MONTREAL – The Devils can add another cliche to their quotebook: The one that the best deal sometimes is the one not done.
The jackpot price the Penguins paid to rent Marian Hossa from Atlanta is the tipoff to how high the Devils would have had to go to complete a big rental deal by the Feb. 26 deadline.
Bringing a three-game win streak here tonight in another clash of the Eastern Conference leaders (7:30 p.m., VS., WFAN-660 AM), the Devils are on pace for a 102-point season. Still, they have scored more than two goals only once in their last seven games – six since the deadline, when Lou Lamoriello is believed to have tried to bolster his offense.
Pitt gave up two young NHLers in Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen, top prospect Angelo Esposito and their 2008 first-rounder for Hossa and Pascal Dupuis.
The Devils are believed to have been in the hunt. If they weren’t willing to yield Paul Martin, which they weren’t, they’d surely be asked to begin with Patrik Elias, Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner, John Madden or Brian Gionta.
Even at such hefty cost, it would be anything but certain that upcoming unrestricted Hossa would sign with the Devils during the summer.
The Devils should be glad any such deal didn’t happen.