| Tuesday, August 7
By Al Morganti
Special to ESPN.com |
|
From very early in the season, there were warning signs swirling around
the New Jersey Devils. It was a franchise which had not won a playoff round since
winning the Cup in 1995; a franchise which had lost coach Jacques Lemaire and his defensive system; and a franchise put in the hands of Robbie Ftorek, a robotic head coach who had earned his reputation as a hard-headed character while coaching Wayne Gretzky with the L.A. Kings.
Add to that the stern reign of GM Lou Lamoriello, a team that's on
the block to be sold, some veterans who might be weary and -- well, it could have
developed into a mess.
|  | | Ken Daneyko and the Devils are in a familiar spot -- at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. |
In fact, there were predictions of just such a mess when Ftorek elected
to bench veteran Ken Daneyko in the early season, taking away his chance to play is
1,000th NHL game at home, along with the incident in which Ftorek ordered a team bus to leave at an appointed time, even though a couple of assistant coaches were not yet aboard.
Oh yeah, those assistants were a couple of guys named Larry Robinson and
Slava Fetisov.
Still not enough?
How about unhappy campers on the first line such as
Petr Sykora, who arrived late for camp; and Patrick Elias, who stayed away from
camp in a contract dispute; and a demand to be traded issued by young forward Brendan
Morrison.
As all of this unfolded, Lamoriello decided to bring back veteran forward Claude
Lemieux from Colorado. In the best of circumstances, Lemieux can be an incendiary
device, but a return to New Jersey?
Now, his team has the highest point total in the league, and Lamoriello laughs at all the "disasters" which were going to beset his club.
"What we've got here are quality people," said Lamoriello last Saturday
night before his team beat the Flyers, 4-1.
"All the stuff that is written or discussed about our club, none of it
really matters. All that really matters is what takes place in our locker room. I think our
guys learned a long time ago that they can only control what they can control. It's no sense
even worrying about the other stuff."
In other words, the Devils remain a "quiet" team. The best example is
probably the return of Lemieux, who left the team under harsh circumstances.
"I talked to Claude first," Lamoriello said. "I wanted to make sure he
would be comfortable coming back. We never had a problem with him on the ice, and I
wanted to know that he could be happy back here.
"After I talked to him, I talked to Pierre (Lacroix). He agreed to keep
it very quiet until we could work something out. And as it turns out, he's been a big part
of what we've done this season.
"Who would have thought he would have fit in so well with (Scott) Gomez.
It's just been amazing. They both feed of each other."
Lemieux has been a big part in the ascension of Gomez as the leading
candidate for rookie of the year honors. In the meantime, that fractured first line of
Elias with Sykora and Jason Arnott has been among the most productive and consistent in
the league.
The Devils continue to tap into their deep farm system for talent, and
with Martin Brodeur in goal, they remain the No. 1 fear of most teams come
playoff time. And it won't be until the playoff when we see if the Devils have the last laugh on all those predictions of looming disaster, because another quick exit would indeed be a disaster.
But for the moment, the Devils look as good a bet as any team to get out
of the East.
Sabres set to rattle roster
In an effort to avoid becoming the latest example of Stanley Cup finals
hangover, the Buffalo Sabres are about to get very active on the trade front. General
manager Darcy Regier has avoided any maneuvers while goalie Dominik Hasek recovers from abdominal surgery, but it's getting too late to assume the team will find its way.
The locker room is prepared for a trade, and even coach Lindy Ruff, who
has run out of schemes to stop the wobbling, is suggesting a shakeup.
Despite a disastrous season during what amounts to a contract drive,
captain Mike Peca is safe. However faint, he remains the heartbeat of the team.
Not so safe are defenseman Alexei Zhitnik, usual trade suspects Geoff
Sanderson and Wayne Primeau, along with Vaclav Varada and Dixon Ward, who has lost
playing time to rookie Maxim Afinogenov.
One of those veterans is likely to be in another uniform before
Hasek returns early next month as the Sabres have botched a great chance to prove they are a lot more than just a pretty good team in front of a great goalie.
The Sabres are now involved in what could be a season-telling four-game
road trip. It started with a 5-0 win at Anaheim as Varada and Ward found some
offense, and it will end late this week with stops at Phoenix and Carolina.
The only way to stop what looks like a certain trade or two is to finish
the trip as strong as it started in Anaheim.
Changing climate in Phoenix
The Phoenix Coyotes are for sale, which makes you wonder about the very
immediate future of star winger Keith Tkachuk and free agent goalie Nikolai
Khabibulin. It was only a few weeks ago when it appeared that Tkachuk was about to get a ticket out of town, and Khabiboulin was doomed to sit the whole season.
Now, you've got to wonder ... wouldn't the team look more attractive with
Tkachuk as a draw, and Khabiboulin as part of the future? Instead of the bottom
line for a season, the Coyotes ownership will be looking at the different bottom line in
terms of price of the team.
Other news and notes
Looking for a leader over the second half of the season? Give a call to
Vancouver, and you'll be able to work out a deal for Mark Messier -- if you want to pay
the salary.
The Boston Bruins will now have to search for a replacement to make up for
the loss of Jason Allison (wrist surgery) for the rest of the season. What they really
need is for Joe Thornton to quickly develop into a leader to carry the team. To that end,
Thornton has been spotted wearing the "A" of an assistant captain.
Eric Lindros suffered his third concussion in as many seasons late last
week, and will be out of the lineup until at least this weekend. There is no open panic
on the part of Lindros or the Flyers, but with a family history which includes the early retirement of brother Brett because of repeated concussions, you can see the concern.
The concussion is another reason why the Flyers might not be so willing
to sign Lindros to a long-term contract after this season.
It was all going so great for the Pittsburgh Penguins since Herb Brooks
took over as coach -- and then the road trip from hell. Brooks lost his composure and went kablooey as he hollered at a TV announcer in Colorado, earning him a suspension and fine; Jaromir Jagr suffered a rib injury; and when it was finally over, the Penguins had an 0-4 road swing through Philly, Phoenix, Denver and Nashville.
With five of their next six games at home, the Igloo never looked so good.
Al Morganti covers the NHL for ESPN. |  |
