Mogilny situation

I'm still sort of confused as to why lou sent him to the minors early in the season. I understand that he was sort of a negative presence in the locker room. But if i remember correctly one of the coaches said that part of the reason was because he wasn't performing well. However, through 34 games he had 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points...had he finished the season, im sure he would have reached around 35 goals and 60-70 points..the offense we missed throughout last season. Thoughts?

I'm still sort of confused as to why lou sent him to the minors early in the season. I understand that he was sort of a negative presence in the locker room. But if i remember correctly one of the coaches said that part of the reason was because he wasn't performing well. However, through 34 games he had 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points...had he finished the season, im sure he would have reached around 35 goals and 60-70 points..the offense we missed throughout last season. Thoughts?

Mogilny still had a shot that could throw off goaltenders. And for his lack of speed I do not think that is much of a factor because he was not terrible.

But he ate up way to much cap space and was only a replacement for Elias anyway since at the time Lou and the Devils were unsure of an Elias return at any time.

I still am not convinced Alexander Mogilny was a locker room nuisance.

i thought it had to do with cap issues too. because when Elias came back they sent mogilny to the the minors

So did he retire? or is he going to play in the minors?

He has a degenerative hip issue and had cap issues that required him to be sent to the minors.

That being said - I don't know if he is healthy enough to come back 'up' or even if he's healthy enough to stay in the lineup more than a few weeks even if there's now cap space for him.

He obviously cleared waivers for a reason when he was sent down (hip) but who knows where he ranks on the callup list if we bring someone up for injury replacement.

I basically think despite having a great shot, he is a step behind and no longer tries to cut to the middle like he was famous for and getting that blistering wrister off at the net high glove side due to that hip problem.

I prefer to remember him the way he was... along with the way Gomez once was... loyal. :p:

1) His contract has expired, so technically he is a UFA and could sign with any team.

2) Seeing as he has a degenerative hip condition, didn't pass his physical at the start of last season, and didn't play at all last year, I think it's safe to say that he's done playing.

3) If I recall correctly, he was sent down to the minors a few weeks before Elias came off the LTIR, which wouldn't make sense if it was solely for cap purposes that he was sent down.

I'm still sort of confused as to why lou sent him to the minors early in the season. I understand that he was sort of a negative presence in the locker room. But if i remember correctly one of the coaches said that part of the reason was because he wasn't performing well. However, through 34 games he had 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points...had he finished the season, im sure he would have reached around 35 goals and 60-70 points..the offense we missed throughout last season. Thoughts?

I think he was down on himself and hurting.

Basically, look at it this way, in the preseason, on a puck that got behind the
defender, at the blue line, he couldn't outskate Jason Strudwick. Before the hip injury, that's a breakaway with time.

He had no skating left. No speed, nothing side to side, if he could stand around
somewhere (like on the PP), he could be effective moving the puck and snapping
a shot on net. But not much else.

It was a bad signing, they put faith in him being healthy, but in his last year in
Toronto, he was a different player than he was from '00-01, to that point. He
was just masked there a little more, and obviously, the hip progressively got
worse every day.

I really disagree. i forget the exacts, but he was leading the team in pts or at least top 3 b4 he was sent down. i alwasy figured he had a problem with lou and was sent down

He will always be my all-time favorite Russian player.

I think he was down on himself and hurting.

Basically, look at it this way, in the preseason, on a puck that got behind the
defender, at the blue line, he couldn't outskate Jason Strudwick. Before the hip injury, that's a breakaway with time.

He had no skating left. No speed, nothing side to side, if he could stand around
somewhere (like on the PP), he could be effective moving the puck and snapping
a shot on net. But not much else.

It was a bad signing, they put faith in him being healthy, but in his last year in
Toronto, he was a different player than he was from '00-01, to that point. He
was just masked there a little more, and obviously, the hip progressively got
worse every day.


I was also a bit confused... I'm a Sabres fan and naturally a fond of Alex and his skills. He was sent down yet he was top 3-4 on the team in scoring when he was sent down? So even with a hip problem.... he was still producing? What gives? They couldnt send anyone else down or trade when Elias came back? I'd like to learn more as I was at the time actually hoping the Sabres would pick him up at half price (I believe thats how it works, the Sabres would pick up half his salary and the Devils cover the other half). I' guessing,
A) his hip was really getting that bad?
B) There just really was nobody else to move?
C) Coaching/Attitude issues?

I think the Mogilny signing might have been the worst signing of Lou's career. Although Malakhov had a history of being lazy, there was really no way to know at the time that he'd decide to pack it in altogether.

When Devils fans wanted Lou to sign Mogilny coming out of the lockout, I laughed. I thought he was pretty much done with his chronic hip problems even before he left Toronto. Then Lou signed him and I figured that Lou obviously knew something I didn't.

At first, Mogilny wasn't that bad. But then his skating seemed to get even worse every game. On the powerplay, he could still be effective by standing around and snapping shots on goal or passes to other players. But at even strength, he was probably the worst player on the entire team. A complete liability, much like a 42 year old Messier for the Rangers who couldn't skate anymore.

But unlike a 42 year old Messier, the Devils couldn't afford to hide Mogilny on the 4th line at even strength. I mean, the guy made what, 3.9 million under a salary cap?

Mogilny was originally sent down because his weak play at even strength didn't justify his salary. , but then as his hip degnerated more, it became more of a medical condition. He ended up missing significant time with the minor league team by the end of the year. Personally, I feel Lou had absolutely no problem sending Mogilny down because he was pissed off at being basically being lied to when Mogilny assured him that his hip problems with Toronto were in the past.

Perhaps Mogilny had attitude problems on his last go round, but my theory is that he was just in a lot of pain trying to skate, but that he felt the need to hide how much pain he was in to justify the contract he signed, so it looked like he had attitude problems.

He will always be my all-time favorite Russian player.

+1
hes always been my fav since i first started playin hockey. i have 4 mogilny jerseys haha(im still tempted to get a devs jersey with his name on it.) i was stoked when he first came to the devs. i just wish he had never left in the first place :(
as for his career, sadly, its over for him:(

Almo and gomer were one of the best the best duos

I miss Moginly, but watching him play on the Devils one last time seems really unlikely.

I was also a bit confused... I'm a Sabres fan and naturally a fond of Alex and his skills. He was sent down yet he was top 3-4 on the team in scoring when he was sent down? So even with a hip problem.... he was still producing? What gives? They couldnt send anyone else down or trade when Elias came back? I'd like to learn more as I was at the time actually hoping the Sabres would pick him up at half price (I believe thats how it works, the Sabres would pick up half his salary and the Devils cover the other half). I' guessing,
A) his hip was really getting that bad?
B) There just really was nobody else to move?
C) Coaching/Attitude issues?

Wow. On the Sabres he would have stuck out like a sore thumb.

I watched him probably around 15 times in '05. He couldn't skate anymore.
He was effective on the PP. They were a team with a losing record that looked
pretty damn hopeless, in that case, no matter what his "production" was, you
can't have a player out there that can't skate. He wasn't going to get any
healthier, either.

He has great natural ability. But, he was shot.

Probably the most skilled player to ever wear the Devils uniform. Too bad he went out the way he did. One of my favourite Devils of all time...and he only played there 1 and a half season total.