot, sure, but that spot may already be penciled in for Mark Fraser or Anssi Salmela I feel that if the Devils want to go out and get a defensemen, replacing either Mottau or Skoula (or both) is a lot more reasonable than replacing Martin.
The Cory Murphy experiment didn't work out in New Jersey but it did in Lowell. If he wants to stick around, fine, but I doubt he'll get another shot at New Jersey. If his goal is the NHL, then he may have to do it elsewhere.
The three RFAs will all be re-signed. Eckford and Magnan will likely get two-way deals; and Fraser is all but a regular at this juncture. September's training camp is going to be filled with defensemen wanting to make their mark like Corrente, Eckford, Taormina, and Urbom along with the other prospects. It'll be a huge camp for Eckford or Corrente to determine whether they have a real future in New Jersey. Plus, Fraser and Salmela battling each other for a spot on the team.
And that doesn't include any new defensemen signed in the summer. The blueline is potentially crowded as-is. If the Devils do decide to let Mottau and Skoula go - which would be OK as it would open up another spot on the blueline for Fraser, Salmela, etc. - then the Devils should sign a two-way/offensive defenseman to fill in Mottau's minutes. I don't want a specialist like Marc-Andre Bergeron where his defense can be a liability, he'll need to be a #3/#4 caliber player. But I do want someone who's got a decent long shot and has good puck movement skills.
All the same, I'm hoping Paul Martin will lead the group.
Wingers
Signed in NHL (9): Patrik Elias (NJ, NMC, $6 million through 2013); Brian Rolston (NJ, 35+, NTC, $5.0625 million through 2012); Dainius Zubrus (NJ, $3.4 million through 2013); Zach Parise (NJ, $3.125 million through 2011); Jamie Langenbrunner (NJ, NTC, $2.8 million through 2011); Jay Pandolfo (NJ, NTC, $2.5 million through 2011); Vladimir Zharkov (NJ, entry level, two-way, $850k through 2011 - $610k if $240k bonus doesn't get activated); Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (NJ, two-way, $525k through 2012); Andrew Peters (NJ, $500k through 2011)
Signed AHLers/Prospects (7): Matt Halischuk (Lowell, entry level, $875k through 2011); Alexander Vasyunov (Lowell, entry level, $850k through 2011); Nick Palmieri (Lowell, entry level, $801.6k through 2012); Jean-Sebastien Berube (Prospect, entry level, $531.6k through 2013); Kory Nagy (Lowell/Trenton, entry level, $528.3k through 2012); Nathan Perkovich (Lowell, entry level, $515k through 2011); Kevin Cormier (Lowell, $500k through 2011)
Unrestricted Free Agents (1 from NHL): Ilya Kovalchuk (Last Season: NJ, $6.3893 million salary); Ilkka Pikkarainen (Last Season: NJ, $500k - transferred to CSKA Moscow during season)
Restricted Free Agents (2 from NHL): David Clarkson (Last Season: NJ, $850k salary); Rod Pelley (Last Season: NJ, two-way, $575k); Brad Snetsinger (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $550k); Patrick Davis (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $522.5k); Myles Stoesz (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $500k)
Quick Opinions on the Free Agent Wingers: Trading for Ilya Kovalchuk was the right call in my opinion. He brings a lot of positives to the Devils, and he's an excellent scorer who plays against top competition. He also boosts the profile of the team as an established star in the game today. Guys like Kovalchuk are rare. However, given the cap situation and the fact that Kovalchuk plays the same position as Parise and Elias, is it wise for the Devils to commit a ton of money to three left wingers? Initially, I think not. Kovalchuk and Martin being UFAs both require a post of their own in the future. I'll go into detail there.
I've included Elias and Zubrus on the list of wingers. Even though they've been used as centers, they've largely played in New Jersey as wingers and I feel that's where they play their best hockey. Even if you consider them to be centers instead, the Devils are still fairly stacked at the wing position. If there's a positional need, it's not here.
Rod Pelley showed quite a bit as an energy winger and I suspect he'll be re-signed to continue in that role. That's fine, I think he's better at it than Leblond and Peters.
David Clarkson is going to get a nice raise and we'll see if a full, healthy season will lead to him contributing more on the scoresheet. Would I want Lou to give him $2.5 million? No. As a gut-reaction, $2 million or a little less may be appropriate for the gritty third line winger. How much he'll get will certainly be interesting.
As far as guys from the minors, Davis was the only RFA to get a brief call up to New Jersey and show what he could do. I think he'll get a two-way deal and be in Albany next season. On that basis, him and Nick Palmieri could have an inside track on other wingers looking to prove themselves in training camp. Halischuk and Vasyunov would rate behind those two, with Halischuk having an advantage due to his starting in New Jersey and his projection out to a bottom six forward. There will be a lot of wingers in New Jersey again and it's nigh impossible to break through to the top two lines like Nicklas Bergfors did last season - even if Kovalchuk doesn't sign with the Devils.
Centers
Signed in NHL (1): Travis Zajac (NJ, $3.8775 million through 2013)
Signed AHLers/Prospects (3): Adam Henrique (Prospect, entry level, $875k through 2012); David McIntyre (Prospect, entry level, $597.5k through 2012); Brad Mills (Lowell, $505k through 2011)
Unrestricted Free Agents (2 from NHL): Rob Niedermayer (Last Season: NJ, $1 million salary); Dean McAmmond (Last Season: NJ, two-way, $500k); Ben Walter (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $500k); Tim Sestito (Last Season: Lowell, two-way, $500k)
Quick Opinions about the Free Agent Centers: Your eyes are not deceiving you. The Devils have only one true center under contract for New Jersey, two signed in the system and are long shots, and four unrestricted. The Devils are very weak in terms of quantity (Only 1 in the NHL) and quality (after Zajac it's a bunch of long shot prospects) at center. Lou must absolutely address the center position through free agency this summer. After dealing with the Martin/Kovalchuk decision, this is the most pressing area of need.
The Devils got by great with the late signings of Niedermayer and McAmmond. For their salaries, they've played their roles fairly well. Do I want them back? Niedermayer is 35 and McAmmond is 37. I wouldn't wager on them playing as well in another season. Maybe one of them as depth, but not both.
I don't believe the answer is to go out and hand a ton of money to Patrick Marleau or Tomas Plekanec. Just going out and getting a decent second line and third line center would mostly suffice. Ideally, I'd like three centers signed if only so Zubrus and Elias can play at their best positions. As for Lowell and call-up purposes, keeping Walter and/or Sestito around wouldn't be a bad idea at all. I doubt McIntyre and Henrique and step right in and make an immediate impact anyway.
I cannot say it enough: The Devils need centers. Centers. Not wingers who can play center. Centers. Guys who can win faceoffs, play well in the middle of the ice at both ends, and contribute some more offense than Niedermayer and McAmmond. Centers.
The Coaching Factor
So this is the entire free agency situation that Lou Lamoriello and his staff will face. On top of this, they'll need a new head coach as Jacques Lemaire retired. Who the new head coach will be will undoubtedly factor into how the team will be organized in 2010-11.
With free agency kicking off in early July (I think it's the 1st but I'm not positive), the Devils have time to get a new head coach, understand what his strategies and tendencies (e.g. will he be defensive or offense, does he forecheck aggressively, does he play lots of youth, etc.) and then make personnel decisions with that in mind in addition to the team's positional and skill needs.
Your Say
Now, I leave it to you to speculate. Who do you want signed in New Jersey and why? Don't make this into some sort of fantasy where guys with NTCs can be traded and there's no salary cap. Assume that free agents will look for raises, that Devils with NTCs/NMCs will stay, and consider the positional needs of the team (e.g. center, a back up goaltender). There's $15.94 million available to sign players. I think the Devils should keep some space open to allow for call-ups for injuries and trades during 2010-11; but if you want to go right up to the max, that's fine.
If you're wondering who is a pending UFA for this summer, I highly recommend CapGeek's UFA Finder. It lists who the free agents are by position and can be sorted by several basic and real-time super-stats statistics. You can easily and quickly learn that Mottau led all pending UFAs in average even strength time on ice in 09-10. Yes, more than Scott Niedermayer, Nicklas Lidstrom, Willie Mitchell, and Dan Hamhuis.
Initially, I think all of the RFAs will be re-signed, with Clarkson, Pelley, and Fraser being the only ones getting one-way deals. I think the Devils will need to retain Danis or get another goaltender; they should try to keep Martin over Kovalchuk; sign a two-way/offensive defenseman; and at least two centers to fill out the roster.
Again, I will go into more depth about some of the Devils' free agents as well as some of the more popular free agents in future posts. Who you suggest here as signings will likely end up being the guys I do some sort of analysis on throughout May and June. Thanks for reading.
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Mottau and Martin
He’s definitely, as you said, better than a lot of people give him credit for. If he’s looking for a raise though, I think it’s time to let him go. One thing that has plagued us is a lack of offense from defense (just look at win-loss records in relation to d points). As a 30+, I think I’d like to give a younger guy a chance.
It’s tough to say i don’t want Paul Martin back because he’s a really solid player. He can move the puck and play terrific d. I think one problem we had in the post season was not letting him play the penalty kill. My concern with him is his health and how long the season is. I feel like every year he is always suffering from little injuries and it took him forever to recover fully from injury this year. I know it’s not his fault but if the price were too high I wouldn’t be terribly upset and if he does go we do need to sign 2 good defenders.
He’s definitely, as you said, better than a lot of people give him credit for. If he’s looking for a raise though, I think it’s time to let him go. One thing that has plagued us is a lack of offense from defense (just look at win-loss records in relation to d points). As a 30+, I think I’d like to give a younger guy a chance.
Mottau’s a guy where his GVT says it all. Defensively, he’s at 5.9 which is great. Only 18 players posted a better DGVT than Mottau in 09-10. But his offense, well, he’s below replacement level. He doesn’t bring much going forward and so I’d like a two-way defenseman to replace his spot if nothing else.
Martin’s health…hmm…I’ll have to consider that later on. Thanks for that tip.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
I also feel that Mottau wont get any better. If him and White were our 3rd D pair I’d be a lot happier. With Greene-Salvador, I think we still need another top pair to go anywhere in the playoffs.
Also, I may be in the minority here but I really have no interest in bringing back Fraser (unless as a 7th d). I’d much rather give Corrente a shot as another more physical d. I don’t see Fraser improving the puck moving side of his game and is a bit blow. He was alright as a fill in but I believe that JL hid him frequently from the other teams top players.
My take
Opening night roster, in depth chart order, not necessarily line combinations.
LWs: Parise, Elias, Rolston, Leblond
C: Zajac, Zubrus, Many Malhotra, Jim Slater, Dean McAmmond
RW: Langenbrunner, Clarkson, Zharkov, Jed Ortmayer, Pandolfo
D: Martin, Salvador, White, Greene, Fraser, Eckford, Salmela
G: Brodeur, Danis
UFA signings:
McAmmond: $600,000 – a 20% raise should be more than acceptable
Jim Slater: $1,260,000 – 27 years old, 4th best UFA F/O percentage, figure a 50% raise is probably reasonable
Manny Malhotra: $1,100,000 – 29, best UFA F/O percentage, a litle more than 50% increase
Jed Ortmayer: $850,000 – 31, Among the leaders in UFA SH points, 300K raise probably realistic
Paul Martin: $4,900,000 – A 1.1M raise ought to be enough to keep him here, if not, there’s room for more
Yann Danis: $650,000 – 30% raise and the prospect of playing more
RFA signings:
Clarkson: $1,900,000 – More than double his salary, probably not too far off
Eckford: 1,200,000 – Unproven, a reasonable 20% raise under the circumstances
Fraser: 600,000 – Again, 20% increase probably not out of line
If my guesses are low, this all ads up to 53,460,000 so there’s qute a bit of wiggle room. This means we let Mottau and Skoula walk, and try to find a taker for Peters, Maybe Philly, they like that type of player.
I don’t really see the need to overpay for UFAs. Yeah, keeping Kovy would be nice, but Martin has to be higher on the keep list. The UFA signings I proposed aren’t top-level players, but then do we really need many players for the top 2 lines anyway? And the centers are an upgrade F/O wise, Malhotra and Belanger compare fairly well otherwise, Malhotra’s cheaper and younger. Slater may be a less potent scorer than Lombardi, but he’s a million cheaper, and again, we should have some decent firepower on the top 2 1/2 lines.
Go Jets
Go Devils
by FrankG929 on May 4, 2010 9:36 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Everyone take note
This is an excellent way at looking things.
Also, MALHOTRA~! I thought the Devils should have snagged him last summer, maybe they can make it happen this summer.
One quibble: Martin made $4.5 million last season – I doubt he’s only going to stay for just $400k more. A typo? But as you say, there’s room for more.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
Funny
Cap Geek (http://www.capgeek.com/charts.php?Team=20) has him at 3.8M. If 4.5 is correct, then he gets 5.5 in my list and I’m still under.
Go Jets
Go Devils
That’s his cap hit. Click on the gray button at the top that says “Show Salaries”
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
Ortmayer
was in Vegas in 2007 and accidentally bumped into Ortmayer and some other NHLers at the Hard Rock Cafe lounge. My buddy just put money on the Rangers to win the Stanley Cup after they signed Gomez and Drury and was bragging about it. And Steve Shields came over, heard about it, and then all of Ortmayer’s buddies (some Wolfpack guys, some Michigan) razzed him because (unbeknownst to us) the Rags released him. True story.
I have respect for most sports fans with 2 exceptions: NY Ranger fans who grew up in New Jersey, and Dallas Cowboy fans who can't name the capital of Texas.
Here
Centers:
Manny Malhotra – Center Faceoff % 62.50 (He might not want to move back to the East Coast)
Richard Park – a Winger who wins a lot of faceoffs and Park blocks a ton of shots.
Kurtis Foster on D for Shots on Goal or Marc-Andre Bergeron or Jordan Leopold who also excels in blocked shots.
I have respect for most sports fans with 2 exceptions: NY Ranger fans who grew up in New Jersey, and Dallas Cowboy fans who can't name the capital of Texas.
good moves
All three would be good moves. As long as we picked up a good D-man like Hamhuis or Volchenkov along the way, easier said than done (maybe Doughty…or Keith, or Weber…), then we should be fine barring Paul Martin. But yes, a defenseman who blocks shots and a defenseman who has a cannon. Also Malhotra would be a good fit, I would like that a lot and a shot-blocking forward, I’m not a Park fan, but I could live with it. If all of that happened, we’d be better off, plus we do still need someone who can play-make on a somewhat high level at center.
by DownGoesAvery on May 5, 2010 6:59 AM EDT up reply actions
KEEP MARTIN
i went to Martin’s first game back from injury and the difference he brought to the team was great.. even in his first game. He freaking scored a goal! The guy is so steady and very solid on both ends of the ice.
I think we have 2 good puck movers in Martin and Greene. Its the other side of the ice that concerns me. Salvador isn’t a #2 or #1 dman… neither is Skoula, White or Mottau. I think White needs to be on the 3rd pair/PK, Salvador on the 2nd pair (with Greene), and get Volchenkov to play next to Martin.
I know he’ll be in high demand, but the guy has so much heart, grit, and passion, and is the best shutdown guy on the market. at 28 years old, i’ll give him 5 years @ 4+ mil with… a NTC (why would u even want to move this guy?). Give Martin 5 years 4.5 mil.
I like Hamhuis but he doesn’t have stellar numbers and he’s in his prime so is easy to overpay for him. He’s not great shutdown like Volchenkov nor is he Suter or Weber. He’s just a regular 2nd pairing guy. Mitchell is 33, with a similar skill set as Hamhuis, with more leadership and experience. These guys are my next choices, but i really want Volchenkov.
Volchenkov-Martin
Salvador-Greene
White-up for grabs. Corrente, Eckford, Fraser, Salmela would all be fine here.
+8.5mil
Up front, I agree that we’ll see Langs, Rolston, Pando.. etc. back.
Pelley should be resigned for 1mil, Clarkson 2 mil absolute MAX. Danis 1 year/750k.
I know the Dean is older, but he is faster and brings more to the table than Niedermayer.
I say resign him at another 1 year/750k deal for 4th line depth. If not McAmmond, then Metropolit.. though he may cost 500k more than the Dean. Madden would just be way too expensive as teams still believe he can serve as a 3rd line checking role. We don’t want Rolston/Clarkson checking- we want them scoring. It would be nice to have Madden back, but i don’t think we need him at 2+mil.
I want to give Sestito/Swift a shot at that 3rd line spot.
If we don’t want a rookie at the 3rd line center, I vote Malhotra 2 years/2.5 mil. I think he’ll be cheaper than Cullen, who i think would be better between Rolston/Clarkson than Elias/Zubrus, and is quicker.. and younger, than Brendan Morrison- who’s numbers were drastically inflated playing with Oveckin (i know cuz he was on my fantasy team.. and then was put on waivers when taken off Caps’ top line). 2nd choice here is Belanger @ the same contract.
For the 2nd line center, there are a handful of options after our illustrious Plekanec. I’d give him 4 years/5 mil, and a NTC if he wants it. By the time his 4 years are up, I’m betting Henrique/Josefson will be ready for that 2nd line spot (give em a year or 2 on the 3rd line b4 moving up.)
Lombardi is my 2nd choice and is a good choice. Although he’s not as skilled as Plekanec, he’s a good player and I think can be had at 4 years/3.5 mil. I don’t want Belanger as a 2nd line center. If he is I’d just give him 3 years/3 mil max. He seems more of a 3rd line guy.
Maybe if we can’t get Plekanec, and pass on McAmmond we get both Lombardi AND Belanger? Maybe they’ll be in too high of demand and we wouldn’t be able to get both for a combined 6-6.5 mil. I doubt it’ll happen.
gosh i wish Rolston’s deal was 3 mil instead of 5.
Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner
Elias-Lombardi-Zubrus
Rolston-Belanger-Clarkson
Pando/PL3-rookie-Pelley
+8mil
This adds up to 16.5, which is 600k more than what we can spend.
Keep Martin @ 4.5, add Volchenkov @ 4-4.5. Then pick a darn 2nd line center @ 5 mil max.
Problem is i think Montreal wants to keep Plekanec, Phoenix wants to keep Lombardi and Washington wants to keep Belanger. So we’re screwed anyways.
by Matthew Gigawatts Maneri on May 4, 2010 9:46 PM EDT reply actions
What about Kovalchuk?
"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."- Tiger Woods
by RolliePollieKovy on May 5, 2010 8:00 AM EDT up reply actions
It is very easy to say “sign this guy for X dollars” and “sign that guy for Y dollars”…. it gets a lot harder in practice when you have 30 teams bidding, and it only takes one crazy or stupid GM to hand out a ridiculous contract. (Wade Redden for 6 years and 39 million, anyone?) Personally, I don’t see how Martin doesn’t get a decent raise from someone, to $5-6 million per season…. and I don’t see how Plekanec is going to “only” get $4-5 million/year if he hits the open market, either. Both of them will be in high demand — Martin as perhaps the best defenseman out there, and Plekanec as a center and as the top set-up man.
The first thing I’d do as GM is try to re-sign Kovalchuk. I know it isn’t popular as a premiere move, and there’s the (valid) concern about having too many left wingers. I can live with Elias at center, even if it isn’t his natural position — his face-off percentage is reasonable, and it wasn’t like he will be put out there to take the key defensive draws. Second, Elias is the team’s most gifted set-up man (I believe that Zajac’s playmaking is at least partially a reflection of Parise’s ability to finish), which isn’t nearly as useful if you don’t have a scorer to put with him. Finally, the oft-repeated problem with this team is that they don’t score, and I don’t see how letting one of the game’s elite snipers walk without a fight possibly helps that. His deal just has to get done by the draft, but he’s the guy I’d give a lot of years, a lot of money, and the NTC to.
Another center would also be high on my list of priorities, although it could be a third-line type who also kills penalties. There’s been talk on this blog of Matt Lombardi, and there’s also mention of Manny Malhotra in this thread, and both of them make sense — they’re solid players, they ought to blend in, and the attention will be on the bigger names at the outset of free agency, which makes it a good time to strike.
If Plekanec hits the open market, I’d at least kick the tires on him. I can’t see outbidding the teams that will view him as a #1 center (which he will not be here), and I think giving him a no-trade clause would be insanity. If you give him a lot of years and dollars and the NTC, and he turns into a bust here, you’ve got another cap albatross.
I’m less concerned about the blueline. I’d like to bring back Paul Martin, but that deal almost has to be done before July 1st. If he hits the open market, someone will throw a stupid amount of money at him that the Devils really shouldn’t match. I’d let Mike Mottau walk, because I suspect he’ll get a two or three-year deal from someone at a nice raise from his pittance. At his current price, he’s a nice third-pairing D-man, but nothing more than that. He can be replaced from within. I’m also skeptical that Volchenkov could work here. It sounds nice in theory — he blocks shots and plays physical, but we’ve already got two guys in that mold in White and Salvador (for all the flaws they have) and I don’t know that Volchenkov will translate well to New Jersey and the system here. For all his brilliance, Lou is much better when retaining players or bringing in second-tier types to fill out the roster, and not so much with the big-ticket free-agency items. Malakhov was a disaster, Zubrus has been very up-and-down, McGillis was a bust, and the lot of you are ready to throw Rolston off the Bayonne Bridge.
I can live with replacing Martin and Skoula and Mottau with a bunch of kids. Replacing Martin wouldn’t be easy, but other guys can grow into that role if needbe. Skoula and Mottau can be replaced from Lowell without spending money…. and if Martin walks, you can always pocket some of that money to use later in the year. You can always find a D-man near the trade deadline if that’s a real issue.
The other lesser lights. I’d give Danis another chance, because I think he can handle the role expected of him (Maven’s idea of Clemmensen is ridiculous — he’s got two more years cheap for the Panthers, and they’ll try and trade Vokoun this summer). I see no reason to bring back Niedermeyer at this stage, but I would try and bring back McAmmond for another year at a small raise to provide what he did this year. Clarkson and Pelley are coming along nicely, so bring them back…. and Fraser I’d give a chance as well (but on a two-way deal, so he can be banished to Lowell if he doesn’t make the squad next year). I won’t go into the Lowell kids, as I haven’t seen enough of most of them to judge, but I’ll trust Lamorello on that end.
Keep Martin. Boot Kovy. Get a good coach. Don't overspend for overrated numb-skulls.
Be frugal. What about Joe Corvo for the umpteenth time?
Creed: (Play well+Win=Praise) (Play Well+Lose=Praise) (Play Lousy+Win=Criticism) (Play lousy+Lose & Bandwagon Jumpers=Off with thier heads!)
by LoNJDTechnology on May 4, 2010 11:08 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
2 quick questions before I get into this...
1. Bonuses do not count against the NHL cap? Per CapGeek, The cap is at 56.8m; Payroll is 41.1m; Cap space is 15.94m. 41.1+15.94 = 57.04. If you subtract the bonuses of 0.240m (Sharky’s bonus), it’s equal to 56.8. So isn’t Sharky’s cap hit really only $610k?
2. Watching Casino and I forget this one. Why edit it..right?
by Matthew Ventolo on May 4, 2010 11:18 PM EDT reply actions
1. Good point. I don’t know what triggers the bonus or when it is. Perhaps it’s not activated yet or won’t be at all, therefore the Devils technically have another $240k to play with. I’ll make a clarification.
2. You know the rules and you know they won’t change so you know that quoting Casino is likely a poor choice.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on May 4, 2010 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks
Didn’t quote anything..I really did have another question that I forgot while watching/typing. Apologies regardless.
by Matthew Ventolo on May 4, 2010 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh. I thought you wanted quote Casino. It’s OK. I’m sure the question will come back to you.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
by John Fischer on May 4, 2010 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I got it. Had to reread the article..
Isn’t Rod Pelley a center? I don’t know how good he was this year (played the dot mostly in the beginning of the year) at center.
by Matthew Ventolo on May 5, 2010 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions
He's a natural wing
He’s much more comfortable and effective on the wing. I know he was touted as “the next John Madden” but he was NOT GOOD at center (imo).
If Andrew Peters ever plays again it will be too soon.
He has the ability to play center. He took 198 FOs in 68 games and went 49.5%. For his first year in the NHL, that’s pretty good. Being touted the next Madden would make be believe he played to the dot well enough for scouts/prospect sites to call him that. How was he not good to you? I’m curious if there’s something I didn’t see this season that you did.
Either way, it’s not like the Devils don’t use wingers to play center (Elias, Zubrus). I can see him playing well with Clarkson on a checking line.
by Matthew Ventolo on May 5, 2010 1:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Personally I think NJ should let Martin go. I think Martin is a very solid defender and I know he’s just about to turn 30, but this is who he is. In the next 2-3 years he’s not going to raise his game up any higher. He’s not a #1 defender, but he will want that kind of money. he’s going to get between 5-6mill a year and I really think giving martin that much is pointless. Unlike Rafalski, Martin was not offensivley minded and restrained by NJ’s defensive system… for all of his solid D work he’s very apprehensive at shooting and that really is shame and not something I see him overcoming at his age. Martin’s best offensive season was his 2nd year on the team, he’s not going to hit 40 pts, nor ever become a true PP asset.
Also as someone has pointed out Martin is injury prone in my opinion. over the last three season as the teams #1 D-Man he’s averaged only 56 games per (73,73,22). Now you can argue that last year was a fluke and at most Martin is the type of player to miss 10 games a season, but I don’t buy it. I remember Martina always playing slightly banged up and I don’t see that getting better, but getting worse with age.
We shouldn’t keep or overpay Martin just because he’s “good” and our best defensemen. We need a number one defensemen not a solid guy at the head of the pack. And if we’re going to play strong D by consensus i’d rather spread what Martin may command on two players, who are younger, have higher ceiling in my opinion and not only help fill Martin’s role, but plug other holes.
I think NJ should take the money they’d spend on Martin and target guys like Dan Hamhuis, Denis Seidenberg, Kurtis Foster or even see if Neidermayer will come back for 1-2 year deal. Please avoid Volchenkov at all costs. Yes he is a shot blocking beast but does nothing offensively which is an issue for the team AND his style of play limits him to about 60 games a year and will really start catching up with him sooner than later.
As for centers I know people LOVE throwing Plekanec out there on their wish lists but we don’t need that, especially if it’s a choice between him and keeping Kovalchuk. Guys like Plekanec are always around… players like Kovalchuk come along rarely.
I think money better spent would be targeting a guy like Lombardi who will be cheaper than Plekanec and just as effective. Other than that I’d love if Lou made a run at Malhorta or even a short term deal to Koivu.
One final point i’d like to make is about Elias. While yes John, I think he should be playing wing, I don;t really see any reason why it needs to be left wing. Yes I know that’s where he’s played most of his career but we’ve all see Elias play. He’s the sort of player who i’m sure could thrive on either side and would make a good off wing.
maybe I'm being too simplistic and cap ignorant...
…but if we really wanted to sign Kovy and Zach to long-term deals, can’t we just sign them to Hossa-esque deals where the salary is high, but the cap hit isn’t? Hossa is making 7.9 million dollars for the next 7 years (thats as far into the future that I could see on NHLSCAP), but the cap hit is only 5.275 million. Am I just overlooking something or is this just not being mentioned too often because it’s not really the way Lou operates?
My ideal 23-man roster
Goaltender
Resign/Sign:
Yann Danis $0.500mil/1yr He didn’t wow anyone. Danis can be replaced by Frazee/McKenna, or anyone else at around 500k.
Defense
Resign:
Paul Martin: $5.1mil Give him a big deal like 5yr/25.5 w/ NTC. He’s our #1.
Fraser/Eckford/Murphy to 2-way deals. AHL bound.
Sign:
Dan Hamuis: $3.0mil 24pts, +4 season. His Corsi stats look good. $1mil raise seems fit. 2 or 3 yr deal would be nice.
Gone:
Mottau: He’s getting older and the youth is taking over. I feel Davison/Corrente can play his role better in the future.
Skoula: It’s been fun. (see Mottau’s caption)
Wingers
Resign:
David Clarkson: $1.25mil The injury hurt, but he plays his role well. This year was supposed to be his breakout season, next season. A 3 year deal.
Patrick Davis to a 2-way deal.
Gone:
Ilya Kovalchuk: Devils don’t have it
Center
Resign:
Tim Sestito: $0.550mil Not a big increase, but making this into a 1-way deal, it’s valuable. 2 year contract.
Rod Pelley: $0.800mil Small increase. Also 1-way. His1st NHL year was OK. Make this a 2 or 3 year deal. (Maybe a 600k, 800k, 1mil each year thing)
Ben Walter to a 2-way contract.
Sign:
Matthew Lombardi: $4.0mil. 53pts. 50% FO%. Corsi stats are good. Double the salary. I wouldn’t mind a long
contract (4 or 5 years). He’s 28.
Gone:
Nieder & McAmmond, thanks but you’re getting old. Time for youth.
My ideal lines:
Parise-Zajac-Zubrus
Elias-Lombardi-Langenbrunner
Pandolfo-Pelley-Clarkson
Zharkov-Sestito-Rolston
(Peters)
Martin-Hamhuis
White-Salvador
Greene-Salmela
(Davison)
Brodeur
Danis
1-open spot and enough space for any 2-way player…Palmieri/Corrente/Halischuk/Fraser/Eckford. Depending on who, the cap space is like 200k-400k.
Pandolfo situation simple
Correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s a simple solution to Pandolfo, send him to the AHL next season, or give him the option we gave Brylin. If he doesn’t retire and doesn’t want to be traded, well, he can play in the AHL, maybe even with his brother, I haven’t heard about him in a while, he was in Lowell two years ago.
You guys know how I feel about everyone else, I just posted an extensive ‘article’ about what I think we should and shouldn’t do this off-season, but that’s my updated opinion on Pando now with this surgery. Ugh…..
That’s a bit harsh, the guy has been a loyal soldier and to do that to him would not be in the best interests of the team, IMHO. Yes I agree that his play has declined but he was injured all of last year. If I was the GM I could do that to the guy. Again, just my opinion. Lets see how he plays after his shoulder is healed. The timing he chose to get his surgery done is just horrible and don’t know what he was thinking however, I have always liked Pando. He is definitely getting towards the end of what was a serviceable career. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do with him now. It’s obvious he wants to play and play in Jersey but that brings a host of other problems.
You're Next!
by thatguy011071 on May 5, 2010 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
free agents
i think that z. michalek and coliacovo would be good defensive pickups, and colby armstrong as a line 2 center. as always, id also like to see miro satan in a devils uniform
EthanM
Urbom Signed?
When was he signed? I don’t remember reading anything about that? Was it recent?
You're Next!
What about Josefson and Tedenby? I thought Josefson’s contract is up this season and can come over? I thought Tedenby had a clause to let him out if the Devils sign him to a contract?
I think either one of them could be reason for our lineup.
Josefson and Tedenby
May be in Lowell next year, can anyone verify?
Tedenby-Josefson from Hockeysfuture.com
With an out clause of his contract with HV71 at the end of the SEL season, the Devils will likely try to sign Tedenby and bring him to North America to play in the AHL. This will help him hone his skills, get him adapted to the smaller ice surface and further improve his development as a prospect. He is a top-six sniper in the making, and is perhaps only two years away from reaching New Jersey.
After this season, Josefson will have already had two full years of development in the SEL at only the age of 19. While it definitely wouldn’t hurt for him to spend another season in Sweden, he may actually be mature enough to come to North America an turn pro and play in the AHL next year. Josefson’s all-around game will be a perfect fit in New Jersey once he’s ready for the jump, and eventually he should settle into the role of a top-two center.
Defensemen
Given how well the Devils have developed players to step in on the blue line over the years, I don’t see why there’s such a call for bringing in a high-priced guy from the market who isn’t likely to be more than a second-pairing guy (if they were a Top 2 D-man, either their team would lock them up, or they’d command bigger money than $4 million a year, right?) Lamorello has this ability to find talent and let it develop, and it seems to blend nicely into the system as players gradually adjust to bigger roles.
The defense hasn’t been the issue, and hasn’t had to bring in big names via free agency to make it work. Considering how limited resources are, and that the likelihood of getting both a Top 6 forward and a top defender in free agency calls into mind the words “slim” and “none”, wouldn’t it be more fruitful to focus on the forwards in free agency, if the goal is to land one of the bigger fish?
What I'd Like to See
Resignings
Martin for me is a priority, much more so than Kovy. And with Parise being an FA soon enough, I really feel like we can only sign one of them, so make it Martin. I also think we should give Clarkson a good raise. Try to keep Pelley, Fraser, maybe Mottau or Skoula. Maybe McAmmond for depth. Everybody else I could take ’em or leave ’em.
Centers
Absolutely, this is the #1 position we need help at. Some names I hope will be available.
1. Dom Moore (MTL)- Yeah, not the flashiest player, but I feel like he’s a real Devils type player- a gritty, defense first center who can chip in a few goals (see Round 1, Game 7, OT). This year he had 10 Gs (6 EV, 2 PP, 2 SH) (6 of which came in the 3rd period) and added 18 assists, while getting about 12 min. per game and 1:30 on the PK. He also wins about 54% of his faceoffs. He’s making 1.1 million this year- and my guess is Lou could grab him for 1.5 or less with a multi-year deal. Bonus, he’s only 30. Would be shocked if the Habs let him go however.
2. Jeff Halpern (LA)- I didn’t know this at the time I looked up Halpern, but he’s a Princeton grad-which would go well with fellow Ivy League Dom Moore out of Harvard (that I tabbed two ECAC/Ivy guys is not entirely surprising to me, though I didn’t mean to with Halpern). Again, he’s the same type of player as Moore- 19 pts, 2 min per game on the PK, 51% faceoff percentage, but a little more expensive. He was a 14 this year, but most of that was from his time on a bad Lightning team. The other concern is that he turns 35 tomorrow, but at only 2 million a year, wouldn’t be a bad one or two year pick up. Don’t know how he’d feel about a homecoming (he was the 2nd round pick of the Devils in 1993) but the 34 year old had 12 goals (3 PP) and 30 assists and was a +23. He got about 2 min. of PP time per game for the Caps, and had about a 51% faceoff winning percentage. He made only 1.5 million last year and at his age probably won’t cost that much more- even 2.5 million wouldn’t be bad for someone who grabbed 42 points.
3. Brendan Morrison (WAS)
Wings and Defense
Nobody out there that catches my eye. Maybe Seidenberg if Boston lets him go (they won’t) and we lose Martin or let Mottau and Skoula walk.
I have no idea why those things are scratched out
but I didn’t mean to do it. It should all read "-14 this year, most of that on a bad Lightning team. He turns 35 tom. but at only 2 mil/yr wouldn’t be a bad 1-2 yr. pickup.
Brendan Morrison (WAS)"
because it’s all true and doesn’t need to be crossed out. Also, my numbers are using nhlnumbers.com, with stats from the league website.
When you put words between a dash, they become automatically stricken through like this for example I put the dash right next to the word (or in your case a – 14) and so it’s cross-ed out. Just a function of the commenting system. No worries.
Devils in my heart! Devils in my mind! Devils in my eyes! Devils until I die!
In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
guys to get
i have noticed that alot of people say manny malholtra is a good guy to bring in. i agree! if not him here are a few alternate centers who would be great to bring in: eric belanger, mike comrie, dominic moore. With regards to mottau, i flat out HATE this man and his play. he coughs off the puck, is unproductive, HATED him as a devil. can’t wait till he leaves. I believe martin is gonna walk. he’s gonna want ATLEAST $3 million and in a season where he missed around 50 games, lou cant give him that kind of money. I want eckford and corrente to FINALLY get there chance! ive been hearing about how good they are for the last 3 years! lets see it already!! you forgot to mention the possiblity of matthais teddenby making the roster. the kid has played 2 years in sweden as a devil and torn it up! last year, in a scrimmage game, he scored 4 goals, 2 off frazee and 2 off MARTIN BRODEUR. thats right, this kid will be great and i hope he makes the roster this year!
by nj devils rock life 4ever on May 5, 2010 11:47 PM EDT reply actions
Mike Comrie? MIKE COMRIE?!
Admit it, you just want to see Hillary Duff in the stands…
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." -Mark Twain (?)
Fisher and Comrie= Underwood and Duff
"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps."- Tiger Woods
by RolliePollieKovy on May 8, 2010 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions
also
defensively, two guys to get who would be great: anton volchenkov, a shot blocking MACHINE from ottawa and zbynek michalek, a good rising defensman from phoneix
by nj devils rock life 4ever on May 5, 2010 11:50 PM EDT reply actions
why do Devils fans always want shot blockers?
not saying it’s a bad thing but I remember reading In the Crease about how Marty and the team wanted Matvichuk to block less shots than he was used to, because it wasn’t the Devils style. Now I’m not saying that’s a good style, or that things couldn’t/shouldn’t have changed, but Devils fans always want these types of players. So as a general question, why?
Shot blocks are more visible. They’re something you can count more easily, it’s a sign of a player “sacrificing their body for the game,” and it stops a shot before it gets to Brodeur.
The problem with that is that a goalie still has to play the shot as if it was going to him, which is work for him. That’s why Corsi counts shots on net, shots that missed, and shots blocked.
I personally don’t think shot blocks always equate great defense since the main jobs of a defenseman are to prevent shots, prevent shots from being taken at advantageous spots (e.g. the goalie’s flank, the slot, etc.), and get the puck back from the offense (e.g. getting to rebounds and loose pucks first, throwing a check to knock it loose, etc.) A lot of that has to do with positioning and decision making, which often isn’t so visible.
Fortunately, with the growth of micro-stats, we can at least get a better idea of who excels in this regard. (Hint: His name is Paul Martin.)
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In Lou We Trust - The New Jersey Devils SBN Blog
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