Just a reminder boys, girls, and marsupials:  Individual game tickets for the upcoming season go on sale TOMORROW MORNING - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20th at 10 AM.  Ticketmaster.com, Prucenter.com, Newjerseydevils.com, Prudential Center Box Office - you got choices.  Snatch up the Devils/Rangers game tickets before the Rangers fans get a chance to, eh?

For those interested in a hunt, rumor has it there’s a pre-sale going on as we speak, until 10 PM tonight.  You need a password though, I wonder what it devpru could be…?

Over the last few weeks or so there have been a few tidbits worth updating about but I haven’t gotten around to it until now. For those of you who haven’t already discovered that knowledge is power through some other news source, it’s time to play a little catch-up, 2manadvantage style!

- NUMBERS GAME -

With the return of veterans Brian Rolston & Bobby Holik coupled with the departure of Sergei Brylin, There has been some rare number-swapping rippling through the Devils current roster. Holik will indeed regain his old # 16 that he wore during his first go-round with New Jersey. Dainius Zubrus gave up the number for Bobby and will don #8 for the rest of his tenure with the Devils. It should be noted that this change will in no way, shape or form, have any effect whatsoever on the (dare I say) world famous “Zubbie Counter“.

Sheldon Brookbank will sport the #28 previously worn by Brian Rafalski after giving his old #8 to Zubrus. Brian Rolston will carry over his #12 from Minnesota, as Sergei Brylin’s #18 will be taken over by rookie Niklas Bergfors.

- ROD PELLEY RETURNS, KEVIN CORMIER ACQUIRED -

In under-the-radar news, Rod Pelley has in fact been re-signed by the Devils. The deal is 2 years with a cap hit of $550,000 per season. In addition to signing Pelley, Lou Lamoriello made a small ripple on the trade market, sending Sean Zimmerman to Phoenix in exchange for Patrice Cormier’s older and bad-assier brother Kevin Cormier. If my memory serves me right, the Devils brother-total now stands at 4. (the Giontas, Pandolfos, Parises, & Cormiers.)

In my opinion, Lou can sign as many brothers as he wants as long he doesn’t shift his attention west… Vancouver in particular.

Wait, nevermind. I said brothers, not sisters

- THIRDS HAVE (unfortunately) RETURNED -

It seems that even RBK couldn’t keep the third jersey away from the game. Unfortunately there will be a return of the cash-grabs this season. Some teams have already released their designs, while other mock-ups are being rendered by fans based on provided descriptions. You can check out some of the MOCK-UP JERSEYS here.

- TIME CHANGE -

The Rangers/Devils pre-season game scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 27th @ MSG has been moved up from a 2pm start to a 1pm start.

That is all.

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Pre-season starts in just 6 days, folks! Who’s ready for a live-cap?!

Looks like the Devils marketing department hired a few college interns.  A plane carrying the above banner was spotted flying high over the beaches of New Jersey on Labor Day.

The “PSL’s” tag jabs fun at teams who charge a Personal Seat License to it’s season ticket holders.

…Can we drop the friggin’ puck already?!

After a weekend of driving through the mountains of Cobleskill, you can imagine I had more than a fair amount of time to think about…well, absolutely anything.  Aside from the usual day dreams about Chinese takeout and when my next Dunkin’ Donuts rest-stop will be, my mind inevitably ended up on the ice.

Typically, I wouldn’t have a problem with that, but with the off-season still flaunting its ugly style it can tend to get a little frustrating.  Well, I’d like to announce that I’m tired of waiting for something news-worthy to write about.  That being the case, I’ve decided I’d like to spill whatever has been on my mind as of late.

Sound good?  Too bad, here goes…

IS IT WORTH IT TO GET EXCITED?

Part of me says YES, and the other part of me thinks its counterpart has an addiction to sniffing glue.  You see, it’s easy as a fan to get wound up over signing a player of Brian Rolston’s caliber, but it’s not so easy (or enjoyable) to know that realistically Lou Lamoriello hasn’t done much to improve his squad other than sign Rolston & Holik.  Granted, some weeding was also done in the Black & Red garden, but the current selection of crops leaves me with a sinking feeling that the team still isn’t ready to compete.  Why do I feel that, you ask?  Look no further than the blue line.

With Paul Martin as your reigning #1, and Johnny Oduya as our token puck-mover, I just have a hard time feeling confident about our defensive corps.  Even guys like Halischuk and Corrente competing for a spot out of training camp, it’s going to take a lot more to keep the Devils from becoming a part of a few embarrassing highlight reels this season.

WILL LOU MAKE ANOTHER MOVE?

If I knew the answer to this question, I wouldn’t be typing to you from my ground level living room/bedroom.  Then again, when it comes to Lou, the highest of the hockey insiders still probably wouldn’t have a clue.  Would I like to see another move made?  Absolutely.  One involving a defen

seman?  You bet!  Again, reality donkey-punches me in the face and I’m forced back down to earth, knowing that another roster tweak isn’t likely.  Barring a few minor additions out of training camp,

it looks like the current Devils roster will be the one that takes the ice October 10th at The Rock.

HOW MUCH DOES MARTY HAVE LEFT?

It just wouldn’t be a legitimate pre-season breakdown without asking this question.  It seems th

at year in and year out, it rears its ugly head.  The funny thing is that every single year, the answer remains the same.  Marty is Marty. He will bring his usual lights-out game with him no matter what the situation is.  Kevin Weekes will play sparingly or when necessary, unless the team happens to be 39-1-1 at the All Star Break.

WILL THE OFFENSIVES WOES CONTINUE?

It depends.  Obviously, Brian Rolston could boost even the weakest offense.  Which is good, because I think the Devils are the proud(?) owners of that title.  The real question is: what kind of year will his support have?  Rolston has already proven what he can bring to the table, it’s the veteran Devils that worry me.  If anything, they’ve been consistantly inconsistant. 

Let’s take Patrik Elias for example.  Dude is either lights-out or a dud christmas light.  Gionta is no better, and Travis Zajac left much to be desired in his Sophomore campaign.  Perhaps the only reliable forward the Devils currently boast is Zach Parise.  Likewise with returning captain Jamie Langenbrunner.  John Maddens surprising 2007-2008 season was likely a one-shot-deal (that went high and wide…BA-ZING!!), and Dainius Zubrus will need to step it up in order to be effective in ‘08-’09.

In all, Rolston is a great addition and I’m beyond excited to see how many times he will make my jaw drop.  The downside is that he won’t be able to do it by himself, and that’s where I start to worry.  The boys are going to have to either shape up or ship out in order for the team to be successful.

CAN BRENT SUTTER REALLY LEAD THIS TEAM?

I say yes.  Brent Sutter was under fire for a lot of the choices and decisions he made last season and although I was often the one tearing him a new one, I feel confident with him behind the bench.  I feel he, like his team, will have to change some things about his game to be successful but in the end is still a leader the Devils can feed off of and will learn much from.  If they’re not too stubborn to listen, that is.

*****

That’s all I got for now.  I’m sure there are tons more questions that fans like myself ask themselves every day about the team.  Got one?  Feel like sharing?  I’d love to hear them and voice my own opinion about whatever it is us Devils fans like to shoot the breeze about until the puck drops.

Keep it bookmarked at 2MA, the season is nearing and we’re just getting started!!

Yes, the rumors are true. Scott Clemmensen will once again don the Red & Black! Of course, it’ll be the baby Red & Black, but nonetheless Scott Motherfriggin Clemmensen is back where he belongs! 2ManAdvantage once again is armed with all it needs!

Patricia, remember to call your pharmacist and cancel your Ambien CR Refill.

Uh yeah, so I just wrote this massively long post previewing free agency and WordPress ate it when I went to save it and publish it to the site. Seriously, if you could have seen the look on my face ten minutes ago, you would’ve cried. I imagine it would have looked like ten sad-eyed puppies looking down at a dropped ice cream cone.

So at the moment my anger at blogging templates is slightly outweighing my excitement for free agency.

At any rate I present to you my angrily abbreviated free agency preview. As Devils beat writer extraordinaire Tom Gulitti points out, we’ve got some cash to throw around. More than $18 mil to be less than exact. That’s a lot o’ benjamins, so let’s hope we can outdo last years lesson in mediocrity.

Here are my picks for the ‘08 Fabulous Free Agency Frenzy (trademark pending):

Who Stays: Jay Pandolfo, Bryce Salvador

Pando was off to a great start before his injury last year, he’s the consummate Devil and he deserves a new contract. I’d be seriously surprised and upset if we let him go. I think Bryce, despite his injuries last year, could be a solid lockdown 3 or 4 d-man.
Get the Eff Outta Town: Aaron Asham, Karel Rachuneck and Sergei Brylin

Karel and Aaron who? These guys just sucked last year, end of story. Unlike Pando, Brylin just looked like he was out of gas last year. He’s been great over the years, but I’d like to see the Devils part ways with him. Sorry Sarge. Despite my feelings, he’ll probably be back courtesy of a player option for next year.

Who to Pitch for (Realistically): Brian Rolston, Brendan Morrison or Cory Stillman up front. John Michael Liles or Mark Streit in back. Georges Laraque as a back line bruiser.

We NEED a top six center and a bigtime offensive defenseman desperately, there’s no two ways around it. I like Rolston and Morrison to fill our hole at center because they already know our system and are proven vets that could fill the gap while our youth develops. I’ve really enjoyed the reemergence of Stillman over the last few years as well, and could see him easily in the same role.

There are some big names out there on D, but Streit and Liles are young and brimming with talent. I love Paul Martin, but he just hasn’t proven he can be the powerplay QB we need. If we took one of these guys and had Martin as as a solid No. 2, I think we’d be set for a few years.

uhh…Laraque is a f***ing beast. So… yeah.

I also wouldn’t mind seeing Brooks Orpik or Ryan Malone in Red ‘n Black.

Who to Pitch for (Prob not Going to Happen): Marian Hossa, Pavol Demitra, Wade Redden, Brian Campbell.

These guys would make any team better. I’m not expecting any of them to come aboard, but I wouldn’t be unhappy if they did.

Marketing Maddness Pick: Miro Satan

I’d have my Satan Devils jersey faster than you could say ‘underachieving winger.

Left Field Crazy Trade Proposal: Patrick Marleau for a package including Brian Gionta, so long as we bring in another top six winger via free agency.

If Gio stays I’m fine with it, but if something like this went down I’d get to sleep at night.

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Alright, that’s it boys and girls. The other crazies at 2ma are likely to put their two cents in before long and we of course want to know what you guys have to say in the comments section. Cross your fingers!

So we all know that the coming of Summer not only means triple-digit heat waves and inevitable consumption of unhealthy amounts of Korean Barbecue, it also means that we have to find a way to kill four months without hockey.

Of course, you have the draft, free agency, and probably some trade rumors to look forward to — but as Devils fans we kinda have a hard time getting amped about all that jazz. So what’s a Devils fan to do? Well, for starters, you could rejoice over the fact that Karel Rachunek will not be with us next year. That always cheers me up.

Acknowledging that it’s been dead around here lately, Myself & The Gang are already talking about next season and are interested to see how the stage will be set for Black ‘N Red come October. We (or at least I…) will be updating with much more frequency to help all of you in Devils-land get through this dark time known as “the off-season.” Hey, what are friends for?

Throughout the coming months, you should keep your head up for an Off-Season Breakdown, Draft Evaluations, News Updates, & several rants on whatever seems to be pissing us off that day. As the new season draws nearer, we will release our 2008-2009 Season Preview, which promises to be more fun than a barrel of monkeys…with chainsaws!!

In the end, we know it’s been a quiet few months around here, but we thank you all for continuing to check us out and leave your two cents on our updates. You’ll have much more to buzz about shortly!

Look everyone, news!! …DEVILS-related news!!!

Lou Lamoriello must be trying to fill the void left by Karel Rachunek after he peaced out to Russia. (Oh, you didn’t know he left?  Oh well.)

The Devils have signed Finnish free-agent Anssi Salmonella Salmela to a contract.  This is the Devils we’re talking about so naturally terms of the contract were not and probably never will be disclosed.  Secrecy, dudes.

Salmela is a 23-year-old defenseman who has split time between Tappara and the Pelicans of the Finnish elite league.  He has also represented Finland at the 2004 World Juniors and this year’s tournament as well.

Through 226 games, Anssi has tallied 36 goals, 42 assists, and 208 penalty minutes.

For those of you who may not already know, there has been a tragedy in the hockey world. 21-year-old Canucks blueliner Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident late last night in New Brunswick.

Doubling as a Canucks fan by night, this news is devastating to me. Luc was a young man full of talent and promise in the Vancouver organization and was quickly earning his spot on the big club after splitting most of the season between the Canucks and their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.

Our very own Brent Sutter is no stranger to Luc. Bourdon was a tremendous factor in the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championships, tallying six points in six games to help Sutter’s squad capture the gold medal. That very same season, he also earned the right to call himself a Memorial Cup Champion, helping Ted Nolan’s Wildcats to glory.

On behalf of Patricia, Steve, Scott, and Josh; I would like to extend our condolences and deepest sympathies to the Bourdon family.

Team Heaven’s roster just got that much better.

Mmmm, news-y tidbits.

Devils Draft Party is June 20th at 7 PM at The Rock.  I personally have never been, and I am dying for something hockey-related that doesn’t feature teams I despise, so I’ll  be in attendance (with 2MA stickers, of course).  The Devils have the 21st overall pick in this spring’s draft, and players ranking around #21 according to various lists and things include a guy that seems almost suspiciously perfect for the Devils:  Defensement John Carlson.

He’s from New Jersey (Colonia, to be exact).  He’s a defenseman with a rocket from the blue line, and he’s big (6′2″, 210).  Oh, and he likes the Devils, which makes him a Kool-Aid drinker already.

Other possibilities for the Devils whom I’d like to see donning the red & black in a few years include winger David Toews (brother of Jonathan…you see where I’m going with this one?), defenseman Tyler Myers (he’s 6′7″.  Enough said.), and defensemen Colten Teubert, who’s also big (6′4″) and plays a shutdown style defensive game according to www.hockeysfuture.com

In other Devils news, remember Karel Rachunek?  Supposedly he was one of the small village of defensemen the Devils kept around Newark last year.  Yeah, well, he’s gone.  Signed with some Russian team.  Rumor has it he had a deal in place during the season, which resulted in his not playing hardly at all down the stretch.  I think I speak for most Devils fans when I offer a great big…meh.

And finally, the Stanley Cup Finals are set, and it will be division rival Pittsburgh versus the Detroit Red Wings.  Game one is Saturday night at 8 PM.  I’m going on record as predicting the Wings in 5 - they take games 1 & 2 at home, Pittsburgh gets a win on home ice in game 3 but peter out in games 4 & 5.