Huge Devils Shakeup!

[Antithesis]

Mere hours after announcing that they were packing it in for the season, the New Jersey Devils would like to announce a huge trade.

To New Jersey:

G Peter Budaj
D Cory Sarich
SJ 2nd 2009

To San Jose:

G Ed Belfour
D Mattias Ohlund
Min 1st 2008
$6.5 million in cap room

This was hands down the best fit for us, one of those deals you don't even really have to think twice about. It resolves our goaltending issues for a long time as I truly believe Budaj is proving himself as a starting goalie in the NHL, and his ratings should reflect that next season. I believe going forward, between Budaj and Harding, the Devils are set in net for the long-term, and now we can work on building the rest of our team.

Obviously we are taking a substantial hit at defense today, but I have enjoyed seeing Sarich play this year and, correct or no, think that his solid play will be reflected in improved ratings next season, making this 80-to-74 OV hit hurt a lot less than it does right now.

After this base was agreed to, everything else fell into place. I'd like to thank Ryan for easy negotiations and being open minded in this deal. Originally he wanted my 1st rounder this year! Sorry bud ... that's a Top 5 pick now, guaranteed

As an aside, chest thumping on my part or no, I am so pleased that I have resolved my goalie issues with a true long-term solution. Can't believe I turned Matt Hussey, Niko Dimitrakos, and a 2nd rounder into Belfour, then him into Budaj.

React below!

[I wanna be like Miikka]

Big loss now but you are rebuilding and this is a huuuuuge fix for your goaltending future. Budaj is already 77OV and the way he has been playing of late should go up and become a solidified started in both the NHL and CPHL. Great move improving a position that is really tough to do (by trading a soon to be retired guy).

Sharks get a lot better this year which is what they were trying to do, Ohlund is a big improvement on D and Belfour should help as well as the Sharks look to make a big push into contention.

Good deal guys!

[RT14]

With the Sharks recent vault into playoff contention but still unable to make that final push, something was bound to give. Either a sell-off to go towards a youth movement, or a push to really make this team a contender...for now at least, the latter shall prevail!

Christmas comes a little early in San Jose this year in the form of a bolstered lineup for the New Year. Coming to the Sharks is a top quality defenseman and a much, much, MUCH more proven goaltender. So much more proven if fact, he may not play another year in the CPHL due to retiring, or dying, from old age...whichever comes first.

Ohlund has been a steady top pairing defenseman almost his entire career and is putting up almost identical numbers again this season. He is a HUGE addition to the back end for this season and should really help fill a hole that's been left ever since Niedermayer, then Timmonen were dealt. With Belfour, there was obviously major concerns about what will become of him after this season but from dealings last summer the Sharks GM is fairly confident he'll be able to scrounge something up to fill the hole when the time comes. Fact is, Budaj was not going to take the Sharks anywhere if they ever made the playoffs and now they have a much better shot.

Having said that, giving up Budaj and Sarich certainly wasn't in the teams plans when discussions over Ohlund and Belfour began. Only after feeling sick at the thought of how this would look in the off-season for the Sharks did the two GM's decide to add something to help tip the scale more towards being fair and added a pick exchange. "Budaj has been playing really well of late and we think he will win that coveted #1 spot in Colorado, but he's been an inconsistent goalie all year and there's a chance he could drop off again..." said Ryan "I think I sold him at a time when his value was fairly high and got good return on him anyways."

Sarich was tough as he's become a favorite of GM Ryan, and always seemed to play well for the Sharks. The fact that he's a Flame just makes it that much harder. He was a solid addition to the top 4 but we needed a #1 guy back there.

New lineup for the Sharks should look something like this:

Maxim 79 - Whitney 79 - Hossa 82
Horcoff 76 - Koivu 75 - Yashin 78
Afana 72 - McAmmond 73 - Mayers 73
Sutherby 70 - Svitov 70 - Amonte 71

Ohlund 80 - Allen 77
Klesla 76 - Aucoin 74
Greene 73 - Campoli 72

Belfour 79
Toivonen 73

Whether or not the Sharks decide to make futher moves remains to be seen, but what is certain is that they still have a LOT of young, very valuable talent that could be moved if they decide there are still a few missing pieces. It has been suggested that teams looking to go in the youth direction should look towards San Jose for some good deals!

[jam26]

Good move for both teams. SJ gets immediate help on the blue line, but their goaltender situation is precarious after this season. The Devils pay a big price, but they get a #1 goalie who should be pretty decent for years to come. #1 goalies in this league simply do not come cheap. Both teams address their needs.

[icarus]

Wow everyone seems to believe Budaj is the real deal. He still has a lot to prove IMO.

[JiriHrdina]

Agreed - he hasn't proven himself as a starter yet even. He's basically like Martin Gerber - a guy that plays #1 minutes for a bit, then starts to turn up the suck.

[I wanna be like Miikka]

Agree that budaj isnt a sure thing, but in a year where he is tanking, sarich should move up a couple points OV wise and belfour has one foot out the door so at the very least he gets a well rated goalie who has the potential to be high 70s for a while to come.

[nyrcrisfer]

I like it a little more for SJ than Jersey. The Devils seem to give up a lot here for a goalie who I'm not sure they need that bad. I would think Harding is the goalie of the future so although Budaj is solid and improving, Harding has just as much of a chance to be the longterm #1 in NJ. I guess Budaj might be a few OV points higher next season but beyond that Harding has more potential. Basically, NJ paid a high price to fill a hole they might have been able to fill from within.

[Young Guns]

I think I like the deal a little more for Jersey. He has decided his team is not going anywhere his season. With Belfour he will probably be somewhere fishing with his grandchildren next year. Really looking ahead a season I see the deal as Budaj/Sarich for Ohlund. SJ gets a earlier pick but by the end of the first round and into the 2nd its not a huge upgrade. But SJ does get a #1 d-man and a goalie that they really needed to compete this season. Fairly even deal, sharks win this season, NJ next.

[Sylvanfan]

Well it is a big shake up. Minnesota's been going a bit better here lately so their first should end up being in the 25-30 range in terms of overall pick number. So the swap of picks might not work out that badly for NJ, although they will have to wait forever and a day to get the pick coming their way. I think this is Belfours last year in the CPHL so if the Devils aren't going anywhere they might as well move him. Ohlund is a good defenceman and has always been a good SIM guy too. Sarich is a good defenceman but he's in that price range where I don't think he's worth what you'll have to pay him. He'll rate either 75 or 76 OV next year so he's a 5 or 6 million dollar guy to keep. For a defenceman who brings you zero offence...I don't think he's worth the money to retain...but that's probably just me. Budaj is the Av's top goalie and has starterd 6 straight and has a 14-6 record on the season. Those are pretty decent numbers and likley gets him a 79OV rating if he finishes this NHL season with 30+ wins less than 20 losses a 2.6 GAA and 900+Sv%. Seems like a deal that accomplishes something for both teams as the Sharks get better to make a push here in the second half, and the Devils will still have 2 guys to help their squad next year.

[Antithesis]

Nice to see the general consensus is more or less what Ryan and I figured, that it was a hands-down victory for him this year and the same for me going forward. Chad's basically summed my thoughts up exactly - that Budaj will be rated exactly what Belfour is at this time next year ... and considering what I gave up to get Belfour, I'm quite happy to end up with Budaj who at very least is an asset, which Belfour only is for another few months IMO.

[Slava]

I agree with most of the other sentiments expressed thus far. The only thing to take issue with is that the Sharks have vaulted themselves into a play-off position, as it seems to be at my expense!!

[looooob]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Agreed - he hasn't proven himself as a starter yet even. He's basically like Martin Gerber - a guy that plays #1 minutes for a bit, then starts to turn up the suck.

and both Gerber and Budaj were growing old stuck behind Giguere here in Buffalo and we had to move them on. still we are looking to upgrade on our dynamic duo of Dubie and Sabourin this offseason...until Tuuka is ready