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How the NJ Devils’ salary cap situation looks, post-Arnott trade

Image (1) Arnott2-thumb-200x300-14137-thumb-250x375-14138.jpg for post 2171

When it comes to older, somewhat flawed players like Jason Arnott, New Jersey Devils fans shouldn’t be throwing confetti from their office buildings after hearing that the team re-acquired the big center. That being said, I think the deal was pretty solid overall.

Jason Arnott’s $4.5 million can more-or-less be added to Zach Parise’s existing salary after this year since they’ll both need new contracts next summer. The 2011 second round pick the Devils gave up might sting a bit, but allow me to be skeptical that they’ll rue the day they parted with a minimal (at least from what I’ve read) prospect in Matt Halischuk.

I believe I agree with John Fischer from In Lou We Trust; while I made some jokes about Devils GM Lou Lamoriello being nostalgic upon hearing about the Arnott trade, he’s ultimately a nice option as a second center. Fischer used a bunch of formulas that made my brain turn into tapioca pudding, but generally speaking, the book on Arnott is that he’s a big, tough center who brings quite a bit to the table on offense while being suspect at best in his own end.

Considering the defensively responsible team playing around him, I’d say that he’s a solid gamble. (Some have also joked that, with Petr Sykora being an unrestricted free agent, the team should try to reunite the Elias-Arnott-Sykora line that wreaked havoc on the NHL many moons ago.)

While extreme optimists claim that Ilya Kovalchuk could still be a Devil, I think he’s about as likely to return to Newark in black and red as Chris Mason is to play another game as the St. Louis Blues goalie. With that in mind, I thought I’d take an updated look at New Jersey’s salary cap situation. Click to enlarge the screenshot below, taken from the great CapGeek.com.

Some other key facts:

2010-11 payroll as of this moment: $45.6 million

Estimated cap (VERY subject to change) space: $11.44 million

Biggest free agents: Kovalchuk (likely gone, though), Paul Martin

Players under contract in this setup: 11 forwards, 4 defensemen, 1 goalie

After the jump, I’ll provide some thoughts on their salary cap situation.

The Good

Zach Parise reigns as the biggest non-entry-level bargain in the NHL, although that will change after next season. Jamie Langenbrunner’s another super steal, while Travis Zajac will outperform his contract as long as he sticks with Parise. Andy Greene is a nice, under-the-radar cheap contract as well. Heck, considering the goalies making more than him and the fact that he’s been so crucial to the team’s success, Martin Brodeur’s deal isn’t half-bad, either.

The Bad

The only good news about Brian Rolston’s albatross contract is that it expires after the 2011-12 season. Patrik Elias isn’t a horrible value at $6 million, but there were times when I wondered if the deal was a little steep. Devils fans could enlighten me as to whether or not Colin White is worth $3 million a year, but I’m inclined to lean toward “No.”

One interesting thing about the Devils is that they don’t have a single contract that runs past the 2012-13 season. Take that, league trend of lifelong contracts! (Although, does that mean Lou Lamoriello is secretly planning to step down then? *scratches chin in deep thought*)

Conclusions

Anyway, the Devils have plenty of room to fill out their roster and probably will be able to retain Paul Martin. Depending on how they fill out their roster, they might even be able to squeeze in a cheap veteran to round out their forwards. Either way, I think that Arnott is a pretty decent value at $4.5 million, but won’t make or break their Cup winning chances.

Despite the fact that, clearly, he’s shown the ability to score Cup winning goals before ...