But that remains to be seen.

“I am planning to spend the next couple of weeks with my family to reflect on and evaluate my plans for the future,” the 40-year-old left wing said in a statement. Nowhere did he say that he was done.

After re-signing with the Devils over the summer, both parties had an agreement in place as an escape clause. “If we were unable to find a suitable fit in which I would be able to compete and contribute at the level I expect from myself, then I would simply step aside.”

Don’t count Shanny out. A similar situation occurred at the beginning of last season when the Rangers decided to not re-sign him after two campaigns at Madison Square Garden. More than half the season went by before Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello called and signed Shanahan for the final 34 games of the regular season. He scored only six goals and had eight assists after scoring at least 20 goals in every season since his second in the league.

The Devils are looking to get more playing time for a trio of prospects in Niclas Bergfors, Matt Haliscuk and Ilkka Pikkarainen. Their development would not continue as well if any of them were sent to the minors and the team is looking to give them the best opportunity to succeed at this level.

All three players showed promise during training camp and the preseason schedule and it takes a big man to step aside for the good of the team, plus he also was not satisfied with a limited roll. “I have great respect for Lou, Jacques (Devils head coach Lemaire) and the entire Devils organization,” Shanahan continued in the statement. “The decision was both mutual and amicable.”

In 1,524 career games, Shanahan has scored 656 goals and 698 assists (1,354 points) and a 151 +/- ratio. In 184 playoff games, he tallied 60 goals and 74 assists. The eight-time All-Star won three Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02) and was a mainstay of their mini-dynasty. After nine years in Motown, Shanahan signed with the Rangers as a free agent and tallied his 600^th career goal as a Blueshirt on October 5, 2006 against Washington’s Olaf Kolzig.

Shanahan’s highest single season goal total came in 1993-94 when he had 52 with St. Louis. The year before, Shanahan had 51 goals for the Blues. During international play, Shanahan won a gold medal for Canada in the 1991 Canada Cup and another for his home country in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Needless to say, Shanahan should find himself in the Hockey Hall of Fame one day. That may be delayed if he finds a taker at this time. Certainly Lamoriello left the door open just a crack when he didn’t rule out a possible return for Shanahan or even a role within the organization in the future.

Alston’s take from Yahoo Sports:

“I’m excited not only to be with the Nets but to be able to play in front of family and friends, and also the opportunity to help a franchise turn things around,” Alston told Yahoo Sports. “I know we have a lot of young athletic guys. That’s one thing I stressed to Kiki (general manager Vandeweghe) and Rod (team president Thorn) is that I’m very excited to be on the court with a lot of young athletic guys, although I’m getting old.

“Most people get down about a trade. I had the opportunity to get traded from a contending team to another contender. Now I have a chance to help a team turn things around,” concluded Alston.

My Thoughts: He could have been shocked, but the guy is obviously adept at handling the media and is ready to play this upcoming season. While his role will most likely be smaller, Alston did a good job here of playing his cool and giving cliché answers. Nevertheless, he should be a good option off the bench.

Lee’s take from Yahoo Sports:
“Going all the way to the Finals on a good team, just expecting to regroup for next year and make it back to the playoffs again, and to get the news that you’ve been traded—it definitely was a shock but it’s one I have to live with,” said Lee.

My Thoughts: He was honest. Most young players say things like this and when they get older, they learn to keep quiet. Overall, I think it was more of the media trying to look for a story here. On my depth chart, Lee looks to get big minutes and while Orlando was the better team, he will have an opportunity to be a better player in New Jersey. After the first few games, he’ll understand that too.

Scoring 12 or more points in six of his past 16 games, Anderson is beginning to understand what it takes to become a success in the NBA. However, the main reason why he’s gotten an opportunity to play as much as he has been lately has had more to do with Yi Jianlian’s injury than anything he’s done specifically on the court. Despite the fact that he’s played well in Yi’s absence, no one knows what the future holds for either of them.

“He (coach Lawrence Frank) really hasn’t talked about long term. He definitely will work Yi back in (until then) we might play together, me at the five and Yi at the four just to get him back in,” Anderson told the Associated Press a few days ago. “The whole season I was playing behind Yi. It’s funny how it works. If anything this stretch gave me more confidence knowing I can play big minutes.”

Shooting five for 13 in 35 minutes in his first two games since returning, it’s safe to say that Yi isn’t exactly ready to retain his starting spot. That should give Anderson a few more games to show the Nets brass that he’s the better player. Despite the fact that on paper Yi appears to be the better scorer and rebounder, I think Anderson is the grittier player and a much more explosive scorer. Earlier in the season, it was obvious that Anderson was the better three point shooter, but inconsistency has gotten the better of him since then. If Anderson can find a way to get hot from beyond the arc again, he may cement his spot in the starting five.

So far, since Yi’s return, Anderson only has 13 points and has only taken eight shots in over 45 minutes of action. If he wants to be a starter in this league, that will have to change. Otherwise, the Nets will have to settle for a pair of underachievers at power forward, rather than one.

Photo by Bill Menzel