Devils to honor Brodeur, Lamoriello 'at right time'

Martin Brodeur and Lou Lamoriello will be honored by the New Jersey Devils, at a time to be determined by them, general manager Ray Shero told NJ.com on Tuesday.

"It's a matter of when the player feels comfortable, and Lou," Shero said. "Obviously they are two of the most important members of this franchise ever. We want to do it the right way at the right time.

"That will happen. When, I don't know."

Shero replaced Lamoriello as Devils GM on May 4, and Lamoriello resigned as president to become GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 23. The Maple Leafs will play at Prudential Center on the final day of the regular season, April 9. Lamoriello was the architect of three Stanley Cup championships during his 28-year tenure as president/GM in New Jersey.

"The Lou thing just happened," Shero said, referring to Lamoriello's transition to Toronto. "That would be a conversation with Lou for his consent and what he is comfortable with. Let him digest things in Toronto. Obviously he's got lots on his plate there, I'm sure."

Brodeur, who holds NHL goaltending records for wins (691), shutouts (125), games played (1,266) and minutes played (74,439), and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs ranks first in starts (204) and shutouts (24) and second in wins (113), signed a three-year contract to be assistant general manager of the St. Louis Blues on May 20.

"He's been gone a year," Shero said of Brodeur. "[Retiring his number] was already in discussion, I believe, before I got here."

Brodeur announced his retirement as a player and desire to join the Blues' front office in January. He finished his 22-year career with a 691-397-176 record, a 2.24 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He played 21 seasons with the Devils but did not re-sign with them prior to last season when they committed to Cory Schneider as their No. 1 goalie.

The Blues signed Brodeur to a one-year contract in December after starter Brian Elliott sustained a knee injury. Brodeur, a 10-time All-Star, went 3-3-0 with a 2.87 GAA and .899 save percentage in seven regular-season games. The Devils host the Blues on Nov. 10.

"It's not like there should be a waiting period for either of them to be honored here, that's for sure," Shero said. "As soon as possible when it's most comfortable for them. That's what the fans want and what makes sense."