CLARKE WATCHING LAMORIELLO

Satan?

Bobby Clarke is watching Lou Lamoriello very closely. Lamoriello is just over a week away from crunch time as far as his cap issues go. He has already stated that Mogilny will be out longterm with his arthritic hip, and it is his belief that Mogilny's salary won't count against the Devils' cap.

But that has not been ok'd by the League yet. As Spector's Trade Rumors puts it, Lou will probably get his wish because Almo has had this problem for a long time, and it is NHL-related.
What Clarke is saying is that it will be 'fair play' if that is what happens, obviously insinuating that Lou is being a trendsetter here. Clarke can say that all he wants, and that is fine, because he is saying what every other GM is thinking. But what is Lou going to do with Vladimir Malakhov? There probably aren't that many takers on a big, slow defenceman at a $3.5 million salary. If Malakhov can't be traded anywhere, Lou may need to move someone else to make room to sign Brian Gionta, who is still in limbo. It should be a very interesting 9 days from here in Devils Land.