Avalanche Targeting Langenbrunner?

Normally, I don't look into rumors too much for my job here at The Sports Radio.  The rumors, whispers and miscellaneous trade / free agent talk I hear from around the league usually gets posted at my personal blog. 

But seeing as how this particular rumor involves the team I cover for TSP, and it's picked up significant steam in the last couple of days, it's probably time I write about it.

As I wrote about previously, the Colorado Avalanche were dealt a major blow to their forward ranks last week with the injury to Peter Mueller (his second concussion in less than six months).  And while many have speculated that the Avs would simply give a young, up and coming player a chance to prove himself at the NHL level in Mueller's spot, there has been some trade talk picking up about the Avalanche's available options.

The rumor, that's becoming particularly strong, is that the Avs could look to the cash-strapped New Jersey Devils for help.

The Devils sit at about $63 million, roughly $4 million above the 2010-11 NHL salary cap ceiling, and thus have to move between $3-6 million dollars before the season starts (The Devils were also fined against the cap for the whole Ilya Kovalchuk fiasco), and one of the leading candidates for a change of address is Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner.

Langenbrunner carries a single year left on his contract at about $2.8 million and has a No-Trade Clause he would have to waive for such a trade to take place.

While there is that little hurdle to overcome, you can't help but think that it's a move that would make sense for the Avalanche.

The Avs aren't sure when Peter Mueller will be back, or if he even will be back at all this season, Jamie Langenbrunner brings lots of versatility, lots of leadership and some offensive ability for a relatively affordable price.  Not to mention he played on a line with Avalanche center Paul Stastny during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver on Team USA.

That said, the Devils have never (and likely never will be -- as long as GM Lou Lamoriello's around) been an easy team to make trades with.
Lou's a very crafty negotiator and if Avalanche GM Greg Sherman does decide to go to the trade route -- and the Avs are in fact looking at acquiring Langenbrunner -- one has to wonder just what Colorado would be willing to give up.
New Jersey's not really in a position to bargain at this point, with their salary cap situation, but you never know what Lamoriello's got up his sleeve.
Would he accept a mid-round draft pick, a prospect?  Is he even interested in trading his captain?

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.