BUFFALO – His one-game banishment lifted after making peace with GM Lou Lamoriello, Devil rookie Mike Danton flew here yesterday and could even be back in the lineup this evening.
The outspoken Danton met yesterday in New Jersey with Lamoriello and is believed to have apologized for taking moderate public exception to being scratched from the lineup last Saturday in Carolina.
“Right now the most important thing is that he’s here,” Lamoriello said after bringing Danton to Buffalo. “I said in Atlanta that there were things I wanted him to think about, and if I felt comfortable, he’d come back today. Right now, I’ll leave it at that.”
With Jay Pandolfo idled with a groin pull, the Devils were considering recalling a forward from Albany, perhaps Christian Berglund, but Danton’s availability may make such a move unnecessary.
“I spoke to Mike and he was flying to Buffalo,” agent Dave Frost said. “He told me we’re moving forward and that he’s happy.”
The 22-year-old center was sent back to New Jersey from Atlanta Tuesday after meeting with Lamoriello in the team hotel. Although Lamoriello would not specify the precise reason he sent Danton home, it is believed a reaction to Danton’s comments that he was “[ticked] off” and feeling punished rather than rewarded for hard play.
Brash on and off the ice, Danton sat out last season, suspended for refusing to report to Albany, suggesting that Devils are placated by drinking “Lou’s Kool-Aid.” After he changed his name from Mike Jefferson, he mended fences with Lamoriello in time for his suspension to be lifted and attend training camp. He raised eyebrows in camp by claiming first that he deserved to make the team, and second, had earned a regular spot in the lineup.
“After everything he said before, and then it starts again a little, I guess they want to nip it in the bud,” one Devil said.
It seems certain Danton will be on double public probation for the rest of the season, and will be expected to avoid controversy.
It was almost an upset that Danton came back to the team, since it seemed unlikely he would bow to Lamoriello’s requirements. One suggestion was that Lamoriello would tell Danton to remain in New Jersey and stay in shape until he accepted a demotion to Albany, an effective suspension without pay. Another idea was that Lamoriello would trade Danton, perhaps to Florida or Calgary, something that could still happen. Yet another was that Danton would simply be sent home until Lamoriello decided to deal him.