Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Martin Brodeur finally decided to hang up his pads this week, a decision that was hardly surprising considering the future Hall of Famer has nothing left to prove on the ice. The big question now is whether the longtime face of the New Jersey Devils plans to spend his post-playing career in the Garden State or if hell make his new home in St. Louis a permanent one? The 42-year-old goaltender ended his magnificent career as a member of the Blues and is following up his retirement announcement on Thursday by immediately joining the Blues front office as a senior advisor to St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong. But, is Brodeurs decision to take the job in St. Louis a sign he is still bitter about the way things ended in New Jersey, or is the advisory position simply a stop-gap before he eventually transitions to front office work for the Devils? Lou Lamoriello, the Devils longtime GM and the man who drafted Brodeur in the first round way back in 1990, doesnt seem worried that his former franchise goaltender will choose St. Louis over Newark in the long run. To hear Lamoriello explain it, Brodeurs decision to take on a role in the Blues front office is simply a case of the veteran fulfilling a commitment to a club that gave him one last shot at manning an NHL crease. Lamoriello has said hes made a standing offer for Brodeur to join the Devils front office whenever he was ready to retire from the game, and the goalie couldve accepted the offer right now. He could have come back even now if he wanted to, but this is something he and I talked about, Lamoriello said. He made a commitment to St. Louis. They gave him a chance and players asked him to stay, so hell travel with the team and be in the coaches meetings with players. He might even find out whether he likes this business or not, who knows? But, until Brodeur himself chimes in and gives credence to Lamoriellos take on the situation, there will continue to be speculation that the legendary goalie is snubbing the Devils. Most of this drama stems from the way Brodeur left New Jersey, a franchise he won three Stanley Cups with while rewriting the NHL record book over a consistently great 21-season run. In the end, however, it was pretty clear Brodeur was unable to end his time with the Devils on his own terms. The club made a splash at the 2013 NHL Draft by acquiring Cory Schneider in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks, a move which signaled the beginning of the end for Brodeurs playing days in New Jersey. Brodeur and Schneider had a fairly even share of net duties during their one season together with the Devils, with the younger netminder making 43 starts to Brodeurs 39. Although Brodeur boasted the better record -- 19-14-6 to Schneiders 16-15-12 mark -- the new kid on the blocks season was superior to the cagey veteran in just about every other way. Schneider boasted a 1.97 goals against average and a solid .921 save percentage during his debut campaign with the Devils, while Brodeur struggled to a 2.51 GAA and .901 save percentage. Flash forward to the present and Schneider is still sporting a .921 save percentage this season while making 42 of New Jerseys 48 starts. Brodeur, meanwhile, had a 2.87 GAA and .899 save percentage in seven appearances with the Blues, a team that counts itself among the best defensive clubs in the NHL. Although it was obvious both last season and in 2014-15 that Lamoriello made the right decision in choosing the present over the past, it never seemed to sit right with Brodeur. To his credit, the always honest Brodeur made it known he wasnt happy about being forced to share starts with Schneider. Some folks would call his attitude selfish and they wouldnt be wrong, but it was more complicated than that. After all, having a bottomless supply of confidence in his abilities is one of many things that made Brodeur perhaps the greatest goaltender of all time. Simply agreeing with public opinion about Schneider being the better option in net for the Devils would not have been consistent with what weve come to know and love about Brodeur. And its hard to blame Brodeur for not taking other peoples opinions about his play to heart. Long before Schneider arrived in Jersey, the critics declared Brodeur should call it quits, only to watch as the cagey veteran proved himself still worthy of an NHL starting job. One of those junctures came as recently as the spring of 2012 when Brodeur anchored the Devils run to the Stanley Cup Finals. Heading into that postseason the majority of us covering hockey believed Brodeur was too old to get it done in the playoffs anymore but he proved us wrong. This week, however, Brodeur finally accepted the inevitable and called it a career. But just because he eventually arrived at the same conclusion as Lamoriello did when opted not to re-sign Brodeur last summer, doesnt mean he is over the perceived snub. Maybe we should believe Lamoriello when he says everything is hunky dory with him and Brodeur. This could turn out to be a case of much ado about nothing if this summer Brodeur cuts tied with the Blues and takes a job with the Devils just like Lou said he would. Then again, if Brodeur keeps his post with St. Louis into next season it will become increasingly difficult to take Lamoriello at his word regarding this situation. Like everyone else, the hockey media loves a conspiracy. So, until Brodeur gives us a real reason to stop speculating theres a rift between him and Lamoriello this story isnt going anywhere. Ian Desmond Jersey . The Canadiens captain, who underwent surgery on his injured biceps in the off-season, had been skating with the team in a non-contact capacity since last week. Colorado Rockies Pro Shop . -- Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles as he tries to come back from the second major operation on his left shoulder. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/1214t...ey-rockies.html. Reyes, 26, was traded from Atlanta to Toronto in July 2010 and spent the remainder of the season in the minors. He began 2011 in the majors and made 20 starts with the Blue Jays, going 5-8 with a 5.40 earned run average before he was waived on Aug. Jon Gray Jersey . Hes the same player he always was, only now his efforts are being rewarded. The rookie manager has made a habit of heaping praise on others when things are going well, and accepting criticism when they arent. But in the case of Hurtado, its what the coach is NOT saying that may be the secret to a superb run of form. John Vander Wal Jersey . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City.NEW YORK, N.Y. - Zack Greinke and the Los Angeles Dodgers have knocked Alex Rodriguez and the New York Yankees off baseballs payroll perch, part of an off-season spending spree that has the average salary approaching $4 million for the first time. The Dodgers are ending the Yankees 15-year streak as baseballs biggest spenders and as of Tuesday had a projected payroll of $235 million, according to study of all major league contracts by The Associated Press. New York, which last failed to top the payroll rankings in 1998, was a distant second at $203 million. After that, it was another huge gap to Philadelphia at $180 million, followed by Boston at $163 million and Detroit at $162 million. Houston is last at $45 million, up from $27 million at the start of last year, and Miami at $48 million remains 29th. Some large-market teams are among the smaller spenders, with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs projected at $89 million, ranked 22nd and 23rd. Rodriguez, who holds the record for the largest deal in baseball history at $275 million over 10 years, is suspended for the season for violations of baseballs drug agreement and labour contract. Because of the ban, he will earn only $2,868,852 of his $25 million salary — 21 days pay for the 183-day season. Greinke would have become the highest-paid player, even if Rodriguez was getting all his cash. The pitcher has a $24 million salary in the second season of his $147 million, six-year contract, and because he can opt out of the deal after the 2015 season, baseballs accounting rules call for his $12 million signing bonus to be prorated over the first three seasons. "Weve got great ownership and a great fan base, and we need to do what we can to win games," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said last week in Sydney, where Los Angeles swept its opening, two-game series against Arizona. "I dont think the guys worry about it. I know we dont worry about it," Colletti said. "Were expected to win, and thats how we go about it. Money doesnt mean you win. Money just means you have a chance to get the best players." As of Tuesday, the average salary projected to be between $3.95 million and $4 million, with the final figure depending on how many players are put on the disabled list byy the time opening-day rosters are finalized at 3 p.ddddddddddddm. Sunday. That translates to a rise of 8 to 10 per cent from last years opening average of $3.65 million and would be the largest increase since 2006 or possibly even 2001. "Im not surprised. With the type of revenues clubs are enjoying these days, the average salaries are going to go up," New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. Illustrating the rate of escalation, the opening-day average was $1.07 million when Derek Jeter first reached the major leagues in 1995, broke the $2 million mark in 2001 and spurted past $3 million in 2008. "I think its great. I think it just shows the game is growing, fan interest is there," said Jeter, the Yankees captain who is retiring at the end of this season. "The business of baseball seems like its booming pretty good right now." The average U.S. wage in 2012 was $42,498, according to the Social Security Administration, the latest figure available and an annual increase of 3.12 per cent. Following Greinke on the highest-paid list are Philadelphias Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee at $25 million, the Yankees CC Sabathia at $24.3 million, and Seattles Robinson Cano and Texas Prince Fielder at $24 million each. The APs figures include salaries and prorated shares of signing bonuses and other guaranteed income for players on active rosters, disabled lists and the restricted list. For some players, parts of deferred money are discounted to reflect current values. Payroll figures factor in adjustments for cash transactions in trades, signing bonuses that are the responsibility of the club agreeing to the contract, option buyouts, and termination pay for released players. For instance, the Yankees are receiving $18.6 million from the Los Angeles Angels to cover most of the $21 million due to outfielder Vernon Wells, who has been released, and $13 million from the Chicago Cubs to pay most of the $18 million owed outfielder Alfonso Soriano. The Mets payroll include buyouts to Johan Santana ($4.9 million present value) and Jason Bay ($2.7 million present value). ___ AP Sports Writer Dennis Passa and AP freelance writers Mark Didtler and Jon Santucci contributed to this report. ' ' '