Will Martin Havlat sign with the New Jersey Devils in the off-season? Coming out of Prague my sources at TV Morava tell me that Patrik Elias and Martin Havlat have chatted countless times about the possibility of the pair one day playing with one another. They even joked about Havlat’s signing with the Devils on Czech television three years back, in a segment featuring the dynamic duo’s work for a local charity.
The facts are that Patrik Elias and Martin Havlat are best friends. They spend their offseasons in the Golden City, meeting up for coffee and a chat on a weekly basis. They play soccer, as well as lace up the blades for a summer skate and shoot-around on occasion.
The pair SMS one another on a daily basis during the season. It’s that type of friendship.
Something certainly has to be said for playing with your best friend.
The problem is the Devils simply don’t need another winger. Among other things, they desperately desperately desperately (subliminal message to Mr. Lou Lamoriello) need a center. Part of the reasoning behind the possibility of letting Brian Gionta walk is the fact that Devils are stacked on the Wing: left and right.
If they re-sign Shanahan the Devils will still have Parise, Elias, and Shanny on the left side and Jamie Langenbrunner, Clarkson and Rolston, who can play either side, on the right. So signing Havlat makes about as much sense as signing another stay at home defenseman; but still something has to be said for taking the best possible player available.
The reality of the situation is very few marquee names want to sign with the Devils. Let’s face it the Devs don’t have the glitz, glamour or history of playing at MSG for the Blue Shirts, nor are they the Wings, Habs, even Leafs or Bruins. Newark certainly isn’t Vancouver, Denver, Chi-town, even Dallas for that matter.
Lou’s selling points have always been based around the quality of the team and organization. But that has diminished substantially over the past few years. No longer are the Devils seen as a marquee team. Failing to advance past the second round of the playoffs even once since 2003 has a lot to do with that.
Add to the fact that with the salary cap structured the way it is, the Devils will be hard pressed to even sign their RFA’s.
But still it’s a nice thought. “Havlat to Elias, the one timer. He scores.”
Will it happen?
Probably not. Although Havlat has played center before, with Trinec Ocelari HC, it was only when injuries to their starting centers forced coaches into a reshuffle.
While Havlat would love to play with Patty, he's not about to take a paycut. Neither will Patrik Elias be giving up any of his salary either. They're not the Sedins, nor the Niedermayers for that matter.
Havlat would likely work magic with Elias but the signing of another high priced free agent that doesn’t fill in any holes is something Lou simply can not afford to do. With that said, that’s never stopped him before.
Original Story:
http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/devil...
