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‘Not even a question’ that Devils are deadline buyers, says Lamoriello

New Jersey Devils Name New Head Coach

NEWARK, NJ - JULY 19: President/CEO/General Manager Lou Lamoriello of the New Jersey Devils address the media after introducing Peter DeBoer (not pictured) as the new head coach of the New Jersey Devils at a press conference on July 19, 2011 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andy Marlin/Getty Images)

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While it’s never easy to predict what New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello is going to do, he did give a glimpse into his plans for next Wednesday’s trade deadline.

From NorthJersey.com:

As it stands right now, Lamoriello says, “It’s not even a question” that he views himself as a buyer looking to supplement a roster he still believes is good enough to qualify for the playoffs.

“If we can get better, that’s absolutely what we’ll do,” he said. “I’m really happy with this team. You’re not going to do anything for the sake of doing it, but this team has overcome a lot through a difficult period of time right now and we have some things going in our favor.

“We have a favorable schedule, we have a sort of healthy team and the new players who we brought in are really comfortable within the system. They’re comfortable in their own skin. They’re comfortable with the coaches.”

This news will likely come as a relief to Jaromir Jagr, a pending UFA that would make for a great rental. He leads the Devils in points and did well as a sort-term addition last year for Boston, but has repeatedly stated he doesn’t want to leave New Jersey.

Historically, Lamoriello has been a buyer at the deadline. He added Steve Sullivan and Matt D’Agostini last year and Marek Zidlicky the year before (that said, he did essentially sell Jason Arnott to the Caps at the ’11 deadline). In light of what’s been said above, it’ll be curious to see how Lamoriello addresses his other pending UFAs -- specifically, Martin Brodeur.