Last chance for Do Little Lou to do something big.
There are still big names out there at today’s 3 p.m. trade deadline, even with Pavel Bure headed to Broadway. Sources claim, Jaromir Jagr and his monster contract are available, or someone like Pavol DeMitra, who might be just the gunner the Devils need.
These Devils, this year’s mediocrities, reached this point on merit. One more loss and their fabled run of five straight 100-point seasons is mathematically over, one short of Edmonton’s six and three behind Montreal’s eight. It would be more evidence of a team in decline.
While Kevin Constantine has them back among the league-leaders in team defense, they will enter the playoffs as the lowest-scoring team in the entire postseason tournament. That handicap has plagued them all season, consistently neglected by the man who made it happen by failing to sign or replace Alexander Mogilny – GM Lou Lamoriello.
It would be hard to understand Lamoriello giving Scott Stevens some $20 million over the next three years and not acquiring a legitimate scorer for the playoff run this year. This is the youngest Stevens (38 on April 1) will ever be again and likely as good a chance as the Devils will have to win another Cup during his contract – and with a real gunner, their candidacy has merit again.
Instead, sources still say Lamoriello is seeking another defenseman, with Mike Commodore and Andrei Zyuzin already languishing in civvies. The same names, Tom Poti, perhaps Islanders-bound, and Darius Kasparaitis, are repeated, while David Tanabe appears to be off the market.
The Blues are said to have thought they had a deal for Kasparaitis and fellow Penguin Robert Lang, both upcoming unrestricted free agents, but that Pitt decided to auction them separately rather than take DeMitra and Daniel Corso for both. One insider thought the Penguins would then wheel DeMitra to the Rangers or Devils, this before Bure became a Blueshirt. An Islander package of Dave Scatchard, Brad Isbister and Branislav Mezei may be the price for Edmonton’s Poti and Anson Carter.
It is believed that Lamoriello is being regularly asked for Scott Gomez but has little desire to trade him. Gomez’ name has been linked to the Caps, who were said to be heavily vending Adam Oates, although that rental doesn’t appear to be a Gomez deal. There was no mention yesterday of Peter Bondra, while it was said that the Caps will entertain offers for Jagr.
The Devils have their own upcoming free agents in Bobby Holik, Randy McKay and Sergei Nemchinov, but Lamoriello tends to acquire rentals, rather than dispose of them.
