It’s the same old story in New Jersey, and no, this isn’t yet another ode to Martin Brodeur, Jaromir Jagr and Patrik Elias.
Rather, the Devils’ decision to demote Adam Larsson in the wake of downsizing Eric Gelinas’ role continues the Devils’ pattern of over-relying on senior citizens to the general detriment of the franchise.
Somehow, the Devils have left behind their heritage of building from within and supplementing from without — all but one of the 10 players 26 or younger with significant roles on the 2000 Cup winner were homegrown — in becoming a club with a clogged pipeline, dependent upon a series of free-agent signings in the way the Rangers once were, and that’s not such a good thing.
It’s either mistakes drafting or mistakes developing the draft picks. Or maybe both. Draft and development are inextricably linked. But blunders at the draft table are easily identified. And there have just been too many since 2005 for the Devils to overcome.
Once they were in a league of their own (well, a league with the Red Wings and the Avalanche). Now the Devils are one of many tread-water clubs in a league filled with mediocrity, the guaranteed point for creating illusions of success in the standings that allow a club like the Capitals to claim they’re six games over .500 despite a grand total of 12 regulation victories in 44 matches.
But we digress.
In 2003, the Devils pulled a coup to move up to No. 17 and select Zach Parise. In 2004, they took Travis Zajac at 20. Very good. But beginning the next year, the wires somehow became crossed, setting a pattern which by and large has persisted.
In 2005, it was Niclas Bergfors at 23, leaving T.J. Oshie for the Blues at 24. The next year, the Devils traded down from 25 to 30 in order to select Matt Corrente, while St. Louis thus was able to grab Patrik Berglund with the obtained pick.
There was no first-rounder in 2007, the Devils having forfeited it in a trade with San Jose in order to get the Sharks to take Vladimir Malakhov. In 2008, the Devils traded down from 21 in order to get an extra pick later in the draft. The Oilers selected Jordan Eberle at 22 while the Devils came up with Mattias Tedenby at 24.
In 2009, there was Jacob Josefson at 20. The Devils again had no first in 2010, having dealt that pick to the Thrashers in the deal for Ilya Kovalchuk, but seem to have done fine with Jon Merrill at 38.
Larsson was the fourth-overall pick in 2011 that universally was hailed, his progress thus far mysteriously stunted. The next year, the Devils chose to keep their pick at 29 to select Stefan Matteau rather than forfeiting it as part of the Kovalchuk circumvention penalty.
The Devils knew upon the May 12 completion of the 2012 conference finals the club would draft no higher than 28, yet because general manager Lou Lamoriello kept both that pick and last year’s No. 9 (which he dealt to the Canucks for Cory “Groundhog Day” Schneider), the Devils will have no first-rounder this year.
Adam Henrique at 82 in 2008 was a canny choice, yet he doesn’t quite seem to be the player he was as a rookie, when he was an integral piece of the conference championship team. Tedenby played his best hockey for Jacques Lemaire. Now he can’t crack a lineup desperate for speed. Josefson also played his best for Lemaire. Now he has fallen below Andrei Loktionov and Mike Sislo on the depth chart.
Going into Saturday night, the Devils were 17-12-5 with Gelinas in the lineup, 1-6-4 without him. Yet his place with the team seems tenuous and Larsson is in Albany while the back line in Newark is saturated with veterans who for the most part lack an extra dimension.
But it has become an old story.
The Metro Division, AKA Sidney and the Seven Dwarfs, AKA The Mouse That Roared: Beginning Dec. 23 through Friday night, the Islanders (7-0), Rangers (6-0), Flyers (6-1), Candy Canes (2-1), Caps (2-3-2), Jackets (1-2) and Devils (1-3) combined to go 25-10-2 against the other three divisions.
Brandon Dubinsky, Blue Jackets first-liner, was a Rangers’ third-liner for most of his final year in New York, playing more 2011-12 minutes with Brian Boyle at five-on-five than any other center.
So Todd Richards, the Jackets’ head coach who is an assistant coach for Team USA, did not give Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson a heads-up he hadn’t been selected for the Olympic team because USA Hockey and NBC sports wanted to make the announcement suspenseful?
A): Seems the coach misplaced his priorities;
B) What does anyone think would have happened if Johnson had been told and somehow word had leaked out; no one would have watched?
Anyone who lost his mind over the fact Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle actually scratched Jake Gardiner from a game this week apparently wasn’t paying very much attention to last Saturday night’s match in Toronto against the Rangers.
Though, somewhat but not entirely aside from the point, a well-placed source told Slap Shots the Maple Leafs players had started tuning out Carlyle some time ago, and well before the all-access cameras (not) showed up.
Well, at least the Martin St. Louis-Steve Yzerman relationship isn’t quite at the Alex Rodriguez-Brian Cashman level.