Join The Club, Bro’

Martin Brodeur announces he will try the market hours before 5 players are announced to be returning to the Devils from the 2011-2012 season(Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE)

If you can fathom Martin Brodeur playing in any other jersey aside a New Jersey Devils’ jersey, your imagination has a chance of becoming reality after July 1^st.

As posted on inlouwetrust.com, Martin Brodeur will reportedly shop around for a potential new team when his contract expires July 1^st. The stunning news coincides with information that the team has had minimal talks with the epic goaltender about a new deal. It was also followed by an announcement that 5 members of last year’s team will be returning to help drive this team back to Stanley Cup Championship contention.

The 5 returning players, Steve Bernier, Ryan Carter, Stephen Gionta , Cam Janssen, and Peter Harrold, all were announced as returning members just hours after disclosure of a possible Marty departure. Marty’s unprecedented career within the NHL has been spent exclusively with the Devils, and depending on what kind of offer he may take from another team, the much-aligned 2011-2012 team may be considering a new net-minder.

A great deal of confusion stems from Brodeur’s repeated comments about New Jersey being the only team he wants to play for. Moves like this aren’t uncommon in any professional sport, however. Big-name players and “franchise” players have tendencies to make announcements as such with hopes of receiving a larger, and/or more extensive contract offering. The lack of negotiating that has triggered this announcement included no details offers he has received from the New Jersey Devils, nor has there been mention of offers from any other team.

Brodeur’s has painted quite a canvas of illustrious, record breaking seasons with the Devils since the 1991-1992 season; his first year in the pro’s. His name is strewn across enough goaltending records to decorate an entire wall since emerging (656 career wins, 119 regular-season shutouts, 24 postseason shutouts, etc. etc.) His flashy quickness, his puck-instinct, and his undeniable leadership brought the Stanley Cup to New Jersey in 1995, 2000, and in 2003.

Whether or not this is a strategic way of earning a bigger contract from the New Jersey Devils, the team must now consider who to be their goaltender for the start of the 2013 season. Johan Hedberg, who played 27 games for the Devils last season, is just a year younger than Martin himself (39 years old.) Though he is a proven contender his age is still implicit of the inevitable need to fill the goal with younger blood.

There is no telling what Marty may be thinking, but his place of birth is Montreal, Quebec. It is hard to speculate there is a chance of him landing a contract with the Canadiens because they already have the talented (and younger) Casey Price as their current net-minder. Montreal is also where fellow goalie-legend Patrick Roy spent the majority of his extensive career, but unless Marty is willing to backup Price, or the teams can work out a trade, there’s not much of a lead pointing Marty in Montreal’s direction.

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