I knew there was something wrong the past week but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Suddenly, there was no John Dellapina Ranger articles in the Daily News. Something which had become the norm for more than a decade.

As it turns out, the likable beat writer has left his post to work for the NHL. Kukla’s Korner had the full story a couple of weeks ago with colleague Patrick Hoffman writing a piece on Dellapina’s move from being at the rink covering the sport to suddenly helping the league promote the game as the new Director of Media Relations.

Regarding his new position, he said:

“In a way, I’ll be doing the same thing - trying to spread the hockey gospel to those who sadly have yet to get it while providing all of you hard cores with as much of the game as you can stand.”

He’ll sorely be missed as he was a very knowledgeable hockey guy who always put together solid recaps along with columns which were a fun read. The man also was a frequent guest on WFAN talking puck with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts as well as the one and only Schmoozer himself, Steve Somers as well as other WFAN late night talkshow hosts.

Dellapina was always willing to come on and talk hockey. Very entertaining listen and a keen sense of humor. You could really tell he enjoyed his job which definitely had its peaks and valleys with 1994 being all the way at the pinnacle with a brutal stretch of playoff futility following rock bottom. I guess we can say that at least his run finished on a high note with a Ranger team which restored pride to the jersey making the playoffs three consecutive seasons and the Eastern Conference Semis twice.

As much as I might curiously read Larry “Scrooge” Brooks’ Slap Shots columns, Dellapina was always a good read giving proper perspective on the team without the unnecessary shots below the belt his controversial colleague often uses. There was an ounce of class about this man unlike Brooks, who has just become way too cranky even if he does bring up valid assertions about league issues.

With Johnny B. Goode no longer at the Daily News, Michael Obernauer has taken over doing alright thus far but it’s still going to take some getting used to.

It’s not often a beat writer gets the kind of praise Dellapina received from other colleagues that covered the team but that only tells ya about the man’s character.

I’m sure he’ll do an outstanding job working in a vital league capacity where there’s never enough good PR. Something which is always needed for the sport to succeed.

Thanks John for serving the Ranger hockey fanbase so well. Best of luck with your new endeavor!

First off I’m with Devils coach Brent Sutter that I don’t like the fact that the NHL or any of these other leagues (the NBA and MLB have done this a number of times too) starts its season overseas.  

Granted, I don’t know when else during the season you could put the games without having the teams be at a tremendous disadvantage (even moreso than now) but as a fan I would rather not have a league’s opening games be in a different timezone.  I’m a traditionalist to the extent that I feel almost all or all of the teams should play on the first night of a season and in their home rinks.  I’ve never even been a fan of the concept of a stand-alone game like the NFL or MLB has done in recent years, it adds unfair artificial hype for two teams. 

I do see the logic of playing games overseas though, especially in the NHL which is more global than any other sport though the NBA’s become pretty global as well.  It not only helps grow the game but can bring stars like Daniel Alfredsson back to their home country for a couple of games that count.  And at least the games started on a weekend afternoon and not 5 AM on a weekday like baseball’s Japan trips (though having the Rangers play a Sunday game overseas at the same time as a Giants home game is not exactly ideal either).

As far as the actual games, well I’m sure Derek or Lenny will be around with the full Ranger recap later, but it might as well be a reprint of yesterday’s recap (just change the names) because it was basically the same game, only with Olaf Kolzig keeping an outclassed Tampa team in it this time as they lost a second straight day by a misleading 2-1 score.  I guess after they play some other teams in North America we’ll find out whether the Rangers really are that good or Tampa just sucks. 

In Sweden, Pittsburgh and Ottawa split their series with a shaky Martin Gerber dooming the Sens to a 4-3 OT loss in the Saturday matchup.  Alex Auld started today’s contest for the Senators and the results were a bit different.  Auld’s 30 saves (only allowing a last-second PP goal that spoiled a shutout bid) and Dany Heatley’s two goals led the Sens to a 3-1 triumph.  At least Ottawa can claim three points from their first two games, though the goaltending riddle is already a concern up there.

Atlantic:

1 (1). Philadelphia - between their overall turnaround last season with a surprising playoff run, getting Simon Gagne back and the weakening of a couple of division rivals, all the pieces are in place for the Flyers to have a great season.  The biggest concern might be how a young team handles expectations as opposed to being the underdog.

2 (4). New Jersey - You don’t often say this about a Devils team, but they might have been the only team in the division to improve their team via UFA.  Usually it’s the other way around.  Although Lou Lamoriello’s version of a UFA splurge involves going back to the future, the Devils still have Martin Brodeur and more talent than the 99-point team of last year.

3 (6). Pittsburgh - Okay they still have Malkin, Crosby and Fleury, but man the offseason hasn’t been kind to them.  Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts and last season’s revelation in goal Ty Conklin all left in UFA.  Top defensemen Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar are both injured for months.  And there’s Cup Finals hangover to deal with.

4 (11). Rangers - Lots of changes, but were they really for the better?  And on top of it, the whispers are getting pretty loud about Henrik Lundqvist’s knees.

5 (15). Islanders - With the Isles’ luck they’ll finish last and wind up with the third pick in the draft, not even getting John Tavares for their troubles. 

Northwest:

1 (2). Montreal - still a good team in a suspect division but can Carey Price do the job over 82 games and will the team recover quickly from a horrendous playoff performance?

2 (7). Boston - overachieved last year but they do get Patrice Bergeron and Manny Fernandez back for 2008-09 after neither had any impact last year due to injury.  And Claude Julien’s message does tend to wear on teams after a while (witness premature firings in NJ and Montreal), though I don’t see a complete flameout yet.

3 (9). Buffalo - underrated signing of Patrick Lalime finally gives Ryan Miller much-needed time off after starting nearly 40 straight games at one point last year but not having Brian Campbell hurts.  

4 (10). Ottawa - fine, I’ll say it - Ottawa will not make the playoffs this year.  Their D keeps getting worse, there’s not enough offense around the big three and Martin Gerber’s not the answer in goal either, though at least he isn’t a wackjob like the departed Ray Emery. 

5 (14). Toronto - will wonders never cease, the Leafs finally realize they have to go full-bore towards rebuilding. 

Southeast:

1 (3). Washington - some think they’re a fluke but they’re getting overlooked in the midst of Tampa-mania despite winning the division last year.  Just look at their record post-Bruce Boudreau taking over as proof they’re not going away any time soon.  And they get Michael Nylander back this year after he missed a good chunk of last season.

2 (5). Tampa Bay - I really wanted to pick them to miss the playoffs, but the last-minute addition of Andrei Meszaros was huge for the D.  It does remain to be seen what Mike Smith does in goal outside of Dallas’s system.  Their offense still has the big two and now Steven Stamkos as well, but was Ryan Malone’s career season in Pittsburgh a fluke?  Usually the answer’s yes when the player in question is in a walk year.

3 (8). Florida - The youth-laden offense was a question mark before getting rid of Olli Jokinen and they have a rookie coach as well.  But Florida’s D is among the best now and their goaltending tandem’s pretty good too so this may finally be the year for the Cats to return to the playoffs.

4 (12). Carolina - I’d pick them to finish worse except there are some bad teams in the East, but the Canes have aged and been run into the ground since their fluke Cup win in 2006.  Peter Laviolette or GM Jim Rutherford (or both) might not survive another non-playoff season.

5 (13). Atlanta - take heart Atlanta fans, Matt Millen was finally fired by the Detroit Lions a couple of weeks ago - maybe Don Waddell will meet his maker after another last-place finish too.  Unfortunately, it’s too late to get Braydon Coburn back.

The Devils dealt the Rangers another pre-season blow before a crowd of 15,361 at the Garden yesterday.  Goals came from Brian Gionta, Patrik Elias (2), and Dainus Zubrus on the Devils.  For the Rangers, Markus Naslund netted his first of the pre-season, and Nikolai Zherdev clocked one in as well.

Henrik Lundqvist was in mid-season form letting in 4 goals on 12 shots over 2 periods of play.  Backup Stephen Valiquette stepped in facing 11 shots total and letting nothing past.

Kevin Weekes stopped all 10 shots faced, while Scott Clemenson allowed 2 goals on 14 shots total.

Total shots were 23 for NJ, 24 for NY.

Overall, this was a great game for New Jersey’s top line of Elias-Rolston-Gionta, seeing the three make some pretty plays while also shooting a lot of puck (12 shots total generating 3 goals).  Following them, the “750-line” (dubbed by Colin White) of Zubrus-Holik-Rupp scored a goal on 3 shots total.

On Defense, White and Oduya performed very well, with Anssi Salmela showing his stuff as the new guy.  Not much to say here, they kept the puck out of the zone and cleared it well.

It’s becoming evident as to who will stay and who will go.  With only 2 potential roster spots open (winger on the 4th line, and partner on last defensive line), the young prospects had to be very stellar to make the team.

On defense, it appears Brent Sutter wants to keep Mike Mottau, not because he did extremely well, but that his performance is consistent and established.  As for the extra defenseman, Salmela should stay as he performed well and showed some stability.  He will probably sit out more than play.  Matt Corrente needs some time to get seasoned in the AHL.  He let the prospect of getting into the NHL get to his head, and it showed.  While in yesterday’s game, he performed well and with improved poise, his prior performance was not good enough to make the cut in an already intensely competitive competition for few roster spots.  Sheldon Brookbank showed exactly why he is what he is… depth defenseman.  The Devils will probably carry him as practice fodder or shoot him into the sun.

On offense, things appear to be quite set.  Mike Rupp will probably interchange with some dude… probably LeBlonde on the 4th line as he appears to be fiesty and a fighter who is still young.  Fedor Federov is an enigma in a box in a garbage can.  With the puck, he does well… but without?  Question marks are not good when there is so much competition.

Essentially, the team is shaping up quite well, and there aren’t going to be too many changes going into the regular season.

—————————

Now on to the Rangers…

Their performance yesterday was quite poor… not due to a lack of skill, but more towards a lack of energy.  Playing so many games in the week (6 games in 8 nights) may have something to do with that.  In the 3rd period, they began to battle back, but it became a game of “too little, too late”.

On the bright side: Gomez, Drury, Dubinski played well.  It was unfortunate that Korpikoski was booted out so early on what was an entirely bogus call.  He has had a lot of good talk around him and I personally was interested in seeing him play against the Devils.

On the shady side: Redden and Lundqvist really stood out to me.  Lundqvist really did not play well at all.  It could be his knees, it could be he was tired.  Who knows.  We won’t be able to tell until the regular season kicks in.  But many fans will be keeping a close eye on his performance over the next few weeks just to be sure.

Wade Redden… skate problems?  I hope so for his sake.  Mr. 6 years @ 6 mil each needs to play up to that level… ESPECIALLY in the city of New York.  When a player comes to the big apple with a contract like that (in NHL terms), then a certain type of play is expected of him.  Falling down, coughing up the puck, and leaving his defensive assignments open does not help.  He needs to lock it up ASAP, or he will become the next Marek Malik… for 6 years (that contract alone is like a NTC).  I hope for the latter… the Garden Boo-Birds really brighten up my day (Hehe).

———————–

Final comments:  It’s only preseason.  Both clubs were ~50% AHLers, so it is really tough to guage capabilities at this point.  I really like how the Devils are shaping up right now… few major changes allows them to build on what they have, and improve with experience.

The Rangers?  Too many changes during the off-season will hurt them.  It took half a season for them to get their act together last year… and it may be the same story this year.  Personally, this whole “youth movement” thing is just fancy talk for a mini-rebuild.

I’ll write some more on the subject later-on.

With training camps finally underway, there have been some teams making news. Just to rehash.

Canadiens Acquire Lang: The Montreal Canadiens acquired veteran pivot Robert Lang last Friday from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2010 second round pick. The 37 year-old Czech has played with six different teams (LA, Bos, Pit, Wsh, Det, Chi) totaling 234 goals and 401 assists for 635 points in 875 career NHL games.

After spending two seasons with Detroit, he played with Chicago last season amassing 54 points (21-33-54) in 76 games including seven power play goals, three deciding markers along with a solid plus-nine rating and 50 penalty minutes. Lang will be on his fourth Original Six team in 2008-09.

Analysis: The Habs certainly didn’t overpay though a second round pick is about right for the kind of production Lang should provide. He proved last season he’s still got something left and might be reunited with former Pens’ linemate Alex Kovalev, where they enjoyed their best success. This is a good move for Montreal because they already boast captain Saku Koivu and Tomas Plekanec as their top two centers. Lang gives them even more depth up front which should supply even more balance to one of the better lineups in the East.

The Habs also re-signed veteran blueliner Patrice Brisebois to a one-year deal. He had 11 points in 43 contests last season.

Flyers’ Niittymaki Out 4-6 Weeks, Name Richards 17th Captain: The Philadelphia Flyers will be without backup goalie Antero Niittymaki for four to six weeks due to left hip surgery according to the club’s website.

Last season, the 28 year-old Finn got into 28 games posting a 12-9-2 record with a 2.91 GAA, .901 save percentage along with one shutout. The former 1998 Flyers’ sixth round pick has spent parts of four seasons with the club getting into 129 games (114 starts) going 47-53-17 with a 3.08 GAA, .898 save percentage and three career shutouts.

In other team related news, the Flyers tabbed Mike Richards their new captain. The 23 year-old former 2003 first round pick (24th overall) had a breakout 2007-08 playing 73 games while setting career highs in goals (28), assists (47), points (75- led club), plus/minus (14), PIM (76), PPG (8), SHG (5- tied 3rd NHL) and GWG (6). He was rewarded with the Bobby Clarke Award as Team MVP last season.

The Kenora, Ontario native becomes the 17th captain in Flyer history replacing Jason Smith, who bolted for Ottawa this past offseason. Richards also had 14 points (7-7-14), a power play goal and two shorthanded in 17 playoff games helping lead them to their first Conference Final in four years.

In 211 career regular season contests, Richards has tallied 49 goals along with 92 helpers for 141 points. That includes an impressive 12 SHG along with 10 PPG and 10 GW.

Analysis: A no-brainer here for the Flyers as Richards epitomizes the kind of rock solid fearless leader the club wants. There’s nothing he can’t do. He can play any situation and is extremely dangerous shorthanded as noted above. He’s also willing to drop the gloves making him one of the most complete hockey players in the game. Think Jarome Iginla but in a smaller body with less finishing ability as I don’t see him ever scoring 50 goals. But he certainly is capable of putting up a lot of points.

As for Niittymaki, the Flyers will make due with starter Martin Biron carrying the load for the first month.

Williams Out 4-6 Months: The Carolina Hurricanes suffered a big blow losing top right wing Justin Williams possibly four to six months due to a torn Achilles’ tendon on Wednesday.

The 26 year-old has run into a string of bad luck since his 205 consecutive games played streak ended when he tore an ACL in his left knee last December. Though he returned for one game, it kept him out an extended period allowing him to play only in 37 games registering nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 2007-08.

Now, with his second serious injury in less than a year, Williams has another long rehab ahead just to get back. The Canes will also be without captain Rod Brind’Amour until probably the beginning of the regular season after he underwent surgery to remove cartilage from his left knee this past Tuesday.

Analysis: This is obviously a blow to the Canes’ playoff chances this season after narrowly missing the past two Springs. Williams is one of their best players and was being counted on even more up front after Jim Rutherford traded away Erik Cole to Edmonton for defenseman Joni Pitkanen. They still have Ray Whitney and Eric Staal, whose longterm deal has to be reworked due to a no-trade clause. But losing a valuable player like Williams means someone has to step up which could mean extra ice-time for ex-Sen Patrick Eaves acquired with Joe Corvo at last year’s deadline for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore.

They also have vets Matt Cullen, Sergei Samsonov, Scott Walker along with Tuomo Ruutu up front. So, they should be alright. I wonder though if this means Jeff O’Neill makes the club in his return tryout.

I’ve always been a fan of Peter Laviolette and he managed to keep his team afloat despite injuries last season until a magnificent run by the Capitals overtook them for the Southeast. We’ll see how good a coach he really is.

Devils Swap Prospects With Coyotes: In case you missed it, the New Jersey Devils made a minor trade last Friday with the Phoenix Coyotes swapping D prospect Sean Zimmerman for LW Kevin Cormier. Cormier is one year older than Zimmerman, who was the Devils’ former sixth rounder in 2005 a year following the ‘Yotes selection of the now 22 year-old.

Last season, Cormier had three goals and two assists while racking up 104 PIM in 23 games with the Arizona Sundogs of the Central Hockey League. Meanwhile, the 21 year-old Zimmerman notched six helpers with 47 PIM in 66 contests with AHL affiliate Lowell in 2008-08.

Analysis: Not much doing here. Just looks like a minor deal of two players a year apart who were both taken in the same round.

More news later.

Eric Staal hopes to be winning more Cups with Carolina.

A long time ago, the Hartford Whalers had a star center named Ron Francis who was part of a team which went to the playoffs in the old Adams Division. Ronnie Franchise was their best player becoming a fan favorite at The Hartford Civic Center AKA The Mall. The former 1981 first round selection (fourth overall) spent nearly a decade establishing many franchise offensive records.

Then one day during the 1990-91 season, he was traded along with rugged defenseman Ulf Samuelsson to the Pittsburgh Penguins for John Cullen and Zarley Zalapski. It became known as one of the most lopsided deals in NHL history as the former Whalers helped the Pens win back-to-back Stanley Cups with Francis anchoring the second line and Samuelsson playing his familiar physical role.

Meanwhile, the two players they got back weren’t received well and couldn’t come close to expectations eventually going elsewhere just a couple of years later. What the Whalers gave up on was remaining a competitive playoff team eventually turning into one of the NHL’s laughingstocks eventually losing support departing Hartford for Carolina where they became the Hurricanes.

Fast forward to the present where the Canes have now been in existence for a decade having made the Cup finals twice over the past six years having won the franchise’s first Lord Stanley in 2006 edging the Edmonton Oilers in seven.

A gigantic part of that run was former 2003 first round pick (2nd overall) Eric Staal, whose developed into their best player also budding into one of the league’s elite young superstars. In four seasons, the 23 year-old center has tallied 124 goals and 159 helpers for 283 total points in 327 games played. That included a breakout 2005-06 season which saw him score 45 goals and hit the century mark in points helping lead Carolina to the Stanley Cup.

Following a down 2006-07 in which he amassed 70 points (30-40-70), Staal bounced back last season with 82 points (38-44-82) pacing the club in eight offensive categories including power play goals (14), power play points (35), game winners (7) and shots on goal (310).

Though it wasn’t enough to get them back to the postseason losing the Southeast to Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, it was plenty of reasons for Carolina President/GM Jim Rutherford to get a longterm deal worked out keeping the oldest of the Staal brothers. They reached agreement Thursday on a seven-year $57.75 million contract extension that will pay him an average of $8.25 million beginning in 2009-10 and going through 2015-16.

“When you get a player this young that’s this good, you have to make sure you keep him long term,” Rutherford pointed out of the two-time All-Star MVP including this past year’s.

“And if you don’t, your team, your franchise will go backwards.”

Staal was entering the final season of a three-year deal he agreed to which will pay him $5 million this season.

“I wasn’t stressing and wanting to make sure it was done before camp,” he said. “But it is a nice feeling now to have it out of the way and not get the questions the whole season about an extension … and focus on the hockey.

“Obviously, for me at a young age, to be able to lift the Stanley Cup over my head was something that I dreamed out my whole life. I want to do it again.”

Still, the franchise star player knows that there’s plenty of work to do as they prepare for the 2008-09 season.

“Over the last couple seasons, it’s been a ton of fun. Obviously, the last two not as much fun as the year before that,” Staal noted. “We’ve got to get back to the playoffs, back to where we should be, and I’m very grateful for this and for being here a long time.”

Eric Staal could one day join former Whaler/Cane Ron Francis up in the rafters.

Analysis: Overall, it’s a no-brainer for Carolina to lock up their best player over the longterm as Staal would’ve attracted many suitors. I think they learned their lesson from past history with Francis even though he eventually returned in 1998 helping get the team to a Cup Final before losing to Detroit in 2002. They also honored him retiring his No.10 jersey. Maybe some day, No.12 will be joining him up in the rafters at RBC Center.

The Wayne Gretzky blockbuster trade from Edmonton to LA changed the NHL landscape forever resulting in post expansion.

August 9 will be here before you know it. On that day, it will mark the 20 Year Anniversary of the most shocking trade in the great sport of hockey. The day that the Edmonton Oilers agreed to trade the greatest player in the game Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings in a blockbuster deal along with Marty McSorley and Mike Krushelnyski for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first round picks and $15 million.

Amazingly, this really happened on Aug.9, 1988 thanks to the cheapness of then Edmonton owner Peter Pocklington. I can kind of recall that tearful Gretzky press conference where he said goodbye to the former WHA expansion team he was largely responsible for most of its success winning four Stanley Cups while shattering scoring records and changing the game forever.

At the time, I was an awe struck kid who couldn’t believe the magnitude of such a deal. It was hard to comprehend as I hadn’t been a hockey fan too long. All I knew was the greatest thing since sliced bread was moving from Western Alberta to Hollywood forever changing the dynamic of a then 21 team league into the Post Expansion 30 team Era which includes three teams in California and two in Florida while branching out to other unchartered territories.

Back then, I never pondered teams such as Winnipeg, Hartford and Quebec relocating to other cities. Maybe that’s what I liked about those carefree days when anything really seemed possible. The NHL was a normal league before Gary Bettman got his hands on it regionalizing the sport a la the NBA. A topic for another day.

Gretzky was The Great One. No.99 made anything seem possible. Suddenly, the Kings were the team to see with Hollywood’s big actors and actresses turning out at The Great Western Forum to see Gretzky form a dynamic combo with Luc Robitaille and emerge into a Cup contender. His name transcended the sport popularizing it in the United States like never before.

That’s why this week, the NHL Today is commemorating the most historic trade in league history with articles on the very big topic taking us back to a time before Genesis and Super Nintendo, Xbox and Ipods existed. I’ll tell ya what I remember playing a lot of back then. Blades of Steel on my Nintendo. Very good game too which I beat time and time again.

Ahhh…being a kid was fun! Suddenly, I’m getting that feeling of deja vu. When you’re young, anything really seems possible.

In SI.com Michael Farber’s piece, he takes a look back at what the Gretzky trade signaled.

Here’s an excerpt which proves symbolic:

If nothing else, Gretzky’s exile to Los Angeles produced one of hockey’s immortal phrases, something trotted out every year at the trade deadline. Like death and taxes, it is a stone-cold lock that someone changing addresses on that day will say, “Even Wayne Gretzky got traded.“

Since we’re looking back in time, let’s conclude this entry by taking a glance at just how different an NHL it was:

1988-89

CLARENCE CAMPBELL CONFERENCE

Norris Division

GP W L T GF GA PTS

Detroit 80 34 34 12 313 316 80

St. Louis 80 33 35 12 275 285 78

Minnesota 80 27 37 16 258 278 70

Chicago 80 27 41 12 297 335 66

Toronto 80 28 46 6 259 342 62

Smythe Division

*Calgary 80 54 17 9 354 226 117

Los Angeles 80 42 31 7 376 335 91

Edmonton 80 38 34 8 325 306 84

Vancouver 80 33 39 8 251 253 74

Winnipeg 80 26 42 12 300 355 64

PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE

Adams Division

Montreal 80 53 18 9 315 218 115

Boston 80 37 29 14 289 256 88

Buffalo 80 38 35 7 291 299 83

Hartford 80 37 38 5 299 290 79

Quebec 80 27 46 7 269 342 61

Patrick Division

Washington 80 41 29 10 305 259 92

Pittsburgh 80 40 33 7 347 349 87

NY Rangers 80 37 35 8 310 307 82

Philadelphia 80 36 36 8 307 285 80

New Jersey 80 27 41 12 281 325 66

NY Islanders 80 28 47 5 265 325 61

Leading Scorers

Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh 76 GP 85 G 114 A 199 Pts 100 PIM

Wayne Gretzky, Los Angeles 78 GP 54 G 114 A 168 Pts 26 PIM

Steve Yzerman, Detroit 80 GP 65 G 90 A 155 Pts 61 PIM

Bernie Nicholls, Los Angeles 79 GP 70 G 80 A 150 Pts 96 PIM

Rob Brown, Pittsburgh 68 GP 49 G 66 A 115 Pts 118 PIM

Paul Coffey, Pittsburgh 75 GP 30 G 83 A 113 Pts 193 PIM

Joe Mullen, Calgary 79 GP 51 G 59 A 110 Pts 98 PIM

Jari Kurri, Edmonton 76 GP 44 G 58 A 102 Pts 69 PIM

Jimmy Carson, Los Angeles 80 GP 49 G 51 A 100 Pts 36 PIM

Luc Robitaille, Los Angeles 78 GP 46 G 52 A 98 Pts 65 PIM

Sure makes ya think, doesn’t it? A different time and a very different game. Who wants to get out the time machine a la Marty McFly and Doc Brown? Count us in!

After the last post, I realized I could have gone with: “can someone give me a hand?” as the header… but oh wells.

Anyways, I figured it’s time for an early morning Sunday edition preview showing the making of the Devils’ latest signing!

Here it is:

Standing next to the leg is Jon Krawczyk, the sculpture’s creator.

Stay tuned to the Battle for more updates this week!

Prediction markets are becoming a useful tool in determining future events, whether they be elections, to geopolitical actions.  Essentially, it allows people to invest according to their individual research, opinions, etc, while developing an overall consensus on market performance.  The more players, the more accurate it becomes.

It’s typically better than a poll because shares can be bought or sold, allowing the market to track team performance and adjust accordingly.

So here it is… invest wisely!

Market Link

As the days of summer continue to drag on, it appears the Devils have made the majority of their player movements and transactions.  While the management continues to say that they are still looking to acquire a much needed defenseman, it looks as if they are taking their time.

Essentially, it looks as if Lou wants to see what the team he has now is capable of.  So let’s take a look at the Devils current Depth.

Left Wing Center Right Wing

P. Elias                   B. Rolston                B. Gionta

Z.  Parise                T. Zajac                   J. Langenbrunner

J. Pandolfo             J. Madden                D. Zubrus

M. Rupp                 B. Holik                  D. Clarkson

Forward Depth

R.  Pelley (C),  N. Bergfors (RW),  F. Federov (please stay in Lowell) , B. Tallackson (RW), and P. Vrana (LW)

Defense

P. Martin        J. Oduya

B. Salvador    C. White

M.  Mottau    A.  Greene

Defense Depth

S. Brookbank, M. Fraser, M. Corrente, T. Eckford

Goaltending

M. Brodeur

K. Weekes

Goaltending Depth

S. Clemmenson

J. Frazee

As you can see, the Devils have manged to take what worked from last season, and only make minor adjustments.  Bringing in Rolston helps on the first line because his shot is what a player like Gionta needs.  Theoretically, a playmaker like Elias can feed to him, and Gionta picks up the rebound.  Theoretically of course.

The 2nd line goes back to where it had it’s best chemistry (PZL, “pretzel line”), and hopefully Zajac will put his “mediocre” sophmore season, and blossom into the center the Devils need him to be.

The 3rd line remains the Rock of the team.  Madden, Pandolfo, and Zubrus have proven themselves to be highly effective in the checking, and even scoring roles.  Consistency is key with this group, and their track record is fairly good in this regard.  Hell, before Jay got injured in the game against Dallas, this line (sans Zubrus if my memory is correct) had some of the best production in this last season, hell to my knowledge, the best ever!

With the injection of Holik on the 4th line, along with youth like David Clarkson, and our good ol’ boy Michael Rupp, this line can provide physicality, as well as some short term checking capacity.  Hell, the Devils can finally roll 4 legit lines and cover all their bases.

On Defense, the Devils have mainstays in Martin, Oduya, White, and Salvador.  The last two spots become very iffy.  Mike Mottau, a Rangers reject, proved himself quite well in the Devils red last season, and has earned the chance to play in the starting lineup again.  Greene however… with guys like Matt Corrente bucking for a spot in the lineup… he may have to earn his spot in the lineup.

My view on the D-situation is that we have some expendable assets.  I would like to see Corrente make the lineup, and the only way for him to achieve that is by playing better than Mottau and Greene in camp.  But if he can do it, then more power to him.  His development is far more important than the career of Mike Mottau.  You don’t let players like Corrente rot in developmental hell if they prove to be ready right now.

As for Fedor Federov… I for one feel he has no place on this team.  There just isn’t any room… But!  4th line in place of Rupp is a possibility… a slight one.

All in all, the Devils are fairly stacked.  Their depth is not an issue… but the quality of their primary talent is still in doubt.  Especially on D.  Hence the rumours that Lou may still be looking for a D-man to put the team over the top.

But the way things are… it may be best to wait and see how things proceed.  With Marty in net, a mediocre D-corps becomes above-average when stopping goals against… but getting them to help with the transitional game (going from being on D to the attack) is where their weakness may be.  A good outlet pass or blue-line puck carrier is highly valuable.  And the loss of Scott Gomez highlighted that weakness immensly (cuz he used to just do the work himself).

Are the Devils a cup contender?  In my opinion… no.  Not yet.  But they are going to be as good or better than last year.