***Official 2007-2008 NHL Season Thread***

[Sunny Mehta]

Biggest bugaboo for the Devils this year has been their penalty kill. It's been awful, and traditionally it's an area where they excel. You could even say their special teams in general have been a problem. While they're dead last in penalty killing, they're also near the bottom in power play expectation.

At even strength they've been about a league average team, which is also a bit surprising for a franchise that normally excels in 5-on-5 play. But they've also had a little bit of bad luck, and on the whole I do expect them to get better as the season progresses and probably at least compete for a playoff spot. Marty was also awful at the beginning of the year and has been much better lately. (BTW, Kevin Weekes has been lights-out sick in the few games he's played this season.)

If I can step out onto my "crazy limb" for a second...(please indulge)... If I were GM of the Devils I'd seriously consider trading Brodeur. (And this has nothing to do with the insignificant sample size of Kevin Weekes.) Admittedly, I'm ignoring the PR aspect of the move, and the fact that Brodeur is kinda the face of the Devils in a new arena, etc. But from a pure hockey standpoint, Marty's perceived value is way higher than his actual value, and he's coming off a career year, and he's in his mid-thirties. If I could get something like a top notch defensemen AND a top offensive gun for him, particularly young ones whom I could sign for a while, I'd do it in a heartbeat.