Nineteen Cut From Training Camp Roster

As reported by Tom Gulitti via twitter, the Devils have cut nineteen players from the roster.

To Albany:

G- Dave Caruso
D- Mark Fayne
D- Dan Kelly
D- Tyler Miller
D- Chris Murray
D- Harry Young
F- Adam Henrique
F- Nathan Perkovich
F- Matt Anderson
F- Jean-Sebastien Berube
F- Trevor Kell
F- Kory Nagy
F- Louis Robitaille
F- Myles Stoesz
F- Darcy Zajac

To Junior teams:

G- Maxime Clermont (Gatineau, QMJHL)
G- Scott Wedgewood (Plymouth, OHL)
G- Thomas Nesbitt (Ottawa, OHL) (Unsigned FA)
G- Shane Owen (Moncton, QMJHL) (Unsigned FA)

No real surprises except for Adam Henrique. He did not play in the Devil's two preseason games. He has incredible talent but unfortunately the Devil's have solid depth at center with Zajac, Arnott, and Zubrus. Adam Mair, who is on a try out basis, has been fighting for his spot on the team. This may be why he was sent to Albany.

Preseason Is Here!

Normally, I will not post previews to games or recaps to specific games. But this is our first pre-season game AND it will be aired on NHL Network. This is big for me and other west coasters because we never get to see preseason hockey.

The results of preseason are not important, but how the team plays is what matters. As previously posted by the NHL Devils and Tom Gulitti on twitter, here are the lineups:

Goalies:
Mike Mckenna and Johan Hedberg

Defensive Lines:
Salvador – Greene
Urbom – Tallinder
Fraser – Corrente

Offensive Lines:
Elias – Arnott – Langenbrunner
Zubrus – Josefson – Clarkson
Vasyunov – Mair – Nilson
Leblond – Mills – Palmieri

Players to watch:
-Hedberg: We need to see how our new veteran back-up goalie will be on the ice. Marty could use a rest this season and hopefully that is what Hedberg will provide.

-Jacob Josefson: I did a player profile on him awhile back and he is one of a few players we will need to keep an eye on. How well he can play with some experienced NHL players and how comfortable he looks on the ice. He will definitely be an attribute to the team.

-Alexander Vasyunov: He had a solid season last year with the Lowell Devils and with Maclean as head coach, maybe some of that magic will be brought back.

-EAL: The Elias-Arnott-Langenbrunner line should be an exciting line to watch. Elias and Arnott have a history together and as I have read reports of training camp, it looks like they were never apart for ten years. Langenbrunner is a dynamic player and anyone you place him, he can contribute to the line.

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Final score Devils: 3 Flyers: 4
As I said, results do not matter, it is how we play that does. Keep in mind the ENTIRE Philadelphia lineup were pros except for goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who was put in for the third period. The Devils had seven rookie players suited. We also managed to force the game too a shootout. Overall I think we played well. Here is some key notes:

-Hedberg was shaky in the first period, but he was solid for the second.
-Hedberg played the puck well, the team will not have to worry about the difference in play between him and Marty.
-Josefson was able to keep up with the quick pace of the game. Will be ready to make the step up tto the NHL shortly.
-EAL looked solid. Made quality passes and set up some great chances that just didn't make in.
-Mike McKenna played a hell of a game, after having a bad start at training camp. He does need to work on rebound control though.
Most surprising player(s):
-Alexander Urbom had a solid game paired with Henrik Tallinder. He had two assists and ended up with a +2 rating for the night. Urbom,19, is 6'3" and showed his ability to play tough by knocking the Flyers around all game. Hopefully he will keep this up, I would love to see him with us this year.

The Price We Pay..

The NHL has fined the Devils $3 million, and must forfeit their third round 2011 draft pick, and their first round draft pick in one of the next four years. They must make their decision after the Stanley Cup which year they wish to forfeit their first round draft pick. It is unlikely they will do it in 2011 because we already traded our second round pick for Jason Arnott. Lou Lamoriello will most likely pick a year when the drafts are not the best.

Is this an extreme fine? Should we have seen it coming?
I was among many of the Devil fans who were pissed off due to these fines, but I also expected it. Yes these fines are extreme, but the $3 million could go against our cap, which would screw the team over BIG time. Thankfully, it does not.

We all need to put this behind us because the fact is, WE GOT KOVALCHUK! Expect a long post-season run this year and future years to come.

The Kovalchuk Saga Ends!

The NHL has finally approved the Devils contract for Ilya Kovalchuk. The decision was supposed to be made on Wednesday (September 1st), but the deadline was pushed back until Friday (September 3rd). As aggravating as it was, it is finally over and the new $100 million 15 year deal has been approved.

This deal will actually help the Devils because it allowed them to put more money into the later years of the contract. The old contract numbers were less spread out and more money was given early in the contract. The current reported numbers have the money more spread out, which will allow Parise, and other players to be signed longer. These are not the official numbers, but when they are announced, I will compare the two and see which is better.

And so it is, at 12:05 am (2:05 am for the east coasters), the contract is signed and official. Good thing I am a night owl. It is over. Odd right? What will we talk about now. A big thanks to Devils correspondent Tom Gulitti (@TGfireandice), who has been staying up for this and informing all of us via twitter.

According to an article on NHL.com:
The Kovalchuk contract reportedly calls for him to make $100 million across 15 years, including $90 million in the first 10 years and $10 million over the last five -- with an annual salary cap hit of $6.67 million. Kovalchuk, who turned 27 in April, will be 42 upon completion of the contract.

I can assume that the numbers posted above are true. As you notice from seasons 2012-2013 to 2017-2018, both contracts are in the $11 million range. But in the new contract, Kovy makes $10 million over the last five years instead of $2.5 million in the old contract. This will allow the Devils to lock up Parise long term and give him the money he deserves. We will also be able to afford Elias (assuming we make some roster moves).

Arbitrator Rejects Kovalchuk Contract

The "Kovalchuk Saga" just never seems to end. After a long wait, he finally made a decision to sign with the Devils. Then when the contract was rejected by the NHL, we had to wait weeks for the decision to happen. Now, Kovalchuk goes back to being an Unrestricted Free Agent.

Arbitrator Richard Bloch listened to both sides(NHL and NHLPA) of the story during the two day court trial. Late Monday night, he announced his decision for the contract to be rejected, agreeing with the NHL.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the League would not approve it because it was a "circumvention of the Collective Bargaining Agreement." The entire statement can be found here.

Lou Lamoriello made the following statement:

“We have reviewed and respect Arbitrator Bloch's ruling in the Kovalchuk matter. We also note and appreciate his finding that nothing in his opinion should be read as suggesting that either the club or Ilya Kovalchuk operated in bad faith or on the basis of any assumption other than that the Standard Player Contract was fully compliant with the CBA. That has been our consistent position throughout".

What do i think of all of this?
First off i think that the contract was rejected not due to the CBA, but because it is considered a "retirement contract". I think that is why Bloch decided to go with the NHL. With that said, i STILL disagree with it because there are many contracts that are the exact same. Roberto Luongo's contract ends at age 43 and he will make $1 million.

I still see Kovalchuk becoming a Devil, and there is a strong possibility there already is a back-up contract in the works, if not already completed.

Devils Bring Back Retro Jersey

The Devils have decided to bring back their "Christmas Tree" retro jersey again on March 18th against the Caps!

Last years St. Patricks day game against the Penguins was one of the most anticipated games of the season because it was the first time they would wear their retro jersey. This year they will be on the road for St. Patricks day, but that following night they will be back at home.

The Capitals coming to town already brings a loud, energetic crowd, but you can expect it to be even more intense now. I am hoping to make it out for this game as well as many other Devils fans who don't live in New Jersey,

Expect the retro jersey to be a yearly occurrence.

2010-2011 Devils Schedule

Now that the NHL has released the full 2010-2011 schedule, we can view the Devils key games this season.

The scheduled can be viewed here

The Devils open their season on Friday, October 8th at home against the Dallas Stars.
The following night they play their first away game against the Capitals.

The Devils longest road trip is six games, from October 24th-November 3rd. They face the Rangers, Sharks, Ducks, Kings, Canucks and the Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Their longest homestand is four games from December 23rd to December 31st against the Islanders, Maple leafs, Rangers and the Thrashers.