hf101 Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Invites to Camp include veteran forwards Scott Gomez, Jordan Tootoo, and Ruslan Fedotenko. Gomez, 34, played 46 games last season for the Florida Panthers and had 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists). It is his playmaking that makes him appealing to the Devils."He felt he still had a lot of hockey in him and he's been working out this summer so I told him to come to camp," Lamoriello said. "There are no promises. Tootoo, 31, spent most of last season with Detroit’s AHL team in Grand Rapids playing only 11 NHL games last season – putting up six goals, 12 assists and 104 penalty minutes in 51 games – and had the final season of his three-year, $5.7 million contract bought out by the Red Wings in late June. Fedotenko, 35, played in the KHL last season with Donbass in his native Ukraine and had seven goals and 10 assists in 46 regular season games. The Devils already have 14 forwards on one-way contracts and Ryan Carter is planning to come to camp without a contract, but seemingly waiting for Lamoriello to move a forward to make room for him on the roster. Adding to the mix is also RFA Eric Gelinas who remains unsigned. Lamoriello has hinted that the latest contract offer won’t change. Gelinas has to make a choice and consider that there will be competition to earn a roster spot and missing camp will affect his chances of earning a spot on the top two defensive lines. Rookies such as Stefan Matteau and Reid Boucher are also hoping to compete for NHL jobs. “We’ve got a lot of quality forwards here,” Lamoriello said. “We’re going to round out a very competitive camp and people will either push people or pass people. No promises are made to anybody on tryouts. There’s no guarantees, there’s nothing. It’s just an opportunity to come in and we’ll go from there. There’s no promises on exhibition games, nothing. We’ll determine everything in training camp.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OccamsRazor Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Ruslan Fedotenko has accepted an invitation to attend the New Jersey Devils training camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted September 13, 2014 Share Posted September 13, 2014 Jagr, Zajac, Elias, Henrique, and Cammalleri are all probably locks for top six roles, but beyond that it's basically a free-for-all. Ryder and Brunner will probably be competing for that last top six spot. They both really need to play with somebody like Elias who can get them the puck. Although I think they might move either Elias or Henrique down to center the third line to spread the offense out a little. Which would basically leave Josefson/Gionta/Gomez in a competition to center the fourth line. Which leaves Clowe/Havlat/Ruutu/Zubrus/Bernier/Carter/Fedotenko/Tootoo to battle it out for the last few roster spots. And that's not even counting Boucher and Matteau, who are really the only young forwards who are even close to making it. Gelinas (or more likely his agent) is playing with fire if they're going to go the holdout route with Lou. Outside of Niedermayer, I think every player who tried it was traded within a year of their holdout. And he really doesn't have any leverage. He's played a whole 60 games in the league. Hardly enough of a sample size to be asking for much. And Larsson, who has twice as many NHL games under his belt, just got a one year 900K deal this summer. The last thing Gelinas needs is to miss camp, especially when there's a guy like Severson, who the organization is very high on, waiting in the wings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 looking your roster and invites thru I think that Lou either plans on icing 18 forwards and rolling six lines or he has simply lost his mind, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 @MadDevil If you guys are down on Larson you are welcome to throw him our way....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted September 14, 2014 Author Share Posted September 14, 2014 looking your roster and invites thru I think that Lou either plans on icing 18 forwards and rolling six lines or he has simply lost his mind, lol Can only hope. I would't be surprised if Gomez retires a Devil. And Lou may have a trade in mind as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 Lou said he was looking at moving a forward or two earlier this summer. Plus with the inevitable injuries to Clowe and Havlat, they'll need some extra bodies. The weird thing to me was that they signed 2/3 of the CBGB line, but probably the best of the three, Carter, isn't signed.As for the tryouts, I would be surprised if any of them actually make the team. Gomez got a tryout purely as a favor to an ex-Devil (Lou is loyal, often to a fault). Kaberle probably has connections with some of the Czechs on the team, and they might need to have a cheap backup plan in case the kids falter or they have injuries. The Tootoo and Fedotenko invites are pretty random though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted September 14, 2014 Share Posted September 14, 2014 @MadDevil As you know, you can never count out the Devils. As long as the goaltending is there....and it is...they will be in the hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted September 15, 2014 Author Share Posted September 15, 2014 @MadDevil Gelinas is resigned. Add Komisarek to the list of unsigned tryouts. I think it is interesting that Lou is taking a look at all of these forwards and d-men yet they have an opening for a backup goalie and none have been invited to camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Good to see Gelinas signed. From his comments it sounds like his agent was the one holding things up.As for the backup goalie, I think that will be a battle between Clemmensen and Kinkaid in camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Good to see Gelinas signed. From his comments it sounds like his agent was the one holding things up. As for the backup goalie, I think that will be a battle between Clemmensen and Kinkaid in camp.I REALLY like Gelinas. Strange stat line for a d-man, no blocked shots, I mean none, the lowest among any d-man but I saw him on the power play, my God, if you don't play him he continues to move in tighter and tighter with the puck. Nice slapper. Just a fun player. I wonder if he might be better off as a forward, but his skill as a point man is beyond reproach. I know they sent him down to punish him for not playing D last year, and his stats didn't get better in that regard as the season went on. If he ever gets it together look out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Gelinas has all the physical tools (size, mobility, shot) to be a really good defenseman. It's his mental game I wonder about. He's not very smart defensively, and I don't know how much coaching can fix that. He continually made the same mistakes and eventually had his ice time limited because of it. You compare that to a kid like Merrill, who made similar mistakes, but seemed to learn from them a lot quicker than Gelinas. But Gelinas is still young and has time to improve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted September 26, 2014 Author Share Posted September 26, 2014 As for the tryouts, I would be surprised if any of them actually make the team. Gomez got a tryout purely as a favor to an ex-Devil (Lou is loyal, often to a fault). Kaberle probably has connections with some of the Czechs on the team, and they might need to have a cheap backup plan in case the kids falter or they have injuries. Agreed after watching last nights game Neither were impressive. I'm not sure if either one of them won a single puck battle all night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted September 30, 2014 Author Share Posted September 30, 2014 Update:The Devils have released Komisarek, Kaberle and Ruslan Fedotenko from camp. Tootoo, Gomez and Carter are the only three players remaining in camp without contracts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Update:The Devils have released Komisarek, Kaberle and Ruslan Fedotenko from camp. Tootoo, Gomez and Carter are the only three players remaining in camp without contracts. No comment on Komisarek, but not surprised on Kaberle.He never impressed me even in his prime.Turnover machine, not particularly good in his own end, and his supposed offensive skills were average at best, IMO.Also didn't see any 'leadership' out of the guy either. Fedotenko though?A bit surprised.I figured even at a soon to be 36 in January, he'd be worth a shot on the Devils third line as a guy who did decent work along the boards, a good checker, and can chip in offensively as well. Then again, that's the Ruslan I REMEMBER, and perhaps after spending last season with the NHL and his age, he no longer has the legs to keep up with an NHL team and perhaps the Devils saw that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Fedotenko wasn't terrible, but he wasn't impressive enough to knock anybody else out. The Devils have 14 forwards on one way contracts, plus Gomez/Carter/Tootoo on tryouts. Something's gotta give in the next week or so. I could see Bernier being waived and either Gomez or Carter signed. Gomez has played surprisingly well, but I'm still hesitant about him. I don't want them to sign him and then a month or two into the season he craps out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 @MadDevil I've only seen one Devil preseason game, but in general, I'd have to agree about Fedotenko. He does everything ok, but nothing spectacular, so it would be tough to dislodge a vet with a skill set like that, he needed to fill the net to make the team, and he has fell short of that. I would be worried about Gomez as well, his body could give out a few months in and your stuck with the contract and not much left to show for it. It would appear that a Carter would be more guaranteed in terms of return, you just know what you'd be getting a bit better. If Tootoo makes the team, it's not a good sign....lol, I don't think he has a legit shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 I actually like Tootoo, but there's really no need or space for him. I'd much rather sign Carter, who you can rely on to play 10-12 minutes a night and occasionally chip in some offense. Although it's starting to look like he might be the odd man out if Gomez continues to play well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 @MadDevil I dunno, I think guys like Tootoo are a dying breed. You gotta bring something other than toughness, he does not skate well enough to sustain a forecheck....and will probably fetch under 10 pts....I think there are much more effective options out there. I'd much rather have a Harry Zolernick type, speed and devestating hits are more than Tootoo offers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted October 1, 2014 Share Posted October 1, 2014 Well, I also like Cam Janssen, so you could say I have a weakness for goons. I agree that players like Tootoo don't have as much use anymore, and with better options available I don't think he'll make the team. But Pete does have a weakness for "energy" guys, so who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 @MadDevil Devils coach Peter Deboer played his junior hockey in Windsor, as did Cam Janssens, so there is that tie in. I used to love watch Cam in jrs, he played every game like it was his last and had a NASTY disposition at all times....lol. He never cared how big the other guy was, just wanted to knock out whoever he was squared up against. His last year, I saw him knock out 4 guys, 2 of them got stretched out of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J0e Th0rnton Posted October 6, 2014 Share Posted October 6, 2014 Le sigh. I always miss Stevens and now I will miss Brodeur. How did Jon Merrill do in Camp? Is he definitely sticking with the big club? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDevil Posted October 7, 2014 Share Posted October 7, 2014 Merrill looked pretty solid in camp from what I saw. He's not a guy who really sticks out, but he plays a very smart, steady game. It sounds like he's probably going to play with Greene on the top pairing. Although he looked pretty good with Gelinas in their last preseason game. It'll be interesting to see how all the kids respond to increased responsibilities this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 @MadDevil I guess I'll find out tonight, but who is Henrique playing with right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.