Marino: I'm Going to Do Everything to Live Up to Expectations | FEATURE

John Marino knew his time in Pittsburgh was coming to an end. After three successful seasons with the Penguins, the club's cap space and Marino's contract meant that a move was likely imminent.
"You expected it with all the rumors going into it," he said. "You mentally prepare yourself for when it happens. You knew a trade was coming eventually with the situation."
Marino was in his apartment in Boston when he found out that his new location would be New Jersey. The Devils acquired Marino in exchange for blueliner Ty Smith and a 2023 third-round pick Saturday afternoon.
"Luckily enough I was able to land in a great spot, and I'm looking forward to it," the right-shot defenseman said. "They're a young team. But obviously the talent is there. They score a lot of goals. Hopefully, I can help out with my role in the defensive end and win some games next year."

Marino saw the Devils score a lot of goals firsthand in his battles against the club. And he's looking forward to being in Black and Red in the next matchup.
"I remember they scored a lot of goals against us," Marino laughed. "It'll be nice to be on the other side of that. It's going to be fun to watch them play in person, too, and be on their team.
"The talent is incredible. Just thinking when we played them last year, they're a dangerous team for sure. They're capable of a lot of success next year and I'm excited to be a part of that."
The Devils wanted to add a top-4 defenseman and had targeted Marino. General manager Tom Fitzgerald went out and got his man.
"I'm going to do everything I can to live up to those expectations and do everything I can to help this team win," he said.
Marino has a lot of attributes that the Devils wanted to add to their roster. He's still young having just turned 25 years old in May. He's a coveted right-hand blueliner. He's proven to be solid defensively. And he comes from a winning team that has arguably three of the best players to ever play the game in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
"I was lucky enough to play with guys of that caliber. I learned a lot over the years playing with them," Marino said. "Hopefully, I can bring it to this team too, what it takes to win games and the environment that it's built around."
On a personal level, Marino is still looking to grow his game. He is still a young defenseman and has yet to reach his prime.
"Offensively, I can still improve a little bit," Marino said. "Being more consistent and having that right mindset each and every game is huge at this level. It's such a long season. The biggest difference between college and this is being able to be consistent. It's something you always have to work on.
"Each year you learn a lot. There are so many little things that go into it, so many factors. To come here and have a new start is something I'm looking forward to and showing this organization that I am the player that they think I am."
Marino is just the latest off-season addition to the team's roster. The Devils have also brought into goaltender Vitek Vanecek, top-prospect Simon Nemec, center Erik Haula, defenseman Brendan Smith and winger Ondrej Palat.
"It says they want to be a competitive team for years to come," Marino said of the changes. "They're putting the right pieces together. It's exciting to be a part of this team, especially with the moves that they've made.
"The talent is there for sure. It's a young team. Who knows where it's going to be down the road, but each step is important, each year is important no matter what the outcome. It's going to be exciting to start things this year and get it going."