I tell ya what - I'm a Devils fan, but I think picking up Gomez and Drury is a good move for them. The problem the Rangers have had for the last, oh, 10 years in the inability of the coaching staff to gel all the star veterans they have. The Rangers keep opening the checkbook, but can't coach a fat kid into eating a pie.
This past season the Devils were rebuilding. They called up some rookies and spent the first half of the season trying to get all the new(er) kids into the system, gelling as a team, and trying out a few different line combos and styles. The second half of the season, the team decided they had to get into the playoffs to at least appease the fans, so made and effort - what they continued to lack though were the basics: crisp passes, playing position, keeping the puck out of their end of the zone.
This coming season, without Gomez or Refalski, will be felt (in a bad way) however NJ has always had a good farm organization. They whip and beat their rookies in Albany, then bring them down to Jersey when someone is injured. But by doing that, the 18-20 yr old kids who are suddenly in their first NHL game, can mostly handle it. Gomez and Refalski will be replaced, with only a minor loss in performance.
Hopefully they spend this next season gelling the team and preparing them for a cup run in another one or two years. It probably wont happen this year because they are still rebuilding - every team has to go through it. The Rangers simply buy in the talent, whereas the Devils spend less money and farm it. Cup runs come in cycles, so we have to be patient.
Looking forward to seeing #4 Jersey hanging from the rafters of the new arena, with the Hall of Fame words on it.
