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Most of the
Devils fans I've talked to are elated that Claude Lemieux, the
hero of the '95 playoffs is coming back to New Jersey. There's a
certainty that he can bring us back to the glory of the Cup (or
at least past the first round). While I am a big Claude Lemieux
fan, I have my doubts as to this trade.
The Devils playoff history since the departure of Claude Lemieux has not been pretty. After missing the playoffs entirely in '96, the Devils beat Montreal in 5 in '97 before losing to the Rangers in the second round. In '98 it was a shocking first round exit to Ottawa. Last spring another first round loss, this time to the Penguins.
There are several theories on the cause of these playoff failures. The prevailing one, is that no leader steps up during the playoffs to carry the team. Lemieux certainly stepped up in '95 putting in 13 goals during the playoffs after scoring only 6 during the lockout shortened season.
But I think there's a simpler explanation which has to do with how the team is constituted. In '97 we lost to the Rangers, a team the Devils have never beaten in the playoffs. There's a mental block there. Remember, we had Claude in '94 and we still lost in 7 against the Rangers in the semi-finals. But the '98 and '99 playoff failures both came to younger quicker teams. A lack of team speed has been the downfall of the Devils the last two seasons. Go back and watch some of the highlights from the Pittsburgh series. Quicker Penguin forwards darted around our defensemen, some of whom (Odelein) seemed to be standing still. Loose pucks were always picked up by the Penguins who got there first. The loss to Ottawa in '98 had the same flavor.
When this season started it looked like Devils management agreed. By releasing Andreychuk and Carpenter the team got younger and faster through attrition. Brian Rafalski is a better skater than Kevin Dean. Kids like Scott Gomez who can skate were given a chance in training camp and are paying off.
That's why this deal seems to be a step in the wrong direction. Brian Rolston was indisputably our best skating forward. He had great hands and managed to score 24 goals while spending most of his time on the checking line. Claude Lemieux is not a bad skater, though at 34 he certainly is only going to get slower. But compared to Rolston he's stuck in neutral.
People are talking about Lemieux's heart and intangibles. Rolston worked hard every game, something no one has ever said about Claude Lemieux. The best anyone says about Lemieux is he can turn it on in the big games. Rolston never turned it off. Rolston's entire career is in front of him. Lemieux's is mostly behind him. This trade is not as bad as John MacLean for Doug Bodger, but Lou got taken again.
As Dennis Miller says, "But that's just my opinion. I may be wrong."
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