Devils: Half a Niedermayer Ain't Half-Bad
New Jersey signs experienced veteran
Posted on Friday, September 25, 2009 at 4:45 PMThe Devils got the OTHER Niedermayer – and that ain't half-bad. Or, to put it another way, half-a-Scott Niedermayer is better than half the players in the National Hockey League.
Okay, Rob Niedermayer's arrival in Newark may not be heralded as the Fourth Coming of The Stanley Cup but Lou Lamoriello's latest acquisition is more meaningful than many observers may think.
The Maven interprets New Jersey's free agent acquisition in the simplest – yet vital – terms.
Rob represents the 2009-2010 version of departed John Madden, once a defensive center extraordinaire but, more recently, just a shade of his former valuable self. Madden is well-ensconced in Chicago; and good luck to him.
In a sense, Lamoriello was fortunate to snag the other Niedermayer so close to the season opener. Niedermayer is bigger, faster and younger and can kill penalties as well as, if not better than Mad Dog in Madden's final, fading years at The Rock.
"I'll bring the Devils some size, two-way play, skating ability and consistency," said Rob in a Friday afternoon conference call. "I picked the Devils because I believe that this club has a real, good chance to win The Cup. There were other offers, but New Jersey's possibilities are what drew me to sign with Lou."
Scott's 35-year-old kid brother also likes the fact that he's now a teammate with fellows he got to know over the years through Scott.
"I'm friendly with guys like Jay Pandolfo, Marty Brodeur, Brian Rolston and Colin White. It's going to be nice to be playing alongside them."
Rob revealed that he still nurtures "bittersweet" memories of the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals, which pitted brother against brother with Scott's Devils winning the championship in Game Seven at The Meadowlands.
"To be honest," he explained, "after we had lost to New Jersey, I never thought I'd have a chance to win The Cup. Then, to get to do it as a teammate of Scott's (in 2007) was something special."
Plus, it was a nifty playoff year for Rob, who tallied five goals and five assists for Anaheim over the 21-game march to the title.
Although he entered the league in 1993 as Florida's first draft pick (fifth overall) as a center, Niedermayer also has played extensively on the wing. I expect that Jacques Lemaire will want him at center in a position that some believed had belonged to Rod Pelley.
"I feel comfortable at center," said Rob, "because I grew up playing that position, but Jacques hasn't told me yet where I'd be playing."
He has remained in shape skating with the Junior team in his home town of Cranbrook, British Columbia where he had worked out with the local club.
"I've been skating four or five times a week since August, and I'm hoping that by Tuesday I'll be in the lineup. It would be nice if I could see some game action before the season starts. It's one thing to practice with a team and another to actually get in the game."
Rob and Scott chatted on Thursday morning before his signing was made official by Lamoriello in the afternoon.
"We laughed over the irony; Scotty having played so long in New Jersey and now he's in California and I'm now in the East as a Devil. It's funny how these things work out."
How Rob Niedermayer works out in Devils' livery may go a long way in determining whether Scott's sibling's second Cup wish comes true.
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