Sat 21 Jul 2007
Devils lose Fahey, Brooks, add Moran
Posted by Patricia Greuter under Notes Notes Notes! , Sign This!Exit Jim Fahey and Alex Brooks.
Enter Ian Moran.
The seldom-used Fahey has split to the Chicago Blackhawks while Alex Brooks has inked a contract with the St. Louis Blues.
With the loss of two mediocre defenders, Louie Lams kicked it into high gear, adding utility man Ian Moran.
So, uh, that’s like five billion semi-average defenders now, right?
Either Lou really wants a kick-butt Baby Devils or he thinks that signing all the 7th-defenders in the world will equal that of one solid top-four defenseman.
Crazy logic, eh?
I’d prefer to think he’s going for the first option.
Moran, 34, appeared in only one game last season with the Anaheim Ducks, registering no points and skating at a minus-one. He has previously played with Pittsburgh and Boston.
Alas, Fahey was a castoff and really of no use in New Jersey, so his departure doesn’t hurt. Neither does Brooks, who was merely used due to salary cap issues.
This is really a lateral move, folks. Nothing gained, nothing lost. I do see Moran as a Baby Devil, used only in an emergency basis. He is an upgrade over Fahey and Brooks, I think.
July 21st, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I’ll miss Fahey’s mohawk
July 21st, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Ian Moran rocks! Seriously, though, good signing for Lowell, adds leadership.
July 21st, 2007 at 4:24 pm
What is lost in mohawk is made up for in mouth, though. That’s a pretty decent trade off. I’ll take it.
July 22nd, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Wow Pat…impressive…5 bloggers now…if a Devil so much as walks…you will have it all covered now. Congrats!
By the way…the NHL Arena has moved to a bigger and better forum…we’re still the same crazy people…just now people have to reregister right at http://www.theNHLarena.com.
Hope everyone is enjoying the summer.
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:19 am
Has no real relavance to us. The Lowell Devils, yes, but not us.
July 23rd, 2007 at 10:53 am
NJDevil –
I’m starting to wonder if you have a problem with the way the site is being run. We post anything to do with the Devils organization, and from day one I have posted Lowell news as well. Regardless, this is an offseason signing, so I’m not sure where your problem lies.
If you do have some sort of problem, feel free to e-mail me and we can figure things out.
July 23rd, 2007 at 1:50 pm
I know this is off topic, but why hasn’t Lou pursued Peca? If you ask me he would be a perfect addition to our team. Any thoughts?
July 23rd, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Mark,
I’d pass on Peca. He’s got Nieuwendyk qualities at the face off circle, which I’d love (especially since Nieu is one of my favorite all time hockey players), but he also is very injury prone, like Nieuwendyk.
He’s not really going to put a lot of points up, especially in a defensive system like New Jersey. He’s also pretty small, which doesn’t bode well for a team Lou has OBVIOUSLY worked hard to make decisively bigger.
July 23rd, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I don’t know Patricia. Peca may be a good idea to pursue assuming he’ll play for less than 3 mil. It’s been a while since the Devils have had a strong faceoff specialist (a la Brind’amour or Perrault) and playing in the system could help Peca avoid injury-prone situations by playing a positionally sound game.
He has the defensive potential to do well and can mix it up in front of the net better than most. I’m still not convinced Rupp is as strong on his skates as people are making him out to be. A big body doesn’t necessarily lead to a strong body.
All that’s left now in the FA market are older players who aren’t going to earn as much as they used to. Lindros only made $1 mil last year. Forsberg isn’t getting any lucrative offers. Nor are Selanne and Yashin (who skipped town).
The Devs are weak at center (among other things) with Madden and Zajac as dedicated centers with Brylin, Zubrus, Parise, and Elias as people who could hold their own positionally speaking but definitely not in the faceoff circle.
July 23rd, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Agreed on all points, but what he does bring to the table is a strong defensive game. I think between Maddog and Peca we would rule the faceoff circle and suffocate teams defensively. Peca also brings heavy hitting, despite his small stature. It’s all a matter of opinion, but I have thought this guy a perfect addition to the Devils system for years.
July 23rd, 2007 at 3:21 pm
It’s great having another defensive specialist in Peca, but we’re at the point where we absolutely NEED some sort of offensive talent. I’d fear Peca would be inserted into the lineup, get injured, and then we’d be up the river without a paddle again. If we got him cheap enough, sure, I’d take the gamble, but I wouldn’t sacrifice cap room for a guy like him if we might need to go the route of trade during the deadline this year.
Just because we have cap room doesn’t mean we have to go out of our way to fill it up right away — it’s nice having some leg room, that way if we need to do something, we have that option.