How I would handle this offseason

A few problems with your assessment, I wouldn’t be comfortable with trading Zubrus and Urbom for Roman Polak. You completely left out Andy Greene I am guessing you’re assuming he leaves via free agency which I don’t see happening even though it is a possibility. Ryan Strome is ranked 5th and Alexander Khoklachev is currently ranked 15th overall via hockey’s future.

I’m all for either of the highly ranked Ryans.

And I think my first task is to get a coach onboard for next year.

If you are 3,290,270 under the cap, I think people like Hedberg and the rookies who are being paid minimum already would want a raise…

tampa does not want or need david clarkson. Stamkos is due for too big of a raise and clarkson has too big of a cap hit. The zubrus trade is stupid for us. the zubrus part i am fine with but i wouldnt give up on urbom just yet he is too young. Polak is a restricted free agent this summer so that trade isnt even possible. but i am sure lou is going to try and trade clarkson and zubrus but if they are going to trade zubrus they would have to pay about half of his bloated salary. i see it like this.
Clarkson and dallas second rounder or third to toronto for just maybe scince Burke is a loser one of their first rounders. Clarkson is a burke type player
Zubrus to Los angeles for their 3rd or 2nd and jersey eats half of zubrus’s salary
i would rather sign parise to a 9 year 60 mil less risk to it and Buttman wont get his nickers in a twist.

The plan as stated above is (in my personal opinion) a non-starter. It’s also based on a number of erroneous assumptions.

• Brian Rolston is NOT untradable.

In fact, I believe it will be easier to move him as opposed to either Dainius Zubrus or David Clarkson, because his contract is up after next season. That combined with the uncertain picture for after the 2011-2012 season (considering the CBA is up for re-negotiation and that will almost certainly include changes to the salary cap system) makes him far more attractive to teams than a guy they’ll be indebted to for longer periods of time.

I’ve stated several times that the Devils and Oilers could probably do some variation on a Souray-for-Rolston swap. Now, I don’t think the Oilers would be interested in Rolston, because they’re in the midst of a lengthy re-build and “going with the kids”. However, I could see a three-team deal arise where Rolston goes to a Mystery Team X, that third club sends a marginal prospect (or conditional 7th round pick) to Edmonton, and Souray becomes a Devil. It’s relatively low-risk for New Jersey — Souray’s contract ends after next season — and Edmonton would likely be giddy to be rid of Souray and get something in return for him.

Finally, it’s a relatively weak UFA class this season. Rolston might make an attractive “Plan B” around July 15th for teams needing an upgrade on the wing who whiffed on what was there to begin with.

• There is no way Lou Lamorello gives up on Alexander Urbom this soon and for so little.

Roman Polak is a nice defenseman, but that’s it. Also, his RFA re-signing price is liable to be closer to $2 million…. and I don’t know that he’s a $2 million defenseman. Plus, with Lou’s history, he’d be more likely to try and use that money for Andy Greene, who is a known commodity within the NJ system than to bring someone else in and take a chance. Also with Lou’s history, I’d be much more comfortable re-signing someone who has played here than bringing in someone from the outside…. it doesn’t often end well in the free agency era.

• David Clarkson is not worth a 2nd-round pick in trade….

….unless you include a 2nd-round pick on your side as well. Now, there might be some stupid GM out there who will overpay for him, but he’s little more than a bottom 6 forward and agitator. Steve Yzerman may be relatively new to the GM ranks, but he’s not that stupid.

• Adam Mair will NOT be back next season.

Why bring back a guy who can’t consistently stay in the lineup this year? Why give him a raise to $525k on top of that? There are ample candidates from within the organization to fill the role of “surplus forward”, some of them who (e.g. Stephen Gionta) are already under contract for next year.

Heck, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond as that 13th forward next year. Sure, he doesn’t have much in the way of an NHL skill set beyond fighting, but that also means you don’t hurt the franchise by sitting him in the press box most nights. Simply trot him out as a 4th-liner on those nights someone needs a rest or is banged up, or against teams that employ goons of their own who might need a level of deterrance (I’m talking to you, Trevor Gillies). You’re already paying the guy, so you might as well get some use from him.

….

Some of the rest of your points are debatable.

I don’t think there’s a purpose to bringing back Johan Hedberg at $1.2 million next year. The market for reserve goaltenders isn’t that pricy, and a return would lead me to the thought that one hopes to catch lightning in a bottle twice. Hedberg isn’t a spring chicken, and I’d prefer to have someone younger, someone who might even be part of the possible “Marty’s successor” picture.

I question whether Jamie Langenbrunner will be back with Dallas. While Captain Crybaby’s numbers with Dallas are fair (4-6-10 in 21 games), the team isn’t playing well with him. He certainly won’t be a priority, because the Stars have this guy you might have heard about who will be the #1 free agent out there (some center named Brad Richards). Beyond that, I suspect the draft pick price will serve as a dis-incentive for Joe Nieuwendyk to bring him back, because there will be a cost to the Stars beyond dollars and cents.

Finally, let’s not even start to project the draft, especially picks that far down. A lot can happen, and there are always bushels of trades on Draft Day.

I completely misread Capgeek. I thought Polak was under contract next year. Ok, well, that doesn’t work. Back to the drawing board.

I am coming up short on another potential D-man we could get in return for Zubs. (By the way, Souray should never, EVER be considered. If Lou trades for Sheldon Souray, the Devils are in trouble). I think we need one more defenseman, and I think Zubrus and a prospect could get a 5th or 6th d-man.

I thought Clarkson would fit in well in Tampa, and since Gagne’s contract is coming off the books, they would have cap room as well as a need for a another forward. But, if there is cap problems there, maybe another team, like Toronto, would make more sense. Someone will want a 20 goal scorer who provides the energy he does. And like I said, if Jason Arnott comands a 2nd rounder as well as a player, Clarkson should warrant a late 2nd rounder.

I will contend that nobody is going to make any kind of trade for Rolston. Who is going to give up over $5 million of salary cap for a guy who has put up 23 points in 46 games. That’s a lot of money for not a lot of production. Throw in the fact that he will turn 39 during the season and hasn’t played an entire year in several seasons, no one is going to give up anything of value to take him on.

I think Adam Mair, at the league minimum, is a better option than Stephen Gionta. It wouldn’t be too costly, so I certainly would be fine in bringing him back. But if not, that’s fine also.

Next, I can’t believe I forgot to mention Andy Greene. I would not bring Andy back for one reason: I am tired of overpaying guys who don’t live up to their contract (see: Brian Rolston, Dainus Zubrus, David Clarkson, etc.). Andy Greene is going to warrant between 2.5 to 3 million a year, and that is too much to give a decent (not great or even very good) puck moving d-man that is decent in front of his own net. I would be willing to give that to a good puck mover who contributes well on the PP. And, with the way Matt Taromina and Mark Fayne have played, they warrant playing time. They are more than capable of playing Andy’s minutes and producing. And, finally, if we could trade Clarkson or Zubrus (or Rolston in some strange universe where GM’s want overpaid, underperforming 39 year olds) for a d-man, he becomes unnecessary.

Also, I am not saying that Urbom is a bust. I am just saying that with the depth we have in our system at defense (Taormina, Fayne, Merrill, Burlon, etc.), he could be a guy that would be attractive enough to another team to take and send back a good player ready to contribute to this team starting next year. I think Urbom will be a very good d-man, and would love to see him playing with this team someday, but you have to give up something to get something. And none of our trade bait would warrant getting anything noteworthy back. He makes a trade with one of those guys attractive to other GM’s.

Lastly, I think Dallas would resign Captain Sourpuss. I realize that they need to bring Richards back, but Jamie wouldn’t cost them much. He would probably give them a “hometown discount.” He obviously wants to play their (he waived his NTC) and has a rich history their, and Dallas clearly wants him (why else would they trade for him). And like you said, his numbers are decent. I could see this going either way (I guess I was just being overly optimistic). And the last time I saw scouting previews (towards the end of January), Khoklachev was rated #42. Has he really risen that much in a month and a half? If he did, then scratch that pick, and back to the old drawing board once again.

Thanks for the input guys. Let’s come up with another D-man to help fill out this roster.

Ok, acasser, you make some valid points. Upon further discussion, the trades I suggested don’t seem to make sense anymore. I still feel that Clarkson and Zubrus are our best tradeable pieces, but maybe those are not the teams we can get valuable pieces back from. I’ll give you that.

I will also concede that it is too early to give up on Urbom. Like I said in my other post, I think he has a lot of talent and could be a very good d-man in the future. I just tossed his name out as a piece we could trade because we have a few quality defensemen in the same position as him (that being not NHL ready yet). I used Urbom’s name, but we could easily offer a different prospect along with a player with a somewhat undesireable contract, but I would make it a defenseman because we have a lot more defensive prospects then forwards (especially at winger, where we don’t have very much depth at all). That’s why I picked Urbom, there are others at his position within the organization and I think he may not have the most to offer.

But I will still contend that Sheldon Souray is not a viable option. There has to be a reason why Edmonton is doing everything in their power to get him away from their organization. A team as bad as they are could use anyone, ANYONE, with any kind of talent to help them. And, like you said, he has size and offensive skill. So why is it that they have seemingly washed their hands of him? If Captain Crybaby was as big a cancer in the locker room as we all think he was, what would it be like to bring in Souray, who seems to have a disposition to match Jamie? No, I don’t believe he is an option because I don’t think he helps inside the locker room, which is just as important as what a player brings to the ice. There has to be someone else.

Maybe Salvador is the option on defense, but that is another big cap hit if we keep him. I think we need to find another place for him and bring in someone else to fill a bottom two defense pairing.

You bring up Gagne as a reason why Rolston would be good trade bait. Let me tell you why I would risk Gagne at 1 year over Rolston for 1 year. First, Gagne is 31, Rolston is 38. Second, over the three years prior to this, here are some numbers: Gagne, 162 games played, 132 points for an average of .815 points per game. Rolston, 225 games played, 128 points for an average of .569 points per game. Rolston played 63 more games than Gagne and recorded 4 fewer points. Gagne is almost producing like a player worthy of a $5 million contract, Rolston is clearly not. In fact, the only thing Rolston has going for him is the fact that he has been able to play in 225 games in three seasons at his age. But is that really worthy of $5 million? I don’t think so, and that’s why I think we won’t find a trade partner for him, regardless of having only 1 year left on his deal. Zubrus and Clarkson remain the more viable trade options.

I still think Mair is a better option then either Gionta or certainly PL3 (who I would be fine with never seeing in a Devils uniform again). But, considering they are all minimum cap players, we are really splitting hairs. Any one could fill that role of 13th forward.

I find it hard to believe that Dallas wouldn’t bring Langenbrunner back for a “hometown discount.” Maybe it will be after the draft, or maybe it will only happen if they do make the playoffs so they don’t have to give up a high 2nd round pick, but if they can get him cheap, I think Dallas might resign him. I think the production he has put up and the previous time they spent will make them agree that it is a good fit. If Jamie wants money similar to what he is making now, then absolutely, he is NOT an option for them. But, for a discount, he gives them a rugged winger and a guy who can fill a top 6 spot.

If I concede Adam Mair for Stephen Gionta, it seems the forward group (either with Rolston or Zubrus, whoever we can’t trade) that I mentioned is ok. We need a backup goalie and another defenseman. Other than Souray or Salvador, who else is out there that would fit with this team? And what should we do about a backup? I still think Hedberg at a discount is our best option, but am willing to listen to other offers. I am curious what other people think.

Ok, your right. Best tradable pieces was probably the wrong choice of words. Most likely to be moved was more what I was trying to say.

Regarding Gagne, I listed the fact that he only played in 162 games in the three years prior to this. Teams obviously knew that when Philly was shopping him. However, if healthy, he provides a legit scoring threat. The difference is, whatever Gagne, or even Gomez, did, if they didn’t work out, any team could get their salary off the books (LTIR, bury in the minors, etc.) whereas Rolston cap hit is there to stay. And if Rolston is healthy, he would just take up a roster spot and not produce, unlike Gagne who could help contribute to the team. That is the difference. I would trade Rolston for Gagne any day of the week, and risk him getting hurt, just so I would have someone producing points for my club.

It seems like you and I are going to dance around the “will Captain Sourpuss resign with Dallas” topic for a long time, and never agree with the other. Time will tell what both Dallas and Jamie decide to do.

Ok, the final two holes in the roster I mentioned. I am glad to see that you are not advocating a return of Sheldon Souray. I really think that would be a BIG mistake. I believe, and I get this fear from multiple analysts at both the NHL network and TSN, that Sheldon became a lock room cancer while he was there, and that was the reason for his impending departure. Will that happen in New Jersey? Who knows? But why take that chance? There has to be someone else out there that could fill that role that we could get for Rolston, Zubrus or Clarkson. I wouldn’t want to risk bringing him in and disrupting what is currently going on (I really hope that what is happeneing this year carries over into next year).

There is one other problem with sending away Rolston and bringing in Souray. Doing this deal will actually add to the salary cap, not help reduce it. Not to mention that we would be paying almost $5.5 million to a guy we are putting in as a 6th defenseman. That is way to much. It is the same reason why we shouldn’t give Greene the kind of free agent money he is going to command, I don’t think we should pay more than $2 mil to anyone playing on the third defensive unit. Even $2 mil is pushing it, but that can still be justified if the player is good and produces in his limited minutes.

And with Hedberg, I know that Hedberg is making a lot, but he is playing really well. Let’s face the facts, Marty isn’t a spring chicken any more. He can’t play the 70 games a season like he used to anymore. Hedberg is better than any of our young kids in our organization right now. He has a 2.34 gaa and .914 save percentage. That is not something easy to find in a backup. Not to mention he has come in and played 31 games, and we have barely missed a beat with him in the lineup. He is a great locker room presence and the fans have embraced him. For about $1 mil for 1 more year(and maybe another little bit in bonuses), I believe we can’t do much better. If he takes a bigger pay cut, would you take him then?