Todd Cordell: On Tom Fitzgerald and Ilya Kovalchuk

Todd Cordell: On Tom Fitzgerald and Ilya Kovalchuk
- Todd.Cordell

I had the opportunity of knowing the Fitzgerald family while living in Nashville. Great family and Tom while as a player, had a great hockey mind. Would make a very good G.M in my mind.

It's kind of frustrating in that he was supposed to be our property for 10+ years and yes now it makes more sense to get the return for him, but it is still a little annoying that he doesn't have to play for us. To me Kovalchuk was supposed to be a Devil he signed on the line to be for life and then (frank)ed off and even though I am glad we escaped that contract I still wish he had to play for us or not in the nhl till he is 42 or whenever he would have been. Again I get that contract is null and he shouldn't be restricted to it but it still feels like us Devils fans are getting the shaft again even though he should fetch us a decent return ( not as decent of the 100's of pts he should of recorded in a Devils uni by now though! )

I had the opportunity of knowing the Fitzgerald family while living in Nashville. Great family and Tom while as a player, had a great hockey mind. Would make a very good G.M in my mind.
- wrister

If he would make a better one then Ray then we shouldn't be letting him go

We need to get Brodeur and Stevens back in this organization like I don't even know wtf Ray was thinking when he completely got rid of everything NJ and made it exactly how Pittsburgh was Like that has had any effect on the on ice product what so ever. If anything the Defence got significantly worse since Stevens departure. I am also damn sick of him always talking about how it was two years ago like that justifies him ( to me it just comes off as him pusshing blame off on to others and mostly the people in charge before him but never ever mentions a thing about how the old owner would never ever ok seasons like this past one.

I don't know much about the KHL but i remember Don Cherry referring to that league as the ice capades. If Kovy does come back will he be physically and mentally ready for an NHL season? With our luck he'll come back to the Devs and get hurt immediately.

I don't know much about the KHL but i remember Don Cherry referring to that league as the ice capades. If Kovy does come back will he be physically and mentally ready for an NHL season? With our luck he'll come back to the Devs and get hurt immediately.
- FAZOOL

I don't know where he gets this rep of being soft ? He played through a pretty bad back injury and almst carried us to a cup ( god knows it wasn't that baby Parise ) He punched out Brayden Schenn and at 6'1 230 is built like a tank. I am not worried about something like that he didn't really look like he was playing soft during the gargan cup. I just doubt he even plays for us unless for some crazy reason he feels like he owes us...

It's kind of frustrating in that he was supposed to be our property for 10+ years and yes now it makes more sense to get the return for him, but it is still a little annoying that he doesn't have to play for us. To me Kovalchuk was supposed to be a Devil he signed on the line to be for life and then (frank)ed off and even though I am glad we escaped that contract I still wish he had to play for us or not in the nhl till he is 42 or whenever he would have been. Again I get that contract is null and he shouldn't be restricted to it but it still feels like us Devils fans are getting the shaft again even though he should fetch us a decent return ( not as decent of the 100's of pts he should of recorded in a Devils uni by now though! )
- blizzzard

Even with the contract voided he is somewhat restricted by it in that he can only sign with the Devil's and it's somewhat up to the them to trade him or not. If he comes in and wants to play elsewhere and will only sign if they move him then the team likely would likely have to work to accommodate that. But really he hasn't even said he doesn't want to play in NJ so lets see how it plays out.

At 34 he probably doesn't want to lose a year and (guessing) $6M so he's got some motivation to work things out also.

If they do sign him and he's willing to stay it would greatly change the team from rebuild to win now mode and maybe we could go after some real free agents.

Sign and trade, don't want him on my team, great to get some assets though.

On another note, I hate ESPN hockey coverage, but this is a bloodbath: Other journalists known to have been let go include: hockey writers Pierre LeBrun, Scott Burnside and Joe McDonald.

I want Ryan carter back too

I don't know much about the KHL but i remember Don Cherry referring to that league as the ice capades. If Kovy does come back will he be physically and mentally ready for an NHL season? With our luck he'll come back to the Devs and get hurt immediately.
- FAZOOL

He says that because he doesn't like Russian players

We need to get Brodeur and Stevens back in this organization like I don't even know wtf Ray was thinking when he completely got rid of everything NJ and made it exactly how Pittsburgh was Like that has had any effect on the on ice product what so ever. If anything the Defence got significantly worse since Stevens departure. I am also damn sick of him always talking about how it was two years ago like that justifies him ( to me it just comes off as him pusshing blame off on to others and mostly the people in charge before him but never ever mentions a thing about how the old owner would never ever ok seasons like this past one.
- blizzzard

Marty somewhat removed himself from this organization by refusing to become a backup at age 42. He always felt he should play which helped make him such a champion but in the end it seemed really hard for him to let go. He seems pretty happy in St. Louis and almost everyone he had anything to do with here is gone.

Stevens was almost the head coach and got sent packing so Nasreddine could install this pussified defense system. Besides being an all time great defensive player, marquee Devil, Captain and even a pretty clearly qualified coach the organization crapped on him. He's gone and doing a great job elsewhere.

There doesn't seem to be much motivation for either guy to come back even if the Devils wanted them too and the don't seem to care. You want a happy ending then you need to read a fairytale or go to a massage parlor because it's not happening in Devilville.

How bout this?

Kovalchuk and 2nd? to WSH for Johansson and Orlov

Why not get Dano out of the booth and put him behind the bench?
Johnny Mac too. These two should have a lot to offer as assistants.

How bout this?

Kovalchuk and 2nd? to WSH for Johansson and Orlov
- Devils9503

Oh I would love orlov

But I like the idea of kovi kuesnetsov ovi and orlov out there.

Why not get Dano out of the booth and put him behind the bench?
Johnny Mac too. These two should have a lot to offer as assistants.
- FAZOOL

Yeah johnny mac did so well the first time

I'd like Stevens and oats back

I want Ryan carter back too
- shvingter88

He was solid

I'm just waiting on the lottery

I want Ryan carter back too
- shvingter88

Blandisi-Carter-Pelley 4th line. Let's do this.

I'm just waiting on the lottery
- willschulme

If we could win, oh boy....

Blandisi-Carter-Pelley 4th line. Let's do this.
- smellmyfinger

Blender might be a little weak for the fourth line

Why not get Dano out of the booth and put him behind the bench?
Johnny Mac too. These two should have a lot to offer as assistants.
- FAZOOL

Johnny Mac had his shot and failed miserably. The fact that he's back on the Devils payroll, in any cpacity, is still mind-boggling to me.

Johnny Mac had his shot and failed miserably. The fact that he's back on the Devils payroll, in any cpacity, is still mind-boggling to me.
- jersey1414

I'm talking about him being an assistant. There is no way they should have named him head coach when they did, he was not ready.

How bout this?

Kovalchuk and 2nd? to WSH for Johansson and Orlov

Unless the Devils are trading for untouchable prospects, they can't make trades like this before expansion draft.

Chances are, though Kovy will have interest in returning, they're not going to get him onto the team until July 1 so that they don't leave another player unprotected, though I'm not certain how exactly that's going to work.

How bout this?

Kovalchuk and 2nd? to WSH for Johansson and Orlov
- Devils9503

I think I read somewhere that Orlov wanted to go back to the KHL after this season