HFBoards - Holik to NJ? Larry Brooks/NY Post rumor

February 21, 2004 -- The Devils are in trouble. They've lost their swagger. They've lost their brawn up front. As teams around them in the East's upper echelon make major moves, the defending Stanley Cup champions are desperately seeking size down the middle and a presence in a locker room gone vanilla.
And guess who fits that very description and may well be available at the right price? Why, it's none other than Bobby Holik, whom Lou Lamoriello gets to see this afternoon at the Garden along with the rest of the Rangers.

Is it out of the question for Lamoriello to bring Holik back? It most certainly is not. Indeed, it is very possible that the Devils and Rangers could swing such a deal if the contract under which Holik is due to earn just under $27 million the next three years can somehow be massaged to Lamoriello's liking and if the GM is willing and able to help the Blueshirts get younger. "I don't even want to answer the question if I think it would be possible to go back there because then people would think it's on my mind when it absolutely is not," Holik, genuinely startled by the question, told The Post following yesterday's full practice. "I don't even know what to say. I'm concentrating on trying to do my job here and contribute to winning games for the Rangers and helping us make the playoffs. "I don't want to discuss this. The possibility of going back is nothing that I have been made aware of by anybody."

Holik, of course, left the Devils after 10 years, spurning their free-agent offer of approximately $40M (including deferrals) to sign with the Rangers for $45M. The centerman, meanwhile, has come under heavy criticism from Canadian commentators the last week over his refusal to fight Donald Brashear in the final minutes of last Saturday's game in Philadelphia. The enforcer stalked Holik in an attempt to gain retribution for the Ranger center's collision two nights earlier with Keith Primeau that concussed the Flyer center. When Holik refused to take the bait from Brashear, a brawl involving Chris Simon that spilled over to include Jamie Lundmark and Danny Markov ensued. "Why would I allow Brashear to dictate the way I play my game?" Holik said. "I felt no obligation to drop my gloves just because Donald Brashear decided I should. That is not my game. I don't think any of my teammates had an issue with what I did. "To me, the ultimate payback, if that's what you want to call it, is winning the game. You win and you've hurt your opponent. That is my opinion. I'm not going to fight because someone else thinks I should."