On Sunday morning, hall of fame defenceman and long time Devils player Scott Stevens got a phone call from the GM. The call informed Stevens that he had been traded to the Florida Panthers. Stevens was shocked and as word spread around the league, fans were just as stunned.
Stevens joined the Devils during the 1991-1992 season coming over from the St. Louis Blues and never looked back. He immediately became known as the attack dog on the Jersey defence and he hit everything that moved often putting fellow players on the injury list. Stevens was a perfectionist in his own zone, priding himself on the fact that he never made a mistake with a bad pass or a poorly timed pinch. In short, the guy was the heart and soul of the team for many, many years.
With his 42nd birthday approaching , his career is coming to an end and Devils management decided to trade him now, while he still has some value. His loss on the blueline will hurt the club but the Devils should be able to get used to the change and adapt.
Coming to Jersey is 32 year old Russian defenceman Alexei Zhitnik. Zhitnik is a smooth skating d-man that loves to play in big game situations. He is effective in his own zone and deadly when quaterbacking the powerplay.
In other news the Devils kept their winning ways going when they overcame a spirited Calgary team Monday night. Jersey was handed 9 power play opportunities and capitalized three times as Zhitnik made his debut with two assists.
From the swamp