The Devils Apparent Shopping List So Far.....

NJ needs to make sure they retain the services of Jay Pandolfo...getting Brian Rolston back would be a great addition to the team (being that he already was with NJ in the past is a help).

I just hope Lou makes some great off-season acquisitions that would benefit NJ and put this team back as a serious contender again.

While I agree that Nieds was a special player and we will not likely see a player like him again, I can;' agree with that statement

The Devils won with team defense, timely scoring and strong goaltending.  Neidermeyer had his momemnts but Scott Stevens controlled games and changed series.

Paul Martin can be close to what Neidermeyer was, he showed signs of that this year but we sorely missed Stevens and Dayneko types.  Would Avery had gotten away with any of his BS with them on the ice, I think not.  Running a goalie is akin to hitting a QB late. Needs to be dealt with swiftly and sternly.

Perhaps Jason Smith or Nolan Baumgartner on D.  Giving Brookbank more time to play and may being adding his 6'4'' brother would not hurt.  Re-sign Mottau at a resonable price.  Racunek, MAtvichuk & Vishnevski can all go.

Jeff Jillson is a name thats slipped into the minors, maybe give the 28 yr old former #1 a chance to prove himself(6'3'' 225lb).

Salvador showed some signs and would be OK at a reasonable price(although this was one of Lou's worst Trade years)

Scoring has to be the next glaring weakness, a team record for shutouts shows this clearly.  Maybe its time to move Gionta, he does not belong on a chekcing line.

Woulds Morrison, Lankow or York be a possibllity at center.  Lou banished Brendan, not sure if he would be welcome back but he has show signs.  Might spark Patrick back to a top line winger and not waste his talents.

On wing - Hossa, Rolsten, Demitra, Satan, Ryder - Anyone that can score in the clutch. (OMG - Arron Asham makes 700K/yr, dear gawd)

Signing a backup golaie that can play and allowing him to do so will also be a nice change.  Marty needs a break.

There's only one guy I see the Devils really trying to sign from this list, and it's going to be Jay Pandolfo. Honestly, I haven't seen enough of the other guys in order to know how they can help this team. I do agree, however, that this team needs another consistent blue line scorer. And, more important, this guy has to be able to quarterback the powerplay. That's what the PP really missed this season. I'm not sold on Martin being a complete player yet, and I think signing a good veteran defensive player will only help him get better.

On offense, clearly this team needs a scorer and a big body. I would like to wait for the postseason to end to really see where FA stand in terms of whether they're talking to their teams, etc.

Lou signing free agents and doing what's necessary to make his team better? HA! I'll believe it when I see it!

In all serousness, the Devils need to grab a big name this summer, whether it be through free agency or through trading. Everyone says Lou is under a lot of pressure. Our small fan base is pissed and has been pissed since the summer. We have a low scoring offense and what I call a Mercenary type defense. When it comes to Lou, many of you know I am very critical and pessimistic. That's why I think he'll let everyone, including Pandolfo walk this summer. He'll sign a 5th or 6th defenseman, sign a 3rd line winger, and create the illusion we have a competitive team next year.

Like I said, Lou really needs to get a big name this summer, and some accessories to go along with it. Did anyone ever hear WFAN report that the Devils agreed to trade Gionta, Berforgos, and a 2nd rounder to Florida for Jokinen and a 3rd rounder? If not, I wouldn't be surprised. Just wanted to be sure. Something I would love the Devils to do is make a play for Hossa. Maybe then we could work out a trade for a center in Olli Jokinen or just sign Brian Rolston, and maybe try to get that top four defenseman we need. I think too many pepole are going to try to get Cambell, especially if the big market teams like Montreal or New York go after him. On defense, we should try to get someone like Brad Stuart to start. I would defenitely love to see the Devils also try to make a play for someone like Wade Redden or maybe make a trade for a top four defenseman. I dunno, the possibilities are endless, yet the problem we know 90% of what we discuss on threads like this never happen.

Also, I think we are having 2-3 rookies come up next year. I heard Petr Vrane, Nikilas Berforgos, and Matt Corrente all may be NHL ready next year, so that's a bright spot we have to look towards. One thing this team defenitely needs to do is get younger. It showed this year in the playoffs.