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Brodeur likely to return; decision to come July 1
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New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur said he is planning on returning to play next season, but he set a July 1 deadline to make a firm decision.
"This season and this playoff run answered a lot of questions -- where my game is at -- and I'm really happy to hopefully continue," he said Monday night after his team's season-ending, 6-1 loss against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final.
Brodeur, 40, said he wants to take some time to decompress and think before fully committing to a another season. Despite the blowout loss in Game 6, however, Brodeur was upbeat about his team's future and his postseason performance.
"Free agency," Brodeur answered when asked about the reason such a time frame. "I'm not saying I'm going to go after midnight, but for me that's the date. I'm going to take a little time off -- I'll be back in Jersey until late June -- and I'll figure it out then."
Odds already are out for winning the Stanley Cup next season, and the Penguins are again at the top of the list. The Glantz-Culver line lists them at 6-1. The Boston Bruins, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks are next at 9-1. The defending champion Los Angeles Kings are given 10-1 odds of repeating.
Philadelphia forward Ian Laperriere, 38, retired more than two years after playing his last game. He sustained a concussion and fractured orbital bone when he was hit in the right eye by a puck in the 2010 playoffs.
He returned a little more than a month later to play in the final two rounds but could not overcome his concussion-related symptoms the following year and has spent the past two seasons as a mentor draft picks and prospects.
Laperriere officially retired Tuesday because his contract expired and he was able to come off the Flyers' salary cap.
First Published June 13, 2012 12:00 am
