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Rumors..Parise, NJ Devils, Carolina, Toronto, Montreal, and Eric Wellwood |
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Word has come down that Zach Parise is going under the knife to find out what is up with his knee. It is very uncertain as to how long he will miss, but this continues a season where nothing has gone right in NJ.
Before Parise's injury there were murmurs of a possible trade involving the superstar, with one source telling me it was "believed the answer to the cap issue was the simple fact of Kovalchuk and Parise not going to have co-exist for long."
Much has also been made of Lamoriello giving a vote of confidence to McLean, and I do believe this because I honestly think it will take longer to shift the Devils from pre-Kovalchuk Devils hockey to Devils hockey with Kovalchuk...
Essentially there appears to be quite a vibrant debate going on as to whether or not Kovalchuk is "the final cog" in the wheel or the first piece of a massive re-build which NJ and Lamoriello have masterfully avoided ever having to do.
If the Devils continue to slide, the re-build talk will mount, and along with that will come talk of Lamoriello's future and as goes Lou so goes Brodeur. Could Marty be a major move at the deadline to a team? Most feel Marty would only accept a deal if he knew Lamoriello wasn't long for the Devils.
All this being said, and as grim as it looks for NJ, I think panic is premature and I even feel the Devils could beat the Hawks tomorrow night in Chicago. The ebb and flow of the NHL is at times predictable.
The Hurricanes Looking to Make a Major Move...
Sources tell me the Canes are one of the few teams out there aggressively looking to make a "significant change." I would not be shocked to see a Canes deal involving a major player in the next few days here..
The Maple Leafs Trade Rumors...
Once again, the Leafs rumors have increased and I would look to Carolina and NJ as a willing partner...I have heard more talk of Langenbrunner to Toronto this morning than I have all season. Also aware of the Leafs interested in a top 3 forward on the Hurricances roster.
Vokoun and the Habs.
Speaking of players who are already being looked upon as major rentals..Tomas Vokoun's play against the Canadiens the other night may have been an "audition" of sorts. Like many teams, the Canadiens have some contingency plans, and one of which centers around: "What would happen should Price go cold or get injured." A source told me the first call would be to Florida for Vokoun.
Flyers Wellwood looks like he belongs..
Sometimes a silver lining can be found in bad circumstances. That may have been the case last night as Eric Wellwood (brother of Kyle) made his NHL debut due to the suspension of Danny Briere. I have seen many NHL players in their first game, but few who have looked more like they belonged than Eric did last night. He took a regular shift, fired 6 shots off, made two or three "veteran like" defensive plays and showed skating and style that reminded me most of Jordan Staal.
Wellwood was drafted for his defensive abilities, and as many of you in Canada know from his time in juniors, Eric has a ton of hockey sense. The last two seasons with Windsor Eric was a a combined +53.
One of the more impressive notes came in his post-game interview. When asked what he noticed most about the players in his first NHL game Eric said something I had never heard a guy say before.
"I was impressed by how well everyone out there played their position."
That shows how conscientious this kid is and why I do believe the Flyers may have a keeper here.
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