What got them there? Well honestly a resilient offense and timely goaltending from someone not named Martin Brodeur for most of the season is what got the Devils to this point. When Brodeur went down on November 1st…did anyone expect them to be in this position? No! Scott Clemmensen did an incredible job under the worst circumstances with 25 wins for Jersey. However he did tail off the last 10 days sort of like he did the first 10. Patrik Elias has 65 points for the team and Zach Parise has 73 points. The Devils, in all, have scored 186 goals in 61 games which is good for 3.05 goals per game. As an oh by the way Jamie Langenbrunner, the captain has chipped in with 52 points including 19 goals and 5 GWG’s….he is a clutch man when clutch is needed. Travis Zajac in his third year also has 52 points which has been a huge surprise for a team that did not expect quite that much from him.

Now what got them there to me is a simple philosophy that quite a few people forgot about. That started during last year’s playoff series in Game 3 where the Devils decided to play a little more of a run and gun style. They would go on to lose to the Rangers in five games but it set the stage for this season. Signing Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik helped play a big part in that. Now they have not produced in the way expected but they have been effective. Effective works as most know! Still this team does have some needs and that is a cold reality as team vie for the Stanley Cup come April.

What they need? It looks like the team needs a defenseman for starters. The goaltending is obviously covered. Never hurts to have an all-world netminder….ever! Ideally the Devils need a two way defenseman to create some more offense while being able to muscle guys out of Brodeur’s way. A guy like Jay-Bo wouldn’t hurt but the reality may dictate more a return of Scott Niedermayer or Jordan Leopold and even that might not be all that likely. After all, that is the whole point of a wish list. You wish for it but it does not mean you will get it. Sad commentary on life that your team cannot always get what they want.

This team could use another scoring forward especially if Brian Gionta really is as digruntled as people have said. That of course depends on who you read and who you ask. The Devils could bring up someone from Lowell if they really had to. It would not hurt to get a little younger as Gionta is having a nice season but should have just about a point a game with who he is playing. He did nearly score 50 once but that seems like eons ago! Rolson has also been a bit of a disappointment in that sense…people just expected more I guess. Maybe it will come next year but for chemistry’s sake a 2nd line scorer couldn’t hurt. Who could they get? Well Gabork is out…how about maybe a Tim Connolly perhaps. Time will tell.

What Will They Get? Not sure truthfully….there are so many wild rumors out there that usually the quiet ones are hard to gauge. This time of year really is like a “Christmas” of sorts for teams as they find out what they will have to work with as they go into battle for the Stanley Cup! Leopold might be the most practical and affordable but will the Devils have enough “goods” to aim higher? Brian Gionta and a pick or two, toss in a Pandolfo and the Devils might be able to address their needs. Then again the trade deadline is like high stakes poker….sometimes you have to go all in to get what you want.

Come Wednesday Evening we will see what the Devils wind up getting. Will it be enough? I do not know but surely we will be back with analysis of the Devils Trade Deadline as well as the NHL Trade Deadline. Enjoy the hockey till then!

Kunitz has been tagged a “top six forward” by Penguins GM Ray Shero and he seems pretty pleased about the deal.  He did not specifically say that the deal was  to get someone to team up with Sid.

The deal net the Pens a solid Winger and Tangradi, a Philadelphia native, who is a highly touted prospect who has 87 points (38 goals, 49 assists) in 52 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s Belleville Bulls this season. Anaheim drafted him 42nd overall in 2007.

The Penguins have a great deal of depth currently at the blue line with the return of Sergi Gonchar.  Whitney has not played up to expectations this year.  With the emergence of Kris Letang and withand Alex Goligoski and his development this year, it gave The Pens one extra defense man to try to get a top forward like Chris Kunitz.  Kunitz, 29, scored 16 goals and recorded 19 assists to go with 55 penalty minutes in 62 games this season with the Ducks. He was part of their 2007 Stanley Cup winning team and this season was their leader with 148 hits.

Kunitz is expected to play tonight at Chicago.

TSN is reporting that the trade consists of Schneider and a conditional draft pick to Montreal, to the Atalanta Thrashers goes a 2nd round pick this year and a 3rd round pick in 2010.

Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is rumored to be shopping Brian Gionta to shed some salary to add a veteran top four defenseman. Gionta, who is making $4 Million, is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season end and could be the most valued trade commodity for the Devils.

The veteran forwards productivity has continued to decline since his 48 goal season in 2005-2006. This season, while playing on a line with Patrick Elias and Dainius Zubrus he has netted 11 goals and 30 assists but only has 2 goals in the last 14 games. 

The addition of Brendan Shanahan has given the Devils some scoring depth upfront and the freedom to move a forward via a trade. The Devils have also been shopping forwards Jay Pandolfo and John Madden, both who earn just under $3 million this season, though Pandolfo has been a healthy scratch the past five games and Madden’s lack of offensive ability make them much less valuable than Gionta.

With several top line defenseman available like Scott Neidermeyer, Chris Pronger, Jay Bouwmeester, Tomas Kaberle, just to name a few, the Devils will need to shed some salary. Currently just sitting under the cap, the Devils will be forced to package a forward, defenseman and draft picks if they are to land one of the high priced veteran defenseman.

Ryan Hamilton, a 23 year old Torontonian was with Minnesota’s AHL affiliate, Houston Aeros when he heard the big news, that he was returning home. With the Aeros this year, Hamilton had pot eight goals, while racking up four assists and 24 penalty minutes.

Before making his NHL debut  Ryan Hamilton played with the OHL’s Barrie Colts where he led the with 45 goals in 63 games played.

With the addition of Hamilton, the Leafs are receiving a physical player who rarely gets his name on the score sheet. The only downside to this acquisition is that Hamilton will probably be with the Toronto Marlies (the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate) for a few seasons, until General Manager Burke thinks that he will have a big impact on the Leafs.

Grabovski definitly had enough talent to stay in the NHL, but one thing he didn’t have yet to deserve a spot on the Canadiens’ roster is maturity. Grabovski, unfortunately, is the kind of player that thinks to much of himself and believe me, when you do not show up at the practice simply because you are not playing the next game, that is not only unprofessional, but very immature. It is a good thing he is no longer in the Habs’ plans and that Montreal head coach Guy Carbonneau won’t have to put up with his bull**** anymore.

I’m just surprised Toronto is so desperate.

The trade consists of Habs first round pick this year and their second round pick next year, for Calgary Flames forward Alex Tanguay and Flames fifth round pick this year.

Tanguay had this to say,

“I’m very excited about this great news. I’m a hockey fan, and I like the way the Canadiens play. It suits my style of play”.

It is not known as of yet what the Thrashers gave up, or if any other players were involved in the deal.

More to follow.

The Kings got a seventh round draft pick in return.

More to follow.

In return the Maple Leafs will receive a third round draft pick in 2008.

More to follow.

The Ducks sent over a third-round pick to the Islanders in exchange.

More to come.

In exchange, the Kings will receive a second-round draft pick in 2008 and a fourth round draft pick in 2009.

More details to come.

Going to the Islanders is a sixth-round draft pick in 2008.

More to come.

The Blues will receive a fourth round draft pick in return.

More details to follow.

The package going to the Thrashers includes forwards Angelo Esposito, Colby Armstrong, and Erik Christensen, and the Penguins’ first round draft.

Also headed to the Penguins is forward Pascal Dupuis.

More to follow.

TSN is now reporting that the Maple Leafs will receive two draft picks, a second-rounder and a fifth-rounder, for Gill.

More to follow.

Going the other way is forward Matt Pettinger.

More details to follow.

Update: 1:36PM According to Sportsnet’s Pierre LeBrun, the Capitals parted with defense prospect Teddy Ruth in exchange.

Word throughout the morning was that the Blue Jackets were heavily shopping Fedorov in hopes of moving him before the deadline.

This is the second trade for the Capitals today, as the club acquired Montreal Canadiens goalie Cristobal Huet earlier.

As for the Blue Jackets, they also made a move earlier, when they traded pending UFA defenseman Adam Foote to the Colorado Avalanche. Speculation is that may not be done.

More details to follow.

The Blue Jackets and Foote have not been able to come to an agreement on a contract extension, and word is that the blueliner wants to be moved.

It’s unclear if Colorado is the only team talking trade with the Blue Jackets for the former Avalanche defender. Foote, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, has ultimate control over where he ends up.

Update:1:02PM Sportsnet is now reporting the deal is done, but there’s still no mention of what’s headed back to Columbus.

More info to come.