Bleacher Report - Articles by levinakl

Devils Giving The Kids a Chance

levinakl — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:48:05 -0500

This past July, many Devils fans (or people who watch the Devils) were alarmed when the Devils didn't really make much of an effort to re-sign John Madden or Brian Gionta. Two long-time guys were let go, and even though it isn't all that uncommon of an occurrence in New Jersey, people were predicting doom and gloom for the Devils.

After all, the only free agents brought in during the summer were Yann Danis, Cory Murphy and Ilka Pikkarainen (during training camp and the season, the Devils did bring in Rob Niedermayer, Andrew Peters,and Dean McAmmond).

It has been somewhat clear that the Devils have not been pleased with the overall defensive skills and performance of Cory Murphy, or at least at a minimum, they feel Murphy has some things to work on. Murphy was previously sent down to the minors upon the return from injury by rookie Mark Fraser (pictured above on right) by the Devils earlier this season, but got a reprieve when both Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya went down with injury.

Despite scoring two goals, the Devils still were not covinced by Murphy's play, and rightfully so in my opinion, that he could be trusted, and that was made apparent to anyone watching closely, as Murphy barely averaged over ten minutes a game.

Even Fraser has been getting steadily over twelve minutes a game as Head Coach Jacques Lemaire becomes more and more trusting of the rookie.

The Devils had been hoping that Johnny Oduya would return from an alleged groin injury to replace Murphy in the lineup. When Oduya's health issues did not clear up, they then tried to bring back Jay Leach from the AHL through re-entry waivers to also replace Murphy. Unfortunately, Leach was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens, leaving the Devils on the hook for half of his $487,500 salary against their salary cap.

The next option was to bring up both Matt Corrente and Tyler Eckford to give the kids a shot at replacing Murphy. It worked earlier this year when they inserted Mark Fraser into the lineup, so they are probably at least curious as to what both Corrente and Eckford might add to the puzzle. Eckford played in his first game last night and from all accounts, didn't look that greatly out of place, all be it in limited ice time.

Corrente has yet to crack the lineup, but I'd expect that to happen sooner rather then later.

Add to this that the Devils put Nicklas Bergfors into a key forward spot at the beginning of the year and have inserted the likes of Rod Pelley, Tim Sestito, and Matt Halischuk into the lineup on a somewhat regular basis (some by necessity due to injuries to Niedermayer, Jay Pandolfo) and it is becoming quite clear as to why the Devils decided to open up the spots in the regular lineup with the departures of both Gionta and Madden.

Then again, this isn't really anything new for the New Jersey Devils.

They are known for being able to have the sum of its parts being greater then the parts themselves. In past years, the likes of Scott Gomez, Doug Gilmour, Brian Rafalaski, Scott Niedermayer and Bobby Holik all left the team via the free agent route, and the Devils didn't lose much of a beat.

That is mostly because it is the idea GM Lou Lamoriello has always preached, that no team is bigger then any of its parts. Don't also overlook the teaching ability of Head coach Jacques Lemaire, who always puts his players in a position to succeed.

This year has been just another example of the creed that Lamoriello, Lemaire and the Devils have and will continue to live by and continue to succeed.

It's worked for this long, it doesn't look like it's about to change anytime soon.

Week 2 NFL Power Rankings Springsteen Style

levinakl — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:34:18 -0400

In honor of Bruce Springsteen’s 60th birthday this week, I am going to use a Springsteen lyric to describe each team, as they stand after week 2…

Current		Team		Previous
	1	Atlanta Falcons (2-0)		4
	“Well, my feet they finally took root in the earth but I got me a nice little place in the stars And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car” Growin’ Up Next: @ New England (1-1)
	2	Indianapolis Colts (2-0)	6
	“Aim your gun, son, and shoot your shot, Everybody wants to be the Man at the Top” Man at the Top Next: @ Arizona (1-1)
	3	New York Giants (2-0)	3
	“Climb in back, heaven’s waiting on down the tracks…” Thunder Road Next: @ Tampa Bay (0-2)
	4	Baltimore Ravens (2-0)	10
	“Hell, all day they’re busting you up on the outside, But tonight you’re gonna break out on through to the inside, And it’ll be right, it’ll be right and it’ll be tonight!” Night Next: vs Cleveland (0-2)
	5	Minnesota Vikings (2-0)	15
	“Just wrap your legs round these velvet rims and strap your hands across my engines. Together we could break this trap, We’ll run till we drop, baby we’ll never go back,” Born To Run Next: vs San Francisco (2-0)
	6	Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1)	1
	“You say your momma’s going to meet you when the morning comes. And your papa’s gonna beat you ‘cause he knows you are out on the run. I’m gonna live a life of love and tonight you’re the one. The highway is alive tonight, so do not be frightened. There’s something about a pretty girl on a sweet summer night that gets this boy excited.” Seaside Bar Song Next: @ Cincinnati (1-1)
	7	New York Jets (2-0)	23
	“Sunrise come. I climb the ladder, The new day breaks and I’m working on a dream.” Working on a Dream Next: vs Tennessee (0-2)
	8	Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)	5
	“Seen a man standin’ over a dead dog lyin’ by a highway in a ditch, he’s looking kinda puzzled pokin’ that dog with a stick. Got his car door flung open he’s standing out on Highway 31. Like if he stood there long enough, that’d dog get up and run. Struck me kinda funny, seem kinda funny sir to me. Still at the end of every hard earned day people find some reason to believe.” Reason to Believe Next: vs. Kansas City (0-2)
	9	New England Patriots (1-1)	2
	“I wanna read your mind to know just what I’ve got in this new thing I found, so tell me what I see when I look in your eyes, Is that you baby, or just a brilliant disguise?” Brilliant Disguise Next: vs Atlanta (2-0)
	10	New Orleans Saints (2-0)	16
	“Well now, I don’t want to be greedy. But when it comes to love their ain’t no doubt, you just ain’t gonna get what you want, with one foot in bed and one foot out, You got to give it all, or nothin’ at all” All or Nothin’ At All Next: @ Buffalo (1-1)
	11	San Francisco 49ers (2-0)	19
	“And the kids down here look like shadows, always quiet holding hands. From the churches to the jails tonight all is silence in the world, as we take our stand, down in Jungleland. Next: @ Minnesota (2-0)
	12	Green Bay Packers (1-1)	14
	“Hey little girlie with the jeans so tight, drivin’ alone through the Wisconsin night, you’re my last love baby you’re my last chance, don’t let ‘em take me to the Cadillac Ranch.” Cadillac Ranch Next: @ St. Louis (0-2)
	13	Chicago Bears (1-1)	20
	“Oh heartbreak and despair got nothing but boring so I grabbed you baby like a wild pitch. It takes a leap of faith to get things going, it takes a leap of faith you gotta show some guts.” Leap of Faith Next: @ Seattle (1-1)
	14	Tennessee Titans (0-2)	8
	“Everybody’s got a hunger, a hunger they can’t resist. There’s so much that you want, you deserve much more then this, But if dreams came true, oh wouldn’t that be nice. But this ain’t no dream we’ve been living through tonight” Prove It All Night Next: @ NY Jets (2-0)
	15	San Diego Chargers (1-1)	13
	“I’m a thief in the house of love and I can’t be trusted. Well I’ll be making my heist In just another roll of the dice. Move on up, come on seven, roll me baby, in this fool’s heaven.” Roll of the Dice Next: vs. Miami (0-2)
	16	Arizona Cardinals (1-1)	11
	“You been hurt and you’re all cried out you say, you walk down the street, pushin’ people out of your way, you packed your bags and all alone you wanna ride, you don’t want nothin’, don’t need no one by your side, you’re walkin’ tough baby, but you’re walkin’ blind to the ties that bind.” The Ties That Bind Next: vs. Indianapolis (2-0)
	17	Miami Dolphins (0-2)	17
	“I remember back when we started, my kisses you used to turn you inside out, I used to drive you to work in the morning, Friday night I’d drive you all around, you used to love to drive me wild, but lately girl you get your kicks from just driving me down” I’m Goin’ Down Next: @ San Diego (1-1)
	18	Houston Texans (1-1)	18
	“Well I’m a little down under, but I’m feeling OK. I got a little lost along the way. I’m just around the corner to the light of day.” Light of Day Next: vs Jacksonville (0-2)
	19	Dallas Cowboys (1-1)	12
	“Now I think I’m going down to the well tonight and I’m going to drink until I get my fill. And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it, but I probably will. Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of, well time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of glory days.” Glory Days Next: vs. Carolina (1-1)
	20	Washington Redskins (1-1)	13
	“I’m a thief in the house of love and I can’t be trusted. Well I’ll be making my heist In just another roll of the dice. Move on up, come on seven, roll me baby, in this fool’s heaven.” Roll of the Dice Next: @ Detroit (0-2)
	21	Cincinnati Bengals (1-1)	21
	“No one here knows how it started, suddenly everything was just so out of control, now I want some answers, mister, I need to know, I hear all the talk but I don’t know what you’re sayin, but I think I got a good idea the game that you’re playin.’” Roulette Next: vs. Pittsburgh (1-1)
	22	Denver Broncos (2-0)	25
	“Well, surprise, surprise, surprise, Yea, surprise, surprise, surprise. Well, surprise, surprise, surprise, C’mon open your eyes and let your love shine down.” Surprise, Surprise, Surprise Next: @ Oakland (1-1)
	23	Carolina Panthers (1-1)	9
	“Well big limousine shiny and black, you don’t look ahead and you don’t look back, how many times can you get up after you’ve been hit? Well I swear if I could spare the spit, I’d lay one on your shiny chrome and send you on your way back home.” Seeds Next: @ Dallas (1-1)
	24	Buffalo Bills (1-1)	24
	“And everybody’s wrecked on Main Street from drinking unholy blood. Sticker smiles sweet as gunner breathes deep, his ankles caked in mud. And I said “Hey gunner man that’s quicksand, that ain’t mud, have you thrown you senses to the war or did you lose them in the flood?” Lost in the Flood Next: vs. New Orleans (2-0)
	25	Oakland Raiders (1-1)	32
	“I’m coming to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man. Someday we’ll look back on this and it will all seem funny.” Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) Next: vs Denver (2-0)
	26	Seattle Seahawks (1-1)	26
	“It’s been a long drought baby, tonight the rain’s pourin’ down on our roof, looking for a little bit of God’s mercy, I found living proof.” Living Proof Next: vs. Chicago (1-1)
	27	Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2)	22
	“I watch the sun as it rises and sets, I watch the moon trace its arc with no regrets, My jacket around your shoulders, the falling leaves, the wet grass on our backs as the autumn breeze drifts through the trees.” Kingdom of Days Next: @ Houston (1-1)
	28	Kansas City Chiefs (0-2)	31
	“You’re born with nothing and better off that way, soon as you’ve got something they send someone to try and take it away, you can ride this road ‘til dawn, without another human being in sight, just kids wasted on something in the night.” Something in the Night Next: @ Philadelphia (1-1)
	29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2)	27
	“How beautiful the river flows and the birds they sing, but you and I we’re messier things. There ain’t no one leavin’ this world buddy without their shirttail dirty or their hands bloody.”” Big Muddy Next: vs NY Giants (2-0)
	30	St. Louis Rams (0-2)	28
	“You’re born into this life paying for the sins of somebody else’s past; Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain. Now he walks his whole life for nothing but the pain. Now he walks this empty rooms looking for something to blame, you inherit the sins, you inherit the flames” Adam Raised a Cain Next: vs. Green Bay (1-1)
	31	Cleveland Browns (0-2)	29
	“Mister Trouble come walkin’ this way, Year gone by feels like one long day..” Real World Next: @ Baltimore (2-0)
	32	Detroit Lions (0-2)	30
	“Well, my soul checked out missing as I sat listening, to the hours and minutes tickin’ away. Yeah, just sittin’ around waitin’ for my life to begin, while it was all just slippin’ away.” Better Days Next: Vs. Washington (1-1)

Opening Weekend NFL Power Rankings

levinakl — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:52:46 -0400

Current		Team		Previous
	1	Pittsburgh Steelers		12-4
	The Steelers won it all last year, and didn’t really lose anyone major enough to think they don’t have a good chance of repeating. Now, that’s not to say it isn’t extremely difficult to repeat, but until we have reason to knock them off the perch, they stay at the top. If Rashard Mendenhall can become a feature back, the offense will become even harder to stop, but Willie Parker isn’t done just yet. Will the transition from Hines Ward to Santonio Holmes as the No. 1 receiver continue? Holmes picked last year's Super Bowl as the right game for a potential breakout performance. No real worries on the defensive side of the ball, unless injuries pop up. Key player for 2009: Willie Parker
	2	New England Patriots	11-5
	The return of Tom Brady to the fold can easily make the Patriots the number one team on many people’s boards. In my case, I’m going to make the Patriots earn the No. 1 spot. That being said, this team still looks extremely talented. Similar to past years, they have added to their talent pool by bringing in vets like Joey Galloway, Fred Taylor and Shawn Springs, amongst others. Let’s also not overlook the Belichick coaching factor. He should have this team in top form, and perhaps even motivate Randy Moss for a big season to celebrate Brady’s return. Key Player for 2009: Tom Brady
	3	New York Giants	12-4
	Yes, I know the obvious question that jumps out is the number one wide receiver position. However, I think the Giants are extremely deep and talented in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Their defensive line rotation is second to none at this point, and with stars Tuck and Umenyoria leading the way, opposing quarterbacks will have their hands full. The offense should produce enough to overcome any thoughts to missing Plaxico Burress, and I expect a big season from Kenny Phillips at the safety position. On offense, I think Steve Smith will be a big help to Eli Manning this season. Key Player: Steve Smith (or whatever receiver might step up to replace Burress)
	4	Atlanta Falcons	11-5
	Expecting the Falcons to continue their sudden rise is asking a lot. Especially if you believe in sophomore slumps. If Matt Ryan falters, the Falcons could potentially crumble. Adding TE Tony Gonzalez to the mix only gives the Dirty Birds another offensive weapon, and there already is a lot of talent in place with Michael Turner, Roddy White and Jerious Norwood. Will the defense miss the departure of Keith Brooking? Probably not as much as people would’ve thought a year ago, especially with the arrival of Mike Peterson. The secondary here could also potentially be an issue they will have to deal with. Key Player: Matt Ryan
	5	Philadelphia Eagles	9-6-1
	The three biggest question marks for the Eagles this year are the health of Brian Westbrook, how will the team overcome the tragic death of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, and will the arrival of Michael Vick create a distraction in the locker room? I’m not certain that any of these three will become a real problem at all, although in my opinion, the loss of Johnson will be the hardest to overcome. Look for LeSean McCoy to help carry the load at running back, and give the Eagles hopefully another option besides Brian Westbrook to run the ball. That is, if you don’t want to include the potential Michael Vick factor in the Wildcat formation. The development of players like WR Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson will also be a key, as QB Donovan McNabb needs to develop a reliable No. 1 target. Key player: Jason Peters
	6	Indianapolis Colts	12-4
	Yes, they’ve lost some of their brain trust and Marvin Harrison, both key factors to their string of success. However, Peyton Manning still remains in place, and Donald Brown could add a nice jolt to the running game when paired with Joseph Addai. This is a team that has to show the ability to stay healthy on the defensive side of the ball. If so, they will surely be a team to be reckoned with. Playmakers like Bob Sanders, Robert Mathis, and Dwight Freeney must not only stay healthy, but produce on the defensive side if this team is going to put together a long playoff run. Thus far, Sanders is out for the early part of the schedule, and Mathis and Antoine Bethea are banged up. Not a good start for the defense, but there certainly is time to recover. Key Player: Dwight Freeney
	7	San Diego Chargers	8-8
	Will head coach Norv Turner finally put it all together and have a team live up to its expectations? Up until now, Turner has struggled in the spotlight, specifically in the postseason. Has LaDanian Tomlinson finally fallen? Darren Sproles should help overcome any potential drop-off from LT. The Bolts also welcome back the injured Shawne Merriman to the fold, and his playmaking abilities could drive quarterbacks crazy, assuming he can remain off the police blotter. Merriman’s return could make the Chargers defense that much better, but even without Merriman, there are still enough playmakers in place for them to stop their opponents regularly. Key player: Antonio Gates
	8	Tennessee Titans	13-3
	Will the Titans be able to replace the $100 million man? There are candidates available to share the load to replace Albert Haynesworth. Overall though, a lot of things went right for this team last year, on their way to a 13-3 season, and will they be able to repeat that same success? Will Kerry Collins be able to repeat his great performance from last year? Will the RB tandem of Chris Johnson and LenDale White be able to run all over defenses? These are some of the fair questions to bring up, and I think the defense will at least take enough of a hit by the loss of Haynesworth to come up short in trying to repeat last year’s record, but should still garner a playoff invitation. Key player: Kyle Vanden Bosch
	9	Carolina Panthers	12-4
	The Carolina Panthers feature some superstar players like DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith, and Julius Peppers. They also have a sly coach in John Fox. Is there enough depth to support their superstars, and does quarterback Jake Delhomme have enough left in the tank after injuries to lead the offense to produce? In my opinion, this is a tough team to get a read on, as I can easily see them being either 11-5 or 5-11. Utilizing secondary passing targets beyond Smith will certainly be imperative. Key player: Jake Delhomme
	10	Baltimore Ravens	11-5
	The Ravens seem to be in a very similar situation to the Falcons, as their second year quarterback will definitely have a huge impact on their prospects for 2009. However, where the situation differs greatly from the Falcons, are they have a defense led by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Those two sure-fire Hall of Famers lead what is perennially one of the toughest, if not THE toughest defense to play against. As long as Flacco can help lead the offense to put points on the board on a somewhat consistent basis, the Ravens should be in the mix. Key player: Terrell Suggs
	11	Arizona Cardinals	9-7
	I guess this year will tell us how magical their run was last year. Was it for real? Time will tell, as the offense should still put up points on a consistent basis. Can Kurt Warner stay healthy? Based on his track record, you can expect an injury for Warner to deal with this year, leaving it up to Matt Leinart and his development. Beanie Wells should be a nice addition to the backfield if he can stay healthy. The defense should be pretty comparable to last year’s squad, so overall, I’d expect Arizona to be pretty good, but unable to match last year’s Super Bowl run. Key player: Kurt Warner
	12	Dallas Cowboys	9-7
	A very talented team that unfortunately seems to lack discipline and passion. Look at the last two weeks from last year’s disappointing season: a huge letdown against Baltimore in the last game in the history of Texas Stadium, and then a 44-6 drubbing against the hated Philadelphia Eagles in the finale—a game that had they won, would’ve put them in the playoffs. Now that Terrell Owens left town, many are trying to argue whether that is addition by subtraction. I’m not that convinced, because other then Felix Jones, there isn’t any clear and consistent game breaker on offense. The defense should be solid, as long as DeMarcus Ware stays healthy, so it comes down to Tony Romo and how he leads the offense. Make no mistakes about it; this is a key season for the quarterback. Key player: Tony Romo
	13	Washington Redskins	8-8
	It’s time for this team to finally put it together and start producing. Bringing in Albert Haynesworth in the offseason obviously gives a huge lift to the defense. Of course, that’s assuming Haynesworth comes mentally ready to play. Ask the Cowboys’ Andre Gurode, as Haynesworth sometimes leaves his brains and effort on the sideline. If Haynesworth tries to show the worth of his new contract, the Redskins defense should be a lot better than in recent years. Jason Campbell will have to show that the Redskins were silly for wanting to replace him in the offseason, but he has the weapons in place to produce. Will Jim Zorn finally put it together for owner Daniel Snyder? Key player: Jason Campbell
	14	Green Bay Packers	6-10
	Aaron Rodgers showed last year he is the real deal. Expectations remain high for Rodgers in 2009. I also expect a big season from RB Ryan Grant, who had a healthy training camp and seems destined to return to his 2007 success. There is a lot of depth with the pass catchers, as Greg Jennings and Donald Driver lead the way. Remember the name Jermichael Finley, who may turn out to be a find at tight end. The switching to a 3-4 defense will be key for the Packers, as the secondary should be fine. It’s in the front seven of the defense where some of the question marks need answering. Key player: Aaron Kampman (who moves to OLB)
	15	Minnesota Vikings	10-6
	I find the Vikings to be another difficult team to get a read on. You start with Adrian Peterson, the best running back in football. Sprinkle in the un-retired Brett Favre at quarterback, with Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice, and Percy Harvin at the wide out position, and there definitely are enough playmakers on the offense. On defense, you have Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield, the Williams “brothers” and Chad Greenway leading the way, so there is talent there too. Can coach Brad Childress put it all together? I see the Vikings doing better than this ranking, but they’ll have to earn their way up the ladder, as Favre has to show what he has left in the tank. Key player: Brett Favre
	16	New Orleans Saints	8-8
	A team that is comparable to the Arizona Cardinals, as there is a lot of offense in place. Weapons like Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas, and Lance Moore lead the way. But, the big question is, how will they stop opponents? Defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith must produce and a lot will be expected from MLB Jonathan Vilma in his second season with the Saints. There is enough talent on both sides of the ball that this will be a key season for Head Coach Sean Payton. Key player: Jonathan Vilma
	17	Miami Dolphins	11-5
	The huge surprise of last year, will they be able to repeat last year’s performance? That remains to be seen, as the Wildcat formation shouldn’t be a surprise to their opponents any longer. Also, will Chad Pennington and Joey Porter be able to repeat their performances of last year? Many questions like these remain about the Dolphins, not to mention, they won’t have the luxury of a last place schedule this time around. Expect a one-step-back type of year for perhaps two steps forward next year as some of the young talent in place continues to progress. Key player: Ronnie Brown
	18	Houston Texans	8-8
	A former laughing stock of the league, the Texans have finally put together a pretty talented squad. Leading the way is QB Matt Schaub and super stud WR Andre Johnson. Steve Slaton is coming off a breakout rookie season and there are second-tier talents like Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels, and Andre Davis to add potential production. The key here is also the defense as guys like Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, Dunta Robinson and DeMeco Ryans lead the charge. A significant improvement from this unit should put the Texans in playoff contention. Health and a good start will certainly be a key. Key player: Matt Schaub
	19	San Francisco 49ers	7-9
	My one potential sleeper team this year is the 49ers. Head Coach Mike Singletary leads the charge and will hope to rally his team around a few different unusual circumstances. First, it appears first round pick Michael Crabtree’s holdout will continue into the season. Second, unheralded and underrated Shaun Hill takes over as the first string quarterback, taking over for former No. 1 overall pick Alex Smith. There is good depth elsewhere in the backfield with Frank Gore leading the way in front of Glen Coffee. The defense is led by super stud LB Patrick Willis and CB Nate Clements. In the end, this team will only go as far as Shaun Hill is able to take them, but I expect Hill to do a good job “driving the bus,” and Singletary should be good at rallying the players together. Key player: Shaun Hill
	20	Chicago Bears	9-7
	The big acquisition was bringing in Jay Cutler to man the quarterback position. While you certainly have to expect him to be an improvement over Kyle Orton, the question is will the rest of the team around him be able to improve as well? You could argue the defense is in a bit of decline, as guys like Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris may have declined just a bit. Will Matt Forte be able to repeat last year’s excellent rookie season? Will the acquisition of Cutler leave the Bears not even needing Forte to match that production? Who will consistently catch the ball? Devin Hester? Greg Olson? Earl Bennett? Some combination of the three? Time will tell, but the defense must take charge for the team to even repeat last year’s record. Key player: Brian Urlacher
	21	Cincinnati Bengals	4-11-1
	Another team that is extremely hard to get a read on, the Bengals floundered last season, but look to recover in 2009. QB Carson Palmer’s health will be a key, as WR threats like Chad Ochocinco, Chris Henry, and Laverneaus Coles will be very limited without Palmer being healthy and effective. RB Cedric Benson will have his first full season as the feature back for the Bengals. The defense has added veterans in S Roy Williams and DT Tank Johnson, but still has plenty of question marks. Hard Knocks on HBO has given the Bengals a lot of feature TV time, but they will require a lot of things to go right to continue to stay in the spotlight. Key player: Carson Palmer
	22	Jacksonville Jaguars	5-11
	Another team that it is hard to get a read on, as the team was so decimated on the offensive line last season, which led to complete struggles across the board. The line has been revamped for this year, led by the acquisition of Tra Thomas and the drafting of Eugene Monroe and Eben Britten. David Garrard returns as the starting quarterback, and is a solid player who won’t tend to lose too many games for you. Long time running back Fred Taylor was cut, but Maurice Jones-Drew leads the rushing attack and should expect complementary production from Rashad Jennings and Greg Jones. Torry Holt was brought in to lead the revamped receiving corps, and Troy Williamson surprisingly had a good camp. On defense, head coach Jack Del Rio turns to playmakers like DT John Henderson, FS Reggie Nelson, CB Rashean Mathis and DE Derrick Harvey to lead the way. Key player: Tra Thomas (and the entire offensive line)
	23	New York Jets	9-7
	Rex Ryan is looking to bring a fresh approach to the Jets, replacing the ways of Eric Mangini. Things seem to be a little less mysterious around the team. They will be relying on rookie QB Mark Sanchez to take over for the departed Brett Favre. The RB combo of Thomas Jones and Leon Washington will be relied upon heavily, in addition to the solid offensive line. The defense led by Ryan’s arrival should be able to make more plays under his tutelage. The biggest question on offense is will there be enough production in the passing game, between the likes of Sanchez and whether or not Jerricho Cotchery is a legitimate No. 1 receiver. TE Dustin Keller should continue his development as a playmaking TE. Key player: Leon Washington
	24	Buffalo Bills	7-9
	Another team that is a little difficult to get an accurate read on. The offense is especially tough to read, as key players like WR Terrell Owens, QB Trent Edwards, and the RB combo of Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson are all tough to gauge. The defense still has the likes of DT Marcus Stroud, DE Aaron Schobel, LB Paul Posluszny, and CB Terrence McGee to stop opponents. I can’t see the offense producing enough for this team to garner a lot of success. Owens will be the key as he will not only need to produce, but also avoid becoming a disruptive force in the locker room.

NFL Power Rankings: Opening Weekend

levinakl — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:35:43 -0400

An American tradition continues with the dawning of the 2009 NFL season. With that, comes the annual debate of ranking the order of the best teams in the league. Here's one man's take on the current 32, feel free to debate the selections and tell me where you agree or disagree.

Current		Team		Previous
	1	Pittsburgh Steelers		12-4
	The Steelers won it all last year, and didn’t really lose anyone major to think they don’t have a good chance of repeating. Now, that’s not to say it isn’t extremely difficult to repeat, but until we have reason to knock them off the perch, they stay at the top. If Rashard Mendenhall can become a feature back, the offense will become even harder to stop, but Willie Parker isn’t done just yet. Will the transition from Hines Ward to Santonio Holmes as the no. 1 receiver continue? Holmes picked the right game for a potential breakout performance, the Super Bowl. No real worries on the defensive side of the ball, unless injuries pop up. Key player for 2009: Willie Parker
	2	New England Patriots	11-5
	The return of Tom Brady to the fold can easily make the Patriots the number one team on many people’s boards. In my case, I’m going to make the Patriots earn the no. 1 spot. That being said, this team still looks extremely talented. Similar to past years, they have added to their talent pool by bringing in vets like Joey Galloway, Fred Taylor and Shawn Springs amongst others. Let’s also not overlook the Belichick coaching factor, he should have this team in top form, and perhaps even motivate Randy Moss for a big season to celebrate Brady’s return. Key Player for 2009: Tom Brady
	3	New York Giants	12-4
	Yes, I know the obvious question that jumps out is the number one wide receiver position. However, I think the Giants are extremely deep and talented in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Their defensive line rotation is second to none at this point, and with stars Tuck and Umenyoria leading the way, opposing quarterbacks will have their hands full. The offense should produce enough to overcome any thoughts to missing Plaxico Burress, and I expect a big season from Kenny Phillips at the safety position. On offense, I think Steve Smith will be a big help to Eli Manning this season. Key Player: Steve Smith (or whatever receiver might step up to replace Burress)
	4	Atlanta Falcons	11-5
	Expecting the Falcons to continue their sudden rise is asking a lot. Especially if you believe in sophomore slumps. If Matt Ryan falters, the Falcons could potentially crumble. Adding TE Tony Gonzalez to the mix only gives the Dirty Birds another offensive weapon, and there already is a lot of talent in place with Michael Turner, Roddy White and Jerious Norwood. Will the defense miss the departure of Keith Brooking? Probably not as much as people would’ve thought a year ago, especially with the arrival of Mike Peterson. The secondary here could also potentially be an issue they will have to deal with. Key Player: Matt Ryan
	5	Philadelphia Eagles	9-6-1
	The three biggest question marks for the Eagles this year are the health of Brian Westbrook, how will the team overcome the tragic death of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, and will the arrival of Michael Vick create a distraction in the locker room? I’m not certain that any of these three will become a real problem at all, although in my opinion the loss of Johnson will be the hardest to overcome. Look for LeSean McCoy to help carry the load at running back, and give the Eagles hopefully another option besides Brian Westbrook to run the ball. That is, if you don’t want to include the potential Michael Vick factor in the Wildcat formation. The development of players like WR Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson will also be a key, as QB Donovan McNabb needs to develop a reliable #1 target. Key player: Jason Peters
	6	Indianapolis Colts	12-4
	Yes, they’ve lost some of their brain trust and also Marvin Harrison, both key factors to their string of success. However, Peyton Manning still remains in place and Donald Brown could add a nice jolt to the running game when paired with Joseph Addai. This is a team that has to show the ability to stay healthy on the defensive side of the ball, but if they do, they will surely be a team to be reckoned with. Playmakers like Bob Sanders, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney must not only stay healthy, but produce on the defensive side if this team is going to put together a long playoff run. Thus far, Sanders is out for the early part of the schedule, and Mathis and Antoine Bethea are banged up. Not a good start for the defense, but there certainly is time to recover. Key Player: Dwight Freeney
	7	San Diego Chargers	8-8
	Will Head Coach Norv Turner finally put it all together and have a team live up to its expectations? Up until now, Turner has struggled in the spotlight, specifically in the post-season. Has LaDanian Tomlinson finally fallen some? Darren Sproles should help overcome any potential drop-off from LT. The Bolts also welcome back the injured Shawn Merriman to the fold, and his playmaking abilities could drive quarterbacks crazy, assuming he can remain off the police blotter. Merriman’s return could make the Chargers defense that much better, but even without Merriman, there are still enough playmakers in place for them to stop their opponents regularly. Key player: Antonio Gates
	8	Tennessee Titans	13-3
	Will the Titans be able to replace the $100 million man? There are candidates available to share the load to replace Albert Haynesworth. Overall though, a lot of things went right for this team last year, on their way to a 13-3 season, and will they be able to repeat that same success? Will Kerry Collins be able to repeat his great performance from last year? Will the RB tandem of Chris Johnson and LenDale White be able to repeat their success? These are some of the fair questions to bring up, and I think the defense will at least take enough of a hit by the loss of Haynesworth to come up short in trying to repeat last year’s record, but should still garner a playoff invitation. Key player: Kyle Vanden Bosch
	9	Carolina Panthers	12-4
	The Carolina Panthers feature some superstar players like DeAngelo Williams, Steve Smith and Julius Peppers. They also have a sly coach in John Fox. Is there enough depth to support their superstars, and does quarterback Jake Delhomme have enough left in the tank after injuries to lead the offense to produce? In my opinion, this is a tough team to get a read on, as I can easily see them being 11-5 or 5-11 depending on how things play out and who is able to stay healthy, etc. Utilizing secondary passing targets beyond Smith will certainly be imperative. Key player: Jake Delhomme
	10	Baltimore Ravens	11-5
	The Ravens seem to be in a very similar situation to the Falcons, as their second year quarterback will definitely have a huge impact on their prospects for 2009. However, where the situation differs greatly from the Falcons, are they have a defense led by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Those two sure-fire Hall of Famers lead what is perennially one of the toughest, if not THE toughest defense to play against. As long as Flacco can help lead the offense to put points on the board on a somewhat consistent basis, the Ravens should be in the mix. Key player: Terrell Suggs
	11	Arizona Cardinals	9-7
	I guess this year will tell us how magical their run was last year. Was it for real? Time will tell, as the offense should still put up points on a consistent basis. Can Kurt Warner stay healthy? That has often been difficult for Warner in the past. Based on his track record, you can expect an injury for Warner to deal with this year, and then it would come down to Matt Leinart and his development. Beanie Wells should be a nice addition to the backfield if he too can stay healthy. The defense should be pretty comparable to last year’s squad, so overall, I’d expect Arizona to be pretty good, but unable to match last year’s Super Bowl run. Key player: Kurt Warner
	12	Dallas Cowboys	9-7
	A very talented team that unfortunately seems to lack discipline and passion. Look at the last two weeks from last year’s disappointing season: a huge letdown against Baltimore in the last game in the history of Texas Stadium, and then a 44-6 drubbing against the hated Philadelphia Eagles in the finale, a game that had they won, would’ve put them in the playoffs. Subtract Terrell Owens from that squad, and many are trying to argue whether that is addition by subtraction. I’m not that convinced, because other then Felix Jones, there isn’t any clear and consistent game breaker on offense. The defense should be solid, as long as DeMarcus Ware stays healthy, so it comes down to Tony Romo and what performance he leads the offense to. Make no mistakes about it; this is a key season for the quarterback. Key player: Tony Romo
	13	Washington Redskins	8-8
	It’s time for this team to finally put it together and start producing. Bringing in Albert Haynesworth in the off-season obviously gives a huge lift to the defense. Of course, that’s assuming Haynesworth comes mentally ready to play. Ask the Cowboys’ Andre Gurode, as Haynesworth sometimes leaves his brains and effort on the sideline. If Haynesworth tries to show the worth of his new contract, the Redskins defense should be a lot better then in recent years. Jason Campbell will have to show that the Redskins were silly for wanting to replace him in the off-season, but he has the weapons in place to produce. Will Jim Zorn finally put it together for owner Daniel Snyder? Key player: Jason Campbell
	14	Green Bay Packers	6-10
	Aaron Rodgers showed last year he is the real deal. Expectations remain high for Rodgers in 2009. I also expect a big season from RB Ryan Grant, who had a healthy training camp and seems destined to return to his 2007 success. There is a lot of depth with the pass catchers, as Greg Jennings and Donald Driver lead the way. Remember the name Jermichael Finley, who may turn out to be a find at tight end. The switching to a 3-4 defense will be key for the Packers, as the secondary should be fine. It’s in the front seven of the defense where some of the question marks need answering and may be the key to the Packers season. Key player: Aaron Kampman (who moves to outside linebacker.
	15	Minnesota Vikings	10-6
	I find the Vikings to be another difficult team to get a read on. You start with Adrian Peterson, who is the best running back in football. Sprinkle in the un-retired Brett Favre at quarterback, with Bernard Berrian, Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin at the wide out position, and there definitely are enough playmakers on the offense. On defense, you have Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield, the Williams “brothers” and Chad Greenway leading the way, so there is talent there too. Can coach Brad Childress put it all together? I see the Vikings doing better then this ranking, but they’ll have to earn their way up the ladder, as Favre has to show what he has left in the tank. Key player: Brett Favre
	16	New Orleans Saints	8-8
	A team that is comparable to the Arizona Cardinals, as there is a lot of offense in place. Weapons like Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Lance Moore lead the way. But, the big question is, how will they stop opponents? Defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith must produce and a lot will be expected from MLB Jonathan Vilma in his second season with the Saints. There is enough talent on both sides of the ball that this will be a key season for Head Coach Sean Payton. Key player: Jonathan Vilma
	17	Miami Dolphins	11-5
	The huge surprise of last year, will they be able to repeat last year’s performance? That remains to be seen, as the Wildcat formation shouldn’t be a surprise to their opponents any longer. Also, will Chad Pennington and Joey Porter be able to repeat their performances of last year? Many questions like these remain about the Dolphins, not to mention, they won’t have the luxury of a last place schedule this time around. Expect a one step back type of year for perhaps two steps forward next year as some of the young talent in place continues to progress. The schedule should also be tougher this year, as they won’t have the benefit of a last place schedule to help them. Key player: Ronnie Brown
	18	Houston Texans	8-8
	A former laughing stock of the league, the Texans have finally put together a pretty talented squad. Leading the way is QB Matt Schaub and super stud WR Andre Johnson. Steve Slaton is coming off a breakout rookie season and there are second-tier talents like Kevin Walter, Owen Daniels and Andre Davis to add potential production. The key here is also the defense as guys like Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, Dunta Robinson and DeMeco Ryans lead the charge. A significant improvement from this unit should put the Texans in playoff contention. Health and a good start will certainly be a key. Key player: Matt Schaub
	19	San Francisco 49ers	7-9
	My one potential sleeper team this year is the 49ers. Head Coach Mike Singletary leads the charge and will hope to rally his team around a few different unusual circumstances. First, it appears first round pick Michael Crabtree’s holdout will continue into the season. Second, unheralded and underrated Shaun Hill takes over as the first string quarterback, taking over for former #1 overall pick Alex Smith. There is good depth elsewhere in the backfield with Frank Gore leading the way and the emerging Glen Coffee. The defense is led by super stud LB Patrick Willis and CB Nate Clements. In the end, this team will only go as far as Shaun Hill is able to take them, but I expect Hill to do a good job “driving the bus.” Key player: Shaun Hill
	20	Chicago Bears	9-7
	The big acquisition was bringing in Jay Cutler to man the quarterback position. While you certainly have to expect him to be an improvement over Kyle Orton, the question is will the rest of the team around him be able to improve as well? You could argue the defense is in a bit of decline, as guys like Brian Urlacher and Tommie Harris may have declined just a bit. Will Matt Forte be able to repeat last year’s excellent rookie season? With the acquisition of Cutler leave the Bears not even needing Forte to match that production? Who will consistently catch the ball; will it be Devin Hester, Greg Olson or Earl Bennett, or some combination of the aforementioned? Time will tell, but the defense must take charge for the team to even repeat last year’s record. Key player: Brian Urlacher

Top 15 New Jersey Devils in History

levinakl — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:02:34 -0400

Who do you think are the 15 biggest people to have impacted the New Jersey Devils franchise? Keep in mind here, these are the people who had the biggest impact on the Devils franchise, not the biggest Devils to have professional careers. So, for example, a player like Doug Gilmour, who was a league superstar, or Viacheslav Fetisov, who was an international superstar, will not have a place on this list. So, let's jump right into the top 15 people that have impacted the Devils franchise since 1982...... Before you click, let's be sure to menton those that came up short of the list, and are recognized as honorable mentions (in alphabetical order): Jason Arnott Bruce Driver John Madden Zach Parise Brian Rafalski Stephane Richer Jim Schoenfeld Chris Terreri Pat Verbeek

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The Return of Jacques Lemaire

levinakl — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:11:49 -0400

Was it irony or not? On the 2nd anniversary of Brent Sutter's hiring as head coach of the New Jersey Devils, the Devils announced his replacement. They brought back an old face in Jacques Lemaire.

While Lemaire wasn't necessarily my first choice for the head coaching vacancy, it is hard to knock the selection at all. Lemaire had a successful five season run with the Devils from 1993-98, boasting a record of 199-122-57 in those seasons. In that span, he won a Stanley Cup Championship in 1995, and added instant credibility to the bench for the Devils.

He also brings eleven Stanley Cup rings with him, won as a player, coach, and executive. He has a career coaching record of 540-414-124-53 in 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, and Minnesota Wild, where he spent the last nine seasons.

For all the people out there who think the Devils will return to a complete trapping style of play, I ask you to sit back and give this team a chance. The level of talent has changed for sure, as guys like Zach Parise and Patrik Elias should excel under Lemaire's tutelage. Lemaire will play to the strengths of the team on both sides of the ice.

Not only have the players changed in New Jersey, but the game itself has changed greatly as well. The days of clutching and grabbing are a thing of the past, and the aggressive forecheck implemented by previous coach Brent Sutter should be built upon to create future success. Lemaire is known for his ability to adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of his hockey team, and it should be no different when he takes the helm for the Devils.

It is not a hire that I stand up and scream about, but as I said previously, if anyone knocks the hiring of Lemaire they aren't looking at the facts. The only real knock I can come up with is when I wonder how long Lemaire expects to be around. At age 63 (turns 64 in September), that is an obvious question, but I foresee at least a two season run in store for Lemaire. That will at least equal the tenure of his predecessor, Brent Sutter.

The young kids that come in should benefit greatly from his teaching. Andy Greene, for instance, should make a huge stride in his development this upcoming season. In addition, a player like Brian Rolston should be expected to take his game back to his previous level before last season's injury-ridden season. The obvious benefits for Lemaire's arrival should be easy to identify.

Beyond the obvious benefits, the residual benefits from potential future Devils like Nicklas Bergfors, Matt Corrente, and Tyler Eckford should payoff tenfold. This should only make them more appealing and ready to contribute in the near future for the Devils.

To me, this is a very good hire, and time will tell whether or not I am correct.

Questions Are Getting Answered for the New Jersey Devils, but Many Still Remain

levinakl — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:28:16 -0400

With free agency having started, a lot of questions have been answered in terms of what the New Jersey Devils are doing to get ready for the 2009-10 season. Most of their own free agents have departed, and then there's the question of how the Devils will look to replace them, whether or not it comes from inside or outside of the organization. What have the Devils done and what might the Devils do? Here's a look at one man's analysis and guess.... (Author's Note: This is my first attempt at the slideshow, hopefully it comes out pretty good)

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Did Brent Sutter Play Lou Lamoriello Like a Fiddle?

levinakl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:57:05 -0400

Brent Sutter has been named head coach of the Calgary Flames.

Meanwhile, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello and Devils fans and players are left feeling like a jilted bride.

There, it's official now. After weeks of speculation, we now see the end result. It shouldn't have been a big surprise.

I am not sure how one could think anything else beyond the fact that the Sutter Clan pulled a fast one on Lamoriello.

Sutter, contemplating his decision on whether or not to return to New Jersey, seemingly took forever to decide.

During all of this, Calgary Flames GM Darryl Sutter fired head coach Mike Keenan and stated he had no replacement.

In fact, the Calgary Herald quoted Darryl Sutter on May 26 that "all the best coaches in the league are under contract. I think there are three guys (in that group) who are excellent. I won't tell you who they are. And I'm fourth." I guess it isn't too hard to fathom that Darryl was thinking of his brother Brent.

Finally, on June 9, Brent Sutter resigned as head coach of the New Jersey Devils, citing family and personal business reasons. He was quoted that day in a conference call from Alberta by the Newark Star-Leger as follows:

"Personally, I could care less what other people think. People out here aren't going to say that because they know what I have here. People there may say it. I don't look at it at all as I'm quitting on anything. I took two years of my life and made a big commitment 2,000 miles away. By me doing that, my life suffered in other areas. When it involves family and personal things that you throw everything into, ultimately you have to make certain decisions."

Well, I guess it is now apparent why Brent was so certain that the people in Alberta won't think Brent was a quitter. After all, he has now returned home to coach their local team.

Who cares that the Devils took Brent Sutter in and reportedly made him the second highest paid coach in the NHL, only to take his two years of salary and run home to Calgary afterward?

It seems that Devils GM Lamoriello, historically known for being a stickler for the rules, and making people live up to their commitments, tried to do the right thing here.

Brent Sutter complained of being home sick and having personal business to take care of back in Alberta, so Lou stood aside, allowing Sutter to resign as coach and didn't try to talk him out of it.

How does Brent Sutter pay back Lou, the Devils, and the fans? By waiting a whole two weeks to take another NHL job.

I guess that must've been a monumental two weeks where Brent Sutter was able to work through all the problems he was having on the home front and in his business dealings of his ranch and the Red Deer Rebels. After all, Sutter claimed he was citing personal business to take care of back in Alberta.

Unfortunately, it is strikingly ironic to me that on the day Lamoriello was inducted (and rightfully so mind you) into the Hockey Hall of Fame, that he was cast in such a bad light and left with egg on his face after such a classless act by the Sutter brothers.

Lou recruited Brent Sutter for years to become the Devils head coach, paid him lots of money, and essentially got stabbed in the back for his efforts.

Thank you Brent, you were a great coach for two seasons here. If you went home to be with the family, or to take care of personal business, that would be one thing. I wouldn't be close to complaining about it.

However, taking the NHL job in Calgary for next season is showing a lack of respect to the New Jersey Devils, Jeff Vanderbeek, Lamoriello, and all of the players and fans.

It also makes any kind words Sutter may have thrown in the direction of the Devils basically worthless.

Here's hoping the Calgary Flames fall short of any of their goals in the 2009-10 season, and that Sutter is forced to visit Newark next year and get the big boo he rightfully deserves from the Devils fan base.

And even beyond then, I will never take Brent Sutter at his word, even if a lot of people, including myself, saw this coming.

It's a shame Devils management tried to do right by Sutter, because Sutter certainly didn't do right by the New Jersey Devils.

Brent Sutter: New Jersey Devils' Coach Expected to Step Down Today

levinakl — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 10:08:59 -0400

A press conference, possibly as early as Tuesday, is expected to announce that Brent Sutter is stepping down as head coach of the New Jersey Devils.

CTV in Calgary was the first to legitimately break the story, but it shouldn't come as a huge surprise to anyone that has followed the team or read recent quotes by Brent Sutter.

I think this decision was likely made weeks ago, which has led to some leaks in the media about Sutter leaving and Devils GM Lou Lamoriello conducting his search for a new coach during this time.

Lamoriello's choice as new head coach will be the first big chip to be played this offseason, and certainly will have a huge impact on the signing of free agents in the months ahead.

As I had speculated a few weeks ago in my last article, there are a host of candidates for whom Lamoriello has to choose from. I still label John MacLean as a long shot, since I can't see Lamoriello hiring a rookie head coach, especially one that does not have any head coaching experience.

Other long-shot candidates include Larry Robinson, Jacques Lemaire, Ted Nolan, and Scott Stevens.

The "on the radar" type potential hires include Craig MacTavish, Peter Laviolette, Marc Crawford, and Guy Carbonneau. My best guess is that Lamoriello will take someone "off the radar," as he did with his original hiring of Jacques Lemaire.

As for Sutter, it would be hard to label his two-year tenure as anything but a disappointment.

Sure, there were some highlights, but unfortunately, the team came up short in the postseason both years, losing in the first round to the New York Rangers in 2008, and this year to the Carolina Hurricanes in an extremely painful fashion, with a last minute collapse in Game Seven.

The ending surely left a bitter taste in his mouth, as well as everyone who is a fan of the Devils.

Sutter posted a record of 97-56-11 in the regular season, but was only 4-8 in the postseason.

Ultimately, Sutter will be remembered more for what he didn't do, then what he did.

There will be more to follow in the coming months about how this will impact the Devils.

Be sure to look for our next submission!

Is The New York Mets' Season on The Cusp Of Being Over in June?

levinakl — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:04:47 -0400

I think Carlos Beltran hit home with many fans with the thoughts he shared after Thursday's game against Pittsburgh:

“The reality is, coming here to Pittsburgh and getting swept, for me, I feel embarrassed… We need to find a way to play better and to focus more on what we need to accomplish… I mean, we have to take this personally. It can’t happen… I know the Pirates are a big-league team, but we’re better than them. We’re better than them, and we know we’re better than them. But, we have to do something about it. McLouth wasn’t here and they still came out and scored 11 runs. 11 runs? We have to play better.”

The bottom line is this, I couldn't have said it too much better myself, nor are there too many other people who could either. Some people may think Beltran threw some of his teammates "under the bus," but in this case, all I think he did was speak the truth.

Just look at the roster of the team. Guys like Emil Brown and Wilson Valdez were not on any original roster projections for this team. Even Fernando Martinez was expected to develop for the full season at AAA. Now, he's being counted on to keep this team afloat.

Jose Reyes has been diagnosed with a hamstring injury, and is likely to be out until at least the All-Star break. J.J. Putz is getting tested for an elbow injury, and who knows what type of injury he could be diagnosed with.

The sad part is his absence may help the Mets in the short term if you look at how awful Putz has been performing of late. No one has any idea when Carlos Delgado will return from hip surgery. Oliver Perez is nursing his knee tendinitis down in St Lucie, with no known plan of his return.

It is expected that Ryan Church will return shortly, but with the way things have gone, how can any Met be expected to stay healthy? It's awful how it has come to this.

The Mets are on the cusp of having the 2009 season blow up in front of them. On top of that, let's hope GM Omar Minaya doesn't feel pressed into making a panic move, and mortgage the future by giving up prospects for one player.

However, there is only so much that guys like Johan Santana, Carlos Beltran and David Wright can do to keep the team afloat. Others must step up and do so now.

With the current state of the team, there are significant question marks at 1b, SS, and both corner OF spots offensively, as well as a fifth starter and eighth inning roles for pitchers.

Is Daniel Murphy a legitimate major league first basemen, or should he be learning and perfecting his trade at AAA? Who can the Mets count on to play SS over the long haul while Jose Reyes recovers from injury? Is Alex Cora the answer or do the Mets need to bring in someone from outside the organization?

How long can Gary Sheffield be expected to play at age 40 without completely breaking down? His bat has slowed a bit of late already, and he has been limping at times in the outfield, so one would expect the need to sit him more often in the immediate future.

And tonight's start is a very big one for Tim Redding, because after a good first start, he has done little to keep his role. Not to mention, will Livan Hernandez stay effective?

As far as the eighth innings, Bobby Parnell is moving into the role, which I would expect him to perform, but remember, he's a young pitcher being asked to fill a role he hasn't done before, so until he performs in the role, he is still a question mark.

It's time for guys like Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, and Brian Stokes to step up and grab the sixth and seventh innings of games by being effective in games.

Only time will tell how the Mets end up, but as of June 5th, it looks like the Mets won't have to worry about any September collapse, as they seem to be on the cusp of ending their playoff chances in June.

With a key series against the Phillies coming up, and the Subway Series with the Yankees, the time is now for the Mets to show what they are made of.

Brent Sutter Likely To Leave the New Jersey Devils

levinakl — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:28:20 -0400

After reading this article in yesterday's Calgary Sun, it has become apparent to me that the likelihood of Brent Sutter returning to coach the New Jersey Devils is slim. It appears Sutter is home sick, and either wants to work for his junior team or coach closer to home.

My theory, based on what I'm reading, is that he'd prefer to coach for his brother Darryl, who is currently GM of the Calgary Flames. Sutter seems to be trying to do right by the Devils and has told Lou Lamoriello that he'd be willing to live up to the third year of his contract, but he'd really prefer to coach closer to home.

I think he's also trying to keep it out of the press, as to not hamstring the Devils at all. Mind you, I have no inside information—it is just a conclusion reached by looking at the different reports.

If this theory is correct, then how can Lamoriello bring back Sutter to coach where he doesn't want to be? He simply can't.

I'm sure Lamoriello realizes this, and is probably trying to work out a compensation package with Sutter. Who knows what that might entail. My guess would be a draft pick of some kind and/or possibly a fringe player, but I wouldn't expect the Devils to get a huge package or anything. However, it would make sense that any deal would have to get done before the NHL Entry Draft on June 26th.

The obvious question that comes to the forefront is, who will be the head coach for the Devils next season? Let me throw out a few candidates for you, in no particular order.

Peter Laviolette: Former head coach of the New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes; at age 44, he is a younger candidate, and gears towards an up-tempo system similar to Sutter. However, I think Laviolette may be a little too outspoken for the likes of Lamoriello and the Devils. But, having a background with Providence, things like that always tend to appeal to Lamoriello, who had a long run at Providence College before he came to the Devils. So you can't totally rule him out. Potential Odds: 15-1

John MacLean: Currently, the assistant coach of the Devils, MacLean has a great history with the team and has been a coach since 2002. Unfortunately for him, MacLean was passed over at least once for GM Lou Lamoriello, who deemed MacLean not ready for a head coaching position yet. I'd personally be surprised if MacLean got the gig. He's still probably the favorite, at least on paper, since he's already in place within the organization. Potential Odds: 7-1

Guy Carbonneau: Carbonneau fits the old "Montreal lineage" that the Devils have utilized in the past, and was the head coach of the Canadiens up into this season, when he was fired on March 9th. I think Carbonneau has a decent chance to get considered by the Devils, but ultimately, I think he will fall short of getting the job. However, I certainly wouldn't rule him out as a viable candidate. Odds: 20-1

Craig MacTavish: Similar to Carbonneau, MacTavish just recently left a position with an NHL team, having mutually decided to end his tenure as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. MacTavish has a good background as coach, having made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006, but has yet to make the playoffs since, and without enough playoff success, his candidacy probably wouldn't net him the job in New Jersey. Odds: 40-1

Jacques Lemaire: Would Lamoriello be interested in bringing back Lemaire? More importantly, would Lemaire even have interest in returning to coaching? Lemaire just recently retired from an eight-season run as head coach of the Minnesota Wild. Although the Internet rumors have been out there about a return of Lemaire to New Jersey, I think at age 64, Lemaire is likely not looking for another head coaching job at this point. Maybe he would come to New Jersey in some type of consulting position, but I'd be shocked if he were made the head coach. Odds: 100-1

Ted Nolan: Way too outspoken—I won't even waste anyone's time trying to sell him as a viable candidate Odds: 1000-1

Scott Stevens: He's probably not interested in coaching at this point of his retirement, and has absolutely no head coaching experience whatsoever. As appealing as it would be for Devils fans to see Stevens return to town, I think naming him coach would not only be unfair to the Devils, it'd be unfair to the Stevens as well. Odds: 1000-1

Lou Lamoriello: Would Lou go back to the well a third time? I don't see it happening, but with Lou, you certainly never know. Odds: 1000-1

Mike Keenan: Ha! That is a funny one. Odds: 100000-1

Brent Sutter: Obviously, there's still a chance that Sutter does come back. It is widely speculated that Lamoriello had targeted Sutter for years, and finally brought him to New Jersey two years ago. I can't imagine Lamoriello will not want Sutter to stay, but the big holdup would be Sutter would want to be in New Jersey. Odds: 10-1

The Field: The likely scenario in my opinion is Lamoriello brings in someone off the radar a bit and not even on this list. He's certainly done it before, bringing in guys like Jacques Lemaire, Kevin Constantine, Pat Burns and Brent Sutter. Any suggestions you guys can think of? Odds: 2-1

It will be interesting to see how things unfold in the coming weeks, and see if I am right or not about the situation regarding Sutter. Assuming he leaves, it will also be very interesting to see if the Devils look to bring in someone to continue the up-tempo fore-checking style that Sutter preached, or if the team will then be forced to learn a whole new system.

Stay tuned, Devils fans....

New Jersey Devils: The Year That Was and the Year That Will Be (Part II)

levinakl — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:12:50 -0400

We tackled the shock and awe of the end of the season in our last installment, and took a look at the goaltender position.

If you want to get caught up, check out Part I.

Now, we move on to the defensemen..

Andy Greene

Regular season: 49 GP, 2 G, 7 A, 9 P, +3, 22 PIM. Playoffs: 3 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, -1, 1 PPA. 2008-09 salary: $600,000. 2009-10 salary cap: RFA, age 27 (as of October 1, 2009)

Greene is and has been a very interesting Devil the past few years. Another one of those undrafted free agents that GM Lou Lamoriello seems to uncover often, Greene came in 2007 to join the squad, and made an immediate impact on the team, especially in the playoffs that season.

Unfortunately, Greene hasn't always been able to repeat that level of performance over the subsequent two seasons.

Greene has been caught up at times in a numbers game, and hasn't always been able to stay a regular, both from inconsistent play, and injuries at the wrong time. Early this year, Greene had a career game on October 29 against Toronto, posting three assists—only to break his hand in the same game, causing him to miss over seven weeks of action at a time he was seemingly playing his best.

At age 27 (as of October 30), it is time for Greene to either step up and become a regular, or be subjected to a career as either a depth guy—or even worse, a minor-leaguer.

I believe in Andy Greene, and think he has the talent to be a regular top-six defenseman. I want to hope Greene is more of the type of player that can add offensive punch then I want to think he's the guy that gets beaten often along the boards for puck possession.

2008-09 grade: C

2009-10: Re-sign to one-year deal around $700,000, regular shift in third defensive pairing.

Niclas Havelid

Regular season (with New Jersey) 15 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, -2, 6 PIM, 3 PPA. Playoffs: 7 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, even, 2 PIM). 2008-09 salary: $2,900,000. 2009-10 salary cap: UFA, age 36.

Havelid was the Devils' transaction deadline acquisition, acquired from the Atlanta Thrashers for Anssi Salmela on March 4, and seemed to become a bit of a scapegoat for the Devils' fans.

At that point of the season, the Devils were on a run of winning 18 of 22 games. In the first game after his acquisition, the Devils got beaten badly by the Islanders, 7-3 on March 7.

Fans wanted to blame Havelid for "ruining the chemistry" of the team—but while certainly not flashy, Havelid usually got the job done. It was a bit mysterious to me why he was paired with Bryce Salvador as his partner, but it's tough to blame Havelid for the Devils' disappointment.

That being said, it would've been nice if Havelid got in the way of Joni Pitkanen's pass which led to Jussi Jokinen's tying goal with 1:20 left in the third period of Game Seven.

At this point, I do not expect Havelid to return, and I think he has his heart set on returning to his native Sweden. There are already Internet reports out there that he has retired from the NHL.

At his potential salary hit, I don't think the Devils truly have any interest in Havelid's return anyhow, so this should be a situation comparable to guys like Ken Klee and Richard Smehelik in the past, where they thank Lou for their short stint in New Jersey and ride off into the sunset.

2008-09 grade: C+

2009-10: Retire from NHL, and head home to his native Sweden

Jay Leach

Regular season: 24 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, even, 21 PIM. 2008-09 salary: $475,000. 2009-10 salary cap: $487,500, age 30

Jay Leach was brought in on a two-year deal that was most likely looked at as a move to add depth at Lowell. Sure enough, Leach played his way onto the NHL roster, and ended up playing in 24 games for the Devils.

That may not seem like a lot, but he had only played four career games at the NHL in previous stints with Boston and Tampa Bay.

Leach has nice size, but also is a bit slow, so he is what he is. You certainly aren't going to expect much offense from him, but you also expect him to add some toughness and defensive stability.

Leach is probably at risk of the Devils possibly obtaining an upgrade to their current top-six defensemen (minus Niclas Havelid).

If they do not get an upgrade via free agency or a trade, then it is likely Leach can remain at the NHL club as a number seven defenseman. If not, Leach will likely be ticketed for Lowell.

2008-09 grade: B

2009-10: Seventh defensemen in New Jersey if there is an injury, otherwise likely ticketed for Lowell

Paul Martin

Regular season: 73 GP, 5 G, 28 A, 33 P, +21, 36 PIM, 2 PPG, 16 PPA, 1 SHA, 1 GWG. Playoffs: 7 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, even, 2 PIM, 1 PPA. 2008-09 salary: $4,000,000. 2009-10 salary cap: $3,833,333, age 28.

Martin is the closest thing the Devils have had to both a legitimate number-one defenseman and to Scott Niedermayer since Niedermayer departed New Jersey.

I am not saying Martin is as good as Niedermayer, but he does have the same type of all-around game which resembles the way Niedermayer plays. They also share the same weakness, which is their shot from the point.

If you match Martin with someone willing to do more of the dirty and physical work, then you'd probably have yourself a perfect pairing. The year started out with Martin and Bryce Salvador playing together, which I thought would be ideal. The pairing never was utilized for the long haul, however, and I think it may have been more beneficial to keep them together. Hopefully, that will be the case next year.

Paul Martin has been about as consistent as one can get over the last two seasons. In the same number of games, he had the same number of goals each year, and was only off on assists by one. His plus minus was also different only by one as well. He has set a pretty high barometer for his play, and one shouldn't expect that barometer to go down anytime soon.

As far as his status with the team, Paul Martin isn't going anywhere. It would likely be in the best interest of the Devils to try and sign Martin to an extension before he starts his walk year next season.

He is very high on the list of Devils they cannot afford to lose, as he gets more ice time then any of the other skaters, averaging about 26 minutes and 20 seconds per game over the playoff series with Carolina. No one approached that kind of ice time, as the closest any skater came was Zach Parise, who had 24 minutes and 29 seconds of ice time in Game Two, which also went into overtime.

The fact is, Paul Martin would be an outstanding number-two defenseman on just about any NHL team. Unfortunately, he is being counted on to be the number one for the Devils. When he had Brian Rafalski to share the load, things went much more smoothly for everyone.

That being said, Martin is as good as it gets right now for the Devils, and the prospects of replacing Martin at the top of the defensive depth chart do not appear to be very high at this point.

Let's hope the Devils give Martin a more physical presence to play with next season, which would allow him to focus more in the areas he excels—like making outlet passes and leading the offensive rush.

2008-09 grade: B+

2009-10: On No. 1 defensive pairing

Mike Mottau

Regular season: 80 GP, 1 G, 14 A, 15 P, +24, 35 PIM, 1 PPA, 1 SHA. Playoffs: 7 GP, 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -3. 2008-09 salary: $750,000. 2009-10 salary cap: $775,000, age 31.

Another player that the Devils found off the scrap heap, Mottau floundered between the New York Rangers and Calgary Flames, only playing in 23 NHL games between 2000-01 and 2002-03. He did not play again in the NHL until the Devils brought him in for the 2007-08 season, and he has been a regular since.

Mottau was a phenomenal college player, scoring the Hobey Baker Award in 2000 at Boston College, but couldn't utilize his skill set at the NHL level until his arrival in New Jersey in 2006.

Mottau seems to have developed some type of chemistry with Colin White, and together they formed to be a solid No. 1 defensive pairing for the Devils.

However, to be fair, this is probably the single biggest area the Devils should look to improve this offseason. Not to single out Mottau, but he is a third-pairing type of guy at best, and shouldn't be the type of player a head coach has to utilize against a team's best offensive players—like, for instance, Eric Staal in these past playoffs.

As I indicated in my midseason report, Mottau and White never seem to play as well when they are apart, and even when together they rarely look pretty. However, they usually get the job done.

Unfortunately, this is the kind of pairing that gets exposed when they are needed most, which is exactly how it played out in Games Six and Seven of the Carolina series, where this pairing was exposed greatly, and was a combined minus-six.

I don't see how this pairing can be counted on to be the No. 1 shutdown pair in 2009-10.

2008-09 grade: C+

2009-10: Either on the third pairing, used as the number seven guy, or traded away to a team in need of a cheap defenseman.

Johnny Oduya

Regular season: 82 GP, 7 G, 22 A, 29 P, +21, 30 PIM, 1 PPG, 4 PPA, 1 SHG, 4 GWG. Playoffs: 7 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, +3, 2 PIM). 2008-09 salary: $600,000, 2009-10 salary cap: UFA, age 28 (on Oct 1).

Who would have thought that two years ago, anyone would think Johnny Oduya would be the most underpaid New Jersey Devil?

I remember two years ago, thinking Oduya was good to get burned and probably to lose his stick a couple of times a game. Sure, there was some talent, and there were those moments where people referred to him as Johnny Orr-Duya, but all in all, there still seemed to be a lot of development to endure with Oduya.

Well, it now seems that all that work has paid off, because Oduya has played himself into a legitimate top-four defenseman. In fact, I think Oduya is an absolute must re-sign for the Devils, and is likely at this point the biggest need for the Devils to re-sign amongst their unrestricted free agents.

I shudder to think where the Devils defense would be if they were to lose Oduya. How’s that for an eye opener after what we endured with Oduya a few seasons back? He has had two pretty impressive seasons by any measure, especially if you consider the fact that he is a plus-48 the past two regular seasons—a number that has him near the top of the league.

Oduya was extremely solid in the playoffs against Carolina, but I think he is miscast as a defensive partner with Paul Martin. They are too similar in their play, and I think long term, both would benefit with more of a physical presence.

I hope Oduya is signed for the long haul, and we continue to see his development reach new heights in years to come. If he bolts from New Jersey, his career would likely blossom for someone else, instead of the heights it could’ve reached with the Devils.

However, in the end, I’m hoping Oduya will remain loyal to the team that brought him back from Sweden to the NHL after his first NHL stint with the Washington Capitals was deemed a failure.

In addition, his recent play at the World Championships for Team Sweden should only increase his value if he were to hit the open market. GM Lou Lamoriello would be best served to close a deal with Oduya before July 1, which is the beginning of free agency.

2008-09 grade: A-

2009-10: Sign to a four-year, $11.5 million contract; put on second defensive pairing.

Bryce Salvador (regular season, 76 GP, 3 G, 13 A, 16 P, -1, 78 PIM, 2 SHA, 2 GWG, playoffs, 4 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, -3, 4 PIM), 2008-09 salary: $2,900,000, 2009-10 salary cap: $2,900,000, signed through 2011-12 season, age 33

Salvador is one of the types of players that will often get overlooked. He certainly isn’t flashy, but he’s the type of guy that has the “lunch pail” mentality, as he comes to work hard each and every night. He both gives out and takes a lot of punishment in front of the net and in the corners, and will even drop the gloves to help stand up for a teammate.

Salvador was an excellent pickup at last year’s trading deadline, and is definitely the type of player every successful team needs to have on its roster.

If you want to look at the glory years of the Devils, Salvador is currently the closest thing the Devils have to Ken Daneyko. Now, to be fair, he doesn’t have the history with the franchise like Mr. Devil did—but he is in the same mold, where he will do just about anything for the good of his team.

I also think that the Devils should put Salvador in the best place where he can do the most good for the team. I am not sure that this was always the case this past season, as Salvador was often put on the third pairing.

In the playoffs, Salvador should not have been paired with Niclas Havelid. I think the old Devils way of pairing a more offensive-minded defenseman with a more defensive, stay-at-home type of guy works well.

Thus, I think Salvador should play with Paul Martin on the top unit, and add more of a physical presence to the general all around game Martin offers. I think they complement each other way, and should be the Devils number-one defensive pair next season to match up against opponents’ top lines.

Salvador is no Scott Stevens or Ken Daneyko, but he is what he is–and that’s a very-solid, blue-collar, top-four defensemen. Let’s hope his recent injury history with the Devils turns around next season, as I think the injury he suffered in Game Four was overlooked, as the Devils definitely missed his presence in the final three games of the series.

2008-09 grade: B

2009-10: On No. 1 defensive pairing with Paul Martin

Colin White

Regular season, 71 GP, 1 G, 17 A, 18 P, +18, 46 PIM, 3 SHA. Playoffs, 7 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, -3, 4 PIM. 2008-09 salary: $2,900,000. 2009-10 salary cap: $3,000,000, signed through 2011-12 season, age 31.

The recent career of Colin White has been a sad story of sorts. White came up in 2000, and was a very promising young player who, despite some mistakes, stepped up greatly to help the Devils win two Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003.

White looked ticketed to be the backbone of the Devils' defense for years to come, but that plan was derailed when he suffered a nasty eye injury in September 2007, and nearly ended his career.

While White was a big physical force before his injury, he has unfortunately been forced to accommodate since. He is no longer able to fight with opponents. Not that he was necessarily a regular fighter, but I can recall countless instances of White getting into it a bit after whistles and things like that.

Now, he is unable to do so because of his injury. It has affected his vision of the ice as well, and as a whole, he isn’t the same player he was before he hurt the eye.

That being said, the 2008-09 version of Colin White was significantly better then the 2007-08 version. It is still possible White can improve beyond this season’s version, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope.

It’s more likely at this point that what you see out of Colin is what you will get. He’s a big defenseman who can be good on the penalty kill, and can occasionally make a big hit, but sometimes his timing won’t be all that great.

On two instances in the Carolina series, White went for the big hit at the wrong time, leading to two huge Hurricanes goals—one a game-tying tally in the third period of Game Two, and the other a series-losing goal in the final minute of Game Seven.

White is a decent defenseman, who unfortunately is not able to bring the same level of physicality that he was able to before his injury. That being said, I think White can make a home on the third defensive pair and make his presence felt as a penalty killer, playing about 15 minutes a game, and still be effective.

His days against the opponents’ top lines should come to an end, which would be an upgrade for this team.

2008-09 grade: C+

2009-10: On No. 3 defensive pairing with Andy Greene/Mike Mottau

Coming soon: Part III, where we look at the defense as a whole—and then on to the forwards, front office and team as a whole!

New Jersey Devils: The Year That Was and The Year That Will Be (Part I)

levinakl — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:08:16 -0400

To any die hard Devils fan, the picture of Eric Staal celebrating above, is enough to make you cringe. In a game that won't soon be forgotten, the Devils blew not only a one-goal lead in the final minutes of the third period of Game 7, but they also followed it up by giving up the series winning goal to Staal, and brought their season to an incredible and demoralizing halt.

The question is, where do the Devils go from here? The Devils have a number of free agents, and serious questions will have to be addressed about who will return, and who will not.

Should GM Lou Lamoriello break up the core of this team, or should he tweak it? Let's take a look at the 25 players on the roster for the Devils that fateful night, and take a stab at what was during the year that has passed us by, and what we might expect for 2009-10.

Goaltenders:

Martin Brodeur (31 GP, 19-9-3, 2.41 GAA, .916 save %, 5 shutouts in reg season, playoffs, 7 GP, 3-4-0 record, 2.39 GAA, .929 save %, 1 shutout); 2009-10 salary cap: $5.2 million, age 37 (as of October 2009)

Since 1994, the Devils have had Brodeur as their rock in net. This year, Brodeur suffered his first major injury, with the torn bicep and missed 50 games. The team was looking forward to Brodeur having his first playoff where there was no question he wasn't overworked. While Brodeur played one of the best playoff games he's ever played in his storied career in Game Five, Brodeur got outplayed by Carolina's Cam Ward.

All that being said, Brodeur is still good enough to continue to the be the backbone of this team, and anyone who thinks Brodeur is going anywhere is kidding themselves. It did seem odd that to an extent, the team as a whole did not seem to play as desperate with Brodeur in the net, as they did when Clemmensen was between the pipes.

I am not sure if that is a reflection on Brodeur as much as it is a reflection on the team as a whole.

2008-09 grade: B- 2009-2010: Definite Keeper

Scott Clemmensen (40 GP, 25-13-1, 2.39 GAA, .917 save %, 2 shutouts); 2009-10 salary cap: UFA, age 32

Clemmensen gave the Devils more then anyone could've expected in the absence of Brodeur, and more then quadrupled his career win total from 8 to 33. Clemmensen never seemed to make people comfortable, but he definitely was able to hold the fort, and do a very good job considering.

However, Clemmensenwill understandably seek out a job in the off season that will give him a chance as the starter. That opportunity does not seem to exist in New Jersey, not while Mr Brodeur is healthy.

I think GM Lou Lamoriello will thank Clemmensen for his efforts, and wish him well wherever he ends up. If for some reason, Clemmensen does not receive a good offer from another team, Lamoriello would likely welcome him back to be the backup, but it would have to be for a relatively small contract. I expect Clemmensen to get a better offer elsewhere.

2008-09 grade: A 2009-2010: Let him find a new team

Kevin Weekes (16 GP, 7-5-0, 2.42 GAA, .920 save %, 0 shutouts); 2009-10 salary cap: UFA, age 34

Weekes appears to be a great teammate and the perfect type of candidate to be the backup for Martin Brodeur. The biggest concern may be whether or not the Devils feel comfortable that Weekes would be able to shoulder more of the load then the previous two years.

The real question GM Lou Lamoriello needs to ask is would he feel comfortable with Weekes starting about 20 games next season. If the answer is no, then Lamoriello needs to find a different alternative for his backup goaltender. My gut feeling is that Weekes should be able to start 15-20 games without a problem next season.

The decision on Weekes will also likely be impacted on the long term projection of current prospect Jeff Frazee, who was an All-Star at Lowell this past season. If they have high hopes that Frazee could develop into a potential No. 1 goalie, there'd be no reason to use Frazee at the NHL level. If not, then they could use Frazee as the backup for Brodeur, similar to the likes of Mike Dunham and Scott Clemmensen in years past.

2008-09 grade: B- 2009-2010: Re-sign to 1 year deal at approximately $700,000

This is only part I of a full look at the Devils...... come back soon for Part II!

What Will Lou Lamoriello and the Devils Look To Do Before the Trade Deadline?

levinakl — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:53:47 -0500

With the upcoming trade deadline March 4, the New Jersey Devils find themselves in an interesting situation. Regardless of whether or not GM Lou Lamoriello adds anyone, the Devils appear set to add All-World goalie Martin Brodeur to the fold.

Brodeur will be returning from surgery to repair a detached bicep tendon. Not to take anything away from the achievements by Scott Clemmensen or Kevin Weekes, but to put it bluntly, they are no match to Brodeur, who arguably is the best goaltender of all-time.

The Devils already sport a roster with more depth, and are currently playing at a higher level than in recent years past, which begs the questions, "What area(s) should they look to improve, what assets do they have to dangle and Who is available to bring in?"

There are a few areas the Devils could consider upgrading for the stretch run. A top-flight defenseman and a second line center would probably stand out as the team's biggest need. Since top-flight defensemen don't tend to grow on trees (could Scott Niedermayer possibly be interested in a reunion?), I think the Devils might look to upgrade one specific area on the backline.

In years past, the Devils have had success pairing a puck-moving defenseman with a more stay-at-home type guy.

The last few years that hasn't necessarily been the case, but I think if they returned to that sort of mindset for their pairings, it would be a good thing—especially for the playoffs when the importance of defense (especially in and around the crease) and a quick transition game are magnified.

The Devils already have two solid stay-at-home guys in Bryce Salvador and Colin White. They also have guys like Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya who are better skaters and can add to the offense. Guys like Mike Mottau, Anssi Salmela, Jay Leach or Andy Greene can be good at times, but haven't shown the consistency necessary to be greatly counted on.

Let's throw away the big names like Chris Pronger, Jay Bouwmeester or Tomas Kaberle, as I don't see the Devils paying up to bring these elite guys in. I think a better target would be a guy like John-Michael Liles of Colorado or Derek Morris of Phoenix—either of which would give the Devils another puck-moving option.

Then you hope a guy like Mottau gives you enough defensively at the six spot. If you want to target a more stay-at-home type—perhaps a Jordan Leopold (Colorado), Shaun O'Donnell (L.A. Kings) or a Niclas Havelid (Atlanta)-type could be a potential target.

At center, guys like Doug Weight (N.Y. Islanders), Brendan Morrison (Anaheim) or Keith Tkachuk (St. Louis) could bring in a presence that could potentially fill the center spot currently held by Dainius Zubrus.

Another longshot candidate would be Jordan Staal of the Penguins, who in my opinion, would be a great fit. However, I don't see the Devils taking part in a significant trade with a team that plays within their own division.

Now that we've established a few potential targets for the Devils to look at, the question is, what can the Devils dangle as trade bait?

Draft picks are an obvious option, especially for grizzly veterans like Tkachuk or Havelid.

The Devils also have some youngsters to offer such as defensemen Anssi Salmela and Andy Greene, as well as prospects Tyler Eckford or Matthew Corrente.

Up front, they have guys like Dainius Zubrus, Brian Gionta and Jay Pandolfo, who could potentially be moved in a deal. However, I think the ideal moves would be to send a lower-end prospect and a draft pick (maybe multiple picks) to Anaheim for Morrison, and Andy Greene and a draft pick to Atlanta for Havelid.

Both players would add a good presence to the Devils' fold, and each would fill a need. The moves would work for the other teams as well.

Anaheim is very tight against the salary cap and the move would free a little space by moving Morrison, and more importantly, taking on zero salary in return. As for Atlanta, Greene would get an instant opportunity to play with the Thrashers, and also would give them another draft pick to use in the future.

Morrison could be put at the No. 2 center spot, playing with Patrik Eliasand and I would move Dainius Zubrus to the wing. I would also put Brian Rolston, John Madden and Brian Gionta on the third line, and the combination of Brendan Shanahan, Bobby Holik and David Clarkson on the fourth line. This would leave Jay Pandolfo and Mike Rupp to provide depth.

On defense, you could pair Havelid with Johnny Oduya to give a good balance to your second pairing. The first pairing could be Bryce Salvador and Paul Martin, and the third could be Mike Mottau and Colin White, who don't always look the prettiest, but usually are able to get the job done.

In my opinion, these are the types of deals we should expect from Lou Lamoriello—both rental-type deals (both Morrison and Havelid will be free agents in the offseason) that won't necessarily break the bank, but will provide help and depth for the playoff run.

More importantly, it wouldn't hamper their salary cap for next year.

Lamoriello has always tried to maintain a fiscal responsibility and usually has had success in doing so (Alexander Mogilny, Dan McGillis and Vladmir Malakhov aside). The Devils have offseason free agents to worry about re-signing, including potential large raises to Travis Zajac, Johnny Oduya, as well as veterans like Brian Gionta, John Madden and Bobby Holik.

Then again, trying to predict what Lamoriello will do is very hard as no one keeps tighter reins on what he is contemplating then Lou Lamoriello.

In fact, if a potential trade gets out there as a rumor, he's been known to squash a trade just on that premise alone, so in the end, I wish anyone good luck in trying to predict what Lou will do.

Jim Schoenfeld: "Have Another Donut"

levinakl — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:02:28 -0500

May 6, 1988. A day that will live in infamy for the National Hockey League. Disagree? Maybe you don't remember the black eye moment that took place after Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals. The New Jersey Devils had just lost to the Boston Bruins 6 to 1 when things really turned ugly.

New Jersey Head Coach Jim Schoenfeld confronted referee Don Koharski after the game. (Remember, in those days, hockey games had only one referee). Thanks to the video footage, some of the unknowns of that event have been cleared up.

There was never any doubt about Schoenfeld confronting Koharski, or that he verbally assaulted him. However, the video appears to show that Schoenfeld didn't actually bump Koharski.

It appears Koharski may have misstepped and his skate blade gave out. Now, if you want to say Koharski was blocked by Schoenfeld, that argument is certainly something you can make.

Known hockey writer Stan Fischler had the back and forth war of words as the following:

"Oh, you're gone now! You're gone. You won't coach another..." shouted Koharski. Schoenfeld shot back, "You fell and you know it. You know you fell. I didn't touch you." Koharski: "You're gone. You're gone. And I hope it's on tape." Schoenfeld: "Good, 'cause you fell you fat pig. Have another doughnut."

All that being said, as ugly as this heated exchange was, the true "black eye" for the league came two nights later, when the teams got together for Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals. Schoenfeld had been suspended for a game by the league without a proper hearing. Rich Chere of the Newark Star-Ledger gives the best account of what took place:

[NHL Vice President Bryan] O'Neill announced at 12:32 p.m. Sunday, just hours before Game four was to be played at Meadowlands Arena, that Schoenfeld was suspended for at least one game pending further investigation.

Lamoriello, not yet an influential figure with the league, had a plan. He called Judge John A. Conte in an effort to get a temporary restraining order against the NHL that would allow Schoenfeld to coach that night's game. Conte, a Devils fan who often housed the team's young players at his Mahwah home, put the Devils in touch with the New Jersey Superior Court judge on call. It was Mother's Day and Bergen County Judge James F. Madden agreed to hear the case at his apartment in Cliffside Park.

"Lou drove," says Conte, 71, who recalls going along with attorney Patrick Gilmartin. "My wife, Lucille, and one of my daughters, Jennifer, had typed up all the papers."

The Devils announced that they had a court order at 7:20 p.m., after the pregame skate and 25 minutes before the game was scheduled to start.

When the Devils got the court injunction, Referee Dave Newell and linesmen Ray Scapinello and Grod Broseker refused to work the game. Backup referee Denis Morel also refused to take the ice. A sellout crowd (myself included) was forced to wait over an hour as all of this mess unfolded itself behind the scenes.

Remember, this was before the Internet and cell phones were prevalent, and everyone really was in a state of confusion around the arena. NHL Commissioner John Ziegler was unable to be found.

In the end, the game was played by scab officials. Paul McInnis, a manager of a skating rink in Yonkers, NY at the time took the helm at referee. The linesmen were Vin Godelski and Jim Sullivan, neither of whom were confused to be normal linesmen.

It all ended up being not only one of the funnier moments I've ever witnessed in professional sports, but it certainly was the most bizarre.

(Author's note: Without getting too technical I didn't witness the "Donut" incident first hand, nor was I in the bowels of the arena seeing everything unfold. I was in the arena, was only 13 years old at the time, but have always read up on the incident whenever i've seen anything written)

For prosperity sake, the Devils went on to take Game Four of the series by the score of 3 to 1. After a proper hearing was held for Coach Schoenfeld, he was indeed suspended for Game Five of the series, which was the Head Coaching Debut for Lou Lamoriello.

The Bruins won Game Five 7 to 1 to take command of the series. The Devils won Game Six 6 to 3, but faltered 6 to 2 in Game Seven. The Bruins went on to lose in four straight games to the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Martin Brodeur Returning Soon to Devils Squad

levinakl — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 21:18:12 -0500

Thanks to Tom Gulitti's Fire and Ice Blog, it appears the return of Martin Brodeur is not all that far off. It appears Brodeur has begun not only skating, but is even facing shots from some of the staff (head coach Brent Sutter, assistant coach John MacLean, etc.) and the scratches (Jay Pandolfo).

For a variety of different reasons, this season is setting up vastly different for the New Jersey Devils. There is no bigger reason than the fact that Martin Brodeur has missed so many games between the pipes for New Jersey.

For the last 10 seasons, Brodeur has played at least 70 games in net, and has averaged 73 games played over the last 12 seasons. It has been that durability that has brought Brodeur within seven wins of the all-time record, currently held by Patrick Roy.

In recent seasons, Brodeur and the Devils have not had the same type of playoff success they had earlier this decade. A big reason for this has been the thought that perhaps Brodeur has been overworked a bit, and has shown signs of fatigue by the time the team has made it to the playoffs.

This year, with only 10 games played thus far, it does not appear that this will be the case.

This begs the question: How will the Devils fare in the playoffs with a fresh Martin Brodeur? Another obvious question is: Will Marty return to normal health?

With this type of injury, it is expected that Brodeur will return to his normal form. Obviously, there is no way to know for sure, but let's assume for the moment that he will return, perhaps have a little rust to work through, and then return close to form.

If that were to happen, the Devils should then become a legitimate contender for their fourth Stanley Cup Championship. The team has shown a lot of depth this year, and has had four lines capable of providing offense.

Two lines in particular have provided big-time scoring. Zach Parise has taken his game to an All-Star level, while Patrik Elias has returned to his former All-Star level of play. Both players have been in the top 10 to 15 scorers in all of the NHL.

The rumored return for Brodeur is the Feb. 26 game against the Colorado Avalanche. Perhaps that will end up being the first step in a potential long-stretch run, which could eventually give Marty his fourth opportunity to lift Lord Stanley.

Obviously, it's a little too early to tell just yet, but it will definitely be something the Devils and their fans will be watching closely in the weeks ahead, and especially when the calendar turns to April for the playoffs.

Notes

Based on recent history, the Devils would love to see Brian Gionta continue to score. After all, the team is 11-0-1 in games where Gionta has scored a goal. Other successful records include those of Jamie Langenbruner (10-1-1), Travis Zajac (13-2-0), Brian Rolston (8-1-0), and Johnny Oduya/Jay Pandolfo (4-0-0).

The Devils face the New York Rangers Monday night at the "Rock" in their fifth installment of the season. With the rumored pending return of Sean Avery to the New York Rangers, and Brodeur's return to the Devils, will we see a return of the Brodeur vs. Avery conflict? Only time will tell.

New Jersey Devils Start Second Half Off Strong

levinakl — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:51:25 -0500

The Devils started off their second half of the season pretty similar to how the first half ended. On the road for seven out of their last eight games, the Devils defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1.

Jamie Langenbrunner led the way with two goals (his ninth and tenth of the year), while Patrik Elias (21st) and Brendan Shanahan (2nd, 652nd of career) also scored for New Jersey.

Langenbrunner's second goal was set up by one of the nicest plays you will ever see.

Zach Parise, while falling down behind the net, had the wherewithal to somehow direct the puck behind him, and right onto the stick of Langenbrunner—who deposited the puck behind Ottawa's Brian Elliott, giving the Devils a 3-1 lead.

In the "who ever would've thought it possible at the beginning of the season?" category, Scott Clemmensen picked up his 20th win of the season between the pipes for New Jersey.

The Devils were able to maintain their Atlantic Division lead with the win. They remain one point ahead of the Rangers, but the Devils also have a game in hand.

NOTES: Congratulations to Zach Parise for scoring a goal in his first All-Star Game appearance.

Although the Devils are tightlipped about details and updates, Martin Brodeur has been given clearance by his doctors to begin skating. He is expected to return around March 1st. If he returns to his usual form, he should be well rested for the playoff stretch.

Jay Pandolfo was scratched for the third-straight game. It will be interesting to see if he gets back into the lineup in either of the upcoming back-to-back nights in Boston (Thursday) or home for Pittsburgh (Friday).

The fourth line of Brendan Shanahan (652), Bobby Holik (324) and Mike Rupp (27) have combined for an astounding 1,003 career goals and five Stanley Cup rings. You won't see too many fourth lines with that kind of resume these days.

Who Sits for the New Jersey Devils? Brendan Shanahan Expects to Play Monday

levinakl — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:59:25 -0500

The New Jersey Devils have been playing quite well of late, winning four of five games thus far on their current six-game road trip. The only slip up was a tight 4-3 loss at the expense of the Anaheim Ducks. Even with the team playing so well, the Devils expect the return of Brendan Shanahan to the lineup, when the team plays in Nashville to complete the road trip.

The obvious question that jumps to the forefront is which player will come out of the lineup in favor of Shanahan. The way I see it, there really is only one candidates, although one could debate there is possibly up to four. Let's take a look as I see it.

Jay Pandolfo - One of my personal favorite Devils, Pandolfo has not nearly been the same player since a crippling injury he had November 28, 2007 against the Dallas Stars. It was a rare pelvic type injury that rarely gets seen from a hockey player. In fact, it's the type of injury you usually see as the result of car accidents.

I can't really identify exactly if that's the cause, or if it's the fact Pandolfo recently turned 34 that might be the cause. However, Pandolfo is not the same player on either side of the ice. He never has been a dynamic scorer, but he has flashed some streaky scoring in the past. In fact, he had the first hat trick in the short history of the Prudential Center on October 31, 2007 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Pandolfo scored eight goals in the 23 games he played before his injury. His plus/minus was a plus five in those 23 games. In the remaining 22 games he played after the injury, Pandolfo scored just four goals and while he played again at a plus five, Pandolfo did not seem to be the same player he was in the past.

In the playoffs against the New York Rangers, Pandolfo seemed to be invisible. A player who in the past was a finalist for the Selke Trophy and had noteworthy defensive accomplishments, Pandolfo was a non-factor, especially on the penalty kill, in a series the Devils lost in disappointing fashion. Now, I'm not trying to solely put the blame on Pandolfo by any means.

The three-year $7.5 million contract Pandolfo signed in the off-season is not looking like it was a worthwhile move by GM Lou Lamoriello. Perhaps there is an injury or other circumstances I am unaware of at the moment, but as of now, there really doesn't seem to be any part of Pandolfo's game that would be considered hard to replace right now, which makes him the prime candidate to be scratched from the lineup in favor of Brendan Shanahan.

The other candidates to sit are Mike Rupp, John Madden, or Dainius Zubrus, none of which seem like a good option to me. Rupp's physical ability and size would be dearly missed. John Madden takes a lot of faceoffs, and is still a better option defensively then Pandolfo at this point.

Dainius Zubrus is only listed here in the case that his apparent wrist injury would benefit from rest. I don't think his play merits his removal from the lineup, it only potentially would be an issue of his health for him to be removed from the lineup.

It will be interesting to see how well Brendan Shanahan plays tomorrow night (Monday) in Nashville, and to see if he still has the same scoring touch he's displayed throughout his career. The way I see it, there's only one logical candidate to be scratched from the lineup, and that's Jay Pandolfo. Let's see what Brent Sutter decides come Monday.

New Jersey Devils: First Half Report Card (Part II of II)

levinakl — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:17:10 -0500

Well, it looks like the Devils played some inspired hockey last night to knock off the Canucks in Vancouver for the first time in nearly ten years. It also gave me a 43rd game to use in grading the defense and goaltending. If you missed Part One, click the link to see how the forwards were graded.

Defense:

Johnny Oduya (43 GP, 3 G, 13 A, 16 P, +10, 14 PIM, 1 PPG, 1 SHG, 2 GWG)

Oduya is a very tough guy to get a read on, as he often goes unnoticed. However, coming from where he started out as a Devil, that can be looked at as a compliment.

It wasn't long ago when Devils' fans were screaming for Oduya to be benched or cut. For the most part, those jeers have turned to mostly jeers. But Oduya also seems to often leave you thirsty for more.

A pending free agent, Oduya is due for a huge increase in his current paltry $600,000 salary. The question is, if you are GM Lou Lamoriello, do you open up the wallet to pay Oduya a large amount? After all, Oduya has been solid and remains a top-four defenseman for the Devils, and at least this year, would be hard to replace.

Grade: B

Mike Mottau (41 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 P, +15, 19 PIM)

Last year's unsung hero, Mottau doesn't often look pretty, but he continues to put up pretty good numbers. He leads all Devils' defenseman in plus-minus.

I can tell you while it's not tracked officially, no one, not even Oduya, loses possession of their stick more than Mike Mottau. When he loses his stick, it almost always seems to lead to a goal—definitely one of Mottau's best maneuvers.

Because of it, it astounds me that Mottau is a plus-15. He often looks slow or over-matched when you watch him closely.

However, for the most part, Mottau tends to not necessarily look pretty, but he usually gets the job done. Ideally he is a sixth or seventh defenseman, but on this team, Mottau has cracked the top four on occasion and not looked lost.

I wouldn't want to have to rely heavily on him over a long period though. I think he ideally compares to the role assistant coach Tommy Albelin played in the 2003 season—filling in when or where needed.

As long as you don't keep expectations too high, Mottau fills a role on this team, even though he doesn't always look pretty doing it.

Grade: C+

Paul Martin(38 GP, 3 G, 9 A, 12 P, +8, 20 PIM, 2 PPG, 1 GWG)

Martin is a player who started off the year playing wonderfully. Somewhere along the way though, he definitely regressed a bit.

I can remember being at the game against Montreal on Jan. 2 and wondering what had happened to Martin. He was absolutely brutal that night. Perhaps it was just a midseason swoon because no one is more valuable to the New Jersey backline then Martin—the closest thing the Devils have to a legitimate No. 1 defenseman.

He is a poor man's Scott Niedermayer because he often makes certain things look too easy, and it makes you wonder if he is working hard enough. He does almost everything well but doesn't possess a good shot from the point.

If it weren't for that swoon over a few weeks in late December early January, Martin would get an A minus but that slump brings him down a bit.

Grade: B

Colin White (38 GP, 1 G, 9 A, 10 P, +10, 24 PIM)

Man, Colin White is a tough nut to crack. White has actually matched the point production he put up or exceeded it from the last two seasons. At a plus-10, you'd think his game was looking better than ever these days. However, I think the stats are a little misleading in the case of White, at least if you compare him to pre-eye injury form.

White came up as a pretty good shutdown defenseman who occasionally would take a stupid penalty but would rarely get out-muscled. These days, White still takes an occasional dumb penalty but definitely doesn't have the defensive presence he had in the past, whether it's a crushing body check or a blocked shot.

You'd have to think it's a result of the eye injury. Either way, he may be overpaid at $3 million a year, but White still has a place on this team, even though it might be better served on the third pairing going forward.

Grade: C

Bryce Salvador (37 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 8 P, +1, 28 PIM, 1 GWG)

Salvador was a key acquisition by the Devils—basically stealing him from St. Louis for pugilist Cam Janssen.

Re-signing Salvador in the offseason was a shrewd move by the Devils as well. He fills more of the role White used to a few years ago and gives the Devils a physical presence on the backline.

I think Sutter should pair Salvador more with Paul Martin to create a legitimate No. 1 pairing, but since Salvador's inner ear problem, he seemed to have his play regress a bit.

I think by the time the playoffs roll around, I would expect Salvador and Martin to be playing a bulk of their time paired up (assuming there is no major acquisition made between now and then).

Grade: B

Jay Leach (21 GP, 1 A, 1 P, +1, 21 PIM)

This year's version of Mottau, Leach literally came out of nowhere to contribute good defensive play when the team needed it most. Leach is what he is—pretty solid in his own end and adding a little grit but won't contribute much at all offensively.

It is imperative to team him by using a more mobile defensive defenseman—helping him to best use his skills. Leach should be a good guy to keep around and could fill in for an injured player. I think Leach will be a good No. 7 defenseman for the second half of the season.

Grade: B

Andy Greene(20 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 P, +2, 12 PIM)

Greene was a victim of a broken hand on Oct. 29 against Toronto. It happened to take place in the middle of the best stretch of games Greene had all seasons. In fact, he had three assists alone in that game. He had six points overall in his first six games.

Unfortunately, since coming back from the injury, Greene has only been okay. His numbers show it—only one point and playing at a -2 in the fourteen games since he returned.

Greene has had flashes, but hasn't ever been able to replicate the success he had in the 2007 playoffs against Tampa Bay and Ottawa. Even though the team was a big disappointment in that series, as a rookie Greene seemed to thrive. He's been chasing that success ever since.

Grade: C

Sheldon Brookbank (15 GP, +1, 25 PIM)

Technically, Brookbank probably belonged in Part I when we looked at the forwards. He has played the Devils' good soldier—filling in on the front line when a run of injuries forced the Devils to play him at the forward position.

While Brookbank deserves that credit, it definitely exposed his lack of talent. He adds some toughness to the lineup when he is playing but not much else. He appears to be a poor man's Leach when he's playing defense which isn't too much of a compliment.

It would be shocking or an act of desperation if Brookbank were to become a regular for the Devils. It's only low expectations to begin with that prevents this grade from being lower.

Grade: C-

Anssi Salmela(15 GP, 3 A, 3 P, +2, 4 PIM)

Salmela was brought in from Finland, and immediately, people tried to compare Salmela to a former Devil who had started his professional career in Finland, Brian Rafalski.

However, while Salmela definitely has some talent, he does not project to be the same player Rafalski was or is. Salmela appears to have a very good shot from the point and definitely has a potential future at quarterbacking the Devils' power play.

To become a regular at the NHL level, Salmela definitely has to tighten up his defensive play. While that might work on some teams, lack of defensive responsibility will get you a permanent ticket to Lowell. Just ask Petr Vrana.

Grade: C

Goaltending:

Scott Clemmensen(27 GP, 26 starts, 16-9-1, 2.40 GAA, .918 SV%)

Clemmensen started the season as the third option in net and has been the biggest surprise of the season—thanks to the injury to Martin Brodeur on Oct. 1 against Atlanta.

Clemmensen probably expected to spend the season as the No. 1 goaltender in the AHL. Instead, we get to the All-Star break with talk of Clemmensen being mentioned as a possible All-Star replacement for the injured Carey Price.

While I think Clemmensen is short of the All-Star label, his play as a whole can be classified as nothing short of heroic. To be honest, if you look at just his numbers, they aren't all that significantly different than what you might expect from the legendary Brodeur—except for maybe the lack of any shutouts.

Needless to say, Clemmensen should be in a position to get a nice NHL contract for next season when he is a free agent at year's end. Until then, he will be counted on to hold the fort until Brodeur's return and will be insurance for the Devils afterward.

Only the propensity for a bad goal here or there keeps Clemmensen from an A.

Grade: A-

Martin Brodeur(10 GP, 10 starts, 6-2-2, 2.16 GAA, .916 SV%)

When Marty went down with his injury, most Devils' fans figured that was likely the end of the Devils' season. To be honest, I thought the playoffs were the best this team could hope for.

However, the Devils appear to be on their way to another playoff berth (every season since 1995-96), and it should be interesting to see what happens with a rested Brodeur come playoff time. If he comes back to form, the Devils could find themselves poised for a run at Lord Stanley.

Brodeur was set to set the NHL all-time win record, but that will have to be put on hold for now (he remains seven wins away from tying Patrick Roy's record of 551 victories).

The key will be for Marty to get healthy and return to his elite level of play. Then, the records will take care of themselves. The injury keeps Brodeur from his normal high grade.

Grade: Incomplete

Kevin Weekes(9 GP, 7 starts, 3-4-0, 2.79 GAA, .908 save %)

If there is a guy that you feel bad for this year, it is Kevin Weekes, the good soldier for two years now, not really getting a lot of playing time but always coming across as one of the nicer guys in the game today.

After only playing in nine games (five starts) last year backing up Brodeur, you would think he would have expected a lot more action this year after Marty's injury. While he has played more than last year, he still has remained the backup most of the time and hasn't complained once (at least in public).

Weekes played a very solid game in Los Angeles on Jan. 10, and I would be surprised if he didn't get into more of the games between now and Brodeur's return. Having a player like Weekes is invaluable, with his attitude and outlook, even if it doesn't appear on any stat sheet.

Grade: B

Guys, there you have it—a look at the players on the 2008-09 New Jersey Devils. There is a lot to look forward to in the upcoming weeks. You have the return of Brendan Shanahan to the Devils—see how he impacts the team with his leadership and goal scoring ability.

Then you have the All-Star debut of Zach Parise on Jan. 25 in Montreal. In late February, early March, you can look forward to the return of the legendary Brodeur.

Come April, it's time for the playoffs, and let's hope this year, the Devils find themselves to be more successful than last year's disastrous first round loss to the New York Rangers.

I would also expect a trade or two at some point. GM Lou Lamoriello is always known for tinkering with his team when the right opportunity presents itself.

Let me know what you guys think about the grades I've handed out, and if you disagree with any, give me your thoughts.

New Jersey Devils: First Half Report Card (Part I Of II)

levinakl — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:17:10 -0500

With the New Jersey Devils at about the halfway point of the season, I think it’s time to give out the mid-season report cards to everyone.

The Devils currently stand at 24-15-3, good enough for 51 points and third place in the Atlantic Division, and sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. If the season ended today, the Devils would find themselves in a first round playoff matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. However, with the imbalance of games played, it is way too early to look closely at potential playoff matchups just yet.

Six forwards have skated in all 42 games, we will start with them, and work our way down in reverse order of games played (in alphabetical order):

David Clarkson(42 GP, 8 G, 8 A, 16 P, -1, 81 PIM, 3 PPG, 1 GWG): At the beginning of the year, I would’ve hoped for about 10-15 goals for Clarkson, and that seems to be where he is headed. I never expected him to be that serviceable on the power play, but he has contributed better then expected on the second unit. Overall, Clarkson has been about as valuable as one could have hoped for going into the season. He even has added a few moves to his two-move repertoire from last season. Grade: A-

Patrik Elias(42 GP, 19 G, 29 A, 48 P, +12, 22 PIM, 6 PPG, 1 SHG, 5 GWG): After starting off a little slow, Elias has been a constant force for this team. It has long been thought that the Devils seem to go as Elias goes. When Patrik is playing to the level he is capable of (which is as high as anyone on this team), the Devils do well, and vice versa. Elias is likely the MVP of this team so far this season, and always has shown the ability to score in the clutch (note his 5 game-winning tallies). The biggest gripe against Elias this season is something beyond his control, that the NHL denied him a much deserved berth to the upcoming All-Star Game. Grade: A

Jay Pandolfo(42 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 P, -7, 6 PIM, 1 SHG, 1 GWG): In my opinion, there has been no greater disappointment this season for the Devils then the play of Pandolfo. In the past, there has been no greater support of Pando, but this year there is little to support. The great play in the defensive zone has been spotty at best, Pandolfo has not been nearly as effective on the penalty kill as year’s past, and in my opinion is on the hot seat to potentially lose his spot in the lineup when the recently signed Brendan Shanahan enters the lineup. Pandolfo has not been the same since last year’s injury to his midsection/hip area. Grade: F

Zach Parise(42 GP, 24 G, 25 A, 49 P, +14, 18 PIM, 6 PPG, 4 GWG): As good as Elias has been, Parise is right there, if not even ahead of where Elias is. Parise isn’t the fastest guy, he doesn’t have the best shot, but he always seems to be in a position to score, by outworking his opponents. He also displays unbelievable hand-eye coordination which has led to some deflection goals. Parise is developing into the face of the franchise, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him wear the “C” at some point over the next few seasons. Grade: A+

Travis Zajac(42 GP, 11 G, 20 A, 31 P, +14, 23 PIM, 2 PPG, 1 GWG): As long as Zajac continues to stay away from dropping the gloves (had one ugly fight with Dan Girardi on Dec 12^th), he has been a great improvement over his sophomore slump of a season. Zajac continues to grow more and more confident in his shooting ability, and has developed a great two-way game. He is a big reason why head coach Brent Sutter has stopped using the checking line, as he feels comfortable with Zajac and his defensive abilities against other team’s top lines. You can expect Zajac’s development to continue, and hopefully 20-25 goals when it’s all said and done. He should also expect a nice contract at year’s end, when he becomes a restricted free agent. Grade: B+

Dainius Zubrus(42 GP, 10 G, 16 A, 26 P, +9, 43 PIM, 1 PPG, 1 GWG): Zubrus is a tough player to read, because while he certainly has been a major improvement over last year, Zubrus seems to be the type of player that always leaves you thirsty for more. Playing him with Elias in my opinion is a great fit, because both players have great vision, and also the talent to take advantage of that vision. Zubrus hasn’t shown to be the most consistent guy on the team. In two games alone, he’s scored six goals total (highlighted by four goals against Tampa Bay on Nov 23). Unfortunately, in the other 40 games, Zubrus only has four total goals, so he needs to improve there. Grade: C+

Brian Gionta: (41 GP, 10 G, 26 A, 36 P, +10, 22 PIM, 2 PPG, 1 SHG): Gionta will always be a victim of his 48-goal season back in the 2005-06 season. If you hold him up to the standard of that season, he will always look like a disappointment. If you look have the expectation of him as a solid 25-goal scorer, then he will live up to those expectations. Thus far, he has been a very good fit with linemates Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus, and seems to have become more of a focal point in the offense overall. Gionta is also the victim of more posts and crossbars then anyone on the team, although there is no official stat to document it, so that’s only my opinion. Grade: B

Jamie Langenbrunner(41 GP, 8 G, 22 A, 30 P, +11, 33 PIM, 1 PPG, 1 GWG): Capt. Langenbrunner is a tough player to get a read on. One day, he’s a dynamic player who helps Parise and Zajac to be one of the more efficient two-way lines in the NHL. Another day, he’s a player who takes a dumb, lazy penalty in the offensive end. Too often, Langenbrunner appears to be a player that shows up referees after being called for a penalty he didn’t agree with. As a Captain, Langenbrunner should not do this, but his emotion sometimes gets the best of him. In some cases, that is a benefit, but other times it is a detriment. Grade: B-

Michael Rupp (40 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, +3, 78 PIM): Any time you can have your enforcer playing at a plus level (for his plus-minus), he certainly isn’t killing you when he’s on the ice. Rupp has played with the edge needed, and has stood up for his teammates when opponents cross or even approach “the line.” Rupp has caused some havoc with opponents, none more so then Eric Boulton of Atlanta who took a double minor for roughing to try and get back at Rupp on Dec 8. Rupp will give you some production, but don’t count on him, any production he gives should be considered a bonus beyond his enforcer role. Grade: B

John Madden(36 GP, 4 G, 7 A, 11 P, -9, 14 PIM): If Pandolfo has been the biggest disappointment for the Devils this year, Madden isn’t all that far behind. While he was the biggest surprise last year, Madden seems to have lost that extra burst of speed he featured last season. As a result, Madden has lost his checking line assignment, and too often been a step slow in his defensive responsibilities or in the offensive end as well. Needless to say, maybe his foot injury has taken more of a toll then the public will ever know. Grade: D

Bobby Holik(24 GP, 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, Even, 22 PIM): Holik was brought in for a few different reasons this past off-season. One of them was to provide help in taking face-offs, an area where he has mostly lived up to expectations. Holik has never been the fastest skater in the league, but he has definitely lost some more speed, which isn’t a big surprise given his age (37). He also had a nasty finger injury after an Alexander Ovechkin shot squeezed his finger between the puck and his stick on Oct 18. Holik has taken some careless penalties, which is definitely an area where he needs to tighten things up. As far as I know, there isn’t a better player at giving good quotes in the locker room then Holik, who is always known for his ability to speak. Overall, as fourth line center, his contributions have been about as much as one could expect, with a hope that maybe he will add a little more scoring in the second half of the season. Grade: C

Brian Rolston(24 GP, 7 G, 3 A, 10 P, -7, 14 PIM, 4 PPG, 2 GWG): Rolston suffered a high ankle sprain against Atlanta on Oct 16, and even after his return, not surprisingly, struggled a lot to return to form. Rolston has seemed to improve of late, scoring six goals and posting two assists in his last fourteen games, so maybe it’s not fair to grade him on his entire season thus far, but I don’t think there is much choice. I fully expect Rolston to have a big second half, and if he doesn’t get that plus minus past even by season’s end, I’d call it a shocker. Adding Brendan Shanahan to the power play will only help Rolston’s production, so that’s another improvement I expect to see in the second half. Grade: C-

Petr Vrana (16 GP, 1 G, 1 P, -4, 2 PIM): It started off strongly for Vrana, who scored his first goal in his first game. However, it pretty much went all down hill from there. When he was exposed to waivers before being sent to Lowell (AHL), GM Lou Lamoriello summed it up best with the following quote, “Right now with the 12 forwards we have healthy he was not going to be playing here, so we wanted to put him through waivers, so he can stay down there and play and he has the option of going up and down. There is the risk of him being claimed by another team and if that happens, so be it." Had Vrana produced, Brendan Shanahan also likely wouldn’t have been signed recently. Grade: F

The following players have played 15 games or less, and have been given an incomplete for their grade:

Nicklas Bergfors: (8 GP, 1 G, 1 P, -1)

Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond: (6 GP, 1 A, 1 P, +1, 15 PIM)

Barry Tallackson: (4 GP, -1)

Matt Halischuk: (1 GP, 1 A, 1 P, -1)

Patrick Davis: (1 GP)

Of this group, Bergfors had the highest expectation, Halischuk might have the highest long-term potential, and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond was a fan favorite for a bit because of his feistiness. Davisis young and has some potential, while Tallackson appears to be a fringe NHL player as of now.

Coming soon… Part II—Defense and Goalies

Brendan Shanahan Returns to New Jersey

levinakl — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:27:34 -0500

After many, many rumors throughout the summer and into the beginning of the season, GM Lou Lamoriello has brought back the player he drafted first, the No. 2 overall pick, back in 1987, Brendan Shanahan.

Shanahan, who later left New Jersey to join the St. Louis Blues via free agency (in a transaction that saw the Devils get back Scott Stevens as compensation), returns to the team he played his first 281 career games with.

Shanahan had 88 goals and 126 assists in those games with New Jersey, and has had a storied career, playing 1490 career games with five total franchises, scoring 650 goals and posting 690 assists.

He is a proven special teams player, who should contribute immediately to the Devils, especially on the power play. He also adds a good amount of leadership to the locker room, and should gain immediate respect.

While bringing in Shanahan to bolster the offense, the immediate question is: Who will immediately be removed from the lineup?

The immediate candidates, assuming no trade is in the works, are Jay Pandolfo and Mike Rupp. I think the best selection would be to sit Pandolfo because of his lackluster play this season.

Pandolfo, who has normally been a defensive stalwart in past seasons, has not seemed to be able to get on track thus far this year, and has struggled on both sides of the ice.

Never known for his offensive prowess, Pandolfo has contributed as a prime penalty killer, and good defensive player in previous years.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case this year, as Pandolfo has really struggled with his defensive play, often has been knocked off the puck a little too easily, and has been a clear disappointment after re-signing with the Devils this past July 1st.

As for Rupp, I don't see how the Devils could afford to keep his physical play out of the lineup. Even when the team struggled against Atlanta, Rupp still had a decent performance, and even drew a four-minute penalty from Eric Boulton.

Even though that penalty didn't lead to a goal on the ensuing power play, it's the type of play the Devils will continue to need on a going forward basis.

While Shanahan is very solid in a lot of different areas, he will not be able to replace the physical element Rupp brings on a nightly basis.

It will be interesting to see how Shanahan fits into the Devils when he becomes ready to play. I'd expect it to be at least a week before you see him in the lineup, but that's only a guess.

My guess would be the January 21st, when the Devils return to the Prudential Center to play the Montreal Canadiens. That game would also be two days before Shanahan turns 40.

Let's hope that Shanahan has enough left in the tank to bring some leadership and good play for the Devils. Some may dispute now whether or not that will happen, but only time will tell whether or not this signing was a good one.

New Jersey Devils Head Out West Looking to Regroup

levinakl — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 10:29:13 -0500

The New Jersey Devils finished up their recent homestand with about as bad a game as you would expect them to play all season.

They lost 4-0 to the Atlanta Thrashers, a team that hadn't shut out an opponent all season. For the Devils, it was the fourth time this season they were shutout, and all four were at the Prudential Center.

According to some sources, including the Bergen Record's Fire & Ice Blog , there have been some issues the team has been dealing with in the locker room. Perhaps this could help explain why the team has seemed so out of focus of late.

Maybe going to the West Coast will give this team exactly what it needs, will allow it to regroup, get away from any distractions at home, and get back to where they were a few weeks ago.

Now, don't take this as a sign of panic, the Devils are still in a good position in the standings. But, with a good road trip, they can move themselves into a very good position, and challenge for a spot at the top of the Atlantic Division.

The Devils play Los Angeles tonight, and then play Anaheim tomorrow night. The Western part of the road trip concludes Tuesday in Vancouver. Before returning home, the Devils will stop in Columbus for a Friday night matchup with the Blue Jackets.

The Devils rush back to the New York area for a Saturday night tilt with the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, and then a quick trip to Nashville on the 19th. Then it is home for a matchup with Montreal on the 21st, and the All-Star Break follows.

NOTES: Congratulations to Zach Parise on his first selection as an All-Star. Watching this man's career thus far, I'd expect it to be the first of many more yet to come. As for Patrik Elias, the NHL has to find a way to not leave out a top 10 scorer. It's a shame the NHL disrespected him and the Devils by leaving him off the All-Star

Congratulations to Brian Rolston, who is expected to play in his 1000th NHL game tonight in Los Angeles. Of the 1000, tonight will be Rolston's 371st in a Devils uniform. At least surprising to me, that's the most of the teams he has played with in his career. (Bruins 338, Wild 241, Avalanche 50).

Martin Brodeur has started off-ice workouts and is still set for a late February/early March return. Let's hope his workouts progress quickly, but most importantly, to the extent it helps Marty return close to his all-time form.

Devils-Senators: Sunday Showdown

levinakl — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 04:26:14 -0500

The New Jersey Devils host the Ottawa Senators Sunday afternoon at the Prudential Center. For the Devils and Senators, it will be the second of four match-ups for the season.

The first took place also at the Prudential Center on Dec. 19th, when the Devils defeated Ottawa 5-1. It was a great game for the Devils, a game where Patrik Elias led the way with two goals, and Scott Clemmensen played very solid in net for New Jersey.

I would strongly expect Scott Clemmensen to start his 11th straight in net, his 18th out of the last 19 overall. I don't think anyone could've guessed that Clemmensen would fill the void of injured goaltender Martin Brodeur nearly as well as he has.

Had you thought Clemmensen would be 14-6-1 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .926 save percentage in his 22 games (21 starts), then perhaps you should be on your way to Vegas to build upon your knowledge.

Amazingly, Clemmensen has played to the point that he is in the talk for possibly being named to the All-Star team to represent the Eastern Conference in the upcoming event in Montreal.

As for today's game, the Devils enter the fray having won three of their last four games overall, and are looking to move into a tie with the New York Rangers at 49 points, which is good for second place in the Atlantic Division, and would put the Devils just one behind the first place Philadelphia Flyers. Keep in mind, the Devils have two games in hand on Philadelphia, and three on the Rangers.

After struggling to their fourth straight loss in Washington on Nov. 14th to the Capitals, the Devils stood at just 7-7-2 on the season, and were in the middle of an injury breakout amongst their team. However, since that loss, the Devils have played very well, having posted a 15-6-1 record in their last 22 games. They enter today's game against Ottawa having averaged 3.23 goals scored per game in those same 22 games, while yielding only 2.32 per game.

Patrik Elias leads the way with 12 goals, while soon to be All-Star Zach Parise has added 10 in those same 22 games.

As for Ottawa, they currently are in the middle of an eight game road trip, which has started 1-4. It is fair to say that Ottawa has been a great disappointment thus far this year, residing currently in the basement of the Northeast Division.

Alex Auld and Martin Gerber have been okay sharing the goaltending duties, but neither has stood out.

The normal big three of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Danny Heatley have stood out offensively as they normally do, but no other Senator has more than five goals on the year, and as such, the Senators have the lowest goal scoring total in the league with only 84 in 36 games.

For comparative purposes, the next lowest scoring team is the Tampa Bay Lightning, with 91 goals in 38 games.

If the Devils come out and play their game, you should expect a similar result to the one the Devils had against Montreal Friday night. If the Devils come out flat, it could open the chance for Ottawa to sneak themselves into the game and possibly steal one. However, I fully expect the Devils to come out, play their game, and get another victory.

New Jersey Devils Hitting the Road to St. Louis and Dallas

levinakl — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:52:42 -0500

After a hiccup at home in two shutout losses to Boston and Pittsburgh, the Devils responded well at Madison Square Garden to defeat the New York Rangers 4-2.

Once again, Zach Parise and Patrik Elias led the way for the Devils, and continue to fill up the stat sheets.

The Devils travel to St. Louis tonight to take on the Blues. These teams did not match up last year, and it marks the return of defenseman Bryce Salvador to the place he played most of his career.

It also matches up former Devil Cam Janssen against his former team. Remember, Janssen was the native St. Louian who was sent by the Devils to St. Louis for Salvador at last year's trading deadline.

The Blues come in having lost three of their last four, but did have a shining moment this past Saturday by giving the San Jose Sharks a rare loss. RW Brad Boyes leads the Blues in scoring, with 17 goals and 15 assists, but he is a minus-22. LW Keith Tkachuk had a blazing start and still has 13 goals and 13 assists on the year, a solid total for 36 games. Overall, the Blues stand at 14-19-3, and occupy the basement in the Central Division.

They will miss some key players due to injuries, led by young defenseman Erik Johnson, who had a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee after a golf-cart incident this past September. They also are without Paul Kariya (hip surgery), Andy McDonald (fractured left leg), Erik Brewer (herniated disk in back), and Jay McKee (fractured finger), so they are playing a bit shorthanded.

In net, Chris Mason leads the way for St. Louis, and won his only career start against the Devils, playing with Nashville on October 19, 2006. Ironically, Mason was originally drafted as a fifth-round pick by the Devils in the 1995 draft. Manny Legace also shares the time with Mason between the pipes, and has started 20 games thus far this year, compared to 17 for Mason.

After the Devils tangle with the Blues, they move on to play the Dallas Stars. A trip to Dallas always rekindles strong memories for the Devils, as it was on June 12, 2000, when the Devils won their second Stanley Cup Championship in Dallas, on an overtime goal by Jason Arnott. You can likely expect to see that highlight at least once or twice during the broadcast on Wednesday night.

The Devils are going to look to the end the calendar year strong, playing two last place teams. Even though both teams (Blues and Stars) don't look strong on paper necessarily, you should expect tight games, as neither one should be expected to be a cakewalk.

It should be interesting to see how the Devils respond after an emotional win against their archrival New York Rangers, and a couple of days off. In the past, you might think they were prime for a let down, but here's hoping that doesn't turn out to be the case.

Notes

Apparently, the injury bug has found D Colin White, who missed practice with the infamous "upper body injury." Expect White to miss the two games, as Bryce Salvador does return to the lineup after an inner ear problem.

Also expect Scott Clemmensen to start against St. Louis, and if he plays well, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him start in Dallas as well.

Zach Parise got his 200th NHL point against the Rangers Saturday night. Congratulations, Zach!

NHL All-Star Game Balloting: Is It Worth The Headache?

levinakl — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:16:20 -0500

Aside from a few of the normal players who won't be there, there has also been a bit of a controversy involving the new online fan balloting.

This year's online ballot has a new wrinkle, where the results update in real time on the NHL website. This is unprecedented in major professional sports, at least that I am aware of, and definitely should appeal to fans who want to know how their favorite stars are doing. However, let's take a look at the current voting results, specifically in the Eastern Conference.

I can't say it's all too surprising, but the top two vote-getters at forward in the East are Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Since they currently are the top two scorers in the NHL, it is hard to complain too much. However, the next three top forwards and the top two defensemen and the top goaltender all play for the Canadiens.

It leads you to believe that perhaps the NHL needs to put in some safeguards for future balloting. After the NHL balloting was made to be a mockery by the infamous "Vote for Rory" incident a few years back, it is once again giving a black eye to the sport. Take a look at the top 7 forwards for the East:

Sydney Crosby, PIT 798,227
Evgeni Malkin, PIT 719,578
Alexei Kovalev, MON 631,233
Saku Koivu, MON 631.108
Alex Tanguay, MON 620,674
Alex Ovechkin, WAS 301,590
Marc Savard, BOS 183,340

I think it's painfully obvious that there is something skewing the system. When five forwards distance themselves from the pack the way it currently stands, it appears that something is amiss. When Alex Ovechkin, is over 300,000 votes behind Alex Tanguay, it is a problem.

Now, yes, the fans have the right to vote in whoever they want to start the game. But, when an individual or group of individuals trumps the process to garner votes for their favorite team, it makes you wonder why the NHL doesn't scrap the fan balloting all together.

After all, it is the NHL All-Star Game. Fans of all teams are expected to tune in to watch the game. I'm sure the local fans in Montreal will be happy, if the current polling results stand. Not only will they have a local forward (whichever one would triumph over the current battle for the number three spot between Tanguay, Kovalev and Koivu), but as of now, they'd also have the starting pair of defensemen and goaltender (Carey Price).

You would think the big injustice would be that Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarekare leading the way. However, if you look deeper, the fact that Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney, neither of which have played a single game this season, are number three and four in the ballot results respectively.

Perhaps its time to rid ourselves of the online balloting process, and go back to the old process of restricting it to voting only at NHL games. Even better yet, perhaps its time to scrap the whole fan balloting all together, and let the NHL itself decide who should play in the game. Ultimately, it wouldn't change things all that much, as guys like Crosby and Malkin would still make the team. But, would a guy like Alexei Kovalev? I think not.

I've never been a huge "All-Star Game" fan, whatever sport it is. Unfortunately, it never really is a true showcase for the sport. You don't see all the aspects of the game, whether it's a big check in the corner of an NHL game, or a player giving a hard slide into second base to break up a double play, this is the kind of hard-nosed play you won't see in an All-Star game.

However, if you are going to have the fans vote for starters, then it should be all the fans who have somewhat of an equal say and not one small block of voters controlling the results and essentially making everyone else's votes almost null and pointless.

After all, the NHL would like for fans beyond those of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Montreal Canadiens to tune into the game. Or better yet, to think that guys like Thomas Vanek of the Buffalo Sabres, Marc Savard of the Boston Bruinsor Zach Parise of the New Jersey Devils all had a fair chance to be a starter in the All-Star game.

Unfortunately, as of right now, it appears unlikely that those not wearing sweaters in Pittsburgh or Montreal didn't get a fair shake to be a starter. You should still see all three players in Montreal, but it would have been nice if they had a fair chance to become a starter.

My Baseball Hall Of Fame Vote

levinakl — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:05:21 -0500

Well, it’s that time of year again, and it's time to start the big Baseball Hall of Fame debate. On the 2008 ballot, there are 23 different names. Let's take a look and say whom we think should get in, and who comes up short. First, let's look at the players returning to the ballot: (in order of most votes last year)

Jim Rice

A veteran of 16 seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Rice was one of the most feared right handed bats in the American League. He was an eight-time All-Star, who won the 1978 AL MVP award, finished with 382 HR, 1451 RBI and a .298 batting average. Rice led the league in slugging percentage twice, hits once, total bases four times, triples once, RBI twice and home runs three times. He also had several finishes in the top three in many different categories.

Rice’s biggest argument against seems to be his relationship with the media. Other than that, I don’t really see much argument against Rice, he should merit a vote to get in. In his final year of eligibility, I think this will be the year he gets in, especially since he came oh so close last year. If I didn’t make it clear, Jim Rice would get my vote. (Best year: 1978, .315/.370/.600, 406 TB, 46 HR, 139 RBI, 25 2b, 15 3b, 121 runs, 7 SB) Last year: 392 votes, or 72.2 percent of the ballot

Andre Dawson

"The Hawk" won the 1987 NL MVP, a rare feat for a last place team. His accomplishments also include the 1977 NL Rookie of the Year award, seven Gold Glove awards, and the HR and RBI titles in 1987. Dawson's biggest arguments against is his .279 batting average, and his durability, as he often missed time with knee problems.

He finished with 2774 hits (44th all-time), 438 HR (32nd all-time), 1591 RBI (28th all-time), 1373 runs, 314 SB, 503 2b (41st all-time). In the past, I always shied away from Dawson as a candidate. Upon further review of his statistics, I think he's real close, and I'd probably give him the nod with his impressive power numbers. The tie-breaker for me is the defensive prowess he showed, as he had one of the more feared arms in RF for a long time. So, Dawson gets my vote barely, but gets my vote nonetheless. (Best year: 1987, .287/.328/.568, 49 HR, 137 RBI, 90 runs, 178 hits, 24 2b, 2 3b, 11 SB) Last year: 358 votes, or 65.9 percent of the ballot

Bert Blyleven

An often overlooked pitcher, Blyleven has an awful strong case for a vote into Cooperstown.

Blyleven finished his 22-year career with a record of 287-250, which is all that more impressive when you look at the records of the teams he played for. He has a career ERA of 3.31, and a WHIP of 1.20. He had 60 shutouts, which ranks him 9th all-time. He also had an impressive 242 complete games (91st all-time), 3701 K's (5th all-time), and pitched 4970 innings (13th all-time).

He also had placed in the top 3 voting twice for the Cy Young Award (1984-85), and is known for one of the best, if not the best curve-balls of all-time. He also won 2 World Series (1979, 1987) and was a big part of those respective teams. Blyleven isn't necessarily the first guy I think of as a Hall of Famer, but in the end, I don't see a reason to keep him out.

I don't know this for sure, but I'd bet he'd become the first player born in Holland to make the Hall of Fame. (Best year: 1973, 20-17, 325 IP, 40 starts, 25 CG, nine shutouts, 258 K, 2.52 ERA, 1.12 WHIP) Last year: 336 votes, or 61.9 percent of the ballot

Lee Smith

Another closer that started out as a Cub in the early 1980’s, Smith had a very long career by closer standards, pitching over the course of 18 seasons.

The longevity allowed Smith to compile 478 saves, making him the all-time leader (subsequently passed by both Trevor Hoffman and Mariano Rivera). Smith was a seven-time All-Star, who won the Rolaids Relief Award three times, as well as leading his league in saves four times. He had only one MVP finish in the top 10 (1991), and three top five finishes in the Cy Young race (one second place in 1991).

Smith was a great closer in his day, and had a great run, but I think he falls short of deserving a vote at this time. There are too many closers that are more deserving than him (at least in my opinion) that have to gain entry before Lee Smith deserves it.

I would like to vote them all in (as if I have a vote), but for now, I must say that Lee Smith doesn’t get a vote. Bruce Sutter and Rich Gossage getting in recently only has to help the chances of Smith going forward, but he has too much competition for now. (Best year: 1991, 6-3, 47 SV, 2.34 ERA, 67 G, 73 IP, 67 K, 1.14 WHIP) Last year: 235 votes, or 43.3% of the ballot

Jack Morris

The biggest money pitcher of the 1980's and early 1990's, Morris was part of three winning World Series teams: the 1984 Detroit Tigers, 1991 Minnesota Twins and the 1992 Toronto Blue Jays. Morris pitched in all three World Series and put up an amazing 4-2 record in 7 starts, and a 2.96 ERA.

Take away 1992 and Morris was 4-0 in 5 starts with a 1.54 ERA. Overall, Morris was 7-4 with a 3.80 ERA in 13 career postseason starts. Morris was a 5-time All-Star, who won the 1991 WS MVP, led the league in wins twice, strikeouts and innings once apiece, and was generally considered a big workhorse, amounting 3824 innings (49th all-time) and 75 complete games over the course of his career. Jack Morris also had more wins in the 1980’s than any other pitcher, and finished his career with a record of 254-186, an impressive .577 win percentage.

In the end, I think Morris deserves to get in because he was the biggest winner of his time. It is certainly debatable, but I think Morris is deserving of the reward. (Best year: 1986, 21-8, 3.27 ERA, 267 IP, 223 K, 1.17 WHIP, 15 CG, six shutouts) Last year: 233 votes, or 42.9 percent of the ballot

Tommy John

A player who is more famous for the arm surgery he had, then he is for his impressive career on the field, Tommy John will best be remembered for the ligament surgery that has now been made his name famous.

As a pitcher, however, Tommy John also had a very impressive career, putting up 288 wins over a 26-year career. His career ERA of 3.34 over 4710 1/3 IP, with 2245 strikeouts shows great and productive longevity. However, even with three 20-game winning seasons, and three World Series Appearances, I don’t think John showed enough dominance to merit a vote for the Hall of Fame.

He did finish second twice in the Cy Young voting (1977 & 1979), but only made 4 All-Star games in 26 seasons. To me, that simply is not enough. (Best year: 1977 - 20-7 record, 220 1/3 IP, 123 K, 2.78 ERA, 11 CG, three shutouts) Last year: 158 votes, or 29.1 percent of the ballot

Tim Raines

“Rock” Raines was a dynamic lead-off hitter for the Montreal Expos in the early 1980’s. He moved on with some success playing for the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees and finished up his career with stints with the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles and Florida Marlins. Raines was a very solid player, appearing in seven All-Star games, winning the MVP in the 1987 game, and winning two World Series championships, both with the Yankees in the late 1990’s.

His career totals, while impressive, are not impressive enough to the point that he should deserve serious merit for the Hall of Fame. He is 49th in runs scored with 1571, and fifth in stolen bases with 808. Had he reached 3000 hits, he may deserve more merit, but he came up 395 short. As a result, I don’t see any reason that Raines deserves a vote, even though I recognize him as a very good player in his day. But that, doesn’t make him an elite player required to get my vote. (Best year: 1987 - .330/.429/.526, 18 HR, 68 RBI, 50 SB (in 55 attempts), 34 2b, 8 3b, 175 hits, 123 runs) Last year: 132 votes, or 24.3 percent of the ballot

Mark McGwire

The biggest quandary amongst the recent additions to the ballot, McGwire was considered a “no-brainier” when he retired from baseball in 2001. However, when the big steroid controversy came out, and McGwire testified before Congress, he “refused to talk about the past,” which made the general public basically think that McGwire was basically admitting his guilt.

When you look at just his numbers, the 583 home runs and 1414 runs batted in would generally make him a first-ballot hall of Famer. However, many ballot holders have already come out and declared that they do not intend to cast their ballot in favor of McGwire.

While I think he will eventually get in, I do not see it happening in yet, and I can't say I disagree with leaving him off the ballot. However, it does create an interesting dilemma for future potential candidates. After all, where do you draw the line of the impact of the Steroid Era? My stance would be to put McGwire in, he deserves the nod; otherwise, it sets a dangerous precedent going forward.

Other people do argue he was too one dimensional o fa player, but I think he was such a good home run hitter and run producer, that he deserves entry. (Best year: 1998, .299/.470/.752, 70 HR, 147 RBI, 21 2b, 0 3b, 1 SB, 152 hits, 130 runs, 162 walks) Last year: 128 votes, or 23.6 percent of the ballot.

Alan Trammell

Trammell played 20 seasons with the same Detroit Tigers squad, and formed one of the more famous double play combos of recent days with Lou Whitaker, with whom he played together for 19 of them.

Trammell won the World Series MVP in 1984, was a six-time All-Star, and also won the Gold Glove four times, but he never really did anything in my opinion that set him apart from the field enough to make him a Hall of Famer. He was a very good player, in fact, one of the better SS in the game during his career, but that alone does not cut it.

When you are required to be one of the very best, 2365 hits and a .285 career batting average over 20 seasons, coupled with 185 HR and 1003 RBI do not give him enough to be worthy of a vote to Cooperstown. (Best year: 1987, .343/.402/.551, 28 HR, 105 RBI, 21 SB, 34 2b, 3 3b, 205 hits, 109 runs) Last year: 99 votes, or 18.2 percent of the ballot

Don Mattingly

Here is a great debate that goes on, especially amongst hard core Yankee fans, most of whom think Donnie Baseball deserves entry. They use the argument that Mattingly compares favorably to Kirby Puckett, who has already been voted in.

However, despite 222 HR and 1099 RBI, and a .307 career batting average, I do not think Mattingly deserves the nod. There is no doubt that had Mattingly not suffered the back pains he had throughout his career, he would likely be a much more deserving candidate. His seasons from 1984-1987 are Cooperstown-esque, but the period of dominance unfortunately did not last long enough.

Mattingly was an exceptional defensive player, who won 9 Gold Glove Awards, and won the 1985 AL MVP. He also won a batting title in 1984, led the AL in hits twice, doubles three times, RBI once, and total bases twice. He had a great run, but his career falls short of great and keeps him out. (Best year: 1985, .324/.371/.567, 35 HR, 145 RBI, 211 hits, 107 runs, 48 2b, 3 3b, only 41 strikeouts in 652 AB) Last year: 86 votes, or 15.8 percent of the vote

Dave Parker

“The Cobra” was one of the more feared left handed hitters in the game, who played 19 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays. Parker is best remembered for his days with the Pirates and Reds, where he was part of the 1979 “We are Family” winning World Series team with the Pirates. Parker went on to help the A’s reach the 1988 World Series and helped them to also win the 1989 World Series.

Parker was the 1978 NL MVP, as well as the 1979 World Series MVP. Parker won back-to-back batting titles in 1977 & 1978, led the NL in slugging twice, and the league three times in total bases, twice in doubles, once in RBI and hits, and also amassed three Gold Glove Awards. Parker finished his career with 339 home runs, 1493 RBI, 1272 runs, and a .290 career batting average.

His defense brings him within a whisker of being selected, but as long as a guy like Rice stays out, Parker is a notch below Rice, and thus doesn’t get my vote at this time. (Best year: 1978, .334/.394/.585, 30 HR, 117 RBI, 194 hits, 102 runs, 20 SB, 32 2b, 12 3b) Last year: 82 votes, or 15.1 percent of the ballot

Dale Murphy

Dale Murphy played 18 seasons, over 14 of them with the Atlanta Braves. In his first 14 seasons (12 full seasons), Murphy amassed 354 HR for Atlanta, and posted a rare back-to-back MVP awards in 1982-1983. He was a 7-time All-Star, who also won five Gold Glove awards.

Murphy led the NL in slugging twice, runs once, total bases once, home runs and RBI twice apiece, and walks once. On the downside, Murphy led the NL in strikeouts three times, and is 13th on the all-time list with 1748. The biggest arguments against Murphy are his .265 career batting average, and the amount he struggled in the last four seasons of his career.

Murphy stayed on a little too long, and fell short of the 400 HR mark by just two home runs. As much as I loved Murphy, and his long consecutive streak of 740 games played between 1980 and 1986 is quite impressive (was 12th all-time back then), he is similar squeezed out like Dave Parker. (Best year: 1983, .302/.393/.540, 36 HR, 121 RBI, 30 SB, 24 2b, 4 3b, 131 runs) Last year: 75 votes, or 13.8 percent of the ballot

Harold Baines

Baines played 22 seasons, and was one of the ground breakers in terms of being a full-time designated hitter, setting many records for the position along the way. Of the 2830 games Baines took part in, he only played the field in 1061 of those games, including only one past 1992. Baines made six All-Star teams, and had two top-10 MVP voting appearances (1983 & 1985), as well as three Top 10 performances in batting average.

However, in the end, Baines was more of a stat accumulator than a worthy Hall of Fame candidate. Even in those 22 seasons, Baines put up a modest total of 2866, good enough for 40th all-time.

When you look at the numbers, they may look impressive, but similar to his 384 home runs (ranking him 53rd all-time), and 1628 RBI (28thall-time), there really aren't any numbers to support a real claim for Baines to be a member of the Hall of Fame. Before people bring up the Paul Molitor DH argument, I say that I don't think Baines was anywhere near as good a hitter as Molitor was. (Best year: 1985, .309/.348/.467, 22 HR, 113 RBI, 1 SB, 29 2b, 3 3b, 198 hits, 86 runs) Last year: 28 votes, or 5.2 percent of the ballot

Now, on to the ten new candidates, some of which can be easily eliminated:

Jay Bell

Bell was a solid player who played parts of eighteen years with the Pirates, Diamondbacks and Indians (plus short stints with the Royals and Mets). Jay Bell was a member of the 2001 Arizona Diamondback World Championship team, but other then that, Bell doesn't really have much of a leg to stand on as far as being a Hall of Famer. (Best year: 1999, .289/.374/.557, 38 HR, 112 RBI, 7 SB, 32 2b, 6 3b, 170 hits, 132 runs)

David Cone

A rare (at least these days) five-time World Series winner, Cone was at his best when it counted most. He had a 2-0 record with a sparkling 2.12 ERA in 6 starts. Cone was a five-time All-Star, and won the Cy Young Award in 1994 with the Kansas City Royals and added two top ten MVP finishes.

Cone was “the hired gun of the 1990’s, coming close to the standard Jack Morris established in the 1980’s as a big game pitcher. However, he didn’t accumulate the same resume that Morris did. He is currently 22nd all-time in strikeouts with 2668 and does have a very impressive .606 winning percentage. His total of 194 wins hurts him the most, as his 3.46 career ERA is impressive, especially when you compare it to the league park adjusted ERA of 4.17.

To me, Cone is very close, but comes up just short. Early in his career, I think Cone wasted too many pitches and may have cost himself a few too many wins that might’ve made him a Hall of Famer. (Best year: 1988, 20-3, 231 1/3 IP, 35 games (28 starts), eight CG, four shutouts, 213 K, 2.22 ERA, 1.12 WHIP)

Ron Gant

Ron Gant early in his career seemed destined to possibly become a Hall of Famer. However, it seemed he never recovered from some serious off-season injuries after the 1993 season to become the player he might have been. Don’t get me wrong, Gant had a very productive career, posting career totals of 321 home runs, 1008 runs batted in, and 1080 runs scored.

However, he only made two All-Star games and his career batting average of .256 pretty much ends any discussion of Gant being deserving of entry into Cooperstown. (Best year: 1993, .274/.345/.510, 113 runs, 166 hits, 27 2b, 4 3b, 36 HR, 117 RBI, 26 SB)

Mark Grace

Grace was the all-time hits leader in the 1990’s and seems to be genuinely a good guy (also very funny). However, Grace is hurt by his lack of power at first base, which is home to many power hitters. His 173 home runs and 1146 runs batted in leave him well short of other first basemen who haven’t come close to being inducted. He never had a 200-hit season or 100 runs batted in, and had only one season above 100 runs scored.

If Keith Hernandez is not a Hall of Famer, then Mark Grace falls well short of it, since he never was the fielder Hernandez was, and he didn’t win an MVP award either. (Best year: 1995, .326/.395/.516, 97 runs,180 hits, 51 2b, 3 3b, 16 HR, 92 RBI, six SB)

Rickey Henderson

Quite simply, a very easy choice here. Its not a matter of whether or not Henderson will get inducted, it’s only a matter of how many people won’t vote for Henderson. He could challenge Tom Seaver’s record for receiving the highest percentage of votes in his first year being eligible. The ten-time All-Star is the all-time Major League Baseball leader in runs scored with 2295, stolen bases with 1406, and ranks second in base on balls with 2190.

He had 3055 career hits and an on base percentage of .401. To be honest, if Henderson isn’t inducted, there shouldn’t be a Hall of Fame. He was that great a player, and revolutionized the entire lead-off batting spot. It often seemed like he could knock a ball out of the park just as easily as he could steal second and third bases and get knocked in with a sacrifice fly.

Henderson was also a winner, being a part of two World Series teams and had impressive post-season numbers to say the least, with 33 stolen bases, 47 runs scored and 37 walks in 60 career post-season games. (Best year: 1985: .314/.419/.516, 146 runs, 172 hits, 28 2b, 5 3b, 24 HR, 72 RBI, 80 SB, 99 walks)

Jesse Orosco

Jesse Orosco seemed to pitch forever, and is the all-time leader in games pitched, with 1252. When I was a kid, I used to change the words of Rick Springfield’s Jesse’s Girl, to “Jesse’s Arm, Where can you find a reliever like that?” Orosco was a two-time All-Star, with both appearances coming with the Mets. Orosco played for 24 seasons, including 10 different teams overall.

People remember Orosco the most for two series-closing performances, one in Game Six of the 1986 National League Championship Series, where he struck out Kevin Bass with two outs in the 16th inning against the Houston Astros. The other was when he struck out Marty Barrett of the Boston Red Sox, to end Game Seven of the 1986 World Series. To this day, I’m not sure if Orosco’s glove ever came down after being thrown in the air after the strikeout of Barrett.

Jesse finished his career with 144 saves and 87 wins, plus a 3.16 ERA. While these stats are solid, they don’t even come close to putting Orosco into the Hall of Fame, as much as he was a personal favorite when I was a kid. (Best year: 1983, 13-7, 110 IP, 62 games, 17 saves, 84 K, 1.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP)

Dan Plesac

Plesac was a three-time All-Star, who had a good run as closer for the Milwaukee Brewers in the late 1980’s. As the 1990’s rolled around, Plesac became more of a left-handed specialist, rather then a traditional closer. In fact, after compiling 124 saves in his first five seasons, Plesac would only accumulate 34 saves the remainder of his career, which was an additional thirteen seasons with the Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, Toronto Blue Jays, Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies.

Plesac finished with a career record of 65-71, and an ERA of 3.46. There is not much I can produce to give a legitimate reason for him to receive a vote for Hall of Fame induction. That being said, I’m sure one or two writers from the BBWWA will give him a vote for some reason. (Best year: 1989, 3-4, 61 1/3 IP, 52 games, 33 saves, 52 K, 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP)

Greg Vaughn

Vaughn was a highly touted prospect coming up with the Milwaukee Brewers in the late 1980’s. Vaughn displayed a ton of power, and played for four All-Star teams, connecting for 355 home runs over parts of 15 seasons with the Brewers, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays and Colorado Rockies. His best work came with San Diego, in the 1997-98 seasons where he combined for 95 home runs.

After everything we’ve learned about Ken Caminiti and his admitted use of steroids, it makes you wonder if Vaughn was doing something similar. After all, these two seasons stand out far above his other seasons, so it does at least make his performance somewhat questionable. Either way, it doesn’t really effect his status as a potential Hall of Famer, as his career .242 batting average and 1513 strikeouts pretty much eliminate any real thought anyone would have for his election. (Best Year: 1998, .272/.363/.597, 112 runs, 156 hits, 28 2b, 4 3b, 50 HR, 119 RBI, 11 SB, 79 walks)

Mo Vaughn

The “Hit Dog,” was his name, but it appeared eating was his game. At least once he passed the age of 30 that is. Vaughn came up with the Boston Red Sox in 1991 and took the city of Boston by storm. In his fifth season, Vaughn won the MVP award and was almost like “Big Papi” before David Ortiz came to the Red Sox. Vaughn had a superb six seasons from 1993 – 1998, but his career took a sever downturn when he left Boston.

Vaughn joined the Anaheim Angels as a free agent in 1999, and while he put up good numbers, he never came close to the stardom he had with the Red Sox. After two seasons, he was shipped off to the New York Mets for Kevin Appier. Vaughn’s career quickly fizzled, as too many injuries and too much weight took their toll.

His resume does include the aforementioned MVP award, as well as three All-Star appearances, two 200-hit seasons, and a silver slugger award. His career slugging percentage of .523 ranks him 56th all-time, but his 1429 career strikeouts rank him 55th all-time. Vaughn was an enjoyable player to watch in his prime, and he hit some mammoth home runs. He also did extremely well when he made contact. Unfortunately, he didn’t make contact enough to warrant a vote. (Best year: 1996, .326/.420/.583, 118 runs, 207 hits, 29 2b, 1 3b, 44 HR, 143 RBI, 2 SB, 95 walks, 154 strikeouts)

Matt Williams

Here is an intriguing case to look at, as Williams was a top third basemen in the 1990’s. He formed a great 1-2 combo with Barry Bonds with the San Francisco Giants. He had ten consecutive 20+ home run seasons, including 43 in just 112 games in 1994. We can thank the labor dispute for not finding out how well his season could have turned out. Williams had four 100-RBI seasons, four Silver Slugger awards, four Gold Gloves and was a five-time All-Star. He also had two top three finishes in the MVP voting, and was a member of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks championship team, and was on a world series losing team twice (1989, 1997).

All that being said, Williams was a really good player, but I don’t think he qualifies as one of the best. I reserve the Hall of Fame for the very best, and Williams comes up short. Had he accumulated higher stat totals then 378 home runs and 1218 runs batted in, or if he drew more walks (just 469 over parts of 17 seasons) there would be a better argument.

I think if Williams played in an older era, he would’ve also had more of a chance, as his numbers don’t stand out all that much from guys like Vinny Castilla, who had some solid numbers, but come up far short of the Hall of Fame with other numbers. (Best full season: 1993, .294/.325/.561, 105 runs, 170 hits, 33 2b, 4 3b, 38 HR, 110 RBI, 1 SB, 27 walks, 80 strikeouts)

Well, there you have a look at the 23 players on the ballot. Of those, I think that Jim Rice, Andre Dawson, Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, Mark McGwire and Rickey Henderson are all worthy enough, that if I had a ballot, these six names would be included. On top of that, there is one name that I think truly got overlooked when he was on the ballot, and wanted to mention him here.

Albert Belle

He is a tough one to figure out. Belle had a seven-year run that was close to Ruthian from 1993-99. Who knows what kind of career numbers he would’ve ended up with if not for a degenerative hip injury he suffered that seemingly ended his career. Belle finished with an impressive .295 batting average, with 381 home runs and 1239 RBI. Considering he only played 10 1/2 seasons over twelve years, it makes the numbers all that more impressive.

While I think Belle’s well-known attitude problems are what have kept him out, I think they should be separated from his on-field performance. While guys like Ralph Kiner and Kirby Puckett have been voted in, I see no way to leave Albert “Don’t Call me Joey” Belle out of Cooperstown. Just be sure not to be mixed up for a trick-o-treater if you go to his front door to give him the news.

In the end, he was too big of a bat not to give him the nod. How many hitters can you say that have had over 100 extra base hits in a single season? The answer is twelve, but only three have done it in the last sixty years (Todd Helton and Barry Bonds being the other two). (Best year: 1995, .317/.401/.690, 121 runs, 173 hits, 52 2b, 1 3b, 50 HR, 126 RBI, 5 SB (tough call between 1994, 1995, 1996 & 1998))

This is obviously a debatable topic, so feel free to write your opinions and we can debate all you like! I'd also like to thank baseball-reference.com for all of the stats I looked at to help form my opinions.

Devils Getting Back Closer to Full Strength

levinakl — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:00:38 -0500

Despite a tough loss in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, the New Jersey Devils could be close to returning to full strength. It appears winger Brian Rolston is back practicing with the team, and is even a possibility to be in the lineup for the Devils on Thursday in Philadelphia. Rolston has been out since Oct. 16, when he got hurt with a high ankle sprain.

On a seperate front, it appears John Madden will be returning to the Devils lineup. He appears to be close enough to 100 percent that he will return to the lineup on Thursday as well. He has been out the last four games after taking a shot off his ankle/foot area.

Also added to the mix for Thursday will be rookie Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, who was recalled from Lowell. With the possibility of three forwards returning to the lineup, it begs the question of who will come out of the lineup. You would think the easy answer would be to scratch the current fourth line of Sheldon Brookbank, Petr Vrana and Barry Tallackson.

My guess is the Devils will error on the side of caution with Brian Rolston and hold him out one additional game, possibly two, to make sure he is 100 percent when he returns to the lineup.

Before you know it, the Devils could find themselves at full-strength skater wise, as both Bobby Holik and Andy Greene do not seem far off from returning to the team. They both continue to skate, and its possible Holik could return to practice on Tuesday, per the Fire & Ice Blog, written by The Bergen Record's Tom Gulitti.

If all of these guys come back, we might then finally get a better sense of where the Devils stand, and whether or not they have what it takes to compete for the Stanley Cup. Up until now, it's been more of a fight just to stay afloat. If they can put it all together and pick up a healthy Martin Brodeur in March, who knows what may be able to happen.

Then we can start talking about which players should play together, and how good we think the Devils may or may not be.

Devils-Lightning: Dainius Zubrus Keeps New Jersey Rolling

levinakl — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:45:43 -0500

The New Jersey Devils uncharacteristically lit the lamp seven times last night, defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 7-3 score.

Leading the way for the Devils was Dainius Zubrus, who scored a career-high four goals.

The scoring started in the first period at just the 1:44 mark, when Mike Rupp deflected an Anssi Salmela shot through the legs of Lightning goalie Olaf Kolzig. The shot appeared to have been going well wide, but the beautiful redirection by Rupp, which was his first goal of the season, gave the Devils the 1-0 lead.

Zach Parise later followed up with a goal. After he hopped off the bench in favor of Scott Clemmensen because of a delayed penalty, he took a feed from Jay Leach near the left point, and blasted one past Kolzig to give the Devils a 2-0 lead. For Leach, it was the first NHL point of his journeyman career.

The scoring and momentum didn't change much at the start of the second period, when Zubrus scored two quick goals just 2:36 apart. The first was on a shot off the left wing that somehow got through the arm of Kolzig. Zubrus later followed with a rebound goal, knocking the puck and Kolzig's legs into the net, giving the Devils a 4-0 lead.

Brian Gionta would add a goal off a wild scramble in front of the Tampa Bay net to give the Devils a 5-0 lead, and chase Kolzig from the game. The game seemed well in hand at that point, but Tampa Bay caught fire near the end of the second, capitalizing on some sloppy Devils play, and scored three goals in a span of just 3:34.

The three goals were highlighted by a beautiful shot by Ryan Malone on a penalty shot. After being pulled down by Jay Pandolfo, Malone was awarded a penalty shot, and took advantage of the opportunity. He put one over the left shoulder of goalie Scott Clemmensen into the top shelf of the goal, and cut the Devils lead to 5-3. It also seemed to energize the small crowd, adding some life to the building heading into the third period.

Dainius Zubrus silenced the crowd and gave the Devils their eventual margin of victory by scoring two more goals in the third period. The big one was a breakaway set up by Patrik Elias (who had three assists on the night), in which Zubrus made a nice move to his backhand to put it in the net. Scott Clemmensen also added some timely saves at the beginning of the period to help the Devils prevail with the 7-3 victory.

There were many heroes to go around, some of the guys that stood out were:

Dainius Zubrus - Anytime you score 4 goals, it should stand out. Zubrus also played a strong game at both sides of the ice.
Patrik Elias - Another great two-way game from Elias. He seems to be the straw that stirs the drink—when he plays well, the Devils follow.
Anssi Salmela - You can see this kid gaining more and more confidence each game. Nice to see him put up two assists on the night.
Scott Clemmensen - It doesn't always look pretty, but three-straight victories for Clemmer.
Zach Parise - The accolades never get old for Parise, the shining star of the team, who netted his 13th goal.
Brian Gionta - A resurgence from the little guy, posting a goal in the fourth straight game. His offense is something the Devils have been starving for all year.
Mike Rupp - Continuing to fill the role of the injured John Madden, Rupp played another solid game, and scored his first goal of the year.

All in all, a great game for the Devils, as they won their fourth straight. Let's hope their little layoff here doesn't set them back at all.

Next, it's on to Florida, to take on the Panthers!

Patrik Elias: The Most Underappreciated New Jersey Devil

levinakl — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:30:41 -0500

Other then the people who take the great Martin Brodeur for granted, is there a player out there who is more under-appreciated by Devils and hockey fans in general than Patrik Elias?

For me, the answer is a resounding NO!

It seems Elias can never do enough to please too many members of the media, and Devils fans as a whole. I keep hearing talk about how Elias should be traded, how he's overpaid, etc.

Are you kidding me?

Elias is still by far the most-talented offensive player on the Devils, and the margin isn't even that close. Before you come to the comments section and scream about how Zach Parise scores more goals then Elias, keep this in mind—goals and talent are mutually exclusive. Just because you score goals, it doesn't necessarily make you the most talented player, as there are other factors that contribute to goal scoring.

Now, I am not taking anything away from Zach Parise. He has a very good amount of talent, but his work ethic is what sets him apart from the pack. He outworks opponents (and sometimes even teammates) to get to loose pucks and rebounds, and scores a lot of garbage goals.

There is nothing wrong with that at all, and the skill he possesses is the combination that makes him the All-Star-caliber player that he is. (Don't forget to vote for Zach in your online voting!)

But back to my point about Elias. He deserved every penny of the contract he got, and even gave the Devils a hometown discount, passing on higher contracts from the Rangers and Blackhawks. Elias has been a top threat on the Devils for pretty much his entire career since joining the Devils full-time in the 1997-98 season.

As Doc Emerick and Chico Resch pointed out during last night's broadcast on MSG Plus, his skill level warrants a situation where his linemates directly affect his productivity. You can't play him with guys like David Clarkson and Mike Rupp, because his talent will be squandered. It's no secret his most productive days were when he was paired with other highly-skilled players like Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott.

They've tried to rebuild that formula with Dainus Zubrus and Brian Gionta, and thus far that combination has paid dividends—at least in the last three games.

Look at the give and go Elias had with Brian Gionta last night—it was a very high-skill play. And the goal he had was a thing of beauty. Not that many players could've pulled off that move to his backhand, which completely fooled Florida goaltender Tomas Vokoun. This is the kind of talent Elias has shown—and continues to show all the time.

You also could debate Patrik Elias is the most clutch forward in the history of the Devils. Do I need to point out who scored in Game Seven of the 2000 Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Finals against Philadelphia? That's right, it was Elias who netted the game winner to silence the First Union Center crowd, and give the Devils a 2-1 victory.

In 126 playoff games, Elias has 110 points. That's pretty darn clutch, no matter how you want to slice it. In his last 24 playoff games, he has a staggering 32 points. Remember when he single-handedly dominated the Rangers in the 2006 playoff sweep? He completely took over that series and is still capable of doing the same thing. He was one of the few players who came to play in last year's debacle against the Rangers, scoring four goals in the five games, and adding two assists as well.

Even this year, his 15 points (seven goals and eight assists) have been somewhat underappreciated in 18 games. Well, take those stats and prorate them over an 82-game season, and you have a very solid 36 goals and 32 assists, good for 68 points. The 36 goals would be the third-highest of his career, and the 68 points would rank fourth.

All this data also leaves out one major item—Patrik Elias is usually better in the second half of a season. The Devils have a lot of things to potentially worry about, especially while Martin Brodeur is out. However, Patrik Elias is not one of those things. You can bet the team realizes how important he is. Let's hope all the fans and local sportswriters—especially you, Larry Brooks—begin to realize this in the very near future.

Sometimes, Elias is treated like hockey's version of Alex Rodriguez, where his production is sort of taken for granted. Unlike Rodriguez, however, Elias has a reputation of being Mr. Clutch when he's needed most.

Mets' Plan for the Offseason

levinakl — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:13:47 -0500

It's the Hot Stove season once again! For the 29 teams not the current World Champions, it's time to regroup and work out a plan to rise to the top of the mountain next year.

No need to relive the past two seasons for the Mets, we both know how it turned out—two September failures.

Anyway, time to move onto the 2009 season, in which the New York Mets will have a new home. Good-bye Shea Stadium. Hello Citi Field!

As far as the product on the field, there are a bunch of changes that are needed.

Obviously, the bullpen needs to be addressed.

Current free agents also would have to still be-resigned or replaced. Here are a few suggestions I think would be good for the Mets.

Sign Kerry Wood

The popular reliever to sign is Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez, at least if you ask the mainstream fan.

However, at age 27, and coming off a 62-save season, Rodriguez worries me a bit.

His peripherals have all dropped dramatically in recent years, and could end up a prime candidate for the Robbie Alomar syndrome Mets fans have experience all too much in the early part of this century.

I think Wood, while still obviously a risk, would come cheaper then Rodriguez, and hopefully continue upon the success he had last year as a closer in Chicago. He handled the rowdy Wrigley Field crowd, so I don't think New York would scare him.

Wood would be a change for the Mets, who are used to predominantly left handed closers in their history (Tug McGraw, Jesse Orosco, Randy Myers, John Franco, Billy Wagner). Which brings us to the estimated contract it would take—3 years/$35 million.

Sign Jeremy Affeldt

After a successful run in Cincinnati and Kansas City, Affeldt would be a nice addition to the Mets' bullpen.

A one-time swing-man between the pen and the rotation, Affeldt should be able to provide some much needed innings, and not just be more of a situational lefty like the present left-handers Scott Schoenweis and Pedro Feliciano provide.

Affeldt has no big-city experience, but being brought in as a complimentary piece rather then to be "the man," should allow Affeldt to hopefully be okay in New York. Estimated contract—3 years/$17.5 million.

Sign Juan Rivera

Manny Ramirez you say? Mark Texieria? Yes, they would be nice, but I don't think either one is realistic.

Signing Rivera would give the Mets a lot of flexibility, and a combination in the corner OF of David Murphy, Endy Chavez, Fernando Tatis, Juan Rivera and Ryan Church should give the Mets enough production to avoid the offensive struggles they had at times in the middle to bottom of the lineup the last two years. Estimated contract—2 years/$9 million.

Re-Sign Oliver Perez

Yes, they will have to overpay, but why not bring back Ollie?

His 0.31 ERA last year against the divisional rival Phillies is as good a reason as any. Ollie is frustrating for sure, because "he's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get" the rest of the year. But in a big game, I'd take him over most pitchers not named Johan Santana.

Unfortunately, dealing with Scott Boras won't be easy, and the Mets will likely have to give on the fourth year. Estimated contract—4 years/$48 million.

Sign Mark Grudzielanek

With Daniel Murphy and/or Luis Castillo as the potential second baseman, why not bring in a steady veteran like Grudzielanek to add some production from the right hand side?

Assuming Castillo is sent packing at some point in the season, Grudzielanek would give another option for manager Jerry Manuel to use against a tough lefty, and provide some production in either the two or seven hole of the batting order when called upon. Estimated contract—1 year/$1.5 million.

Bring In All the Arms You Can to Compete for a Bullpen Spot

If I was looking to upgrade my bullpen, I'd bring in as many arms as I could and have them compete for a spot in spring training.

The Mets have used this method for some success in the past, bringing in guys like Darren Oliver or Roberto Hernandez who were cast aside by other teams, only to have a bit of a resurgence in Queens.

Bring in guys like Chad Cordero and Mike MacDougal. Pitchers that have had talent, but for one reason or another, haven't been able to have success in the recent past.

You bring in enough candidates, you're likely to catch lightning in a bottle at least once.

Move Aaron Heilman to the Starting Rotation

This is a tough decision either way because Heilman has had great success in the bullpen.

However, he has recently suffered from a bit of wildness, and the propensity to throw the gopher ball. I think Heilman would be best served at this point by being made the No. 5 starter going into spring training.

I don't think it serves his or the Mets best interests to bring him back into a bullpen spot at this point. If that is the plan, he should be traded to another team, so he could start with a clean slate.

With all the moves suggested above, it would leave the Mets with the following lineup/pitching:

Jose Reyes SS
Daniel Murphy 2B
David Wright 3B
Carlos Beltran CF
Carlos Delgado 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Ryan Church RF
Brian Schneider C
Pitcher

Bench: Grudzielanek, Ramon Castro, Fernando Tatis, Luis Castillo, Endy Chavez

Rotation

Johan Santana
Mike Pelfrey
Oliver Perez
John Maine
Aaron Heilman

Bullpen

Kerry Wood (Closer)
Jeremy Affeldt (set up)
Joe Smith (set up)
Duaner Sanchez (set up)
Pedro Feliciano/Scott Schoenweis (whichever one isn't kept, the other one should be traded) (situational lefty)
Bobby Parnell (set up)
Jason Vargas (long man)

Obviously, each bullpen spot short of Wood, Affeldt and Smith would be up for grabs in spring training. These are just mere suggestions at this point, because I'm not certain of who would emerge.

I like the makeup of this team potentially, although Grudzielanek would not be a dependable back up SS, meaning at some point Castillo would have to be sent packing and an Alfredo Amezaga-type should be brought in that could back up at a lot of positions, as well as provide some speed off the bench.

What do you guys think about these suggestions?

I think they are somewhat realistic, they wouldn't break the bank for the Wilpons, and it wouldn't come across as cheap either in my opinion. It could then bring back smiles to the faces of GM Omar Minaya and Manager Jerry Manuel like in the picture above.