The New Jersey Devils have traded Jamie Langenbrunner, the team's captain since 2007, to his former team the Dallas Stars for a conditional 3rd round draft pick. Here is the article from the Devils website. He was initially traded to the Devils in March of 2002 along with current Stars' GM Joe Nieuwendyk for Jason Arnott, Randy McKay, and a 1st round draft pick. Langenbrunner spent eight seasons with the Devils, winning the Stanley Cup in 2003 and becoming captain of Team USA in last year's Olympics. From the above link, here are his career numbers with the Devils:
Langenbrunner appeared in 564 games as a Devil, collecting 142 goals (12th in club history), 243 assists (11th) and 385 points (10th). His 32 game-winners are fifth-best in Devils’ history.
It seems sad to see a tenured Devil leave the organization in a season no one saw coming, but this is a business and it is a move the Devils and Lou had to make for the future of this team.
| Year | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | SHG | GWG | GTG | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Devils | 31 | 4 | 10 | 14 | -15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 76 |
Yesterday before the New Jersey Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers, it was announced that Captain Jamie Langenbrunner would be placed on the trading block and would not play in the game. Here is John's recap of the Devils 4-2 loss. Rich Chere reported he was on the verge on being traded and that he would waive his No-Trade-Clause to a team of his liking.
Per Tom Gulitti, here are the conditions on the draft pick:
The pick becomes a second-rounder if the Stars win a first-round playoff series or if they re-sign Langenbrunner, a potential unrestricted free agent, before July 1. If the Stars don’t win a playoff round and re-sign Langenbrunner after July 1, the Devils still get the Stars 2011 third-round pick and will also get the Stars’ 2012 second-round pick and send their 2012 third-rounder to Dallas.
I have to say these conditions aren't automatic, but they aren't unreachable either. From Tom's write up about possible trade the Devils would make, he says Langenbrunner is at least worth a 2nd rounder. With these possible conditions, the Devils are in good shape to obtain one. The Devils are guaranteed a 3rd round pick, which the Devils did not have because of the penalty given by the NHL for Ilya Kovalhuck's first contract offer. They also don't a have a 2nd rounder (Arnott trade this summer). Either way, this gives the Devils one more draft pick they didn't have for a player that was not going to be a Devil next season. This is a good future move.
The Stars are currently in first place in the Pacific Division and 3rd in the Western Conference at 52 points with 41 games played (NHL Standings). At this point, there's still another 41 games and a lot can happen. From the Stars point of view, check out Defending Big D. Specifically what this trade means for Dallas.
Here is the audio of Lou's announcement and discussion with the media per the Devils website.
On ask why the trade was made, Lou made two points:
1. With this season's payroll and the salary cap situation heading into next season, there are players who need to be resigned for next season (most likely Zach Parise) over him. He says Jamie would not have been resigned and this was a opportunity to get something in return for a player who was entering free agency this off-season.
2. He also wants to give more ice time for younger guys, and they will inherit Langenbruner's time and special teams' roles. He didn't want to give Jamie less ice time at his salary.
As for Langenbrunner's reaction, he has mixed emotions about leaving the Devils. He's excited to be playing for a contender, yet sad to leave New Jersey and his teammates. He gave Lou credit in saying Lou was looking for the best option to send him. Everyone seems to be happy about this trade, all 3 parties concerned. One thing Langs said, Parise should be the next captain.
Some player reactions are sure to come after practice (which was schedule for 1 p.m.) and I'll update this if some more information comes out.
What's your reaction of the trade? Do you love/like/hate it? Is a 3rd round (or 2nd round) pick good for an upcoming unrestricted free agent? Are you happy or sad to see Jamie go? Continue the discussion here.