[Sylvanfan]

Today New York Post Hockey Writer Bruce-Larry Brooks caught up with Devils GM Sylvanfan. The Devils GM was quite candid in assessing his squad and offered a few comments as he finishes up his third season as a CPHL GM with his third different team.

NY POST BLB: Syl, when you first got the job as Devils GM, what were your thoughts about the team that you had inherited.

DEVILS GM SYL: Well let me tell you it was about as opposite of what I walked into in Edmonton as you could possibly be. This team was old, over rated, and terrible. In all honesty I thought it was pretty unappealing. My best player was an NHL backup goalie who rates around the 20th best goalie in the league and has a pretty hefty salary. My two best players were on IR with Keith Primeau having suffered a concussion and Luc Robitaille with a bad ankle sprain. Which made things worse was that these two best players of mine didn't have particularly good ratings, and were both really old. Behind them there wasn't much of a supporting crew, and a pretty non-existant prospect base. I did have a few picks, but nothing that was going to be a good draft pick outside of my first round pick next year. The Team needed a really serious overhaul.

BLB: As you're aware the Devils are about to miss the playoffs for a third straight year, what do you speak of when you talk about an "Overhaul"? In your opinion what has plagued what has become the CPHL's worst franchise?

SYL: Well too much change has been the problem with this team. No one has ever been able to settle into the GM chair for more than 7 months since Axel the kraut bolted town. As a result too many different strategies have been tried and none of them worked. Worst off is that new GM's usually get beat badly in their first few trades and the Devils had a lot of new GM's in a short period of time, and had a lot of guys make deals that were pretty lopsided losses. No one has ever stuck with a full out youth movement for an extended period of time. In my opinon that is the best way for me to get the team turned around and closer to the top 5 in the conference than being in the bottom five. I mean I could likely make a few moves in the offseason to aquire a veteran team to run at the playoffs, but again I'd be striving to build an 8th place team that needs to be reworked the next season. That is what usually causes mulitple years of missed playoffs more than anything.

BLB: The CPHL is often referred to as a trading league, yet you seem to be leaning towards using a non-trading strategy. Why is that?

SYL: Well trading is much harder to do now that it's ever been. Unless you have quality players, it's hard to trade to bring in a quality player. Certainly it can be done, Goffie is a great example of a GM who used trading to turn a doormat into a contender. But to be honest trading has never been a stong part of my managing. Trading takes a lot of time at all hours of the day. Good traders always find a way to jump on GM's who are willing to move good players. It's a great skill, that I wish I had, but I'm honest enough to admit that it's not a stong suit, and that I'll go with my what I think are my strengths.

BLB: So if you're not going to be doing a lot of trading will you be active in the free agency market?

SYL: Well I would like to be, but I'm afraid there won't be much left. As it stands right now there are about 11 forwards, 7 defenceman, and 4 goalies who I would have interest in. Of course theres me and 31 other teams who will also be interested in these 22 players. So even to get one of those guys is going to require a very hefty premium. And that assumes that none of them do extensions. I'll bet by the time July 1st hits that at least 5 of them won't be on the market anymore. So I'd have to caution that free agency won't be saving this team this year.

BLB: The upcoming draft is supposed to suck major ass this year. As it stands you'll have picks in the range of 15-20, 33-35, 45-50 and than 6 more after the 100 mark passes. What can you do with those picks?

SYL: Yeah, unfortunately we're not going to get much in the way of immediate help from this years draft. With 9 picks we hope that we can get 4 guys who eventually become NHL players, and a couple others who make pro hockey that can be trade bait at some point in time. If we're luckey we'll be able to bundle a few for higher picks....But really unless you're inside the top 8 players you're guessing as much as the next GM will be.

BLB: Would you care to analyze the moves you have made as Devils GM for the fans reading this at home?

SYL: I'll do my best here...First trade IIRC was Fernando Pisani for a 3rd round pick (MON). Basically at the time I needed a forward and Pisani was a CPHL guy I could use. Even though he was a pending UFA, I felt I could always trade him for what I got him for or more. Than Ales Kotalik for Anson Carter. Basically a younger cheaper player with more upside for an aging vet who had peaked. Next was a bit of a gamble with Steve Rucchin for pending UFA Michael Nylander. I gambled that I could get a better guy who was pending UFA and re-sign him to get his trade value up. I was able to resign Nylander and trade him later. Than I did Nolan Pratt and Shaone Morrison for two draft picks 2006 CBJ 2nd and 2007 SJ 1st. In hindsight not such a great trade for me. I was hoping that the SJ first would be a top 5 pick in that draft, but right now it's debatable. Morrison looks like he'll be a dependable defensive defenceman which is what Pratt is. Pratt came to the Devils via waivers so I gues trading him for anything was a bonus. That trade could still turn out alright for me, but it will take a long time to develop. Next was Peter Worrell for a 5th. No regrets there.

After that was Dan Fritsche for Chris Neil. That one has worked okay so far as Fritsche has played well for us. Biggest issue there will be how NHL Fritsche develops as he's struggled a bit lately. Next was Nylander, Kotalik, and Boston 1st for Martin Hanzal and Robert Lang. I think that one was okay as Hanzal is a fair bit better than what I think you can get in the 28-30 pick this year. Lang was a legitimate star top line centre, but he was up there in years and costly. Still not my best trade. Next was a quasi controversial deal where Rhett Warrener and Keith Primeau went to the Nords for Jack Johnson, Tom Preissing, John Filewich, and a 5th. That deal was made when I felt Primeau was done for the year and no longer any good to me. Warrener is a decent defensive defenceman, but nothing spectacular and I think Preissing can be just as good. Johnson is the key player though as we hope that he can develop into a top pairing defenceman. Filewich is a long range prospect who we hope can become a 3rd line player down the road. Basically we see it as moving Warrener for those players and getting something for Primeau before he devaluated to nothing. At that point it was sell off time.

We moved John Madden for Nick Dimitrakos. Younger less expensive player for a veteran who has plateaued and was going to be more use somewhere else. We than dealt Lang back to the Panthers for Danius Zubrus, Martin Biron, and Vernon Fiddler. Subsequently we dealt Zubrus and a 3rd for Nils Ekman, Benoit Pouloit, Alexander Svitov and a 5th. Basically we moved Lang for what we hope is 4 decent CPHL players and a potential star in Pouliot. Another deal we made was probably the worst deal I've made as Devils GM and that was Skrastins and Pisani for 2-2nd round picks a 3rd and two other dead weight assets. Basically a night where I was fielding a lot of offers and got lost and accepted a really really bad deal. Just a Stupid fu%*ing trade on my part. But ultimately I lost a pending UFA who I could have a chance to re-sign this summer and a 5-6 defenceman who didn't have great ratings and won't move too much from where he's currently at. So if thats the worst trade I'm going to make this time round, than it's not that bad. Still I'm pretty pi$$ed at myself for making that deal.

After that I traded pending UFA's Grant Marshall and Aaron Miller plus salary considerations for 4th round picks with Jonas Hoglund also coming my way to offset salary. Basically getting something for assets I was gong to cut loose. Next deal was Luc Robitaille, Jani Hurme, and a 3rd rounder for Radek Bonk, Brett McLean, and a 4th. This deal was basically moving an aging asset in Robitaille who carried retirement risk and Hurme who's real life career looks finished for Bonk who used to be a top 6 forward and might regain form, but will at least still play, and McLean who appears to have established himself as an NHL regular this year. Finally after all this we dealt Glen Wesley for Darius Kaspartis. Similar players but Kaspar is signed for one more year and carries less retirement risk, although at a premium price.

BLB: Well that was long winded, but I'm sure the readers will like that. One final question, where do the Devils rank in the CPHL in your mind right now?

SYL: Right now I think we're 30 or 31 in a 32 team league. We really don't have much at all. We have 4 good prospects and not much in the way of established CPHL talent. We won't get much help in this years draft, so we still have a lot of work to do here. Still I think we have to stay the course as it's the only way I think I can get this team out of the dulldrums that it's been in for what feels like forever. Key will be for me to keep my focus and stay patient.