In Lou We Trust

I made a reference to it in yesterday's post, but it came up again in a sidebar in the sports section from today's Star Ledger. Rich Chere is reporting that Langenbrunner's groin strain may not even be a groin strain at all and could be an abdominal tear. He has already had an MRI and he will see a specialist on Wednesday. Needless to say, if it is an abdominal tear, Langenbrunner may need surgery and would likely miss a portion of the season. I agree with Langenbrunner's viewpoint that it's better addressed now rather than later.

That said, this presents another pressing problem for Brent Sutter to deal with: who to fill in at right wing on the second line. Clearly, I'd want Langenbrunner in that spot. What he brings to the Devils both on offense and defense as well as the established chemistry with Travis Zajac and Zach Parise and his work ethic are all valuable to the team. However, should he be injured by the time the season starts, I would imagine that this is an opportunity for David Clarkson, Nicklas Bergfors, and the soon-to-be-outside-looking-in Barry Tallackson to make their respective cases for a spot on the team.

While that is going on in training camp, the Devils are currently playing their first preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers. (Note: I don't have anything on that. Sorry. I don't think it's on TV and there's no online coverage outside of the fact it's 2-0 Flyers after the first period and it's a preseason game, the results don't mean much anyway unless you actually watched the game and saw who did and did not do well. In short, don't expect any preseason game coverage at ILWT.) In the meantime, hopefully Langenbrunner's groin strain/groin pull/abdominal tear will heal up quickly and properly if only so he doesn't have to suffer the pain of such an injury. I imagine Pookie and Schnookie and Interchangeable Parts would agree with such sentiments.