Devils sign Danis, acquire Sestito

July 10, 2009   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

In a couple of quiet moves which sums up July at least so far, the Devils added a couple of players to their roster signing backup goalie Yann Danis and acquiring forward Tim Sestito from the Oilers for a 2010 conditional draft pick.

Nothing earth shattering from Lou Lamoriello, who still is mum over who the next coach will be. Well, he’s still got plenty of time to find a replacement for Benedict Arnold Brent Sutter. That along with getting No.1 center Travis Zajac re-signed long-term before arbitration are the top priorities.

Picking up the 28 year-old Danis ain’t bad. It looks like he’ll replace Kevin Weekes. In his first season on Long Island, Danis performed adequately winning 10 games with a 2.86 GAA, .910 save percentage while posting two shutouts. Not bad for a guy who spent the previous two seasons in the AHL for Montreal affiliate Hamilton after debuting in 2005-06. So, he’ll likely be Martin Brodeur’s backup meaning the normal workload is probably expected.

Guess this also means that former 2005 second round pick Jeff Frazee will continue to hone his skills in the ‘A’ for Lowell. In his first full season, the 22 year-old Edina, Minnesota native made 58 appearances winning 28 games with a 2.62 GAA, .920 save percentage and four shutouts.

New Jersey also got Rome, New York’s Sestito from Edmonton yesterday. He made his NHL debut with Edmonton this past season. The 24 year-old forward has spent most of his pro career in the minors. In 141 career AHL games, he’s totaled 28 points (14-14-28) racking up 270 penalty minutes. So, I guess he’s tough and doesn’t pack much punch. No pun intended. Looks like AHL fodder.

One other move the Devils made last week was finally signing former 2002 seventh round pick Ilkka Pikkarainen. Maybe the 28 year-old left wing will fare better in North America than Hannu Pikkarainen, who busted with the Wolf Pack getting into just 17 minor league games in 2006-07 before returning to HIFK in Finland. Ironically enough, he was teammates with Ilkka, who posted 24 goals and 13 assists for 37 points along with 149 PIM in 54 games this past season. In three seasons spent there after a three-year stint with Albany without much fanfare, he totaled 49 goals and 43 helpers for 92 points with 349 PIM.

The question is how much offense will he provide? He totaled 62 points (29-33-62) with the River Rats in 196 games before going back home where his offense improved. Is he a late bloomer or a bust? Who knows. My guess is he’ll probably get a shot on the third line. The only way to find out is to play him.

In Lou We Trust found out a little more about Pikkarainen’s development and what to expect. Sounds like an agitator who can finish around the net.

Maybe the Devils luck out.