Yesterday afternoon in typical Lou Lamoriello fashion, he acquired a player that the team had not been rumoured to have interest in when he traded Andrei Loktionov to Carolina for Tuomo Ruutu.
Going with Loktionov to the Hurricanes was a conditional 3rd round pick in 2017. The Devils have not yet released terms of the conditional pick.
While on the surface of this deal it doesn't look to great from a Devils perspective in that they're trading youth for age with the older player having a much bigger contract, it does make a lot of sense.
Loktionov had reportedly asked for a trade and he never really seemed like a fit for Pete DeBoer's scheme, so it was only a matter of time before he was shown the door. Not only does Ruutu more so fit the mould of what Lamoriello and DeBoer like in their players, but his contract isn't as bad as it first appeared. Bob McKenzie confirmed to me that the Hurricanes will eat 20% of Ruutu's salary for the duration of the contract. CapGeek also confirmed that the Hurricanes will not only eat 20% of the salary, but also 20% of the cap hit making Ruutu's contract much more manageable at $3.8 million per season.
So what will Ruutu bring to the Devils? Flexibility and another established NHL player who can help out in every aspect of the game. Ruutu's numbers haven't been impressive this season, but many who follow Carolina feel as though he wasn't properly utilized by Kirk Muller. At 31 years of age he still has some gas left in the tank, and if he can remain healthy and is utilized properly by DeBoer it's reasonable to expect close to 20 goals a season. Ruutu can also play on the penalty kill and could help stabilize what is already the top PK unit in the NHL.
My money is on Ruutu starting on the top line with Travis Zajac and Jaromir Jagr, giving them more of a presence in front of the net and in the corners while I expect Dainius Zubrus, who has really struggled offensively this season, to go down to the 3rd line with Ryane Clowe and Michael Ryder.
It may take some time for Ruutu to adjust to a new system, but his tenacity and ability to contribute at both ends of the rink should help the Devils. He's a tough guy to play against, and Lamoriello made it well known when talking with the media that he liked that about Ruutu.
**
Darren Dreger is reporting that the league has decided to give the Devils the 30th overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft. The Devils were supposed to forfeit their 1st round pick this season due to cap circumvention on the Ilya Kovalchuk contract, but they've been let off the hook. Obviously the pick isn't as good as it would have been had the Devils selection been based on where they finish this year (barring them winning the cup, then they'd pick 30th), but it is a huge boost to the organization and will allow them to draft a pretty good prospect.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Email: NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com