With the upcoming start or maybe even the whole season in jeopardy, I decided to write about why it has been difficult for the New Jersey Devils to keep their own Big Name Unrestricted Free Agents. Many players have come and gone through the Devils system whether its developed or through a trade or even a free agent deal, and some of them have been big names such as Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny, Bobby Holik, Scott Gomez, Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski, Brian Gionta, John Madden, Paul Martin, Joe Nieuwendyk and now this summer Zach Parise. All of these players have decided not to return to the Devils during past various Summer's. Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny and Bobby Holik each came back for 2nd stints, but only Lemieux's was more successful which helped lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup in 2000.
But, now lets talk about some of the reasoning behind some of them leaving. While, many players entering Unrestricted Free Agency always say that money and finances are not a factor, most of them end up taking the bigger stick of the deal. Bobby Holik wanted to get paid like a number one center, which he was not and bolted for the division rival New York Rangers on a 5 year/$45 Million dollar deal, a contract which was heavily scrutinized by the National Hockey League and thus was a huge factor of the labor dispute between the league and the players in 2004-2005 and wiped out the entire season. Scott Niedermayer was seen as a core player, but he wanted to play with his brother and with the Devils failing to land him in previous attempts, he chose to join him in Anaheim. Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny, John Madden, Brian Gionta, Joe Nieuwendyk and Brian Rafalski each left on not so bad terms, because they led the Devils to the Stanley Cup although money seemed important to guys like Rafalski and Gionta. John Madden wanted a chance to win, but he struggled in his last few years, so the Devils decided to get younger. Scott Gomez in the Summer of 2007, whom Bobby Holik helped develop decided to follow his path and get paid like a #1 center which he is not and signed with the same Rangers at 7 years/$51.5 Million dollars. Paul Martin was injured for most of the 2009-2010 season and was reportedly unhappy with how the Devils handled his injury and opted to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins to start fresh. Now, this summer Zach Parise was the most stunning. Devils fans expected Gomez and Holik to leave, but not so much Zach Parise. This is what led to this question.
For Parise it was never about the money, but yet he took a huge 13 year/ $98 Million dollar deal to sign with his home state Minnesota Wild. He only spent one season as Devils Team Captain and now its time for the Devils to name another new Captain. Many saw Zach Parise as the future to form a perfect scoring tandem of himself and star Russian Winger Ilya Kovalchuk, whom the Devils acquired in February 2010 and successfully locked up long term when he hit Unrestricted Free Agency. Now, losing him makes losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the Finals hurt that much more. Most of the time the Devils lost a big name Free Agent, General Manager Lou Lamoriello has done very little to sign a Free Agent to compensate for the loss of a key player. His philosophy is to build through the Draft and youth. And, he never signs someone for the sake of signing someone unless it helps the team and makes it better.
It is tough to explain the reason, but its simple, Lou Lamoriello is known as tough negotiator, but he does not have a good selling point to bring anyone back or bring a new player to New Jersey. The Devils do not sell a lot of tickets and struggle to sellout most games. While Parise is loyal and has loved Devils fans, there was something besides wanting to go home that kept him from coming back to the Devils. We will never know the real reason, but one thing is certain, Lamoriello does do everything he can to keep his players even if he does not negotiate in the middle of the season or before the season. Its all about the selling point and some players do not take it with them to heart.
But, now lets talk about some of the reasoning behind some of them leaving. While, many players entering Unrestricted Free Agency always say that money and finances are not a factor, most of them end up taking the bigger stick of the deal. Bobby Holik wanted to get paid like a number one center, which he was not and bolted for the division rival New York Rangers on a 5 year/$45 Million dollar deal, a contract which was heavily scrutinized by the National Hockey League and thus was a huge factor of the labor dispute between the league and the players in 2004-2005 and wiped out the entire season. Scott Niedermayer was seen as a core player, but he wanted to play with his brother and with the Devils failing to land him in previous attempts, he chose to join him in Anaheim. Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny, John Madden, Brian Gionta, Joe Nieuwendyk and Brian Rafalski each left on not so bad terms, because they led the Devils to the Stanley Cup although money seemed important to guys like Rafalski and Gionta. John Madden wanted a chance to win, but he struggled in his last few years, so the Devils decided to get younger. Scott Gomez in the Summer of 2007, whom Bobby Holik helped develop decided to follow his path and get paid like a #1 center which he is not and signed with the same Rangers at 7 years/$51.5 Million dollars. Paul Martin was injured for most of the 2009-2010 season and was reportedly unhappy with how the Devils handled his injury and opted to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins to start fresh. Now, this summer Zach Parise was the most stunning. Devils fans expected Gomez and Holik to leave, but not so much Zach Parise. This is what led to this question.
For Parise it was never about the money, but yet he took a huge 13 year/ $98 Million dollar deal to sign with his home state Minnesota Wild. He only spent one season as Devils Team Captain and now its time for the Devils to name another new Captain. Many saw Zach Parise as the future to form a perfect scoring tandem of himself and star Russian Winger Ilya Kovalchuk, whom the Devils acquired in February 2010 and successfully locked up long term when he hit Unrestricted Free Agency. Now, losing him makes losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the Finals hurt that much more. Most of the time the Devils lost a big name Free Agent, General Manager Lou Lamoriello has done very little to sign a Free Agent to compensate for the loss of a key player. His philosophy is to build through the Draft and youth. And, he never signs someone for the sake of signing someone unless it helps the team and makes it better.
It is tough to explain the reason, but its simple, Lou Lamoriello is known as tough negotiator, but he does not have a good selling point to bring anyone back or bring a new player to New Jersey. The Devils do not sell a lot of tickets and struggle to sellout most games. While Parise is loyal and has loved Devils fans, there was something besides wanting to go home that kept him from coming back to the Devils. We will never know the real reason, but one thing is certain, Lamoriello does do everything he can to keep his players even if he does not negotiate in the middle of the season or before the season. Its all about the selling point and some players do not take it with them to heart.
