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Unthinkable: Would Lamoriello trade Devils’ captain?

September 18, 2009, 12:05 PM ET [ Comments]
Sam Woo
New Jersey Devils Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
SAMPWOO.com – This definitely caught my eye this morning. I read this on fannation.com.

Jacques Lemaire is sending a message to his team by demoting Jamie Langenbrunner to the fifth line. Lemaire, no stranger to proper discipline, is the sheriff in town and he wants to shake up the environment. He wants leadership and maybe he is sending a message to Langenbrunner, who is coming off a career year last season, to not get too comfortable. Was there something to the fact that Brendan Shanahan was wearing the “C” during the last preseason game?

Langenbrunner does have a clause in his contract which would limit the Devils in having him dealt. He has two years left and with a cap hit of $2.8M per year. After having 69 points with a plus/minus +25, his stock value is high and Lamoriello could get a lot in return with the right deal. The Devils do have a glut of young talented right wingers in the system, but are they willing to rush them up in case the Devils’ captain goes elsewhere?

My opinion: this is a coaching decision rather than a personnel change. However, it does look intriguing because of the rumors swirling around in the past month of the Devils looking for a center. For now, Lemaire wants to test his players mentally and focus on winning the Stanley Cup.

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