Devils should consider dealing Brodeur

Would the Devils consider trading Martin Brodeur? Absolutely not, says general manager Lou Lamoriello in response to a rumor making the rounds that the Capitals would trade Alexander Semin to New Jersey for the winningest goaltender in NHL history.

I think Lamoriello should reconsider. Brodeur is indeed headed for the Hall of Fame, does in fact have more wins than any other goaltender in league history and has in fact won the Stanley Cup three times. He also continues to play at a high level.

However, it's also true that Brodeur is now 38 years old and, for all of his regular season success in recent years, his reputation as a big-time, money goaltender has taken a severe hit. He was benched by head coach Mike Babcock prior to the medal round of the most recent Olympics, replaced by Roberto Luongo. And since winning the Stanley Cup Final in 2003, Brodeur has won a grand total of one playoff series despite the Devils often being the favored team (like this season, for example, when the Devils flamed out against the Flyers with barely a whimper in the opening round). His collapse in the final minutes of Game 7 of the Devils first round series in 2009 against Carolina cannot be ignored either.

Brodeur has in fact been a great goaltender but one cannot say with a straight face that he has been one any time recently. Skeptics (not saying I am or am not one) will point out that Brodeur's great reputation as a money goaltender died the moment he lost Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens (following the 2003 playoffs) and Hall of Fame-bound defenseman Scott Niedermayer (following the 2004 playoffs) and that his performance without them just proves that Brodeur wasn't that great and was simply the beneficiary of great defensive play in front of him. Kool-Aid drinkers will say that Brodeur has remained a pillar of strength and the Devils have stopped winning playoff series because they have failed to put quality players in front of him, starting with the failure to replace Stevens and Niedermayer.

Most likely, the answer lies somewhere in between, although there is no doubt whatsoever that Brodeur had the most talented team in front of him at the Vancouver Games and, armed with such power, he managed to cough up his job to Luongo.

I don't think Brodeur is going anywhere simply because I believe he, in addition to having a no-trade clause, is the Steve Yzerman or Mario Lemieux of his franchise and won't ever be traded (and he's not like Ray Bourque, who was traded at the end of his career because he never could win the Cup in Boston; Brodeur has his name on the Cup three times already). But I do think Lamoriello should seriously consider it. And if Semin, 26 years of age, is offered up by Washington for Brodeur, I think Lamoriello should approach Brodeur about waiving that no-trade clause.