Is Martin Broduer On His Way Out Of New Jersey?

Martin Broduer has repeatedly stated that he wants to stay a New Jersey Devil, but the devils are not exactly in the best financial state right now. With talks of Owner Jeff Vanderbeek being up to his head in debt, the Devils might have to consider letting Broduer test free agency. With the threats of possibly losing Broduer, it seems impossible that the Devils will be willing to afford Zach Parise. Friday morning, it was annouced that Martin Broduer fired his previous agent and all signs point to Broduer testing free agency and possibly leaving the New Jersey Devils.

It’s mind boggling that the Devils came within 3 wins of becoming Stanley Cup Champions to a turmoil like what we have today. Martin Broduer is coming off one of his most spectacular playoff runs in his long NHL career. At the age of 40, it was not rare to see Martin Broduer on the Top 10 plays night after night with spectacular saves. Although Broduer was hampered by injuries for quite some time, he still managed to record 31 wins in 59 games played, and not to mention 14 more wins in 24 playoff games. After spending 18 seasons with the Devils, it’s hard to believe that Brouder could be suiting up for another NHL franchise next fall.

What teams make sense? Are there teams out their willing to take a chance with a 40 year old Martin Broduer? How much would it cost to bring him in?

We have to remember that Martin Broduer is possibly the greatest NHL goaltender who has ever lived. He holds multiple NHL goalie records and it can not be over stated how dominate Broduer has been over the last 2 decades. Is there a team out there who could use Broduer? Of course! But who?

Too me, there are several teams that should take a chance with him.

Should the Florida Panthers get in the conversation? Well if the Panthers were not actively persuing Vancouver Canucks, Roberto Luongo I would say no they should not get involved, but it seems like the Panthers are willing to trade Theodore and acquire a “better” goalie. Talks and rumors have been discussed throughout  Twitter about the Panthers close to a deal with the Vancouver Canucks for Roberto Luongo. Personally, I think Luongo’s contract is the only reason I would not want him back. He is an all star goaltender and could help a team right away, its just his contract scares me. I feel like he felt a lot of pressure in Vancouver and it seemed as if he was playing for his job night after night. Besides, if my city were to have riots after losing a game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals rather then applauding us for a valiant effort, it’d be a little scared too. 7 years with a 5.3 million $ cap is hard to swallow. That’s why bringing in Martin Broduer would make more sense to me from a Panthers fans perspective. Jose Theodore did an outstanding job this past season for the Panthers and we should be proud of what he did. But if the Panthers can snag Broduer for a year or two for about 4 million a year, i’d be thrilled. Not only that, Markstrom would learn from the best goalie in the NHL’s long history, and Markstrom would certainly play enough games next year due to Broduers age and injury record. If Broduer can give the Panthers 50-55 games next season, too me it’s worth the shot.

What about Toronto? Toronto has been begging Vancouver for Luongo, but Luongo has stated that the only team he wants to play for is Florida. Toronto could be a possible landing spot for Brouder because the Leafs have a young goaltender in Reimer would could benefit from learning from Brouder. It just seems that the Leafs are miles away from competing for a cup and I would not think that Broduer wants to waste his time trying to win division championships rather then Stanley Cups.

Possibly Philadelphia? We all know the problems Philly had all season long with goaltending. It seemed like Bryzgalov never really had things going. Could they possibly bring Broduer in? Maybe, but too me, they’re stuck with Brzygalov’s ridiculous contract as well. He just  completed his first year of a nine year contract worth 51 million $, with a cap hit of 5.6 million. So, Philly to be buried themselves in a hole with Brzygalov.

Tampa Bay? Possibly. If the Lightning had not signed Anders Lindback earlier this month, I’d say he is a perfect fit in Tampa. But Lindback has sat the bench long enough that it’s about time he see’s consistent action. At the age of 24, it seems as if Tampa could be looking long term with a goalie like Lindback who backed up one of the best last season, Pekka Rinne.

What about the Chicago Blackhawks? Corey Crawford has done well in Chicago, but not well enough. The Blackhawks are looking to win championships and the only problems they’re facing are defensive and goaltending issues. Bringing in Martin Broduer would solve that problem for the short term. If the Blackhawks can land Broduer, they have to be viewed as favorites to win the Cup next season, if not already looked as the favorites.

It’s still strange to me that I’m even talking about this. It seemed destined that Broduer would retire and Devil, but all signs are pointing opposite from that. Within the next couple of days we’ll see what happens and hope that the Florida Panthers can do great things once again this offseason

Thank you for reading.

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