Devils get better..

by Rickfansince76 on Feb 5, 2010 12:39 AM EST Comment 9 comments

...if that is possible. It amazes me when a team that is already playing so well can actually improve from a trade.

The New Jersey Devils were neck and neck with the washington Capitals until the recent hot run by Alex's team. It seems the Devils now have their own Ovechkin with th etrade bringing Ilya Kovalchuk over from the Atlanta Thrashers. That may give the Devils just enough to win a 4th Cup with Broduer playing consistent again. I have to hand it to Lou, he is an excellent GM, and makes that team great year in and year out regardless of who is behind the bench. Having Marty helps Lou look smart too.

I don't think the Isles have to make a trade but lets see what Garth can do this season, although I am extremely happy with how are team looks, it would be nice to get something by the trade deadline in the way of a high pick or blue liner. I agree with getting rid of Witt, but just can't believe we couldn't get anything back for him in a trade, even if it was like a 3rd rounder. Placing aguy on waivers seems to be a waste.

As for the Rangers, I was not that impressed with the move for Olli Jokinen. Tortorella use of the lines seems to be the big reason that all lines don't produce. I am glad we went with Gordon as our coach instead of Tortorella.

Submitted FanPosts do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog or SB Nation. If you're reading this statement, you pass the fine print legalese test. Four stars for you.

0 recs | Comment 9 comments | Add comment

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I agree with getting rid of Witt, but just can’t believe we couldn’t get anything back for him in a trade

The crucial factors are: 1) his performance and 2) more importantly, the contract. I can’t emphasize that enough: Teams near the cap can’t risk adding a $3 million hit next year for a third-pair defenseman, and teams with cap room have chosen to spend frugally for a reason, which prevents that kind of risky expenditure.

With Jokinen, if I look at it as a way to dump a bad contract (Kotalik) and a poor fit (Higgins), then it makes sense.

I’m certainly not thrilled the Devils have added Kovalchuk. But I’m glad they had to shed assets and I’d bet good odds that it is only a rental — that makes me feel a little better.

Lighthouse Hockey: Under contract through 2021, knees and hips be damned.

by Dominik on Feb 5, 2010 1:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

dunno Dom

Lou doesn’t make many mistakes. I have a feeling he is going to figure out how to sign Kovi. A big consideration will be how far the Devs go. If they go to the Conference Finals or even the Cup Finals or even more win, Kovi wll want to stay. He did have to give up some serious assets though. I guess we know now what he thought of Cormier.

by BCISLEMAN on Feb 5, 2010 4:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

lou dont care if he re-signs

Lamoriello said the idea of trying to re-sign Kovalchuk wasn’t a consideration in the deal.

“That has not even been a thought at this moment,” Lamoriello said. "What we want to do is just get him here, get him into the environment, get him into the lineup, get our coaches to see what he brings. We see what he brings, he sees what we bring and not even think about that (re-signing him) whatsoever. That is not the thought process at this time.

why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?

by bob l on Feb 5, 2010 9:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think that means he doesn't care if he signs

I think it just means that both sides will see if its a good fit before they decide about signing.

by BCISLEMAN on Feb 5, 2010 1:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I do not think that Kovi will be a Devil after this season nor do I think the Devils will go far in the playoffs. The Devils essentially dress 3 lines of 3rd and 4th line quality players. They have a very good goalie who has the potential to steal any series, but just look at the last 3 years……he blew it against the huricanes last year and the rangers had their way with him the previous two. The Devils are not the same scary defensive team anymore. Kovalchuk makes them slightly more offensive but I don’t think this was his best option by far. On a team with a more fluent offense like Chicago or LA, he could be real dangerous. He’s going to score wherever he plays but maybe not to the fullest potential.

by earthworm on Feb 13, 2010 5:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

you could be right

although they are still holding on to first place in the division and they are missing key starters who should return soon. I think the kind of team they are in March will be an indicator of the kind of team they will be in the playoffs.

As to Kovi, his options are really quite limited. He wants to win the Cup and there are only a handful of teams that can be described as real contenders right now. Most of them have maxed out their cap credit cards and will not be anxious to do the reshuffling required to take him on. And if he is a bust with the Devs after failing to win a single playoff game with the Tharshers, even those few teams that might be willing will have to think twice.

by BCISLEMAN on Feb 16, 2010 1:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Something to say? Choose one of these options to log in.

On Facebook? Use Connect to join SB Nation. Share insights with fans and friends.
» Sign in with your Yahoo! ID
» Create a new SB Nation account
» Already registered with SB Nation? Log in!

Search

Atlantic Standings

	GP	W	L	OTL	PT
Pittsburgh PensBurgh	71	42	24	5	89
New Jersey In Lou We Trust	70	42	24	4	88
Philadelphia Broad Street Hockey	70	37	28	5	79
New York Rangers Blueshirt Banter	71	31	31	9	71
New York Islanders Lighthouse Hockey	71	29	32	10	68

(updated 3.20.2010 at 8:14 AM EDT)

Islanders Schedule

Next 5 Games

@ Los Angeles Jewels From The Crown	Sat 03/20	10:30 PM EDT
@ New York Rangers Blueshirt Banter	Wed 03/24	7:00 PM EDT
Calgary Matchsticks and Gasoline	Thu 03/25	7:00 PM EDT
@ Columbus The Cannon	Sat 03/27	7:00 PM EDT
New York Rangers Blueshirt Banter	Tue 03/30	7:00 PM EDT

Last 5 Games

@ Anaheim Anaheim Calling	Fri 03/19	OT - L 4 - 5
@ Vancouver Nucks Misconduct	Tue 03/16	W 5 - 2
Toronto Pension Plan Puppets	Sun 03/14	W 4 - 1
New Jersey In Lou We Trust	Sat 03/13	W 4 - 2
St. Louis St. Louis Game Time	Thu 03/11	SO - L 1 - 2

New York Islanders Roster

	#	Pos.	DOB	W	H
Josh Bailey	12	C	10/2/1989	188	6-1
Sean Bergenheim	20	LW	2/8/1984	205	5-10
Martin Biron	43	G	8/15/1977	180	6-3
Blake Comeau	57	RW	2/18/1986	207	6-1
Bruno Gervais	8	D	10/3/1984	205	6-1
Trevor Gillies	14	LW	1/30/1979	215	6-3
Jack Hillen	38	D	1/24/1986	200	5-11
Trent Hunter	7	RW	7/5/1980	210	6-3
Tim Jackman	28	RW	11/14/1981	210	6-4
Dustin Kohn	56	D	2/2/1987	200	6-2
Andrew MacDonald	47	D	9/7/1986	188	6-1
Matt Martin	46	LW	3/8/1989	192	6-2
Freddy Meyer	44	D	1/4/1981	192	5-10
Matt Moulson	26	LW	11/1/1983	206	6-1
Frans Nielsen	51	C	4/24/1984	172	5-11
Kyle Okposo	21	RW	4/16/1988	200	6-1
Richard Park	10	RW	5/27/1976	190	5-11
Dylan Reese	42	D	8/29/1984	195	6-0
Dwayne Roloson	30	G	10/12/1969	180	6-1
Jon Sim	16	LW	9/29/1977	195	5-10
Mark Streit	2	D	12/11/1977	197	6-0
Jeff Tambellini	15	LW	4/13/1984	186	5-11
John Tavares	91	C	9/20/1990	195	6-0

Lighthouse Hockey: An SB Nation Community

Network Bar

Lighthouse Hockey -