NHL Top Devils executive denies fiscal woes

Lou Lamoriello says there is no financial problem with his team.
By TOM GULITTI
THE RECORD (BERGEN COUNTY, N.J.)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Devils CEO, president, and general manager Lou Lamoriello says that contrary to reports that state otherwise, the team is on sound financial ground and that nothing has happened to infringe upon short- or long-term operations.
"There is no problem with the financial status of the team," said Lamoriello, who was in Nashville on Friday to watch the Devils take on the Predators.
So, there is no reason for Martin Brodeur and defenseman Scott Stevens to worry about receiving the deferred money in their contracts or for unrestricted free agents Joe Nieuwendyk and Ken Daneyko to be concerned the team won't be able to re-sign them because of budget constraints.
"It has no effect whatsoever," Lamoriello said.
Debt report
A report that the team could be $50 million in debt by the end of the season had raised questions about whether Lamoriello, who is also CEO of the Nets, might be restricted in personnel decisions.
But he doesn't believe there is any need to address the players because he doesn't want to give credence to stories he says are untrue.
Next year, Puckholdings, a subdivision of YankeeNets, will have to pay former owner John McMullen $35 million in deferred payment from its 2000 purchase of the team. But Lamoriello denies reports that the group is scrambling for cash.
"For me to deny that we lost some money last year, I'm not going to do that," he said. "To what extent, I'm not going to get into, but it's not uncommon that when you don't go further than the first round [of the playoffs] that you don't make money. That's why we're looking to have a new arena [in Newark]. That's why we need one."
Lamoriello laughed off a report that the board of directors of YankeeNets voted at a meeting Tuesday not to buy a 20 percent stake in the Devils.
"I can tell you this," Lamoriello said, "[in that story] nothing was true. There was a meeting, but it had nothing to do with that. I was in the [NHL] general managers' meetings all day. Would I have been there all day if this was going on?"
He's back
Jamie Langenbrunner was back in the lineup Friday after missing four games while recovering from pneumonia and picked up an assist on Jay Pandolfo's winning goal. Devils' coach Pat Burns tried to limit his ice time, but he played 15:28, roughly two minutes under his season average.
"All things considered I felt pretty good," said Langenbrunner, who has regained most of the 10 pounds he lost. "There was a tough little bit at the start, but as the game went on I felt better."