This team will get a major makeover come training camp in September.
I'm kind of glad Lou is behind the bench because he gets to see firsthand who stays and who goes. You'd think with their boss standing behind them, many of our players would play a little bit better, with a sense of urgency, passion & energy.
My predictions:
Gomez will be gone to a team in the West. Since we can't get Ovechkin or Heatley, it will be a shame to continue to underutilize his skills. Don't expect Lou to wait on Gomez and leave us hanging like that idiot Niedermayer, who is the Genesis of about half our problems.
Lou will get us a puck moving defenseman, a big guy as Rafalski is too small and a big, burly North American center.
The team will be built around Parise, Elias, Pandolfo, Clarkson, Martin, Greene, White & Matvichuk.
Elias will quietly relinquish his "C". (same thing happened with Modano, so it should be no big deal.) He will have a comeback year. The Captain role will be rotated among different players like it was a couple years back.
Brylin, Gionta, Langenbrunner, Zajac & Madden are trade material and some could benefit from a change of scenery. This might be unpopular, but we have to give up younger players and players with potential to get something in return. Expect to see an impact trade, not a blockbuster deal, along the likes of Guerin for Arnott, Sykora for Friesen, Arnott & McKay for Langenbrunner, etc.
Brodeur will not top 70 starts again, and rightfully so. Clemmenssen is perfectly capable of starting 12+ games. Besides, 70 is plenty anyway for Brodeur.
Expect Lou to try to assemble a quicker, more exciting team next season, especially with the new building open.
This team will get a major makeover come training camp in September.
I'm kind of glad Lou is behind the bench because he gets to see firsthand who stays and who goes. You'd think with their boss standing behind them, many of our players would play a little bit better, with a sense of urgency, passion & energy.
My predictions:
Gomez will be gone to a team in the West. Since we can't get Ovechkin or Heatley, it will be a shame to continue to underutilize his skills. Don't expect Lou to wait on Gomez and leave us hanging like that idiot Niedermayer, who is the Genesis of about half our problems.
Lou will get us a puck moving defenseman, a big guy as Rafalski is too small and a big, burly North American center.
The team will be built around Parise, Elias, Pandolfo, Clarkson, Martin, Greene, White & Matvichuk.
Elias will quietly relinquish his "C". (same thing happened with Modano, so it should be no big deal.) He will have a comeback year. The Captain role will be rotated among different players like it was a couple years back.
Brylin, Gionta, Langenbrunner, Zajac & Madden are trade material and some could benefit from a change of scenery. This might be unpopular, but we have to give up younger players and players with potential to get something in return. Expect to see an impact trade, not a blockbuster deal, along the likes of Guerin for Arnott, Sykora for Friesen, Arnott & McKay for Langenbrunner, etc.
Brodeur will not top 70 starts again, and rightfully so. Clemmenssen is perfectly capable of starting 12+ games. Besides, 70 is plenty anyway for Brodeur.
Expect Lou to try to assemble a quicker, more exciting team next season, especially with the new building open.
John MacLean will be behind the bench.
I agree with EVERYTHING except...I don't think Zajac should be considered for a trade. He is poised to have a STELLAR year.
I agree that if we get bounced in the first round there will be major changes, and rightfully so. I have said for the past couple seasons that this team is capable of winning a round or two at best in the playoffs and could just as easily lose in the first or second round as well.
Assuming they go out in the 1st or 2nd round you can't be bringing back the same cast of characters.
I believe Gomez leaves. Not a tragedy if he is only going to score 15 goals a season. I would like to see them beef up the defense as we have been getting pushed around by a Tampa team that is known more as a skill team as opposed to a physical team.
I've been saying that since I have joined here and got a lot of heat for that. There should be very few 'untouchables' left on this team. This is the muddy water of the post-Steven/Niedemayer era and it's time to try to create a new identity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochester22
I hope Fraser is on the team next year, he brings a big physical force. maybe Corrente also
I think we should let them blossom and not rush them. Our defense will be better with Matvichuk and any additions Lou will make.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rochester22
2007-2008 Defensemen
White - Rafalski
Corrente - Martin
Matvichuk - Greene
Fraser
SOLID
Rafalski needs a change of scenery and will command too much money. He is small too. Use the money to sign forwards and work-in-progress type of big d-men that Lou likes, like a Brad Stewart or Eric Brewer for example
Quote:
Originally Posted by Central Jersey Devil
I agree with EVERYTHING except...I don't think Zajac should be considered for a trade. He is poised to have a STELLAR year.
I thought about that too and I was torn about it, but if we really want to change, we need to give up a player with potential. The only young player who I won't want gone is Parise. Gionta & Zajac are expendable, but if I had my choice I'd rather keep Zajac
The only one I can see Lou trading is Brylin to make room for Clarkson. I don't think there's any way he trades Gionta or Zajac (especially with the chemistry he's developed with Parise). Langenbrunner is tough too but I can kind of see that with Bergfors due to challenge for duty next year.
I hope we can pick up a decent center through free agency (I've said many times along with many others here that Drury would be perfect) or through a trade. Briere would be incredible but I think the only time we'll see him in a Devils jersey is in our dreams. I'm pretty sure he's staying in Buffalo anyway, which means Drury will almost definitely hit the market.
Everything else you said is pretty much right on. I'd love to see Lou put together an exciting team and put Johnny Mac behind the bench.
As far as our D goes...I agree with letting Rafalski go. Greene isn't his caliber yet but he's making good strides and looks comfortable in the playoffs thus far. Combined with Martin and Oduya, that's more than enough offense from the blueline. I'd love to see Corrente in the lineup if he has the kind of camp he did last year. I expect to see at least 2 new faces in our D come next season.
The only one I can see Lou trading is Brylin to make room for Clarkson. I don't think there's any way he trades Gionta or Zajac (especially with the chemistry he's developed with Parise). Langenbrunner is tough too but I can kind of see that with Bergfors due to challenge for duty next year.
I hope we can pick up a decent center through free agency (I've said many times along with many others here that Drury would be perfect) or through a trade. Briere would be incredible but I think the only time we'll see him in a Devils jersey is in our dreams. I'm pretty sure he's staying in Buffalo anyway, which means Drury will almost definitely hit the market.
Everything else you said is pretty much right on. I'd love to see Lou put together an exciting team and put Johnny Mac behind the bench.
I am very high on Parise. He's the type of player who would do well on any line, and with different players. I don't think he would lose a step without Zajac.
Langenbrunner is expensive at $2.8 million. We can live without him if it gets us in return what we need.
I would love to have Drury or Briere, but do we really need to spend more money on smallish forwards, especially when Gomez goes?
As far as our D goes...I agree with letting Rafalski go. Greene isn't his caliber yet but he's making good strides and looks comfortable in the playoffs thus far. Combined with Martin and Oduya, that's more than enough offense from the blueline. I'd love to see Corrente in the lineup if he has the kind of camp he did last year. I expect to see at least 2 new faces in our D come next season.
Martin and Oduya give us squat as far as offense goes. Losing Rafalski would be devastating. Greene will never be quite raffy's caliber.
Martin and Oduya give us squat as far as offense goes. Losing Rafalski would be devastating. Greene will never be quite raffy's caliber.
We can live without Rafalski and the high salary he will command this summer. He makes $4.2 million now, before he hits UFA this summer and is small. We can spend our money more wisely to get us a BIG d-man to get us 8 goals/40 assists.
As I said in the other thread, of the trade material you mentioned, only one of them are 'young', or are you referring to other guys when you say we need to let some young guys go?
This team will get a major makeover come training camp in September.
I'm kind of glad Lou is behind the bench because he gets to see firsthand who stays and who goes. You'd think with their boss standing behind them, many of our players would play a little bit better, with a sense of urgency, passion & energy.
My predictions:
Gomez will be gone to a team in the West. Since we can't get Ovechkin or Heatley, it will be a shame to continue to underutilize his skills. Don't expect Lou to wait on Gomez and leave us hanging like that idiot Niedermayer, who is the Genesis of about half our problems.
Lou will get us a puck moving defenseman, a big guy as Rafalski is too small and a big, burly North American center.
The team will be built around Parise, Elias, Pandolfo, Clarkson, Martin, Greene, White & Matvichuk.
Elias will quietly relinquish his "C". (same thing happened with Modano, so it should be no big deal.) He will have a comeback year. The Captain role will be rotated among different players like it was a couple years back.
Brylin, Gionta, Langenbrunner, Zajac & Madden are trade material and some could benefit from a change of scenery. This might be unpopular, but we have to give up younger players and players with potential to get something in return. Expect to see an impact trade, not a blockbuster deal, along the likes of Guerin for Arnott, Sykora for Friesen, Arnott & McKay for Langenbrunner, etc.
Brodeur will not top 70 starts again, and rightfully so. Clemmenssen is perfectly capable of starting 12+ games. Besides, 70 is plenty anyway for Brodeur.
Expect Lou to try to assemble a quicker, more exciting team next season, especially with the new building open.
John MacLean will be behind the bench.
agree with about nothing other than gomez being gone.
i see burns behing the bench.
i see elias being the captain for years to come (accept it and deal with it)
Brylin, Gionta, Langenbrunner, Zajac & Madden are not going anywhere.
the biggest chages come on fourth line where clarkson comes up.
We can live without Rafalski and the high salary he will command this summer. He makes $4.2 million now, before he hits UFA this summer and is small. We can spend our money more wisely to get us a BIG d-man to get us 8 goals/40 assists.
The only one I can see Lou trading is Brylin to make room for Clarkson. I don't think there's any way he trades Gionta or Zajac (especially with the chemistry he's developed with Parise). Langenbrunner is tough too but I can kind of see that with Bergfors due to challenge for duty next year.
I've thought about trading Langs as well. Might not be a popular move since he's a typical Devil, and is clutch in the playoffs...but that clutch in the playoffs part would allow us to possibly get a better player in return. Especially if he's traded following a good (so far) showing in this year's playoffs.
Jordan Leopold, Jay Bouwmeester, Sheldon Souray, Eric Brewer, or darkhorse candidates that Lou might surprise us with like Ron Hainsey from Columbus or Mark Streit from Montreal.
I really would like Niedermayer, Pronger or Phaneuf.
Jordan Leopold, Jay Bouwmeester, Sheldon Souray, Eric Brewer, or darkhorse candidates that Lou might surprise us with like Ron Hainsey from Columbus or Mark Streit from Montreal.
I really would like Niedermayer, Pronger or Phaneuf.
Bouwmeester seems like the best option of that bunch, at least the realistic ones.
Bouwmeester seems like the best option of that bunch, at least the realistic ones.
on a side note, I wonder if Patrik Stefan can turn into a classic Lou reclamation project like he did with Arnott. Or then again the experiment could fail like it did with the Viktor Kozlov project.
on a side note, I wonder if Patrik Stefan can turn into a classic Lou reclamation project like he did with Arnott. Or then again the experiment could fail like it did with the Viktor Kozlov project.
He'd fit right in. Can't score on an empty net if his life depends on it.
Don't worry. Seeing how quickly people were willing to bash Brodeur and write off Lou on Monday night, it's funny to see people take shots at this thread, especially when these same people will be joining us here shortly.
nope, im not quick to fly off the handle. surely there is something wrong with the team, but some of your suggestions just dont seem likely under lou. if lou stepped down then i could see someone making them. i am fairly certain brylin will retire a devil, if he hasn't been dealt or let go by now, i doubt he will unless he insists on a long contract. langs was just signed and i know lou is high on him, as he is the other players you mentioned, and he rarely shakes things up. he makes little additions and subtractions. remember his quote from marty's book concerning the rangers... "they get the best player available, i get the best player for the team." he wouldnt desconstruct that team to begin a new identity. nothing was more evident than in 2004 that we needed a new style team, and no major changes happened, post lockout things ligned up. a couple small tweaks, a coach that is demanding of his palyers (burns) and this team is once again tops in the east. as for taking shots, there are several anti-devil devils fans, and it just seems as thats where you end up. i understand your frustration, we all share it, i just think its a little extreme.
