It’s safe to say that the 2005 National Hockey League lockout brought on great change within the league. With a fresh cast of stars, such as Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin being comparable to past heroes Stevie Yzerman and Jaromir Jagr, it’s obvious that adjustments have been made to create a new generation of hockey. Every team is forced to comply with the salary cap rule that has been in place since the lockout, and thus teams are being more careful with their money. The role of the youth within the league is quite possibly stronger than ever, as can be seen with Chicago Blackhawks stars Jonathon Toews (age 22), and Patrick Kane (age 21) leading the ‘hawks to winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since the 1960-61 season.
Since the lockout in the NHL, the New Jersey Devils, one of the most successful teams in the last 20 years, have been caught in a standstill. The last three NHL playoffs, they have fallen out in the first round, to three rival teams (NYR, CAR, PHI), after having much success during the season. With arguably the greatest goaltender in the history of the game (Martin Brodeur), on the way out, at age 38 with just two years left on his contract, it has been hinted year after year that the Devil’s organization were going to do whatever it takes to bring another cup to Jersey.
The team has made several changes, and given the fans new faces to cheer on, such as 25-year-old U.S. born sniper Zach Parise, 26-year-old pest David Clarkson and perhaps most notably 27-year-old Russian superstar winger Ilya Kovalchuk. However, the Devils reputation of success is still in question after an embarrassing 4-1 series loss to the rival Philadelphia Flyers, in the first round of the playoffs.
Kovalchuk, aquired by the Devils from Atlanta last trade deadline, was believed to be the changing force for the team, allowing them to as competitive as conference rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Washington Capitals. However Kovy has proven to be more of a headache than any good to the team. This summer’s offseason brought on an end to his contract, finishing a short-lived career with the Devils, and leaving the hockey world dumbfounded as to Kovy’s next step. The Devils, who have struggled offensively over the last several seasons, are working feverishly to make a deal with the superstar, who would almost guarantee an added 40 goals to their season. But with the added salary cap, and a whole mess of a team to reorganize, the superstar winger seems more like a holiday daydream than a reality. Adding Kovalchuk, who, as rumor has it, is already asking for big bucks to play, could mean financial issues for the team in the near and possibly far future.
So the question is whether or not The Devils will be able to find a way to keep the winger without too many changes to the team, or if they can manage to make the correct changes without the help of Kovy next season to reestablish their Stanley Cup winning reputation.
The key to an analysis of the situation is understanding the likelihood of resigning Kovy. Considering that The Devils have already signed three big name players to their roster (Jason Arnott, Henrik Tallinder, and Anton Volchenkov), it is estimated, after filling up the requirements for a full roster, that The Devils have approximately $1.5M left to spend. And considering that it’s rumored Kovy is looking for $10M a year over ten years, it seems there is some sort of miscalculation in the Devil’s den if they think he is affordable. The only way to sign Kovalchuk would be to significantly change the roster so that bigger wage players are replaced with less established lower paid players. However, this would mean deconstructing the core of the team.
There are few Devil’s fans who wouldn’t mind seeing the loss of the team’s long time hero Patrick Elias, or three-year captain and leader Jamie Langenbrunner, for the sake of big name superstar Kovy. It should be remembered that the Devil’s have made a reputation of growing their own stars, and focused more of their attention on the team effort, and not worth of their roster. So many fans could agree that the addition of Kovy is nothing anyone could have even seen coming.
So is it worth it give up core players, future funds, and the team balance that has lead to three Stanley Cups in 15 years, for the extra 40 goals added by Kovy? At this point it doesn’t, and with two weeks and the head-rush getting too painful to bare anymore, the excitement for Devs fans to have Kovy on the team is beginning to hit the harsh reality that he may not be the saving grace for the organization. Despite the extra ticket sales added by the superstar, and the higher level of play, every day Kovy doesn’t sign that contract it becomes clearer and clearer that his high demands just don’t seem like they are he Devil’s style. Besides, if the team were to give up some of their past heroes that have paved the way for the present team, and Kovy did somehow sign the $10M deal, he will be making almost twice what Brodeur makes, and Brodeur has been the team’s face since 1991. The fans surely could never recognize Kovalchuk, a player not in Jersey during the teams glory days, to overshadow the soon-to-be hall-of-famer goalie.
The point is that the New Jersey Devils undoubtedly need to make some necessary changes if they want to win that cup. Whether it’s through a back-breaking deal for Kovy, smart drafting over the next few years, or beginning to consider making trades and signings that will create a newer more comfortable team that resembles the old successful Devil’s organization, clearly changes must be made.
This offseason is going to be the biggest offseason for the team in the last five years. With new rookie coach John Mclean, and a roster not written in pen, the changes to come must be made carefully, so that the reputation of the New Jersey Devils will live on. Even if Kovy isn’t the new hero for the team, the next two months will involve a rebirth for the team. Besides, New Jersey born, 23-year-old rising star Bobby Ryan still hasn’t been signed by the Ducks yet. Regardless, Lou Lamoriello has a reputation to keep, and the Devils are planning to have a new day of glory and dynasty again. Expect big changes, higher scoring, and the team in red, that was once unstoppable, within the next 3-5 years.
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