By MARK EVERSON
 
September 9, 2005 -- Someone or two or three will have to go, and no one is volunteering.

Sergei Brylin, the last of the Devils' three-Cup skaters, hopes he isn't among the first of their salary-cap sacrifices. Jeff Friesen hopes the same, as does Viktor Kozlov.

Even before training camp opens next week, there's an unwelcome undercurrent among the Devils. Counting Patrik Elias' likely hepatitis-delayed $4.18 million salary assessment, Lou Lamoriello is some $5 million over the $39 million salary cap.

Finally above the league average at a discounted $1.6 million, Brylin's contract could work against him.

"I've been here 11 years. If they decide to move me somewhere else, it wouldn't be the best thing for me," the 31-year-old Brylin said this week. "I'm trying not to let it get into my head."

Lamoriello can be expected to pull some rabbit from this cap, using long-term injury write-offs, or even two-way contract demotions. But that doesn't seem enough. Kozlov, who also says he wants to stay, will earn $1.7 million, Friesen $2.2 million, and all three ($5.5 million) represent the magic number.

"I plan on being here," said Friesen, 29. "Obviously they have to get under the cap.

"I'm sure it's going to come down to who looks good in camp. Now you have to make the team. It's a lot different than it was before."

It was suggested that Lamoriello could try to deal one of his summer signees, but the Devils likely outbid other teams for them, and finding someone to pay more than they were willing to in July seems doubtful.

It may reach such a situation that the Devils will have to give a draft pick with a player, receiving nothing in return, to have the salary taken off their hands.

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How soon they forget. Veterans camp hasn't officially begun, but it appears Vladimir Malakhov will wear the No. 27 worn by Scott Niedermayer.

"It would have bothered me to see Ken Daneyko's number, or Scott Stevens' given out. But Nieder made his own choice to leave," said Martin Brodeur, who joined the vets' informal workouts yesterday.

Coach Larry Robinson didn't sound so likely to make Stevens an assistant coach.

"I doubt it very much," he said. "We'd love to have him, but to have another person on the ice I don't think is really necessary."