Gilles Lupien, the agent for RFA defenseman Eric Gelinas, said there’s “no chance” his client will attend New Jersey’s training camp without a new deal.
Veteran forward Ryan Carter is willing to take the risk, though.
Gelinas, coming off a solid rookie campaign in which he scored 29 points in 60 games, is at loggerheads with the Devils about salary — something Lupien alluded to with these colorful remarks that highlight just how much fun it is to negotiate with New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello.
“It’s all up to Lou. Lou is the boss. We’re waiting to see what Lou wants to do.
“It’s always money. It’s always money and [Lamoriello] loves to play with the power. That’s what everybody knows.
“I hope [Lou’s] going to give me a call before training camp. He knows what we think. What can we do? It’s only the way people work. That’s the way Lou is working and good. I told him that. ‘That’s O.K.’ You don’t always agree on the way you work.”
While Lupien wouldn’t comment on the specifics of Gelinas’ ask, the 23-year-old rearguard is clearly gunning for a raise on the $660,000 he made annually on his entry-level deal. Gelinas could have some leverage, too, given the Devils let Mark Fayne walk in free agency and bought out Anton Volchenkov this summer.
As for Carter, he’s a UFA and will go to camp without a professional tryout contract. The 31-year-old has had some good success in New Jersey — emerging as a valuable contributor during the ’12 Cup run, scoring a career-high 15 points in 44 games during the ’13 season — and, per Lamoriello, would be insured over the course of training camp, thereby mitigating some risk.
Finally, Lamoriello confirmed reports that veteran defenseman Tomas Kaberle would be going to camp on a PTO. Kaberle will join another longtime NHLer, Scott Gomez, in New Jersey, and Lamoriello said it’s possible one or two more PTOs could be signed in the coming days.
