The offseason continues to slog on, and while the NHL and NHLPA are fighting over Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract, the Devils are preparing for the 2010-11 NHL season. The team, which has made the postseason 13 straight times and won the Atlantic Division last season, will look to finish the regular season near the top of the Eastern Conference. Throughout the next month, I’ll preview each team on the Devils schedule this season, giving historical data and what the Devils can look forward to this season. Up first, the Dallas Stars.

Devils vs. Stars – Historical Data

The Devils are 12-9-1 all-time against Stars during regular season play. Last season, the team’s split the season series. On November 21, 2009, the Stars defeated the Devils, 5-3, in Dallas. Brian Rolston scored 55 seconds into the game to give the Devils an early lead. But Dallas responded with three unanswered goals in the period to take a 3-1 lead. After giving up three goals on nine shots, Yann Danis was pulled and Martin Brodeur played the rest of the game. Rolston scored again in the second, and Travis Zajac tied the game at 6:31 of the third. The Stars answered back, with Tom Wandell scoring the game-winning goal at 9:07 of the period. Stephane Robidas added insurance at 14:09 of the period.

The Devils won the second game of the series, 4-0, on January 5 at home. Patrik Elias started the scoring, tallying his first goal of the game at 18:02 of the first period. The Devils would explode for three goals in the second period, with Elias scoring his second goal of the game at 6:59 of the period. Brodeur made 28 saves for his third shutout in seven days.

The Devils are also 4-2 all-time against the Stars in the regular season. They defeated Dallas in six games to win their second Stanley Cup title, in 2000.

Devils vs. Stars – This Season’s Matchup

The Devils and the Stars will meet twice during the 2010-11 regular season. Both teams begin their season Friday, October 8 at the Prudential Center. They play their second game February 22, 2011 in Dallas.

The Stars enter this season missing two of the franchise’s most recognizable players. Goalie Marty Turco, who holds team records for most wins and shutouts in a season, wasn’t re-signed during the offseason. The team will look to replace his production with Kari Lehtonen and Andrew Raycroft. The franchise also moves on without their all-time scoring leader Mike Modano. Modano holds all-time franchise records for goals (557) and assists (802). The team will return leading scorer Loui Eriksson and points leader Brad Richards.

Other Notable Information:

The Stars missed the playoffs and finished 12th in the Western Conference last season. Along with signing Raycroft, the Stars added Stanley Cup winner Adam Burish and former-Devil Brad Lukowich. Last season, the Stars allowed more goals against (254) than goals for (237).

Photo Credit: Tony Kurdzuk/The Star-Ledger

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Throughout the process of signing Ilya Kovalchuk, a new theme arose not usually seen within the organization. Jeff Vanderbeek, the Devils’ owner, seemed to be intimately involved in the process. It’s something fans of the organization aren’t used to seeing, and this involvement could become a more aggressive trend in the coming years.

The Devils have had three owners in their history, each with varying levels on involvement with the team. The first, Dr. John J. McMullen, purchased the Devils in 1982. He was responsible for moving the team from Colorado to New Jersey, where they settled in the Meadowlands. He also brought in president and general manager Lou Lamoriello during the 1987-88 season. No one can doubt McMullen’s involvement in getting New Jersey a professional sports franchise and making them competitve. However, in my research, it never appeared that McMullen dealt with signing players. While he was involved, he didn’t seem to participate in the on-ice aspect of the team.

Shortly before winning the 2000 Stanley Cup championship, McMullen sold the team to Puck Holdings, a subdivision of YankeeNets. YankeeNets, a joint venture of the Yankees and Nets, wanted to create a regional sports network to cover their teams. They purchased the Devils for $175 million in an effort to cover the major league sports market in the tri-state area. Puck Holdings also thought it would increase the chances of getting a new stadium in Newark for the Nets.

But it wouldn’t work. Reports leaked that the Yankees and Nets had internal disagreements, with the Yankees believing both teams were money-losers. There was no interest in building a new stadium for the teams. During their ownership, Puck Holdings remained largely out of the picture, making Lamoriello CEO of the Devils. Lamoriello ran the day-to-day operations of the organization. Clearly, Puck Holdings was far from an involved ownership group.

Vanderbeek, a minority owner when Puck Holdings ran the Devils, purchased the team in 2004. He became a proponent in getting the Devils their own arena, and helped to get the Prudential Center built. Unlike the other two owners, Vanderbeek brought a fan’s perspective to ownership. The former executive vice president of Lehman Brothers was also a Devils’ season-ticket holder and a New Jersey native. It’s this perspective which could change the owner dynamic within the organization.

Continue reading after the jump for my reasoning why Vanderbeek might be bucking the “hands-off” ownership trend.

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Last night, the Devils organization and its fans received some shocking news – that the NHL had rejected the 17 year, $102 million contract of Ilya Kovalchuk. The rejection came after a press conference to announce the signing, and it seemed both sides were moving on. Someone dropped the ball, whether it was the league or the Devils, but the situation raises a huge question – why reject the Kovalchuk deal while allowing similar deals to pass?

 

The two reasons given by the NHL for rejecting the contract was the last six years, which they called “bogus,” and the belief both Kovalchuk and the Devils understand he won’t play out those final six years. Therefore, the NHL believes the last six years only serve to drive down the cap hit, meaning the contract attempts to circumvent the cap. For all we know, that may be true. Maybe Kovalchuk would decide to retire before the end of the deal, and the Devils would save some money.

Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record published the official quote from Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

“The contract has been rejected by the league as a circumvention of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Under the CBA, the contract rejection triggers a number of possible next steps that may be elected by any or each of the NHLPA, the player and/or the club. In the interim, the player is not entitled to play under the contract, nor is he entitled to any of the rights and benefits that are provided for thereunder. The league will have no further comment on this matter pending further developments.”

This isn’t the first time a player has received a long-term, front-loaded contract where the back end drives down the cap. These deals are becoming more and more common, and while the NHL may want to ban them in their next collective bargaining agreement, the league shouldn’t be setting that precedent now. Below are two modern-day long term deals, which the NHL passed, to show that Kovalchuk’s contract should not be exception to the rule. All contract information can be found on CapGeek.com.

Marian Hossa – 12 years, $62.8 million ($5.275 million cap hit per season)

 

After signing a one-year deal with Detroit in 2008-09, Hossa received a long-term deal from the Blackhawks in the summer of 2009. The right-winger inked a 12-year deal, and subsequently won his first Stanley Cup championship after losing two straight. An important thing to note is Hossa’s age when he signed the deal. The right-winger was 30, meaning the contract would expire when he turned 42. For the first seven years of his deal, Hossa makes $7.9 million. That number drops significantly in the eighth year, with Hossa only making $4 million. In the last four years of the deal, Hossa makes $4 million combined.

Clearly, the Blackhawks front-loaded the contract to “circumvent” the cap. There may not be as many millions as Kovalchuk, but the Blackhawks used the same strategy as the Devils. Hossa will be 42 when his contract expires, and those last four years of $1 million drive down the cap hit. Yet the deal was allowed to stand by the NHL. Theoretically, the last four years of Hossa’s deal can be “bogus” years, because he may not play at the age of 38. Hossa’s contract structure is similar to Kovalchuk’s new deal, but was allowed by the league.

Henrik Zetterberg – 12 years, $73 million ($6.08 million cap hit per season)

Zetterberg is another example of these long-term, front-loaded contracts. Zetterberg re-signed with Detroit after a four-year contract expired in 2008. Remember to look at the age of the player. Zetterberg makes over $7 million for the first nine years of the deal, amassing the bulk of the contract. But in the last three years, Zetterberg will only make $5.35 million. When Zetterberg signed his deal, he was 28 years old, meaning the deal would bring him to the age of 40. Once again, one can argue that the last few years of the deal are “bogus,” and that Detroit used those last three years to circumvent the cap. Once again, the structure of the deal is similar to Kovalchuk’s deal, but the NHL had no issue with this specific contract.

Continue after the jump for the rest of my analysis on why the NHL was wrong in rejecting Kovalchuk’s contract.

 

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The Devils made the biggest splash of the off-season, re-signing unrestricted free agent left-winger Ilya Kovalchuk to the longest contract in NHL history. The signing ends a long period of anticipation throughout the league, but brings to light several potential issues for the Devils going forward. While I’m excited to have one of the game’s best scorers don the red, white and black, the signing also raises questions which need to be answered.

Kovalchuk’s Contract

Clearly, the biggest news comes from the terms of the contract. Kovalchuk will make $102 million over 17 years, with an annual cap hit of $6 million. The deal has already been approved by the NHL Players Association, and there’s no reason to believe the NHL will deny the contract. The deal won’t be the richest in NHL history (that honor belongs to Alex Ovechkin), but it will certainly put pressure on Kovalchuk. Kovalchuk, whether he wants it or not, will now have immense scrutiny on his every game. Scott Burnside  of ESPN already took the first shots, pointing out Kovalchuk’s lack of success in the playoffs. These criticisms will continue to grow if Kovalchuk doesn’t live up to the now immense expectations. By signing for 17 years, Kovalchuk committed the prime of his career to the Devils, who don’t have many big scorers and don’t usually play an “offensive” game.

But I think we saw some flashes of Kovalchuk’s ability and potential with the team last year. He averaged a point per game during the season, matching Zach Parise in that category. The winger also played a surprisingly solid defensive game, as explained in this piece I wrote exactly one month ago. While he will need to live up to huge expectations, I believe Kovalchuk already proved some of his worth to the organization. With players expecting John MacLean to institute a more aggressive system, I think we’ll see Kovalchuk continue to be an offensive force. Playing to the expectations of that contract should keep him motivated.

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The Long-Term Financial Impact

Kovalchuk’s cap hit each season will only be $6 million, which is a bargain for a great offensive player. But taking a look at the overall contract breakdown brings some concerns.

Kovalchuk’s contract breakdown:

2010-11: $6 Million
2011-12: $6 Million
2012-13: $11.5 Million
2013-14: $11.5 Million
2014-15: $11.5 Million
2015-16: $11.5 Million
2016-17: $11.5 Million (no-movement clause ends on June 30, 2017)
2017-18: $10.5 Million
2018-19: $8.5 Million (no-trade clause begins on July 1, 2018)
2019-20: $6.5 Million
2020-21: $3.5 Million
2021-22: $750,000
2022-23: $550,000
2023-24: $550,000
2024-25: $550,000
2025-26 $550,000
2026-27: $550,000

The back-end of the deal is clearly favorable to the Devils. In those last five years, Kovalchuk’s contract will be minimal. But it’s the next few years which worry me. Remember, Parise will become a restricted free agent next summer, and this contract will probably be used as a measuring stick for what Parise should make. General manager Lou Lamoriello is good at getting a little discount from players, but I’m sure that Parise will demand upwards of $90 million. Even though Travis Zajac has three years left on his deal, he’ll probably demand a few more million when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Even Martin Brodeur will need to be resigned in the coming years. These players are the cornerstones of the franchise, and the Devils will need to give them raises while being responsible for the bulk of Kovalchuk’s contract.

Overall, I worry that Kovalchuk’s contract may tie up the Devils for the foreseeable future. I don’t want to see Zajac or Parise walk away from the team because Lamoriello doesn’t have the money to sign either player. While this probably wouldn’t happen, it’ll be interesting to see the long-term financial impact of his signing.

Continue reading after the jump for more analysis on the trade.

 

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When I woke up on Monday morning I was pretty convinced that Ilya Kovalchuk was going to sign with the Los Angeles Kings and I was ok with that. In fact, I was more than ok with that. Then came a story out of the LA Times that the Kings were out, the tweet by Kovalchuk's agent and the story in the NY Post saying that Kovalchuk was close to signing with NJ and my mind started to think about the possibilities. Now, on Wednesday night, I am back to being done with Kovalchuk.

Yes, he's a tremendous talent and adds an incredible weapon to any offense but for me, it just doesn't work and after the jump I will give you my reasons why.

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All was pretty quiet yesterday until around 12:30pm when Ilya Kovalchuk's agent sent out a tweet that got everyone moving yesterday.  Jay Grossman posted on his Twitter account: “Ilya Kovalchuk looking to make decision on his future today.” That was quickly followed up by a report in the NY Post saying it was the Devils who were going to land him for 7 years at $60 million dollars. Then, everything just stopped. Later in the evening, Jay Grossman again hit Twitter with “Ilya Kovalchuk choices have been narrowed down, details to be finalized but no announcement tonight.” Don't you just love agents??

Jay Grossman's first tweet led to so much speculation as did his second one.

Had the Devils and Kovalchuk come to an agreement with many details still to be worked out?
Did the Islanders offer $10 million on a 10-year contract or did general manager Garth Snow fail to put an actual offer on the table?
Might the Atlanta Thrashers, who offered Kovalchuk a 12-year, $101 million deal last season before trading him to the Devils, have gotten back into the picture?
Has a deal actually been worked out but with the news of Bob Probert's sudden passing, should we just put this on the back burner until tomorrow so that the hockey world can properly mourn his passing?

Lamoriello has maintained that the Devils were still in the hunt for Kovalchuk. However, if the Devils’ offer is for $60 million over seven years, the GM would have to find some cap space before the regular season opened on Oct. 8.

So we continue to wait on word of where Kovalchuk will call home and for how long.

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Defenseman Mark Fraser, who spent the entire 2009-10 season with the Devils, has filed for salary arbitration.

Fraser was one of 31 NHL players to file for salary arbitration. He earned $500,000 last season.

The 6-3, 2200-pound defenseman, who could be a key part of the Devils' defense this season, had six points (three goals, three assists) with 36 penalty minutes in 61 games no comments

During the live coverage of free agency two days ago, I waited anxiously to find out what, exactly, the Devils would do. General manager Lou Lamoriello was adamant about improving the defense, and I figured Paul Martin would be part of those plans. As a matter of fact, I believed Martin would (and should) take precedence over Ilya Kovalchuk. But after two hours, the Devils lost one of their better defenseman, and the feeling of his departure was an all-too familiar feeling for Devils fans everywhere.

When it was announced that Martin would sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins, I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The defenseman became another solid player to leave for a division foe, and one that will challenge the Devils in the Atlantic Division for the forseeable future. Martin, an important piece of the Devils defense, would now don one of the ugliest jerseys in the game and face his former team six times a season. The defenseman joined the team that broke his forearm last season! But the Penguins offered a nice five-year, $25 million dollar deal, and Martin was a Penguin.

At first, losing Martin upset me. The Devils needed his presence on the blue line, and I thought he could flourish under new coach John MacLean. The team needed a solid puck-moving defenseman, and Martin could provide that play. More importantly, the team needed some type of firepower from the blue line. While Martin wasn’t great offensively, he still gave opposing teams something to think about. With him gone, the Devils lost a solid player and another good homegrown product.

I was further infuriated when I read these comments, provided by Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record. Martin decided to sign with the Penguins because of their ability to win immediately and contend for a Stanley Cup championship.

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The first day of free agency in the NHL is in the books and it certainly proved to be a crazy day. There were a number of things done yesterday that had me scratching my head. For example, take the smart signing of Martin Biron by the Rangers only to follow up with a multiyear deal for Boogaard who has 2 goals in 5 years and who's only contribution on the ice is pounding other guys in the face. That icing on the cake for the day though had to belong to the Calgary Flames who brought back Olli Jokinen, a guy they couldn't get rid of fast enough last season.

The Devils didn't have a bad day and they certainly threw around the checkbook which is a little uncharacteristic for them on July 1. If you partied too much on Canada Day and completely missed what happened, you are in luck as I am going to recap and add my thoughts in on what went down with the Devils yesterday.

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This Wednesday night in Las Vegas, Martin Brodeur will sit in the crowd at the NHL Awards, awaiting the decision as to whether or not he’ll win his fifth Vezina trophy.

I hope he’ll be working on his acceptance speech, because I believe Brodeur is the most deserving candidate for this year’s Vezina trophy.

The other two candidates, Ilya Bryzgalov (Phoenix Coyotes) and Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres) are both deserving candidates. Bryzagalov helped to turn around the Coyotes this season, posting career highs in every major statistical category. He shattered the franchise record for goalie wins, and his eight shutouts ranked second in the league. Miller was even better, helping lead Buffalo to their second division title in four years. The silver medalist won 41 games this season and collected a career-high five shutouts. No one will forget his play with Team USA, but that shouldn’t factor into the decision.

While both Miller and Bryzgalov deserve praise, none of them should walk away with the Vezina. Brodeur’s play this season makes him the most deserving candidate for that honor. Marty led all NHL goalies in games played (77), victories (45) and shutouts (9). He backstopped the Devils to another Jennings Trophy, the fifth of his career. Brodeur continued to destroy the record books, surpassing Terry Sawchuk for most career shutouts and topping Patrik Roy’s record for career games by a goaltender. He tied Roy for the record with his 13th 30-win season, and Brodeur completed his eighth season of 40 wins.

All of these numbers are impressive. But what’s more impressive is Brodeur’s advanced plus/minus rating. With his team on the penalty kill, Brodeur’s on-ice plus/minus rating stood at 5.69, ahead of both Bryzgalov (4.99) and Miller (3.79). At some of the most important times on the ice, with his team down a man, Brodeur stood taller than the other two candidates. In other categories, Brodeur similarly matched to both Bryzgalov and Miller, usually finishing second in the group.

But the most amazing thing about Brodeur? The fact that, as a 38-year-old goalie, he’s playing some of the best hockey in his career. He continues to look sharp, and I’d reason that Brodeur may have only lost a quarter of his step during his career. He continually makes spectacular plays, even with his increase in age. Brodeur has seen players like Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski leave, yet he’s produced spectacular statistics time and time again.

This season, Brodeur returned to the elite goaltending level we’re all used to seeing. His play was stellar, and the goalie deserves to be rewarded with his fifth Vezina trophy. Bryzgalov and Miller played well this season, but I believe Brodeur outplayed them and deserves honors as the top goalie.

Photo Credit: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

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When the Devils announced the hiring of John MacLean as their new head coach yesterday, a few thoughts ran through my mind. The first thought was that the team had finally decided on a coach, and now general manager Lou Lamoriello could worry about the impending free agent market and the upcoming NHL draft. The second thought was one of expectation, wondering how we’ll see a great offensive player improve a lackluster Devils attack. And the third was one of worry, that maybe hiring an unproven coach in a room full of veterans wasn’t the best decision. Even with my doubts, I believe “Johnny Mac” was the best fit for the job.

Throughout May, a mini-drama played out through the local newspapers, chronicling the issues within the Devils locker room. First came Jamie Langenbrunner’s displeasure after being a healthy scratch in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Then, after their playoff loss to the Flyers, some members of the team voiced frustration at the way the coaching staff handled situations. Even former players sounded off on the situation. As the “he said” built, ex-coach Jacques Lemaire responded with his own “he said”, coming out and defending his decisions. The Devils locker room was clearly fractured, and there was no way the team could welcome back Lemaire to coach next season.

Enter MacLean, who should begin to fix these issues. The former Devil spent seven seasons as an assistant, where he was able to run the bench twice. And, as we all know, MacLean went down and coached the former Lowell Devils to their first AHL playoff berth in 10 years. Not only that, but the players responded well to him as a coach. As Zach Parise said yesterday, Lowell players told the NHL players they liked MacLean. He already has the approval of both Parise and Langenbrunner, and he seems to be the guy to address the locker room issues. He seems to be more attuned to players’ needs, while at the same time demanding the respect necessary for a head coach. I think he’ll more clearly define the role players, and they’re probably won’t be confusion that could have led to dissension in the locker room.

I expect MacLean to vastly improve the Devils offensive play. MacLean was always a good offensive player, and the Devils need that mentality to fully take advantage of their talent. Parise continued to shine last season, and Travis Zajac broke out. I would expect to see other role players, such as Brian Rolston and Patrik Elias, enjoy greater offensive success. As I talked about a few days ago, the Devils need to attack more and force their opponents into mistakes. With MacLean, I would expect to see a more aggressive forecheck and more puck possession. MacLean will probably give the scorers more creative freedom, and I’ve even expect an improvement in the powerplay.

The addition of Larry Robinson as top assistant will allow the Devils to continue their focus on solid two-way play. The Devils will never become a sloppy defensive team, even with the offensive-minded MacLean behind the bench. It’s important to continue that philosophy. Most of the time, solid defensive play will lead to offensive opportunities, so it’s good to see MacLean keeping Robinson on staff.

Continue reading to find out my overall conclusion of MacLean’s hiring!

 

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