Devils avoid arbitration with Parise, but fail to sign him long-term

Well the Devils will not be going to the dreadful arbitration hearing with Zach Parise, but they did not lock him up long-term. The Devils agreed to a one-year deal with Parise, which means he can become unrestricted on July 1, 2012. No financial details of the one-year-deal were released.

So, why only a one year deal for Parise. Well, for once there could be a lot of factors. His injury this past season might have been the biggest factor in his price. Another reason could be the consecutive season's of struggles for the New Jersey Devils and failure to get out of the first round. Parise might not be sold on the Devils long-term just yet. Devils better have a great year this year in order to sell him long-term. Also, the collective bargaining agreement expires in September of 2012, which also might have been a factor. The Devils will also have a lot of money going of the cap next summer which could give them much more flexibility than now.

Parise's one-year-deal might mean the Devils could play out this season without a captain. As per CBA, the Devils cannot sign him to a new contract until January 1, 2012, so it will be a 5 month wait at least until they can start negotiating a long-term deal. However, Lamoriello acknowledged the two sides will try to get a long-term pact worked out before July 1st of next summer.

Can Devils lock up Parise long-term if he goes through arbitration?

The word "Arbitration" in the National Hockey League has in most occasions been the equivalent of the "F" word in the English language. It has been particularly harsh to the New Jersey Devils. In Summer of 2001, Bobby Holik went to arbitration and left the Devils for the rival Rangers in 2002. Scott Niedermayer in 2004 went to arbitration and left the Devils in 2005 for Anaheim and he did not even get paid that contract. Finally, in 2006 Scott Gomez went to arbitration and left to the rival Rangers in 2007 taking the Holik route to get rich.

Other teams also suffered through arbitration, like the Buffalo Sabres, who had to walk away from JP Dumont's award in 2006. This summer the Chicago Blackhawks decided not to bring back defenseman Chris Campoli and opted out of any arbitration process making him an unrestricted free agent. Now, there is no way the Devils will walk away from the Parise arbitration award, and Lamoriello said trading him is not an option, but if come close to trade deadline and there are no indications that Parise wants to stay long term with Devils, Lou might have to seriously consider a trade. Parise will be worth a lot like 1 or 2 current roster players, a 1st round pick and a top end prospect.

Now to the big question, can the Devils still sign him next year. Arbitration as mentioned above is like the F word in a way. It ruins relationships between the team, player and his agents. It will be very tough, but obviously it all depends how Parise will feel after the hearing and if there are any hurt feelings. If there is not, chances are good that he resigns next summer for long-term. But if there are hurt feeling, a trade by the deadline might be necessary, because he could be as good as gone.

There are a lot of whispers that Zach Parise's close family and friends might be pressuring him to just sign for one year with or without arbitration. Also, there is the case of the disappointing season the Devils had from 2007 til now where they are yet to make it out of Round 1 of the playoffs. Maybe, Parise wants a one year deal and put some pressure on the Devils to make a deep playoff run to sell him in Jersey long-term and show him the commitment of winning. We shall see, but I still think they get something done before the hearing.

Devils clear space to sign Parise by dealing Rolston to Islanders

The Devils finally found a taker for Rolston's hefty $5.025 Million dollar salary and its the division rival Islanders. Rolston was traded in exchange for forward Trent Hunter. Hunter underwent major knee surgery in February but had 1 goal and 3 assists in 17 games for the Islanders this past season.

With the trade, the Devils now have $8.5 million in cap space left to try to sign Parise, who is scheduled for an arbitration hearing next Wednesday. But with today's move, the Devils got rid of their cap headache and their chances of signing Parise to a lucrative deal increased. This deal paves the way for Parise to play with Elias and Zubrus this season with Kovalchuk staying on the Palmieri and Zajac unit.

Trent Hunter is expected to take a physical with Devils in the next 48 hours. Lamoriello told reporters, he expects Hunter to be on the Devils this season.

Devils enter crucial 10 days as Parise hearing nears

These next 10 days are expected to be very busy for the Devils as they club attempts to sign Parise to a contract and avoid the dreadful arbitration process. Parise has made it known he and the Devils want to avoid arbitration and he wants a long-term contract. The Devils chose to take Parise to arbitration because they did not want him to field any restricted free agent offer sheets. Nashville did the same with their RFA captain Shea Weber.

The Devils currently have close to $4 million remaining in cap space to sign Parise. Therefore Lou has made it known he will likely need to make a trade in order to be able to sign Zach. Lou could also send players to the minors or put injured players like Salvador on LTIR to get some cap relief. But chances are high that he makes a move or two to make room for Parise.

Parise is the favorite to be named the new captain of the Devils assuming he signs an extension. Kovalchuk could also get the honor if Parise is only signed for one year. Other candidates for captaincy could be Henrik Tallinder, Andy Greene, Patrik Elias or Dainius Zubrus. One thing is for certain Devils are in a battle against time to sign Parise and make a trade. But chances are high that they avoid the process which ruins the relationship between the team, player and agent.

Does the hiring of DeBoer as coach bode well for Parise extension?

There is no question that fans want to see or already would have loved to see Zach Parise signed to a multi-year deal and have the "C" taped on his jersey. But that is not how business works in the NHL and a good example is the Steven Stamkos situation in Tampa. Many reporters around the NHL thought Stamkos could be traded, because he was demanding so much. Yes, he was, but Tampa locked him up for 5 years at $37.5 million dollars, with a $7.5 million dollar cap hit. Stamkos was not headed to arbitration though unlike Parise.

Now the question is, Will the surprise hiring of Peter DeBoer as Head Coach sell Parise on an extension? In many cases I think Yes, because DeBoer represents a little of what Brent Sutter started when he was Devils coach from 2007-2009. Though Parise is not familiar with DeBoer, he did tell Tom Gulitti of the North Jersey Record that DeBoer's Panthers were one of the toughest teams to play against. Parise also thrived under Sutter and is expected to do so under DeBoer if he can stay healthy.

DeBoer was an assistant coach under Brent Sutter for Team Canada in the World Juniors. But when Sutter took the leap to the NHL, DeBoer became the most sough after coach from Junior and thus took the job with Florida in 2008. So, I think it should be a good sell for Parise.

But back to the business end, whenever a player goes to arbitration or a team elects to take him there, it prevents him from fielding offer sheets from other teams. I believe that the Devils would have matched any offer sheet signed by Parise, but it would have questioned his loyalty. Usually if players go to arbitration and want to avoid it, deals get signed at the wire, so look for a contract to be signed sometime around August 1st or 2nd. I believe something will get done.

Devils end suspense, name Peter DeBoer Head Coach, shift focus to Parise

It might not be a big surprise, but the Devils ended their 100 day search for a Head Coach and named former Panthers Coach Peter DeBoer to that position. In 246 game coached, DeBoer finished with a 103-107-36 record over 3 season in Florida. He was also the coach of the Plymouth Whalers and the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) prior to coaching Florida.

DeBoer also has had past relationships with some of the current Devils. They are David Clarkson from 2002-2004, Mark Fraser and Travis Zajac. All have already endorsed DeBoer today and are very excited to play for him.

In my opinion this was a great hire, risky, but great. All the five guys I have mentioned were more of the obvious, but DeBoer is a coach who will mix blend veterans and youth very well. Although he missed the playoffs in his years in Florida, there is a huge difference between coaching the Panthers and Devils. Florida had lots of ownership problems, Jacques Martin was not passionate about the GM job and left in Summer 2009 to coach the Montreal Canadiens. The Panthers had no full-time GM as Randy Sexton was the acting GM. And new GM Dale Tallon wanted to go in a different direction and hired Kevin Dineen as his coach.

With coaching search over, Lou's attention turns to locking up Zach Parise long-term. I think Parise will be happy with DeBoer as the coach and so will Kovalchuk. With Stamkos signing a 5 year $37.5 million dollar deal with Tampa Bay, this could be the blue-print for a possible Parise deal to avoid arbitration.

Devils coaching suspense will end at 3:30 PM today

The New Jersey Devils have scheduled a 3:30 PM ET Press Conference at Prudential Center to announce a new Head Coach. Multiple sources are reporting that the new coach is either Michel Therrien or former Panthers coach Peter DeBoer. But stay tuned for a later post, because we might be in for a surprise.

No coach yet today for Devils

The bad news is that Lou has not hired a coach yet today. The good news is that unlike last Monday when Lou told reporters he was not hiring a coach the week of developmental camp, he has not told reporters that yet today. However, it can change any time. Although there is no guarantee a coach will be named this week, many feel that the time has been overdue for Lou to break his silence and the suspense.

There has been enough speculation already for Lou to break his silence. However, Lou has been known for the unknown. Maybe he will tell the media, you will have to wait til our first on ice session of training camp to see who the coach is. That will not happen until Saturday, September 17th. I doubt that will happen in fact it definitely won't. So, I say something will happen this week, so by Friday.

Is this finally the week that Lou Lamoriello breaks the silence and hires a coach?

When Lou Lamoriello was asked about this week at the end of the Adam Larsson contract conference call on Friday, he did not give an answer, and only said goodbye. So, Devils fans will have to wait to at leas tomorrow to find out whether the suspense will end or if Lou will again say no coach this week. Lamoriello was very vague in his answers about any timetable to hire a coach this past week, but maybe he was tired of getting annoyed and bombarded with coaching questions.

I will stand by my word and say that Devils need a coach no later than two weeks before the Parise arbitration hearing which is Wednesday August 3rd. So, by this Wednesday a coach will need to be named. However, many Devils fans would love to see Lou sign Parise long term even if it means not hiring a coach until after August 3rd. There is no word on whether Parise would like to see who the coach is or whether it will play a factor in his decision.

My feeling is that Lou will finally name one this week, because there has been too much speculation and too much suspense that it needs to end. But, he has to be very careful in his decision.

Devils complete developmental camp with no new coach, but make some moves

The Devils might not have a coach, but the speculation certainly continued this week as to who may get the job as the Devils closed out their prospects camp today. Adam Larsson was signed to a 3 year entry level deal worth $925,000 per season. The Devils for the second straight day added some grit by signing LW Eric Boulton after inking Cam Janssen yesterday. Boulton scored a Hat-Trick against the Devils back in December in a 7-1 rout by Atlanta.

Lamoriello would not say what his plans are for next week and would not reveal if he was going to hire a coach next week. Right now Lou Lamoriello's focus will be to hire a new coach and sign Parise to an extension or a one year deal to avoid the dreadful arbitration process. The question now is, what will happen first. If not hiring a coach and signing Parise long-term is more important which it likely is, then most fans would be happy to not see a coach until Parise gets signed. But many indications are that Parise would like to know who will coach the team.

Based on all these recent speculation about the coaching vacancy, I expect a coach to be names sometime next week.

Devils bring back enforcer Cam Janssen after dealing LeBlond to Calgary

One of the best and most memorable fights in NHL history took place back in March 2010 between Cam Janssen of the St. Louis Blues and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-LeBlond of the New Jersey Devils. Back then, Devils fans rooted for LeBlond, but not anymore. The Devils traded LeBlond to the Calgary Flames for a 5th round pick in 2012. Hour later after the deal, the Devils have signed enforcer Cam Janssen to a 1 year, 2 way contract. Janssen started his career with the Devils and had only 1 goal. He was traded to St. Louis in February of 2008 in a deal that brought Bryce Salvador to the Devils.

Janssen is expected to fight for a spot on the team and will likely split time between the minors and the big club. Cam quickly became a fan favorite of the Devils especially with his hits every time he is on the ice. Also, he is known for stirring it up with Rangers agitator Sean Avery.

By getting a 5th round pick from Calgary and a 2nd round pick in 2012 from Washington in the Jason Arnott trade, it seems very likely the Devils might forfeit their 1st round pick in the 2012 Draft for the 1st Kovalchuk contract. But, that decision has yet to be named.

------

Many of you probably felt a scare that the Devils might have hired Dave Barr as an assistant coach. That is not true, Bob McKenzie's account was hacked and the tweet went nowhere. Barr was last as an assistant with the Wild, where potential Devils new coach Michel Therrien is a scout. No assistant has been chosen and no coach has been chosen. Sorry Guys.

Lemaire will not coach Devils, will remain retired

The Devils might be stretching out their coaching search into the middle of the summer, but its not because they are trying to convince Jacques Lemaire to come out of retirement again. Lemaire told Tom Gulitti of the North Jersey Record, he will not coach the Devils this season and has no future plans to ever coach them again. Many fans like and bloggers have speculated that the Devils might be giving Lemaire a huge vacation and time and then try to convince him to come back for one more year, but it won't be the case. He will however attend part of training camp this fall as a special advisor to the Devils organization.

With today's revelation by Lemaire, it means the new coach will most likely be someone outside the organization, so a fresh new face. Mike Brophy of Sportsnet in Canada believes it is down to Guy Carbonneau and Michel Therrien. If it is one of them, it would continue the Devils trend of hiring former Montreal Canadiens coaches. Carbonneau has denied that he was hired by Devils, but he does have interest in returning to coaching in the NHL and Therrien was reportedly the 2nd choice after MacLean last season.

There is a possibility that Larry Robinson could return for a 3rd stint with the Devils, but Robinson said he has not heard from Lou. Other candidates in no order are Blackhawks assistant Mike Haviland, former Stars and Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock, former Panthers coach Peter DeBoer and University of Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves. We will likely find out sometime in the next 7-10 days.

Lamoriello affirms Devils will not hire coach this week

Unless there is a complete 180 from Lou Lamoriello, the Devils will not have a coach in place by the end of this week and there were no guarantees that there will be on next week other than Lou saying, "We will have a coach in the very near Future." Larry Robinson, who ran the session yesterday is not likely to be the coach since he told reporters he has heard nothing, joining the likes of Guy Carbonneau, Mike Eaves and Ken Hitchcock. Albany coach Rick Kowalsky ran most of today's session, but he does not have the resume to be an NHL coach just yet, maybe another 2-3 years of AHL experience will help.

I highly doubt that a coach will not be hired next week simply because it would just be too long to not have one. I did say that the search will be a lengthy one back when John MacLean was fired in December, so I was damn right. Zach Parise's arbitration hearing is Wednesday August 3rd and I am sure he would like to know who the coach is before then so he can have time to avoid the evil "A" word "Arbitration." In my view the Devils would probably need to hire a coach no later than 10 days before the hearing meaning no later than Monday July 25th. However, best case scenario is likely to have one in place no later than next Wednesday July 20th.

So, now the question is why the long wait? Here are some factors:

1. The Devils already have had a little over 3 months to name a coach, but some things are getting the way.

2. Lou Lamoriello is probably too impressed with some candidates and he is having trouble picking one.

3. Lou is not as impressed and therefore is trying to find one that fits

4. Lou is still holding out hope that Jacques Lemaire un-retires and coaches at least one more year. Lamoriello has already reportedly begged him to come back on a number of occasions this summer. Its unlikely that will happen, but you never know with the Devils, strange things are meant to happen with them and with Lou Lamoriello.

5. Lou might be seeing if Larry Robinson has what it takes to get back behind the bench in this weeks developmental camp. However as mentioned above, Robinson is unlikely to coach again as he does have stress problems.

So, I think I will choose Option 2 as the reason Lou is taking so long to name a coach considering its the longest opened vacancy. Right now by next Wednesday is best case scenario for Devils to name a coach, so 7-9 days.

Devils will not hire coach this week, Larry Robinson to run developmental camp

The Devils developmental camp has gotten underway and it would make perfect sense for a coach to be named this week, however, it won't happen this week. Lamoriello used the same reason as he did for the draft and free agency, you do not need a coach. However, he did say that it won't be long before the team has one, but how long is it won't be long? What might be the hold up, well the Devils had nearly 3 months to hire a coach before now, but the current hold up is they have to sign their top pick in this draft Adam Larsson to a contract and have until Friday to sign him or else he will have to play 2011-2012 in Sweden unless the Devils pay $100,000 by August 15th or he definitely will have to spend 2011-2012 in Sweden based on the NHL-IIHF Transfer Agreement.

Also, keep in mind that the new coach will possibly be a deciding factor in whether or not Parise stays with Devils long-term. His arbitration hearing is August 3rd, so it seems the Devils will need a new coach by the latest two weeks prior to that hearing to buy time to negotiate a deal and avoid arbitration. Parise is open to signing a 1 year deal to avoid arbitration which could improve the Devils chances of signing him long-term even if he does become unrestricted in 2012 as oppose to hurting them if he goes to arbitration. Arbitration usually hurts the player and GM relationships. That means the Devils will need to have a coach in place by next Wednesday July 20th. So, Devils fans will have to wait at least 7-10 days for that.

Meanwhile, former two time Devils coach and current assistant for the moment Larry Robinson is running the show at Devils prospects camp along with current assistant at the moment Adam Oates, part-time assistant Scott Stevens, goaltending coaches Chris Terreri and Jacques Caron, and minor league coaches Rick Kowalsky, Tommy Albelin and Kevin Dean as well as special guest coach and former fan favorite Sergei Brylin, who plays in the KHL. Lamoriello has insisted that Robinson is only running the developmental camp, but would not discuss if he is also a candidate to get back behind the bench for a 3rd stint with New Jersey. Maybe the camp this week is a test to see if he is capable of returning behind the bench. Do not be shocked if he does give it another go, but its highly unlikely. Both Oates and Robinson could be demoted to Special Assignment Coaches if the new coach decides not to keep them around. We shall see.

Will Devils finally name a coach this week?

The New Jersey Devils are the only team in the NHL without a head coach and there is really no need for Lou Lamoriello to rush a decision. However, the Devils vacancy is also the longest open vacancy since it was made available on April 10th and is the longest vacancy in the NHL. But with the Devils prospects camp opening up tomorrow, it would be fitting for Lou to finally end the suspense and pick a coach. However, the bigger question now is not when Lou names a coach, but who?

Who the coach is will most likely play a huge roll in trying to sign star Zach Parise to an extension. So far there have been many denials like Mike Eaves and Guy Carbonneau as well as Ken Hitchcock, but until Lou names a coach, they are still in the ring. Parise has recently said that he is very fond of Mike Eaves, who coached the 2004 US National Junior Team where Parise was the World Juniors tournament MVP.

If the coach is Mike Eaves, who is still at his post at the University of Wisconsin, it would be his first NHL Head Coaching Stint. The Devils probably prefer one with past NHL experience, so Carbonneau, Hitchcock or Michel Therrien would be favored, but the question is how would Parise handle any of those situations. But, the Devils will work feverishly regardless of who the coach is to lock up Parise long-term before his August 3rd arbitration hearing.

Devils long and careful coaching search nearing end, but who is the surprise guy?

There is always a huge mystery when it comes to figuring out Devils General Manager Lou Lamoriello and the way he conducts and goes about his business. So far, there has been a huge guessing game on who the coach will be and ever since the draft there have been more denials than actual truths from potential coaching candidates. This leads us to believe that the coach the Devils will hire is likely a surprise or maybe not. So far here is the list of candidates that have denied any contact with Lou:

-Guy Carbonneau (former Habs Coach)
-Mike Eaves (University of Wisconsin Coach)
-Ken Hitchcock (former Stars, Flyers and Jackets coach)
-Craig Ramsay (former Thrashers and Flyers coach) - will join Florida as assistant coach.

Carbonneau is leaving his junior job, Eaves might leave Wisconsin, Hitchcock remains interested and Ramsay mentioned above is joining Florida Panthers as assistant coach. This potentially leaves Michel Therrien or Mike Haviland as potential front runners for the job. Both would not be surprises considering Haviland is a Jersey native and Therrien used to coach the Montreal Canadiens and the Devils have a knack for former Habs coaches. Therrien would fit the mold as the fiery and tough guy coach the Devils would need. Haviland would be a first time NHL coach, but he has more upside than MacLean did in the sense that he has won a Stanley Cup in this new ear of NHL with Chicago in 2010 as an assistant coach and has worked very well with one of many faces of the new NHL In Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. However, the first three on that list above in Hitchcock, Eaves and Carbonneau should also be included and considered in the sense that being quiet might actually mean they are serious candidates, but we will never know until a new coach is hired. Other names are former Oilers coach Craig MacTavish, former Devils assistant and current Senators AHL coach Kurt Kleinendorst and former Panthers coach Peter DeBoer.

So, now the question is when will Lou Lamoriello finally name a coach. The Devils 3rd annual prospects and developmental camp begins Monday July 11, so a coach will most likely need to be hired by then unless Lou Lamoriello comes up with some kind of an excuse that there is no need for one during the camp. Lamoriello hired Brent Sutter and re-hired Jacques Lemaire on July 13th 2007 and 2009 respectively. So, that could mean a next Wednesday hire if he follows that formula. But many feel it will happen sometime between tomorrow and next Monday afternoon. We shall see and be surprised or not.

As expected, Devils stand pat on July 1st, but re-sign Greene, Hedberg

While many teams like the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres kept busy and signed top-tier talent on Free Agency, the Devils were focused on signing their own players and locked up defenseman Andy Green to a 4 year contract for $12 million and brought back goaltender Johan "Moose" Hedberg to a 1 year contract for $1.25 million. Hedberg's deal is a $250K drop from last season. Bringing back Hedberg likely means, the Devils search for Marty Brodeur's successor is put on hold for another year. It also might mean that the Devils believe that one of the three goaltenders in Maxime Clermont, Scott Wedgewood, or Keith Kinkaid can develop into quality starting goaltenders. The Devils do have high hopes for Kinkaid though.

Lou Lamoriello has said that the Devils could sign a free agent or two, but will have to trade someone from their roster to make room for that potential free agent, but nothing is imminent at the moment. In fact if there is a quality player in the free agent market that is left come August, September, or maybe before the season starts and Lou likes him, he might take a chance on him. Players who could be traded are Colin White, Brian Rolston, Bryce Salvador, Dainius Zubrus, David Clarkson and Travis Zajac. Rolston could be placed on waivers and re-entry waivers like he was this past season and might actually be claimed for half of his $5.025 million dollar salary. Him having 1 year left in his deal could make it easier for teams to take a chance on him. However, Lou Lamoriello did acknowledge a need for a puck moving defenseman and might get one through a trade rather than free agency unless he makes a trade to cut a certain salary before. Before Brent Burns was traded to San Jose, it was believed the Devils had interest, but now Lou will need to go to a different route. Now, its believed that the Devils need for a puck moving defenseman will hinge on whether top pick Adam Larsson makes the team, but I think its two separate story lines.

The Devils also need a new coach and all indications are that one will be hired by the end of this week or definitely by next Monday, the day the Devils start their prospects camp. I do not know if a new coach would be needed for the prospects camp, but it seems to suggest it is just to get a feel for the Devils philosophy the new coach might bring. There is no word on who the Devils are targeting as their new coach and the field remains wide open.