It wasn’t too long ago that defensemen Anssi Salmela was wearing black and red, but even when he was traded to Atlanta in March of last year, Salmela had a feeling he would be back to the Garden State. Yesterday Salmela was part of the mega trade that brought Ilya Kovalchuk to New Jersey, a surprise for some, but not for Salmela. Always believing he had a chance to return, Salmela reiterated that, “[The Devils] organization likes to bring a lot of guys back. I played a bit here last time and I think everything went good.” Devils coach Jacques Lemaire was also positive about Salmela’s return stating, “I think [Anssi is] going to fit well. He’s a mobile defenseman, has a decent shot, can move the puck and has that offensive ability that he could bring on at different times, which we need. Obviously.”
