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Devils’ Brian Rolston has not been asked to waive his no-trade clause

Brian Rolston

New Jersey Devils’ Brian Rolston reacts after scoring a goal against the Washington Capitals during the second period in an NHL hockey game in Newark, N.J., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz)

AP

The Devils have salary cap problems and they’re in need of answers before the season starts next month. Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice finds out that one player who has been mentioned as a solution to the Devils cap problems, Brian Rolston, hasn’t been approached at all by the team to send him elsewhere. There’s just one problem, however.

But Roslton has a no-trade clause on the four-year contract he signed two summers ago and would have to agree to waive it to be moved. His agent, Stephen Bartlett, told me today that the Devils have yet to approach Rolston or him about waiving the no-trade clause.

“No, we haven’t had any discussions along those lines,” Bartlett said. “We’ll see how things shake out. They’ve got some work to do. It could be any number of combinations, but I have not had that conversation about anything to do with that with Lou.”

Generally, you aren’t going to ask a player to waive their no-trade clause until you’ve got an interested party or two. I can’t imagine why there isn’t a team interested in a player that’s making over $5 million the next two seasons against the cap and saw his production fall off a cliff last two seasons (35 goals, 34 assists). When the Devils signed Rolston two years ago, those were the sorts of numbers he was putting up in one season and at 37 years-old the outlook doesn’t exactly look bright.

Finding a new home for Rolston would provide the easiest solution to the Devils’ salary cap problems. Unfortunately for them, Rolston with two years left on his overwhelming contract, makes it virtually impossible to move him unless the Devils sweeten the pot with high draft picks. Whether or not Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has another trick up his sleeve remains to be seen.