Near the Limits Again: An Updated Look at the 2011-12 New Jersey Devils Roster & Salary Cap Situation

hurry up and wait.

Absolute best quote ever.

alot of people dont like the Boulton / Janssen deals but who becomes expendible with their addition?

The guy who became expendable with those moves was Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, more commonly referred to as PL3. Of course, Leblond was exiled to Calgary before either of those signings were made…. but he’s the guy who had a similar skill-set and plays a similar role to either guy.

I thought Clarkson until the new coach was named.

I’ve seen a lot of commentary that Clarkson and Fraser are in a better position based on the new head coach. I say that point of view is a bunch of malarkey. Peter DeBoer is not the GM of this club, last I checked, and he doesn’t get final say over personnel moves. He certainly has input, considering he has to work with the roster as it is assembled…. but if Lou Lamorello wants to deal someone away, that guy’s presence as a familiar face and/or favorite of the coach isn’t likely to put a stop to that deal.

If the thought is that Clarkson was NJ’s grinding, pugilistic 4th-line right wing as the roster was constituted before said signings, he might be the answer to “who is expendable with Boulton and/or Janssen around?”

Also is it possible to move Salvador to another team to help them reach the floor without actually using the player

That depends on how it is done. I imagine the NHL would want doctors of their own choosing to examine Bryce if there was any thought that the Devils were dumping a player who was unfit to play — medical clearance from the Devils’ own staff might not be sufficient. If the League determines that Salvador is not fit to play, they’d void the deal.

The only two teams that need additional help to reach the cap floor are Colorado and the Islanders (Nashville will be comfortably above the floor once Shea Weber is under contract for next season). Neither team seems to need a defenseman, so there may not be a fit there.

The Devils could find another team willing to take Salvador off their hands, but I imagine it would take a bribe of some sort to facilitate it…. and it may be a larger bribe than Lamorello is willing to pay. If Salvador is somehow traded, but the receiving team doesn’t force him to report (whether to the parent club or the AHL), I imagine the League would look into the possibility of calling shenanigans and doing something. They might not be able to do so, but I wouldn’t put it past them to make the effort after last summer’s Saga of Kovalchuk where they ignored the arbitrator’s finding of “no intent to deliberately circumvent the cap” and whacked the Devils to the tune of multiple draft picks anyhow.

Oh and finally SIGN PARISE!!!!!!!!!!

You know, until you put that into your post, I never considered the possibility of doing just that. Now that I think of it, it’s a wonderful idea…. and I hope Lou Lamorello is reading this and it’s a sweet idea to him, too.

(/sarcasm)

I’m sure getting a new deal done for Parise — preferably prior to arbitration — is at the top of LL’s “to do” list at this point. It’ll get done, and the results should be better for nearly everyone if Lou doesn’t have his elbow jogged by the peanut gallery while going through the process.

If there are any questions about Salvador’s health and whether he is eligible for LTIR, the League can step in and have an independent evaluation done. This was something of an issue several years back with Alexander Mogilny, who was placed on LTIR with the degenerative hip condition that ended his NHL career while several other franchises were crying “foul” — because getting Mogilny onto LTIR allowed the Devils to come down under the Upper Limit without having to sacrifice a player or two.

In realistic terms, we won’t have an answer to the “Salvador to LTIR” questions until training camp, perhaps until the end of training camp.