Tough decision for Lemaire to dump Shanahan, but says kids are "ready to play"

Devils coach Jacques said it was very difficult to make the decision to let Brendan Shanahan go.

Lemaire sat in on the meeting when Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello broke the news to Shanahan

"I sat with Lou and him when Lou talked to him after I told Lou, I said 'I said I can't do this.'," Lemaire said. "If I knew it would have been like that, I don't know if I would have attended because it's hard. I've seen a few in my career and the good people it's hard to come to this type of situation. Because they're good people and they were top players in the league at a time. So, it makes it a lot harder.

"I said, 'I'm glad you're the GM. You've got to make the decision, the final one."

Lemaire said that he didn't think it was an option to keep Shanahan as a fourth-line player and he did not fit in the top three lines because the team's youngers players have moved ahead of him. 

"When we sat down at the start of the season, I told him him that I'm going to give him the chance to play, to prove himself and I'd like him to be in the top three lines," Lemaire said. "It's not that he doesn't do the job. It's not that he cannot play. You know he's getting in better and better shape. His last game was the best game he played. You could see that there was an improvement. The problem is the kids.

"At the start of the season, these kids, I didn't know them myself. Maybe Lou thought that they had a long chance to make the team. But these kids they've shown that they're ready to play."

Lemaire recalled how difficult it was when the Montreal Canadiens told Larry Robinson they were letting him go.

"Larry was tough too, but I was not with (GM) Serge Savard," Lemaire said. "But I remember Serge talking about it. It was really hard for him to let Larry go. (Shanahan), maybe because I've seen him play so many times and what he did in his career and the fact that I sat at the start of the season with him and the type of guy he is."

Lemaire said the meeting Wednesday with Shanahan was "worse for Lou because he drafted him. A 18 years old, he played for him. It was hard. I could tell just by his breathing after. It was not easy."

Before the decision was made to let Shanahan go, Lemaire said Lamoriello asked him,'What do you think of the kids?"

Lemaire replied, "I think they're ready to play. They're good. You look at every game they played, they're good. So it means that they're ready."

Lemaire didn't think it would be fair to the 40-year-old Shanahan -- the NHL's active leader with 656 career goals -- to keep him as a fourth liner.

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"Myself, I didn't want Shanny to come in and be a fourth-line type of player. I wouldn't want that," Lemaire said. "It's just how I look at things. When a veteran like him had the type of career he had, you don't want to play him on a line that it would be tough to produce for him. And it's still his game to produce points. To do it, he's got to play on the top lines and now the top lines we have players that are ahead."

Lemaire believes young players such as Niclas Bergfors, 22, Matt Halischuk, 21, and Ilkka Pikkarainen, 28, showed they are ready to play regularly in the NHL.

"Halischuk and Bergie played together when they played in games and they were as good as our top line, how they played at that time," Lemaire said. "Not that they're better than our top line. They were playing just as good and, especially Bergie, the way he's been paying, I've been watching him maybe a little closer tha the other ones, but it's what he does with the puck. If it's an 18-year-old kid, then you say, 'Maybe it's a flash.' But, he's not a kid. He's more mature.

Lemaire said Bergfors, the team's 2005 first-round pick. is ready to contribute right now.

"It's what he is right now, never mind in April," Lemaire said. "I don't look at this kid like this kid is an American Hockey League player. I look at this kid like he's an NHL player. You're going to look at other guys and say, 'He's fine. He's good, but he's an American Hockey League player right now.' He's good, but not good enough for the NHL. This kid (Bergfors), he's an NHL player and he'll get better.

"He's good right now. We know he's going to be good in the long run, but he's good right now. Look at all of the plays he made. I've seen guys, the guys were chasing him. They were hitting him along the boards and all of this and he just keeps going. It tells you something. And he keeps making the plays. It tells you something. When he gets hit, he's not nervous with the puck. He does what he has to do."

Lemaire also liked what he saw from Pikkarainen before he became ill last week and Halischuk.

"Pikk, when he was healthy, he was really good," Lemaire said. "He's got good size, he can skate. The time I put him with [Zach Parise and Travis Zajac], rememever what the line did? It's a good sign. He's goes to the net, he's big, he protects the puck, uses his body well and he's got a lot of energy.

"Halischuk has good talent, good talent to play. I don't know if we've got room for all of them. We do not right now have room for all of them, so somebody will have to go."

The Devils will have to cut someone when Patrik Elias is ready to return from his groin surgery.

Comments

[HoOn]

I'm still lost for words. I really hope they made the right decision. I would have preferred Shanny over Pando.

[Jeff O.]

I posted this in the last thread:

People, please calm down. If I take Shanahan's name out of some these comments (in the previous thread) and I'm left with just the context, it seems like Elias just died, Parise just got traded to the Rangers, and Brodeur followed Sutter up to Calgary citing "personal reasons." Come on, do we really need to overreact like this? I love Shanahan as much as the next guy, but this isn't 1996; it's 2009. He is not the same Brendan Shanahan we all saw rip through Detroit and have tremendous years up there. He's 40-something and he's not getter any younger. Not everyone can be like Chris Chelios. The Devils could've used him in a great leadership role for the younger guys, but that can still be done if he comes back in a coaching-esque role in the organization. This is not the end of the world. If we only have 5 points on the season at the end of October, then getting ticked may be warranted. Until that happens (if it ever happens), put the pitchforks and torches away, go meditate or something for five minutes, and be realistic about this whole thing.

In the end, it does seem like they came to an agreement on this whole thing. We'll see as time goes by, but I don't think that there will be any bad blood between Shanahan and the Devils.

[Rick C.]

Best line of the article: "The problem is the kids."

[Jason]

I do agree, Pando is useless. If ANYONE was going to be "let go", it should have been him.

[dixiecupdrinkin]

Just saw this on twitter:

Eklund HOT RUMOUR.: Shanahan retiring may also have something to do with a Possible MAJOR acquisition by the NJ Devils of a top center via trade

[NeilS]

Eklund can go fornicate himself with an iron stick. If that came from Darren Dreger I'd believe it, but not from that idiot.

[ALeatherGlove]

It was pretty clear last season that Shanahan can't skate anymore. This pre-season, it was even more painfully obvious that he can't. Cutting Shanahan is only a bad thing if Pandolfo winds up on the third line. Frankly, while Lou is feeling ruthless he should keep the axe swinging and cut Pandolfo.

[Major Tom]

Eklund hot rumour of a major acquisition means the Devils are standing pat.

[modnarm]

THE KIDS BETTER BE READY TO WIN CLUTCH SHOOTOUTS!!!!!!

THE KIDS BETTER BE READY TO LEAD THIS TEAM!

THE KIDS BETTER BE ABLE TO PUT 40 POINTS WITHOUT BEING MINUS 20!!!

THE KIDS BETTER HAVE SOME POSITIVE LEADERSHIP IN THE LOCKER ROOM COME PLAYOFF TIME WHEN WE'RE DOWN 1-3!!!

[NeilS]

Exactly, Major Tom. Has Eklund ever gotten a rumor right?

[New Guy]

Eklund doesn't know anything, if there was a big deal happening that would have been announced first. The team is going to stay how it stands now.

[NeilS]

Wow modnarm do us all a favor and either jump off the ledge or turn off the computer. This team won plenty of shootouts before Shanahan came here and they have several multiple Stanley Cup winners so leadership isn't an issue either.

Let it go.

[ChiDevsFan]

Shanahan scored what 6 goals in 30+ games last year? I would rather let the kids play than put your hopes in someone who will break down midway through the season with a much tighter schedule because of the Olympics. This is not Shanahan of the 90's so let's calm down. I think this is a good thing since it means that they feel the kids are ready to play, who am I to disagree with that? Lemaire would be crazy to change the Parise-Elias(when healthy)-Langenbrunner top 3 shootout lineup anyway, that worked out quite well last year even without Marty for a good portion.

[Falcone]

Man, I go out for a few hours and I miss everything. I'm not sure if cutting Shanny was the best move. I understand why we did it, but his leadership could have helped the younger guys in the locker room. But that's over now. We're here and the kids are our future.

Its going to take a couple of weeks for the kids to get up to speed, but it'll work.

[modnarm]

no the PROBLEM isn't the kids. the PROBLEM is we can't TRADE the kids for a #2 CENTER!

[RickyM2]

I didn't ever figure Lou "Mr Ethics" Lam was a backstabber. I'm very angry (just my first impulse) Poor Pando, I hope he has round the clock security in his yard, cause If Lou would fire Shanny, he might probably try to assasinate poor Pando

[njdave]

Well said modnarm... I could see this working if they do all those things and please Lou get rid of Pandolfo he is the real one that should have been cut!

[anthony]

at least we know why espn has us ranked 24th!!!

Seriously thank you Shanny....without you going to St. Louis we don't win 3 cups.....
I am not worried. I just think Langs needs to be a bigger locker room guy....

[NoUseForHenrik]

Everyone, BREATHE.

We get pissed when we sign old players.
We get pissed when we let old players go.
You guys are never happy. The "Kids" need to play, the only way you'll ever be pleased with their play is if they get exposed to the NHL.

I promise, we WILL make it through this together.

[NeilS]

Jesus what a bunch of drama queens.

[crashline09]

I agree with Neils. I mean come on guys, yes he was a great leader, but he is old and slow! I would much rather have these kids get some real minutes than have shanny slow us down and keep us in the past! Lets all take a deep breath and relax Lou knows what he is doing.

[Glen]

All you guys saying to cut Pando instead of Shanny need to think. Pando is going to be a 4th liner at best. Shanny didn't want to play on the 4th line. Getting rid if Pando wouldn't have put Shanny where he wanted to be. I agree though that they should cut ties with Pando to instead of sending one of the kids dwon when Elias comes back.

[Major Tom]

I love that ESPN ranks them so low. It guarantees them a shot at the division.

[RickyM2]

Oh, and as far as "The Kids" THEY SUCK!!! I've been complaining about them since the beginning of camp. The only one I liked was sent down (Zharkov)... Yeah, right, Pelley is a checking fwd?? He's just so intimidating.. As much as my grandma intimidates Brandon Jacobs at the line of scrimmage!!! I'll say it again, Bergfors SUCKS!! Halichuck SUCKS!! Lou wants to give "The Kids" a chance? They were playing camp like they had the job locked up. I hope Shanny punched Lou and Jacque "The Coque" in their faces!!!

[Bergfors Fan Club]

I cannot wait for Bergfors to score a lot of goals and help the Devils win games.