If the Devils were in a Winter Classic, who would play in the alumni game?

This week is the week that the Red Wings and Maple Leafs will announce their rosters for the 2013 alumni game during the Winter Classic weekend.  Now, as outrageous as this may seem, it is possible for the Devils to be a part of a Winter Classic someday.  So, I got to thinking: if the Devils were a part of that weekend, who would play in the alumni game for them?

Adam Henrique, Adam Larsson and Jacob Josefson are three of the most logical choices, since by the time the Devils get picked for a Winter Classic, they'll be the only ones still able to skate.

*Last year, the Flyers had 17 forwards, 9 defensemen, 3 goalies, 3 coaches and 3 ambassadors on their alumni roster.

Let's start with the obvious choices.  In goal, it'll be Chris Terreri and Chico Resch.  Those two are second and third on the Devils' all-time games played list for goaltenders.  Which reminds me, if Terreri and Resch are second and third, there must be a first.  ... Oh, right.  Brodeur.  Yeah, I guess he can come if he wants.  He's been a pretty solid goalie over the years, I'd say.

Obviously Brodeur is a lock to be the primary goalie for the Devils.  Marty is the NHL's all-time leader in games played for a goalie, wins, losses, shutouts, minutes, playoff shutouts, plus he's got 4 Vezina trophies, 5 Jennings trophies, a Calder trophy, 3 Stanley Cup rings, a couple Olympic gold medals and he's scored two goals.

After Brodeur, there would a battle for second between Terreri and Resch, but since the alumni roster allows for three goalies, both of them would probably make it.  Terreri was Marty's backup during the 1995 Cup run and well, Chico is Chico.  Unless you really like Yann Danis (and no, Johan Hedberg has not played long enough for the Devils).

Sources say: you just got scammed. #CONFIRMED

Chances are that if you have a Twitter and follow hockey, you've probably heard a rumor started by @HockeyyInsiderr, you just may or may not know.  For some reason, many people continue to follow him and believe his idiotic rumors.  In fact, the mysterious character that "HockeyyInsiderr" is has amassed over 21,000 Twitter followers.

Anyway, I usually ignore people like him.  I've never followed him, and I never will.  While I disagree with what he does, which is essentially trying to create rumors (like Brodeur for Semin two years ago and Parise for Malkin last summer) and inflate reports to boost his follower count, he doesn't force anyone to follow him.  If people follow him, that's their problem.

There was a little extra buzz surrounding him recently.  Why?  Well, usually when he's wrong about something, he's able to cover up and pretend that never happened.  He was unable to do that this past week.  On July 3rd, the night before Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signed with the Minnesota Wild, "HockeyyInsiderr" boldly tweeted that there was a 95% chance that Parise was heading to the Penguins and Suter had pretty much agreed to go to Detroit.  He was the laughing stock of Twitter the following day.  His sources must have misguided him.  Eventually, he got into some kind of Twitter dispute with some members of the media, including TSN analyst Darren Dreger.

Devils' 2012 off-season spotlight: Alexander Semin

Well, the dust has cleared.  Zach Parise is in the past, as far as Devils fans are concerned, and it's time to move on.  Unfortunately, timing was awful for the Devils this summer.  Their star captain hit the free agent market, and the free agent market itself was extremely thin, thus inflating the demand for those players and driving their prices up.  Add to that the Devils' financial problems and the potential for a lockout in the fall and this was a disaster waiting to happen.  There really aren't any high-end players who can make a difference in the NHL next season left on the free agent market...except for one: Alexander Semin.

The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of bringing Alexander Semin to New Jersey (not that it's my call, but you get the point).  First of all, there are two alternatives if the Devils don't sign him: do nothing and hope for the best next season before hoping to cash in on the 2013 free agent group or make a trade for Bobby Ryan or Rick Nash, which would cost the Devils trade assets that they really don't have, such as young forwards (which is already a scarcity) and first round draft picks (the Devils will have to give theirs up in 2013 or 2014).

So that leaves the Devils with two realistic choices: Semin or nobody.  Now, Semin is always associated with two things: awful jokes regarding his last name and lackadaisical on-ice play.  There's not much anyone can do about the first one, but hopefully a few facts will change your mind about the second part.

The aftermath of Zach Parise in New Jersey

Well, Lou Lamoriello failed to get something that he wanted.  That's a fairly unfamiliar concept to Devils fans.  Lou has always had a knack for letting guys go and then those players decline shortly after, but Lou wanted to re-sign Zach Parise.  So, before you do something irrational or insane, please read on and hope that cooler heads prevail.

Let's start off with what this means for the Devils.  They've lost their captain to free agency.  Sure, that's happened before.  Kirk Muller was traded out of New Jersey, Scott Niedermayer left as a free agent later in his career and Jamie Langenbrunner was also traded away.  But this was supposed to be different.  Zach Parise was the heart and soul of the Devils, so what happened?

The concept of loyalty has gone forgotten in the world of sports.  Sure, there's a few exceptions: Derek Jeter comes to mind, Mariano Rivera, LeBron James, and in the Devils' world, Ken Daneyko (as Bryan Evans so kindly reminded me of on Twitter), Patrik Elias and Martin Brodeur are truly dedicated to the only teams they ever knew, but for most athletes, money talks.

Zach Parise signed with Minnesota for 13-years/$98 million.  I'm sorry, but there's no way around it: money was a huge factor.  Consider that Ilya Kovalchuk, who turned down 10-years/$100 million and other huge offers from Atlanta, agreed to a 15-year/$100 million deal with the Devils.  Is Parise really worth the extra dollars per season ($7.54M cap hit compared to Kovalchuk's $6.67M)?  Is Parise really going to be an elite player for that long?

The quick answer is no.  Zach Parise, the player, is not worth $98 million or 13 years.  He's simply not as good as Crosby, Ovechkin, Kovalchuk or any other player who's signed a similar contract previously.  Sure, he's two years removed from back-to-back seasons of 94 and 82 points, but Parise's game is all about his speed and hustle.  He'll have that for a few more seasons, but he lacks the raw scoring ability that Kovalchuk and the others have.  It's great to have a player like Parise on the roster, there's no denying that, but you can't simply throw anything but the kitchen sink at him because he's the captain (But Parise's contract will not look nearly as bad as Ryan Suter's will in 5-6 years).

It's time to move on.  Obviously, Parise wanted to go home and resurrect the miserable Minnesota Wild organization, and he managed to bring Suter with him.  Money was a huge factor for Parise, but he did want to go home.  Of course, he did that out of the expense of leaving the team that drafted him behind.  Devils fans have every right to be bitter.  He had a choice, and he left New Jersey.  But seriously, it's time to move on.

The Devils went on a 23-3-2 run during the 2010-11 season, following the John MacLean failure.  Zach Parise was not a part of that run.  The Devils have added Adam Henrique, Adam Larsson, Marek Zidlicky plus the entire fourth line since then.  They're a better team now.  It will take time for the team to overcome the loss of Parise, both on and certainly off the ice, but by no means is this the beginning of the decline for the Devils...if it's handled properly.

Where do the Devils go from here?  The Devils have just 11 forwards under contract for next season, including Cam Janssen, who likely won't be a regular in the lineup.  They have 8 defensemen and two goaltenders under contract, so there will likely be some changes coming in New Jersey this summer.  Obviously, some people will immediately think towards Rick Nash or Bobby Ryan, but with the Devils' reported "budget" they're operating under, how much salary can the Devils afford to add?  They've committed $54 million of cap space towards next year, but remember, Ilya Kovalchuk's actual salary increases to $11 million next season.

There's really no easy answer right now.  Losing Parise will set the Devils back a few seasons, as far as winning a Stanley Cup is concerned, but the Devils still have the foundation to continue to make the playoffs. Perhaps the Devils might try to bring in Alexander Semin and hope that they can help another Russian's career?  Who knows, maybe they will look into bringing Ryan or Nash to New Jersey, but in my opinion, they might do what they always do: make a few under-the-radar additions and hope for the best next season.

I still think there should be some urgency to add a scoring forward or two.  The Devils do have the assets to do so.  They have a tremendous number of good, young defensemen that are either NHL-ready or close to being ready.  There's Adam Larsson, Mark Fayne, Matt Taormina, Eric Gelinas, Jon Merrill, Alexander Urbom and others.  Obviously, not all of them will get to be Devils full-time, but some of them might be suited to be packaged in a trade.  If that circumstance presents itself, then perhaps a trade may occur.  What the Devils don't have are forwards or first round draft picks that they can afford to give away.

But regardless of what happens, the Devils will do what they always do: overcome the loss of a departing free agent and continue to compete and win.  I'd be shocked if they somehow missed the playoffs next season.  They'll still have Ilya Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac, Adam Henrique, David Clarkson, etc., and a solid group of defensemen as well.  Adam Larsson will be better next season, as he continues to mature and develop.  Henrique will continue to grow as a player and take on more responsibility on the ice.  Then, hopefully within another year or two, the Devils can get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Finally, Lou Lamoriello has to consider negotiating with next summer's free agents.  Obviously, a lot can change from one season to another, but Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac, Dainius Zubrus, David Clarkson and Marek Zidlicky are all unrestricted free agents next summer, and you can add Jacob Josefson and Adam Henrique to that list, as they are restricted free agents.  The Devils would probably like to get all of those players re-signed.  Does Parise's departure mean that some may not want to stay?  That's always a possibility, especially in Travis Zajac's case, as the two seemed to be good friends (they also shared an Alma Mater: the University of North Dakota).  Maybe it's time for Lou to break his own rule and negotiate before he faces losing them for nothing.

So, good-bye Zach Parise.  It was fun to watch you, from your first ever game, stealing some of the attention from Sidney Crosby and scoring your first goal, to growing into a perennial 30-goal scorer, maxing out at 45 goals in 2008-09, scoring in the Olympic Gold Medal Game in Vancouver, then being a part of the 14 win playoff season the Devils enjoyed this past spring.  The seven years you spent with us were filled with ups and downs, but it's over now.  You're just a memory in the eyes of Devils fans.  Life will go on for both of us, but I wouldn't be upset to look back and realize that you made a mistake years from now.  Hindsight is 20-20, after all.

The wrongful perception of European NHL players

(Warning: this is a senseless rant.  If you don't like to read strong opinions, do not read on.)

...

Oh, you like senseless rants?  Well then, I hope you enjoy this.

Consider the following situation.

A young, talented Russian defenseman just came over to North America, and he's ready to become an NHL player.  He's been drafted by a smaller market NHL team with a roster of players he's unfamiliar with, so he refuses to sign an entry-level contract with that team.  A year goes by and now he's demanded a trade or he'll become an unrestricted free agent.  He and his agent provide General Managers with a short list of teams he'd meet with, and his list is based on teams that have players he knows and teams that he'd be guaranteed to play a certain number of minutes for next season.

That's pretty selfish of him, isn't it?  He refuses to sign with the team that drafted him?  Who does he think he is, Eric Lindros?

Of course, this situation is playing itself out right now, except the player is not Russian.  He's Canadian.  His name, if you haven't figured it out already, is Justin Schultz.

Yet nobody questions Schultz's tactics.  He's been invited to meet with several NHL teams, and he actually refused to grant teams meetings with him.  Essentially, he'll only sign with a Canadian team or the Rangers, and Toronto might be the leading candidate because his buddy, Jake Gardiner, plays for them.  But Schultz is a good Canadian boy, so let's not dare call him selfish.

Flash back to the winter of 2009-2010.  Ilya Kovalchuk is miserable, playing for a bad Thrashers team for the eighth time in nine seasons.  He turns down a pair of massive contract offers from General Manager Don Waddell, suggesting that he would not re-sign with Atlanta in the summer of 2010.  Instead, his GM went out and found a trading partner, the New Jersey Devils.  Kovalchuk went on to sign a $100 million extension with the Devils later that summer.  Kovalchuk was tagged as a selfish individual.  Why?  For not wanting to commit to a terrible team for longer than he already had?

Fast forward to this past winter.  Rick Nash is miserable, playing for a bad Blue Jackets team for the eighth time in nine seasons.  He's reportedly asked his General Manager, Scott Howson, for a trade to a contending team because he's frustrated with his situation in Columbus and at this point in his career, he wants to move on and have a chance to win.

But Rick Nash isn't selfish.  He just wants a chance to win, and that's what it's all about, right?

So what's the difference?  Kovalchuk went to a better team where he has a chance to win every year.

Now today, Sidney Crosby apparently agreed to a 12-year/$104 million contract with the Penguins.  He's not selfish.  Why is Kovalchuk for signing a 15-year/$100 million deal?  Why is Alex Ovechkin selfish for signing a 13-year/$124 million deal in 2008?

Then again, what if European players are selfish?  What if they are enigmatic and lazy?  After all, the Penguins' 2009 Stanley Cup run belongs to Sidney Crosby, right?  It's not like Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin actually led his team to victory.  After all, Malkin only had 36 points in 22 games.  How enigmatic.

And how about the 2008 Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings who had just 14 European players on the team?  And how about the most talented player in the NHL right now, Pavel Datsyuk?  He only has 3 Selke trophies and 4 Lady Byng awards.  The recently retired Swedish defenseman Nick Lidstrom wasn't too bad, either.

The European stereotypes go to unbelievable extremes, and quite honestly, it's ridiculous.  What about the New York Rangers this past spring?  They struggled to score goals in the playoffs, so the Slovakian-native Marian Gaborik took the blame.  Guess what?  He posted 11 points in the playoffs, which is one more than the American-born captain Ryan Callahan.  American-born Derek Stepan had just one goal in the playoffs.

There's nobody who demonstrates more European hatred than Don Cherry, who called Dainius Zubrus "lazy" during the playoffs.  What if Zubrus was Canadian?  Cherry would love him.  After all, Zubrus is a big, power forward who kills penalties and plays a two-way game...even though he's of Russian descent.

Want more?  Of course you do.  Alex Ovechkin has 59 points in 51 playoff games.  Kovalchuk has 25 points in 28 playoff games with the Devils.  Malkin has 81 points in 68 playoff games.  Only Malkin has won a Stanley Cup.  Somehow, all three players have been tagged as "lazy" or "selfish" as recently as this past season by fans and even the media (mostly Don Cherry).

So how did this bias against European players start?  Did people knock Stan Mikita in the 1960s, Jari Kurri in the 1980s or Slava Fetisov in the 1990s?  Was Jaromir Jagr simply the lazy guy that played next to Mario Lemieux?  You know who one of the first players was that I believe changed the perception of Europeans?  Alex Kovalev.

The bottom line is that Europeans can be awesome too.  Not all of them are as beloved as Teemu Selanne or Mats Sundin, but maybe it's time to take a step back and appreciate what they're doing.  Ovechkin, Datsyuk and Kovalchuk are legends developing right in front of us, and many people are going to completely miss out on what fantastic hockey players they are because of their native country.  Obviously, some people do appreciate them, and those people are watching some pretty special hockey players.

Then again, if his name was Justin Schultzov, he'd be viewed as a selfish...