NHL Atlantic Division Free Agency and Draft previews for Hockeyprimetime.com

Kovalchuk not the only question mark facing Devils

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Written by Denis Gorman

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 16:01

Atlantic Division free agency preview: Ilya Kovalchuk, Dan Hamhuis and Paul Martin reside in the Atlantic Division now, but will that be the case come Thursday? Plenty of teams hope not. Here are the top questions facing the Atlantic teams, which figure to be busy players in the free-agent frenzy. NEW JERSEY The question GM Lou Lamoriello has to answer is simple: Does he re-sign Ilya Kovalchuk and risk losing Zach Parise next summer or does he focus his efforts on signing Parise long-term? Although most eyes are on the either-or proposition, Lamoriello has other difficult decisions to make. That is what happens when a presumed Cup contender meekly goes out in five first round games. Outside of the Kovalchuk-Parise decision, the most important determination for Lamoriello is who seconds Martin Brodeur in net. Brodeur’s age (37) is a topic that the Hall of Fame goaltender to be and others within the organization detest. But the Devils have not enjoyed an extended playoff run post-lockout and the legendary Brodeur looked awfully mortal throughout the season and in the loss to the Flyers. Whomever the Devils new coach is, he will have to convince Brodeur that a reduced workload will pay off in April and May. So who backs up Brodeur? Yann Danis went 3-2-1 in 12 games for the Devils last year. Andrew Raycroft is used to working on occasion as he backed up Roberto Luongo in Vancouver. If Lamoriello re-signs Kovalchuk, it would seem to rule out UFA defenseman Paul Martin returning to the Devils. Martin missed most of the season with a broken right arm but he is the best of the Devils’ defensemen. Restricted free agent forward David Clarkson should be and probably will be re-signed. Clarkson provides a mix of size, skill and agitation. NEW YORK RANGERS It used to be you could count on death, taxes and the Rangers spending on free agents. Following a recent interview with the New York Post in which Glen Sather vowed not to “overpay for free agents,” we may be left with death and taxes. Sather also told the newspaper that the organizational mandate was to allow its young players to develop and eventually earn jobs at the NHL level. So it appears that Sather’s statements seem to indicate that the Rangers are not going to be involved in the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. That said, the Rangers need to find secondary scoring and a center for sniper Marian Gaborik. Perhaps Gaborik’s centerman is free agent Vinny Prospal. The two played well together last season. John Tortorella said on breakup day that it will be key for the organization to sign a backup goaltender for Henrik Lundqvist. Tortorella believes that Lundqvist needs to be limited to 60-65 games. Martin Biron would be a perfect fit. Sather also has to find money for Marc Staal, Brandon Prust, P.A. Parenteau, Jody Shelley and Dan Girardi. PHILADELPHIA After a playoff run that saw the Flyers qualify for the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996-97, it would be easy for GM Paul Holmgren to do nothing but bask in the memories. That won't happen, as Holmgren is already living up to his vow to not stand pat this summer. With about $10 million in available cap space, there's room to re-sign defensemen Braydon Coburn and Lucas Krajicek (if not, apparently, Dan Hamhuis). One point of intrigue is what Holmgren does about his team's goaltending situation. The only goaltender under contract is Brian Boucher. Philadelphia picked Michael Leighton off of waivers early in the season and he proceeded go 16-5-0 with a 2.48 GAA and .918 save percentage in 27 games. He played in 11 playoff games and went 8-3 with a 2.46 GAA and .916 save percentage. He becomes an unrestriced free agent Thursday. Other options include Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco. PITTSBURGH As long as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Marc-Andre Fleury pull on the black and gold sweater, the Penguins should always be considered Cup contenders. But with $41 million tied up in 13 players, GM Ray Shero has interesting personnel decisions to make about Pittsburgh’s backup goaltending, defense and forward situations. Shero made the latest trade for the wandering negotiating rights to impending free-agent defenseman Dan Hamhuis, but there's no guarantee he will be in Pittsburgh next season. Just ask the Flyers. Does the GM now concentrate on re-signing RFA Kris Letang and UFAs Sergei Gonchar, Jordan Leopold and Jay McKee at the expense of the forwards? Or does the GM re-sign Alex Ponikarovsky to skate on Malkin’s wing? Where does Matt Cooke fall in? Who backs up Fleury? NEW YORK ISLANDERS In our Atlantic draft preview, we noted how GM Garth Snow has followed former GM Neil Smith’s blueprint in rebuilding the Islanders. Stockpiling through the draft has produced Nino Niederreiter, John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and Calvin de Haan, among others. Now it is time to see whether a 34-37-11 record in 2009-10 and a young corps can entice free agents to Long Island. Snow has roughly $32 million worth of available salary-cap space to fill holes in goal, defense and forward. Still, do not expect Snow to engage in bidding wars for Ilya Kovalchuk, Marty Turco, Patrick Marleau or Evgeni Nabokov. Despite the presence of Rick DiPietro on the Islanders’ payroll until 2021, the Islanders need a goaltender. Dwayne Roloson is signed through the end of the 2010-11 season and could be used as trade bait. Nashville’s Dan Ellis could be a potential target along with St. Louis’ Chris Mason. The Islanders' defense corps is shallow after Mark Streit. There are high hopes for de Haan, who was the 12th pick in the 2009 draft. Still, there is no guarantee that de Haan will make the team out of training camp, and even if he does, he would be stepping up in weight class from the OHL to the NHL. To cover his team in either occurrence, Snow could ante up for Anton Volchenkov. The triumvirate of Tavares, Okposo and Bailey are good building blocks at forward. Matt Moulson had a breakout year, setting career highs in goals, assists and points. Adding to this foursome is vital. If Niederreiter isn't a top-six forward in his rookie season, Snow could make a run at either of the Phoenix duo of Matthew Lombardi and Lee Stempniak. http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/atlantic/kovalchuk-not-the-only-question-facing-devils ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Plenty of question marks facing Atlantic teams at draft c Written by Denis Gorman Thursday, June 24, 2010 00:26 Atlantic Division draft preview: For a division that boasts the last three Eastern Conference champions, there are plenty of questions facing the teams in the Atlantic Divison as the entry draft approaches. Can the Devils end their drought at the draft podium? Will the Flyers find their long-term answer in goal? Is this where the Penguins pick up the scoring winger that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin so desperately need? NEW JERSEY The only negative about two nearly uninterrupted decades of success is that "franchise players" are rarely available in the draft year after year. Just ask the Devils, who have more often than not drafted the "best player available" instead of the best player. Their last two draft picks to make an impact at the NHL level were Zach Parise (2003) and Travis Zajac (2004). The first-round playoff series loss to Philadelphia exposed the Devils’ flaws: Age in goal, a lack of size on the back end and up front, and a number one defenseman. Those flaws will not be remedied in the 2010 Entry Draft, as general manager Lou Lamoriello packaged the Devils’ first-round pick along with Nic Bergfors, Johnny Oduya and prospect Patrice Cormier for Ilya Kovalchuk. Lamoriello also traded the organization’s fifth round pick at the trade deadline to Toronto for defenseman Martin Skoula. The Devils only have five picks (38th, 84th, 114th, 174th and 204th) going into the draft. Lamoriello used four of his seven picks last year on defensemen (Eric Gelinas, Alexander Urbom, Seth Helgeson and Curtis Gedig). NEW YORK ISLANDERS On the other end of the spectrum reside the New York Islanders. Since the organization’s last extensive playoff run in the spring of 1993, in which they lost in the Eastern Conference Final to eventual Cup winner Montreal, the Islanders have drafted especially well. An unsteady ownership situation and myriad mind-boggling personnel decisions by former general manager Mike Milbury, however, left the once-proud organization in shambles. Due to the work of ex-GM Neil Smith and his successor, Garth Snow, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Islanders and their fans. Last year’s number one overall pick, John Tavares, is the face of the franchise and is ably seconded by Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey. The Isles have the fifth pick in the draft following a 34-37-11 campaign. Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, the crown jewels of this draft crop, will be off the board. Hall’s teammate, defenseman Cam Fowler, could be available. From all accounts, Fowler projects to be a franchise defenseman. He and last year’s other first-round pick, Calvin de Haan, would be nice building blocks for a defense corps that includes Mark Streit and not much else. NEW YORK RANGERS There was a protest across from Madison Square Garden prior to a Rangers home game this past season. The protestors expressed their outrage at Glen Sather’s reign as GM and president, demanding his dismissal. While Sather's decade-long run on Broadway won’t make anyone forget his tenure with the dynastic Oilers, his drafts have produced fruit. Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan, Petr Prucha, Marek Zidlicky, Fedor Tyutin, Henrik Lundqvist, Dominic Moore, Nigel Dawes, Lauri Korpikoski, Tom Pyatt, Marc Staal, Artem Anisimov and Michael Del Zotto have plied their trade for the Rangers or other NHL organizations. The Rangers also have Bobby Sanguinetti, Evgeny Grachev, Derek Stepan, Chris Kreider and Ryan Bourque among others in the system. So, yes, there is talent. The question is whether Sather and John Tortorella possess the patience to not fast-track the kids before they are ready for the rigors of a NHL season. With five picks, including a top-10 pick for the first time since 2004 (when Al Montoya was selected with the sixth pick), Sather should be able keep stocking the shelves. PHILADELPHIA On the eve of the Stanley Cup Final, The Hockey News predicted that the Flyers could go on multiple playoff runs due to the team’s youth. Only time will tell; for now, there's no doubt that the Flyers have a core they should be able to keep together for years to come. Only three of their high-impact players are in their 30s – Simon Gagne, Kimmo Timonen and Chris Pronger – and all are signed for at least another year. The one area the Flyers are lacking (still) is in goal, a revolving-door position since the tragic death of Pelle Lindbergh in 1985. The Flyers have selected four goaltenders (Adam Morrison, Nicola Riopel, Joacim Eriksson and Brad Phillips) with their last 18 picks, spanning three drafts. He doesn't own any first- and second round selections, but GM Paul Holmgren has five picks (89th, 119th, 149th, 179th and 209th) in the draft. PITTSBURGH Among the NHL’s pre-eminent franchises, the Penguins are one of the first organizations pointed to when debating the merits of the salary cap and rebuilding through the draft. An examination of the Penguins’ recent draft history teaches that the organization selected key components Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Marc-Andre Fleury, Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, Tyler Kennedy, Max Talbot and Brooks Orpik. So, yes, the draft has benefited the Penguins. Still, there are holes to plug, especially on Crosby’s and Malkin’s wings. GM Ray Shero has traded for stopgap wingers to play with Crosby and Malkin in recent years. With seven picks in the draft (20th, 80th, 110th, 140th, 152nd, 170th and 200th), Shero has a chance to continue the organization’s lineage of success. http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/atlantic/plenty-of-question-marks-facing-atlantic-teams-at-draft