Devils trade Fiddler

I missed the Devils loss to Calgary (Had to work) and their win tonight over Columbus due to being in Harrisburg for the Senators Hot Stove Banquet,so not much on the game front.
As I have written before,I don't feel comfortable writing about games that I haven't watched.
In my opinion,that does not add analysis,I'm just rehashing numbers and other peoples thoughts that watched the game..

However,there is Devils news as the Devils traded veteran forward Vernon Fiddler to the Nashville Predators in return for a fourth round draft pick.
Fiddler had recently returned from a foot injury and scored one goal with two assists in 39 games with the Devils.
Fiddler had been signed over the summer to a one year contract from the Dallas Stars as a checking line forward and for help with the penalty kill and was exactly the type of low cost free agent signing that you hope could provide some help and leadership before potentially being moved to a contender for an asset at deadline time..

A fourth round pick doesn't seem like much,but more late round picks add up,can help in getting a prospect by moving up on draft day and when you are in the middle of a rebuild-the more picks for journeyman players that you can obtain,the faster the process can move.
Vernon Fiddler may have not produced as much as the Devils may have wished for,but we don't know what the pick obtained for him will bring-Hope springs eternal...

Henrique dims Stars with OT goal!

The slow start to the season for Adam Henrique hopefully has ended as Henrique took a pass from Kyle Palmieri on a 2 on 1 breakaway in overtime and flipped it over Antti Niemi to give the New Jersey Devils their fifth win in a row-this one 2-1 over the Dallas Stars.
Henrique's goal (3) allowed the Devils to start their four game road trip with a victory on a day that started with concern (more below) and ended with a strong effort against a good team.
Damon Severson scored (3) the first goal of the game for the Devils with Cory Schneider stopping 24 Dallas shots.
The next game for the Devils is Thursday night in Anaheim-no coverage due to the late start time and work....

Hell Raisers

1) The big news and concern is Taylor Hall missing the game with the "lower body injury".
Hall returned to New Jersey for an MRI today and a loss of Hall for this lineup could be massive.
Hall is tied for the team lead in points with Damon Severson and if this could be a long term absence,the Devils are going to be right back where they were last season as far as scoring goals go-trouble..

2) I wrote in the season preview that someone was going to have step up in the absence of Adam Larsson among the defensive corps,if the Devils were to have any chance of continuing to improve this season.
Thus far,someone has-In Damon Severson,the Devils just may have found their young blueliner that can combine offense with defense.
Severson currently is tied for the team lead in points with Taylor Hall and has been solid on the defensive end as he is comprising a solid tandem with Andy Greene.
Long way to go,but I like what I am seeing...

3) Adam Henrique hasn't played well most of the time this season and though I wouldn't attribute that to a lack of effort,this is a results business.
It was nice to see some of that effort rewarded with the game winner.
Henrique scored 30 goals last season,but I don't believe that he is a true 30 goal scorer and don't expect that from him,but I do think that he is a better player than he has shown this season.
Hopefully,this is the start of better things...

4) Cory Schneider didn't have as many saves as his counterpart Antti Niemi,but he had a tremendous night.
Schneider made some tremendous saves and kept the Devils in the game to give them a chance in the offensive end,,

5) Very classy of the Stars to give Vernon Fiddler a tribute on their video board before the game and equally as classy for John Hynes to give the fourth line (which Fiddler is a part of) the chance to start the game as the first line on the ice for the faceoff.
Guys like Fiddler don't get a ton of face time,but they are the grinders that make the game what it is and often are shunted into the background.
Kudos to the Stars and coach Hynes for remembering that...

6) Finally,Five wins in a row?
I don't have a stat in front of me,but it has been a while since five wins in a row.
This might be just because I am happy with the recent level of play,but I think we are on the right track with Ray Shero and John Hynes.
I think there is a long way to go in this overhaul of talent into a new style of play and there will be plenty of time for frustration and even doubt,but I think we are moving forward and with a few more drafts,the Devils are going to get there....

Free Agency Moves and Grooves!

With July 1st arriving and drafts in the NBA and NHL over-it is time for just one thing-the nuttiness that is free agency.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost two players to the free agency pool as Timofey Mozgov signed a four year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for 64 million and Matthew Dellavedova signed a four year offer sheet worth 39 million with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Cavaliers are not expected to match the offer sheet and will then lose Dellavedova to Milwaukee.
Now,these deals cannot be officially signed until July 7th and the deals are not binding (ask DeAndre Jordan and Mark Cuban about that),but usually where there is smoke there is fire.

Mozgov was very impressive after being acquired in the 2014-15 season from Denver,but a return from knee surgery never seemed to go smoothly and the seven foot Mozgov wound up playing sparingly for most of the season and postseason.
Dellavedova didn't play a lot vs Golden State,but was a valuable backup to Kyrie Irving on the point in the Eastern Conference bracket.
The hustle off the bench made Delly a fan favorite and one of mine as well,but for just under ten million per year and J,R.Smith needing to be re-signed,one can make an excellent argument that Dellavedova would be a far too expensive luxury for the salary cap stressed Cavaliers.
Cleveland will still have Mo Williams and rookie Kay Felder to back up Irving,but it would not surprise me at all to see the Cavaliers try to sign a veteran at the position,if one can be signed inexpensively.

Meanwhile on the ice,the New Jersey Devils fresh off obtaining Taylor Hall signed two players to the team and watched another sign elsewhere on day one of the silly season.
The loss came to the defense as David Schlemko signed with the San Jose Sharks on a four year deal at 2.1 million per season.
Schlemko played very well in his only season in New Jersey,but honestly considering the length of the contract,I'm Ok with not re-signing Schlemko.

New Jersey did add two players,neither of which were massive acquisitions,but both should see plenty of ice time in the 2016-17 term.
Defenseman Ben Lovejoy was brought in from ,in a stunning surprise-Pittsburgh.
Lovejoy actually will be making more than Schlemko per season,but will be on a three year contract.
The 32 year old Lovejoy played in 66 games last season and finished with four goals and six assists and a plus nine.
Lovejoy isn't a flashy addition and neither is 36 year old Vernon Fiddler.
Fiddler scored 12 goals last season for the Dallas Stars and should be a fourth line center on the checking line as well as helping kill penalties.
Fiddler's signing will likely mean that at least one or two of the Devils unrestricted free agents are unlikely to return as most of them (Bobby Farnham,Stephen Gionta,Tyler Kennedy,Tuomo Ruutu and Jordin Tootoo) are similar types as Fiddler-3rd to 4th lines that specialize in checking/penalty killing.
Neither signing will be part of the long term turnaround,but should at least help the Devils in the short term.

That finishes the day one recap of the arrivals and departures.
If I have time,I'll try to to knock out part one of my last trip....