Over the course of the past ten seasons, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has built a tremendous reputation based upon his ability to squeeze the most out of a somewhat limited budget. Ironically, he now finds himself in quite a dubious position: he’s the only NHL general manager to date who has exceeded the league’s new $39 million salary cap.

Taking a critical look at the Devils’ roster, it seems probable that head coach Larry Robinson – back for a second tour of duty after leading the Devils to the championship in 2000 – does not have enough firepower to compete for a Stanley Cup this time around. Whereas most of New Jersey’s main competitors still have room under the salary cap to add players for a Cup run this coming Spring, the Devils will likely open the season decidedly weaker than they are today, and with no available wiggle room.

The obvious first-blush conclusion is that Lamoriello should prune role players like Jeff Friesen, Viktor Kozlov, and Colin White from the roster, which would clear nearly $6 million from the payroll. The truth, however, is that removing those three players would make a Cup run all the more unlikely, for it would eliminate one of the team’s biggest strengths over the past decade: its tremendous depth. Perhaps such maneuvers make economic sense, but they make no hockey sense whatsoever.

Instead, the Devils should consider making perhaps the most radical move of all. They should investigate the possibility of trading Martin Brodeur.

Unquestionably the best goaltender in the NHL right now, Brodeur’s value is at an all-time high. With the departure of stalwart defenseman Scott Niedermayer and the impending retirement of defenseman Scott Stevens, however, the team’s Cup-winning core has been obliterated. Before the team slides into a chasm from which it will take years to escape, Lamoriello should consider making this dramatic move today, for it could ensure the team’s success long into the future. The old adage “buy low, sell high” has never been more applicable.

Three thousand miles to the north and west, Vancouver’s Canucks are a bona fide Stanley Cup contender with a question mark in net. Dan Cloutier has proven to be a solid goaltender over the past half-decade, but the team’s persistent playoff struggles have left the fans with a very short fuse where he is concerned. The addition of Brodeur would immediately make the Canucks prohibitive Cup favorites, and would provide their fans with renewed hope.

Thirteen hundred miles to the south, an entirely different situation is developing. The Florida Panthers took franchise goalie Roberto Luongo to salary arbitration and won, leaving the netminder embittered. GM Mike Keenan would be wise to eliminate this simmering controversy before it erupts.

A three-team trade involving the Devils, Canucks, and Panthers could provide each organization with the solutions it needs, both for today and for the future. Lamoriello would send Brodeur and White to Vancouver, giving the Canucks some much-needed Stanley Cup-winning experience. Brodeur is already a Canadian folk hero for his stellar play during the Olympics and World Cup, and he would likely relish the opportunity to help the Canucks become the first team from Canada to win the Stanley Cup since Patrick Roy led the Montreal Canadiens to glory in 1993.

In turn, Vancouver would send defenseman Ed Jovanovski and Cloutier to Florida. As a rookie, Jovanovski helped the Panthers reach the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals; he has unfinished business in South Florida, and could finally realize his Norris Trophy potential with a change of scenery. The stability Jovanovski would provide on the Panthers’ blue line would prove invaluable, while Cloutier would be a more than adequate stopgap in net until prospect David Shantz is ready to step in.

Finally, the Panthers would send Luongo and Jay Bouwmeester to the Devils. At just 26, Luongo is a full seven years younger than Brodeur; due just $3.2 million in 2005-06, he is also $2 million cheaper this season. In the 6-foot-4 Bouwmeester, the Devils would be adding an excellent young defenseman who would benefit greatly from Robinson’s teachings.

Whatever the Devils might lose in the immediate future by trading Brodeur would be more than made up for in the long term. By the time they are again ready to compete for the Stanley Cup, when Zach Parise and Paul Martin have evolved into top-tier NHLers, Luongo and Bouwmeester will have far more to offer than would Brodeur and White. It’s precisely because Brodeur holds such great value today that this deal makes perfect sense. After all, with the exception of the Chicago Blackhawks (with Nikolai Khabibulin), not a single team can boast the presence of a netminder who approaches Brodeur’s stature.

Nostalgists might protest that Brodeur should remain with the Devils for his entire career, and that trading him would amount to trading the face of the Devils. In truth, though, the organization has never properly marketed its superstar goalie. His career in New Jersey has, in fact, been blanketed in relative anonymity despite being regarded among the greatest goaltenders in NHL history.

While there is something to be said for sentimentality, there is much more to be said for selling assets at their highest value and ensuring the betterment of the team.

All this said, it should be noted that Lamoriello’s team has won before after suffering seemingly unrecoverable losses. In successive summers, the Devils lost Alexander Mogilny and Bobby Holik, but still managed to win the Stanley Cup in 2003 with a seemingly depleted roster. But things are different now. Niedermayer is gone and Stevens is but a shadow of his former self (if he doesn’t decide to retire).The core of the Devils’ Cup-winning teams has been severely altered, and Mogilny’s return will likely not be enough to stem that tide.

Lamoriello’s philosophy has always been that no player is bigger than the organization. For the Devils, the solution to their problems is a simple but painful one: It’s time for them to explore life after Martin Brodeur.

Mr. Greenstein is the editor in chief of InsideHockey.com.