Brodeur is aging All of this ice time is taking a toll

They've consistently let players leave the team, or traded them away, feeling that no one is irreplaceable.The one slot where they haven't cultivated this approach is in goal, where they've ridden Brodeur for well over 15 years There's never been a plan B with the Devils and Brodeur. New Jersey was always going to ride him until he collapsed.And amazingly, he didn't collapse until last season's injury. And he rebounded back and still finished the season with 31 starts. Even with that scare, the Devils didn't try and bring in a back-up who could possibly start if Brodeur went down again this season. Instead, they went with Yann Danis, who so far in his career has been noticeably average.Brodeur is aging All of this ice time is taking a toll. You can see it in the playoffs, where the Devils have been out of the quarter finals just twice since winning the Cup in 2003. He's the NHL's all-time leader in wins and shares the NHL shutout record with the legendary Terry Sawchuk Eventually, the shutout record will belong to Brodeur alone.

Why wouldn't a team lean on a goaltender of Brodeur's caliberBut the Devils need to understand that Brodeur is human. His body can no longer handle the grind of playing all season and then into the playoffs. They need to take steps to preserve both his body and his legacy.Step one would be a solid back-up to help with the regular season workload. Even a game off a week could make a huge difference for Brodeur. The Devils either don't trust Danis to start more than a few games a season, or else aren't taking full advantage of a qualified goalie.

Neither scenario is a great one, but the former seems to be the issue as before Saturday's game, the very one from which Brodeur was subsequently pulled, coach Jacques Lemaire told the media : "We try to give Brodeur the proper rest so he can play all of these games. And if we see at a time that he gets too much work, then we will play the other goalie."The fact that Lemaire doesn't seem to readily know Danis' name seems to indicate the goaltender is not weighing heavily in the coach's goaltending plans.Brodeur's getting pulled from one game is hardly cause to pull the panic alarm. But it is cause to think about how many games he's already played, and how many more games he's going to play. And then, you have to wonder if a little rest wouldn't help him last longer into the playoffs.Hockey is a team game and every player has a role in his team's performance.

You certainly can't blame the Devils recent post-season struggles on Brodeur's fatigue, but why wouldn't you want your best and, arguably, most important player as rested as possible for the playoffs. It was a surprise to all of college football fans when Anthony Davis, the No. 1 overall offensive lineman recruit signed his national letter of intent to go to Rutgers University, passing on a full ride to THE Ohio State University.The most highly touted player to commit to playing "On the Banks" in Rutgers history, Davis did what not many other high-profile high school players from the Central New Jersey area had previously done.Malcolm Jenkins, once a five-star recruit from Piscataway, committed to Ohio State, was a top 15 draft pick, and is currently a starter for the New Orleans Saints. Kyle Wilson, once a five-star recruit from Piscataway, committed to Boise State and looks to be a first round pick in the NFL Draft this year. Hall-of-Fame quarterback Joe Theisman, who played high school football in South River, and countless others have spurned Rutgers to play for better teams.Anthony Davis' decision to stay in New Jersey and play in his hometown was the beginning of a successful pipeline of recruits from Central Jersey's power schools. This pipeline continues with the recent commitment of all state linebacker Dave Milewski from Sayreville and all area wide reciever Jawaan Wynn from Piscataway.Davis has had a very successful career at Rutgers so far and the question has arisen as to whether he will follow in the footsteps of Ray Rice and Kenny Britt and leave early to be in this year's NFL Draft. AD has avoided all the questions about declaring the draft, and will have a news conference on Tuesday to discuss his plans.For now, the question remains. Will he stay or will he goAt 6'6 feet and 325 pounds, The Sporting News and Phil Steele Third team All-American is the ideal size for a left tackle.He is very powerful and has surprising agility that most offensive tackles his size lack. He is a good run blocker and superb at pass blocking, taking on the likes of NFL-bound Big East defensive players of the year George Selvie and Greg Romeus single-handedly.