Has Damien Brunner played his last game as a Devil? (photo from NJ.com)

In a move only mildly surprising based on the timing of it, the Devils waived forward Damien Brunner earlier today.  Despite the fact multiple forwards are still out of the lineup, the organization clearly deems Brunner and his $2.5 million salary expendable and a divorce seems inevitable based on games like last night where coach Pete DeBoer screamed at Brunner after another patented screwup and then benched him the rest of the night.  Talking about the move, GM Lou Lamoriello admitted there was also an ulterior motive to waiving Brunner when he did:

“I think consistency has been something with our team in different areas and you have to be consistent to have success and that’s what we have to strive for. Unfortunately, you have to make decisions to go forward and people have to get the message that this is what’s going to happen….There are different players at different times that become inconsistent. There’s a line. When you reach that line, then your talk doesn’t do it. So, now, there has to be decisions.”

Clearly Brunner was one of those players, putting up only thirty-two points in 77 games as Devil, a dissapointing output for a guy who most felt would upgrade the offense after getting 26 points as a rookie in the shortened season with Detroit and having a solid playoffs.  However, there was little interest in Brunner as a free agent and apparently even less interest in trading for him since all indications are he was on the block before this decision today.  Lou didn’t even discount the possibility that Brunner might be back in the lineup tomorrow night if he cleared waivers though, which is a tactic we used with Brian Rolston a few years ago.  Waiving Rolston wound up producing his best hockey as a Devil after he went unclaimed.

As far as the present-day Devils, Brunner’s hardly the only guy to be put on notice.  In Pittsburgh Michael Ryder was a healthy scratch and not happy about it, as evidenced in this Tom Gulutti blog post.  Before he was injured, centerman Travis Zajac was demoted to the third line and in recent games Danius Zubrus has seen time on the fourth line.  Not to mention the surprise demotion of Peter Harrold the other day.  If Lou’s not holding the coach accountable it seems certain he and the head coach are finally starting to hold the players accountable for diminishing returns the last three seasons and more immediately a five-game winless streak before last night’s 5-3 victory in Toronto.  Which quite honestly I’m fine with.  Although I’m not too thrilled with the head coach either, it’s at least good that finally there’s a little rocking the boat going on and that status quo is finally no longer acceptable.