The Devils will try again to recreate two-thirds of their A Line, inviting winger Petr Sykora to camp on a tryout.
The Devils’ first-round draft pick in 1995, Sykora is among five unsigned invitees to training camp, which opens for veterans Saturday, following physicals Friday.
Sykora, 34, scored 20 goals 10 times in the NHL, including four times with the Devils. Patrik Elias remains from the A Line, with Jason Arnott gone again, this time to St. Louis via Washington after rejoining the Devils last summer.
Sykora played for Pilzen of the Czech league and Minsk of the KHL last season. He led the Devils with 29 goals and 72 points in 1998-99, and had 145 goals and 205 assists in 445 games with the Devils. He had 22 goals and 24 assists in 63 playoff games, and was in a Dallas hospital as Arnott scored the 2000 Stanley Cup winner. Sykora has 302 goals and 375 assists for 677 points in 935 NHL games, last playing 14 games with Minnesota in 2009-10.
In addition, the Devils have invited 25-year-old defenseman Anton Stralman, right wings Thomas Nesbitt and Steve Bernier, and left wing Justin Barnett, an Arizona native, to camp.
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A missed bank payment is no way to signal fiscal health to a star contemplating where to spend the rest of his career.
Assurances by the Devils and a high league source that the team is not headed toward bankruptcy are unlikely to provide much solace to someone like Zach Parise, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
While a high-ranking NHL source downplayed the likelihood the Devils could be pushed into bankruptcy in the future, there was no one disputing they failed to make a loan payment Sept. 1, as reported by Post business writer Josh Kosman yesterday.
The Devils did not address the non-payment issue.
Primary owner Jeff Vanderbeek has been seeking new partners through a sale of the 47 percent owned by Ray Chambers, who went public in February about wanting out. Vanderbeek also owns 47 percent. The two have agreed on a deal but the sale has not yet been approved by the banks. Peter Simon owns the remaining six percent. The team is seeking to restructure both its debts and its ownership.
The Devils have also failed to make rental payments to Newark for the arena they operate.
General manager Lou Lamoriello declined comment on the financial situation, except to insist his moves this summer have not been hampered by such constraints. With Travis Zajac out until at least Thanksgiving, Lamoriello could have been expected to sign a center at least for insurance, if a direct replacement wasn’t available.