The NHL's regular season began in England yesterday, the Devils completed their preseason last night, and yet, there's still a prize free-agent defenseman out there New Jersey could afford, use, and reportedly has discussed. Danny Markov was one of the top three unrestricted defensemen July 1, and he's still looking for a contract with a contender. Markov and Colin White are different sorts of defensemen, but the Devils are likely to be without White (eye) for some time, and even when he returns, any team would be improved by a mobile all-around backliner of Markov's quality. The Devils figure to have a cap liability of some $48.7 million toward the limit of $50.3 million when their season opens Thursday in Tampa, Fla., and could use their old savior, the Long-Term Injury exemption, to exceed the limit, with Jamie Langenbrunner's $2.8 million, White's $3 million and Cam Janssen's 600G all likely listable.