Brian Rolston

Newark, NJ – The New Jersey Devils are back and playing like the dynasty they once were. With eight consecutive wins they are 17-1-2 in their last 20 games. The red-hot Devils were once 27 long points away from thinking about the postseason and currently they are nine attainable points from the eighth place slot in the Eastern Conference.

It's been a very interesting year thus far for the New Jersey Devils.  After an outright abysmal first half of the season, the team has surged of late, and is currently the hottest team in the league, posting a 12-1-2 record in their last 15 games.  However, the chances of the Devils making the playoffs remain a long shot at best.  Even if you look at basic mathematics, the Devils will need to likely post 90 plus points, meaning they would need to have at least a 20-4-2 record in their last 26 games.

With the NHL now at the All-Star break, now is a good time to reflect on the first 49 games and give out some awards to certain players.  If you want individual grades, take a look at this article from a couple of weeks ago. 

Most Valuable Player

It was the old catch phrase used by the Devils in the mid 1980's......"Devils, Catch Fire."  After the long, long stretch of bad play for the Devils in the first half of the season resulting in a record of 10-29-2, the Devils have responded with a stretch of hockey that has reminded their fans of the team they thought they had. 

The New Jersey Devils continue to find different ways to lose hockey games.  Tuesday night, the Devils fell to the Minnesota Wild 2-1 after a freakish bounce on a goal by Clayton Stoner.

Brian Rolston is a versatile forward who can play all three positions.  He has used his versatility to make it in the NHL as long as he has.

Rolston is an elite two way forward who is feels at home in the defensive zone and has maintained a high level of defensive play even as his point production has plummeted.

The New Jersey Devils waived the veteran last Tuesday to try to save salary, but he cleared waivers and still remains with the team.

With the struggles the New Jersey Devils have had thus far this season, many people have been waiting for the " other shoe to drop." 

While people have been creating the rumors of head coach John MacLean being fired, GM Lou Lamoriello made his first significant move today, placing LW Brian Rolston on waivers. 

This morning, Brian Rolston of the New Jersey Devils was placed on re-entry waivers. For the next 24 hours, any team in the NHL can claim him and pay him only half his salary.

Should the Toronto Maple Leafs be that team?

Once the Devils signed Ilya Kovalchuk to that monster contract, Rolston and his $5,062,500 salary became a problem for the Devils.

In the offseason, he was rumored to be one of the players that could be on the move, but his no-trade clause was in the way, so nothing happened.

TSN's Bob McKenzie broke the news shortly after midday Eastern Standard time that Brian Rolston of the New Jersey Devils has been placed on waivers.  The 37-year old left-winger has struggled mightily this season posting 4 points in 15 games for New Jersey.

What a difference a game makes. One night you're considered a pariah for flubbing your opportunity in the penalty shootout. Next game out you're the hero as you deliver your team's first home victory of the season late in overtime.

Enter the world of Ilya Kovalchuk.

The New Jersey Devils went into their clash with the Edmonton Oilers without the services of their inspiring captain Jamie Langenbrunner.