Leblond called up by Devils (updated)

Left wing Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond has been called up by the Devils on an emergency basis and practiced this morning.

As some of you have noted on the post below, indicated on his Facebook page that he had been called up by the Devils. The move makes sense with Bobby Holik fracturing his right pinkie in Saturday's win in Washington.

Neither Holik nor Brian Rolston (high right ankle sprain) practiced today. No word yet on whether Holik's pinkie will require surgery.

I spent an extra day in Washington and was supposed to be off today, but tried to get an earlier flight back today to get to practice. Unfortunately, the earlier flight was delayed more than an hour and I didn't get back in time. I'll try to get an update on Holik and BRolston if there is one.

Defenseman Anssi Salmela remains, who was sent down on Friday, remains in Lowell.

Comments

[Falcone]

As long as the kid can play and doesn't spend more time in the box than on the ice, I'm cool. However would we really need him against Dallas? I could understand the Rangers or Flyers, but Dallas?

[JJ]

He'll probably get only 5 - 7 minutes and Sutter will double shift whoever is playing well. Maybe he'll use Rupp at C, not sure. I wouldn't break up the top two lines right now that's for sure. As long as Zubrus keeps it simple he'll be effective with Elias & Vrana. They were on of the best lines on the ice Saturday. Looks like the old Patty is back.

[Jim]

TG, can you find out anything about Alexander Vasyunov leaving Locomotiv to play in the AHL?

[FTC]

I think he'll do ok on the 4th line. P3L isn't a loose canon like CamJan. He fights when he has to and he knows that his primary reaponsibility is to just eat up ice time and not do anything stupid when he's out there. Anyways, I hope this means Vrana will get more playing time. I thought he looked really good out there with Patty. He almost cashed in on a pass from Patty behind the net in the third period on Saturday. As he gets more comfortable out there, he'll start burying those.

[Shtikl]

Blahopřejeme, Vrána!

How's Tally?

Any chance Lou might find a few more players for Trenton? Going 0-3 in their opening weekend was really sad! That's not going to help Frazee's devilopment.

Please check out Mike Ashmore's amazing T-Devils blog at http://tdevils.wordpress.com/ -- and anybody down Trenton way, PLEASE check out a T-Devils game!

[Sarah]

Yikes, Holik may need surgery? He must have really gotten nailed.

Glad to see Leblond may get a shot.

To Falcone -- Dallas is a tough team. They've got Avery, Morrow, and Ott, off the top of my head -- agitation city. People automatically think of Philly and the Rags as the teams you need the extra size for, but I'd certainly prefer a player who is going to play more like Holik (as Leblond will) than someone like Rod Pelley against this Stars team.

[mikeP]

dallas has been racking up the penalty minutes through fights thus far this season, they have Avery, Ott, Barch, Crombeen, Morrow, it's definitely a better idea to play PLLL against them rather than Bergfors or Halischuk, and the same goes against Philly this weekend. after that PLLL should go back to Lowell, and bring up Bergfors or even Pelley, if Holik is going to miss an extended period of time

[MoonDragn]

Doesn't Leblond need to clear waivers to come back up?

[Triumph]

i don't think so MoonDragn, and even if he does, he's going to.

[Jason]

He is now listed on the Devils roster on ESPN.com which is usually definitive.

[Warren]

Is this is what it's become? Professional athletes are now giving us scoop thru their Facebook page??? Toe Blake must surely be spinning in his grave...

[Jason]

I'm happy to see PL3 up if its a short term injury, but I'd much rather see Pascal come up if this is going to be long term. He is a natural center, and wins faceoffs, plus he has NHL exp.

[JJ]

No waivers for Leblond. TG confirmed that last week. Something about him having an AHL contract. They could also dress 7 D if Holik is just gonna miss one or two games.

[Devilswede]

He's been recalled. It's official.

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2...called_by.html

[Jason]

It was official when it was on ESPN.com For all their other faults, they are always first on these things. Remember when Rupp showed up on our roster like a week before his signing was announced?

[Jason]

Also, I'm not sure where all this PLLL love as a fighter comes from. He is OK, but by no means dominant. He fought a nice draw against an aging, and often scratched Donald Brashear, but he got pounded by Riley Cote, and his AHL fights im watching are mostly him picking on lesser opponents or draws with legit AHL fighters.

[Jason]

Not saying he won't be a good one in the future, but he's no Troy Crowder at this point.

[MikeK]

You'd be surprised. As players get younger, they're more likely to have facebook, and more likely to dish out scoops about their movement before it becomes official. When the Red Bull traded a young player, Hunter Freeman, to Toronto, it first came out through his facebook, which a fan noticed and the story got out a day or two before the transaction.

PLLL is absolutely needed against Dallas. Need I remind you, they have a certain player we really, really owe a beating to for what he did in the playoffs last year...

[Hard Hat Nick # 3]

Holik needs surgery; lost 3-4 weeks
by Rich Chere
Monday October 20, 2008, 11:59 AM
Bobby Holik needs surgery to repair his broken right pinkie and will be sidelined 3-4 weeks, Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said Monday.

Lamoriello also said Brian Rolston (high ankle sprain) had an MRI and X-rays which showed no damage and is day-to-day.

"Brian's MRI and X-rays all came back clean," Lamoriello said. "It's a sprain. Now it's a matter of when the swelling goes down. There is no timetable because it's an unknown."

Holik, who suffered his injury Saturday night in Washington, will have surgery Tuesday morning and could be lost for a month.

"It''s three weeks best case and four weeks worse case scenerio," Lamoriello said of Holik.

Rolston's right ankle injury occurred in Atlanta Thursday night when he crashed into the end boards.

[Jason]

Well then Vrana can play on the 4th line with Rupp and Clarkson once Rolston comes back.

Elias Zubrus Rolston
ZZPop
Pando Madden Gio
Vrana Rupp Clarkson

Man, that 700 lb line has lost a lot of weight.

[BH]

The news about Holik should certainly keep Vrana in the lineup, so let's hope he makes the most of it, and makes the losses of Holik and Rolston easier to deal with. Also, I am kind of excited to see PLLL makes his debut.

[Jason]

TG, why don't you just take the shuttle to Laguardia. They run like every hour.

[Brick]

Does anyone want to take a guess which team will be the victim of Marty's record-breaking 552 victory? Looks to me like it'll either be Florida or the Isles Nov. 20 or 21.

[TG]

I did take the shuttle to LaGuardia. My 8:30 a.m. flight didn't take off until 9:45.

[Jason]

I like how they let you choose your own seat on that flight. You an aisle man or a window man? I like the window on that flight, because you see all you need to see. It takes off in NY, you see Yankee, Shea, Giants stadiums, you climb for what seems like 10 min, and then you descend into DC, and i swear that plane buzzes the mall. By the time you land, you have seen DC, and you can get right on the next one and go home.