Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Them Fightin' Words

Rich Chere at The Star-Ledger writes about how the Devils are a "team", and how they've managed to stay atop the standings without making big free-agent splashes like the Rangers...

Like fireworks on the 4th, the Rangers can be counted on to make a lot of noise in the free-agent marketplace every July. Even in the salary-capped NHL, they know how to make a splash...The Devils, on the other hand, usually play it low key...So how come the Rangers will visit the Prudential Center tonight looking up at the Devils in the standings?...

...weren't the Devils supposed to be chasing their arch rivals after the Rangers signed Gomez and Chris Drury while keeping their other stars? Wasn't this to be a lean season for the Devils, who replaced Gomez and Brian Rafalski with Dainius Zubrus and Karel Rachunek?...

..."This team is a team. It's not individuals," Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner said...

..."You'd be accurate in saying over the last few years the Rangers have made the biggest offseason signings in terms of not only salary but big-name players as well," John Madden said. "We've lost some guys, but we find people to replace them."

...hey Madden in case you don't remember, there's this thing called the salary cap. It's been in effect for "the last few years." Meaning the Rangers can't spend any more money than the Devils can.

...not sure if Langenbrunner and Madden were taking shots at the Rangers, but if I'm someone on the Rangers staff I'm making sure players see this article before the game tonight.

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