At 35 years old, newly acquired Devils defenseman Niclas Havelid knows his career is closer to the end than the beginning. Because of that, he didn’t hide his excitement about heading from the Atlanta Thrashers, the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference, to the Devils, currently the conference’s second-best team.
“I mean, when you look at my situation, I’m 35 years old and I’m playing on a team that’s not going to make the playoffs and I get a chance like this? That’s a great feeling,” Havelid said after practice yesterday. “It’s a good feeling … I’m real excited. It felt good yesterday coming here, and I’ll get two good days of practice here before they start back up on Saturday, so it’s been good so far.”
Devils coach Brent Sutter was happy with the addition of the veteran from Stockholm, Sweden, liking his ability to play on either the right or left side on defense.
“They play a different system in Atlanta, so he will have to make an adjustment,” Sutter said. “The right side is where he played in Atlanta, but he’s capable of playing both sides. It’s nice to have a guy who can do both.”
Havelid, who was traded with AHL forward Myles Stoesz in exchange for defenseman Anssi Salmela on Monday, wasn’t surprised about being dealt.
“I’ve had pretty good communication with Don Waddell, and we talked a lot in the last couple weeks,” Havelid said. “It turned out good for me and for them, too.”
Although he’s never played for the Devils, Havelid does have some friends within the organization. He spent three years with Bobby Holik in Atlanta (where Holik was the team’s captain), and knows fellow Stockholm natives Johnny Oduya and assistant coach Tommy Albelin.
An unrestricted free agent this summer, there have been rumors Havelid is considering going back home to Sweden to continue his professional career. Havelid said he hasn’t made any plans for his future.
“No, not really. I had a three-year deal that’s up, and now I get a chance like this,” he said. “I’m going to make the best of it and go from there.”