The Devils Back-Up Plan To Souray...???

I don't know if anyone heard this internet rumor going around, but it seems that the Chicago Blackhawks are shopping around a defenseman who's considered to be like the next Souray & would be obtainable for the right trade.

His name is Cam Barker & supposedly they're shopping him around for a proven NHL ready LW.

Is this guy really the next Souray? And if so...why would they want to trade him?

Would he be worth a trade for us & if so...for who???

Intersesting.

I just looked up his stats & I don't see "Souray" type numbers. Then again...its is the Blackhawks.

I really hope they can piece together a decent team this year. It's sad to see that franchise not doing well.

Cam Barker would be the anchor of this team's defense for the next 15 years. He's still a project in the making and I seriously doubt Chicago would give up on him for anyone on our roster.

if people dont want souray then why would you want a kid thats going to be souray

Cam Barker would be the anchor of this team's defense for the next 15 years. He's still a project in the making and I seriously doubt Chicago would give up on him for anyone on our roster.

Especially since our left wings are our future (Elias, Parise, Pandolfo)

However, we could trade Brylin for him if he's that good.

However, we could trade Brylin for him if he's that good.

Chicago would laugh in your face.

Especially since our left wings are our future (Elias, Parise, Pandolfo)

However, we could trade Brylin for him if he's that good.


i assume you are joking with the above statement. you just got done saying he could be the next Souray or anchor a defense for the next 15 years and you are offering Brylin?!? #3 overall in 2004 for both Pandolfo and Brylin is laughable. There is no way Chicago would accept anything less than a package centering around Gionta or Parise.

devils should be going after markov

Chicago would laugh in your face.

apparently someone already is.... :speechles

Why on earth would the Hawks want to trade Cam Barker if he has such an upside?

Also, if the Devils are seriously looking to bolster their blueline further, Markov is likely the best of what's left in the market.

I saw him play here in norfolk often enough to say he's going to be very good, but he aint dare yet. He couldn't play pp in this league this year.

i assume you are joking with the above statement. you just got done saying he could be the next Souray or anchor a defense for the next 15 years and you are offering Brylin?!? #3 overall in 2004 for both Pandolfo and Brylin is laughable. There is no way Chicago would accept anything less than a package centering around Gionta or Parise.

That's what the internet is saying. I have no clue if this guy is the next Souray or not. I've never seen him play.

Hey, why don't we trade them our 1st round pick, Foster & throw in our 2nd round pick, Pihlman??? Seems only fair...right!?! LOL

We don't have any proven LW that we could trade for Barker.

We don't have any proven LW that we could trade for Barker.

None that we can afford to give up. Maybe Parise, but he's far to important.

devils should be going after markov

Agreed...I would like Souray to help the power play but I want markov even more.

Why trade a great player or draft picks for the next Souray when Souray is still out there for nothing?

Why trade a great player or draft picks for the next Souray when Souray is still out there for nothing?

Because Souray will cost a ridiculous amount of money over a lot of years. Barker is a good young defenseman who has #1 potential and will be cost-controlled for several seasons.

Because Souray will cost a ridiculous amount of money over a lot of years. Barker is a good young defenseman who has #1 potential and will be cost-controlled for several seasons.

I agree 100% with you on your statement!

But gees...is this kid Barker really that good? I never heard of the kid & it seems like everyone is saying that we have to give up a lot to get him.

Eklund has us possibily dealing with Vancouver again. He say's that they're interested in Gionta. I doubt Lou moves Gio, but maybe Bergfors for one of their good defensemen could work. And forget Souray, this guy wants at least $5 million or more long term. God forbid if we're the team that gives it to him. Actually, I hope he goes to the Rags. :naughty:

Any trade rumor involving the devils almost always turns out to be false. Why do these websites even try to call a NJ trade anymore?

agreed - when was the last time you saw a devils trade rumor come true?

If this rumour about Vishnevski is true, I think we all can smell a trade baking up in Lou´s oven.

The Canucks added Miller into their blueline, while they already have Öhlund, Mitchell, Salo, Bieksa, Krajicek and youngsters Bourdon and Edler.

So this came up into my mind: There have been plenty of rumours about Devils trading with Canucks. One of them have that they want Gionta. So it might go this way: To Van: Gionta + Vishnevski + 2nd pick and to NJ: Öhlund and Morrison. Even though I´m not so sure how well Morrison would feel himself at home in Newark.

I wouldn´t either mind seeing Sami Salo wearing Devils´ uniform. We would get a monster shot on the PP and solid play on our own end. Only worry is that Salo is so injury-prone.

But before jumping into any further conclusions or going bonkers about this thought of mine: It´s just rumours. And it´s still possible to see Souray in the Devs´ uniform, even though everyone has lost trust for nhlline.ca as a source for information.

This proposal would give us defensive pairings like this:

Öhlund/Salo-Martin
White-Greene
Rachunek-Matvichuk
Oduya

And lines would be:

Elias-Morrison-Zubrus
Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner
Pandolfo-Madden-Clarkson
Brylin-Viuhkola-Rupp
Janssen/Pelley etc.

Devils farm system is awful. Essentially, you would have nothing to give up compared to other teams for Barker.

Devils farm system is awful. Essentially, you would have nothing to give up compared to other teams for Barker.

I wouldn't say awful, just shallow at the moment due to players moving to the pro's quickly and later picks in the 1st round.

If this rumour about Vishnevski is true, I think we all can smell a trade baking up in Lou´s oven.

The Canucks added Miller into their blueline, while they already have Öhlund, Mitchell, Salo, Bieksa, Krajicek and youngsters Bourdon and Edler.

So this came up into my mind: There have been plenty of rumours about Devils trading with Canucks. One of them have that they want Gionta. So it might go this way: To Van: Gionta + Vishnevski + 2nd pick and to NJ: Öhlund and Morrison. Even though I´m not so sure how well Morrison would feel himself at home in Newark.

I wouldn´t either mind seeing Sami Salo wearing Devils´ uniform. We would get a monster shot on the PP and solid play on our own end. Only worry is that Salo is so injury-prone.

But before jumping into any further conclusions or going bonkers about this thought of mine: It´s just rumours. And it´s still possible to see Souray in the Devs´ uniform, even though everyone has lost trust for nhlline.ca as a source for information.

This proposal would give us defensive pairings like this:

Öhlund/Salo-Martin
White-Greene
Rachunek-Matvichuk
Oduya

And lines would be:

Elias-Morrison-Zubrus
Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner
Pandolfo-Madden-Clarkson
Brylin-Viuhkola-Rupp
Janssen/Pelley etc.


As much as I would love to have Ohlund, I can't see Vancouver trading for Vishnovski when they could just sign him without giving up any assets.

I can see a Gionta, Matvichuk and a 3rd for Ohlund alone.

That is how good he is for Vancouver.

However this will make us even thiner on offense.

I really do not think we will get both Ohlund (their TOP defense man) and Morrison (their TOP line Center, whether he is considered that or not by other teams) for Gionta and a Free Agent that was still out there 8 days after the signing period started and they could have signed him themself.

This is what the team would look like:

Elias-Zubrus-Langenbruner
Parise-Zajac-Clarkson
Pandolfo-Madden-Brylin
Rupp-______-__________

Ohlund-Martin
White-Rachunek
Vishnevski-Greene
Oduya

Pretty shallow up front.

Now if Lou can sign another Forward of the remaining, we could make this deal.

I can see a Gionta, Matvichuk and a 3rd for Ohlund alone.

That is how good he is for Vancouver.

However this will make us even thiner on offense.

I really do not think we will get both Ohlund (their TOP defense man) and Morrison (their TOP line Center, whether he is considered that or not by other teams) for Gionta and a Free Agent that was still out there 8 days after the signing period started and they could have signed him themself.

This is what the team would look like:

Elias-Zubrus-Langenbruner
Parise-Zajac-Clarkson
Pandolfo-Madden-Brylin
Rupp-______-__________

Ohlund-Martin
White-Rachunek
Vishnevski-Greene
Oduya

Pretty shallow up front.

Now if Lou can sign another Forward of the remaining, we could make this deal.

And therein lies the problem for NJ: we have virtually zero depth on the NHL or minor leagues rosters to make a significant trade. If we deal for defense, we do so at the expense of our offense, and vice-versa.
Unfortunately, the best course of action is either UFA signings (a less expensive alternative to Souray is preferred) or biting the bullet and hoping to God one of the kids makes a huge jump to being an effective pro.

And therein lies the problem for NJ: we have virtually zero depth on the NHL or minor leagues rosters to make a significant trade. If we deal for defense, we do so at the expense of our offense, and vice-versa.
Unfortunately, the best course of action is either UFA signings (a less expensive alternative to Souray is preferred) or biting the bullet and hoping to God one of the kids makes a huge jump to being an effective pro.

True. I was just playing with thought. Still I would prefer us giving away some of our offense in order to gain some firepower to our blueline because we can´t rely on Greene and Oduya to step it up that much. And Canucks could use Gionta because they don´t have too much firepower on their wing. That was the point of this trade. It would be a win some, lose some -trade.

At this point I don´t think UFA-signings are either the cheapest or the best option. Sure they don´t cost players, but that way we end up tying more $ to players than via trading and that leads us near cap roof and into situation that we can´t afford to add players.

But I think it´s best to wait and see what Lou can cook. I have a feeling that we can enter the season with a smile. I would also be ready to tighten the belt and bite the bullet next year and wait for next year´s draft and free agent market. As they say, Rome wasn´t build in a day and so on...and coming through the post Stevens&Niedermayer era won´t happen in a day either.

I would kill to get Barker. Great all around defenseman will size and skill. If he pans out he will be huge. I can see Chicago trading him too, they have a good young defense corps and could use more power up front.

Sadly the Devils do not have the assets though. Zajac and a pick might be able to get it done but the Devils can't afford to trade Zajac. After that it gets thin. Hopefully we can pull it off though...

The Devils lost Gomez, so they'll trade Gionta in addition? Can some of you get a grip? Gionta will not be dealt unless a comparable forward is coming back.

The Devils lost Gomez, so they'll trade Gionta in addition? Can some of you get a grip? Gionta will not be dealt unless a comparable forward is coming back.:clap::clap: I dont understand why everyone thinks gionta is going to be traded

The Devils lost Gomez, so they'll trade Gionta in addition? Can some of you get a grip? Gionta will not be dealt unless a comparable forward is coming back.

Well, if you´re referring to that post of mine, I just connected two rumours considering Devils wanting more firepower to their blueline and Canucks being interested in Gionta. And I hoped that no one would jump into too further conclusions...

Besides, it´s not like we have that much choice these days when we are spread out wide and thin on every department. I am not saying that I want to trade Gionta or any other player, but in order to get something via trade, you have to give something too. And that means we have to give someone from our dearest players to gain some assets.

Hopefully Lou can land Souray and put us back where we were last season, or maybe little deeper on defense corps but somewhat thinner on offense. I know that loss of Gionta (or any other player) would hurt our offense but that way we could add some assets to our blueline which was struggling last year. We´ve got some depth to the D and if we can add some firepower to the pp we are better off than last year. It is still the defense that matters the most when it comes to the Devs...

I remember well that Gionta was loyal last year and took part at training camp without a contract. I repeat that I don´t want to trade him, but it´s not like we have too many options if we can´t land any UFA´s and want to improve our team.

Otherwise we have to dive deep and wait for that sweepstakes for #1 pick in draft to get something without giving away any of our assets...

But still: Let´s wait and see, what happens between now and October.