What an offseason it has been for the New Jersey Devils. Their best player "retired" (I'm not going to rant on it; if I do it'll be a waste of everyone's time), they let arguably their second-best player, David Clarkson, walk in free agency. They made a splash at the draft when they traded the 9th overall pick to Vancouver for Corey Schneider. They went out and signed other team's throwaways, like Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe, Rostislav Olesz, and Andrei Loktionov. They also got Michael Ryder in the hopes that he can replace much of all that lost scoring. Lots of questions surround the Devils this year. Losing two of the best players from an already subpar team while adding guys who either haven't panned out thus far or are on the tail end of their careers (except Schneider, who is neither of those and should do well this season) doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for success. However, I've seen quite a few mediocre teams make miracles for themselves in my years as a hockey fan, so maybe this team has one in them.
Projected Forward Lines:
Adam Henrique - Travis Zajac - Michael Ryder
Ryane Clowe - Patrik Elias - Jaromir Jagr
Stephen Gionta - Dainius Zubrus - Steve Bernier
Mattias Tedenby - Andrei Loktionov - Krys Barch
Rostislav Olesz - Ryan Carter
I like Henrique on the top line over Elias because in my mind, it's time to pass the torch. The old guard in New Jersey has had a great run, I don't think anyone in their right mind would deny that; but it's time to move on. The Devils drafted Henrique to be a top line player, and with now two full seasons under his belt, it's time to put him in that role and see how he does. He'll have talented veterans in Zajac and Ryder to work with, so Henrique will be able to fill either the sniper or playmaker role in this situation. The rest of the forward group holds many questions and few answers. What can Jagr do at 41? Can Clowe bounce back? Do the Devils have more than 1 1/2 scoring lines? How will they play defensively? Point being, I'm not sold on this group of forwards.
Projected Defensive Pairings:
Adam Larsson - Anton Volchenkov
Andy Greene - Bryce Salvador
Marek Zidlicky - Mark Fayne
Peter Harrold
The blueline is unchanged from last year, and that's not so bad considering they finished in the top half of the league in goals against last year (13th, 2.54 per game). These guys play a responsible game and rarely make egregious mistakes. This an aging group; Fayne and Larsson are the only defensemen listed here who are younger than 30. However, defensemen usually age more gracefully than forwards. One would have to wonder where the offense will come from on this unit. Zidlicky led them with 19 points last season, Greene was second with 16. Next in line? Fayne and Larsson with six apiece. Someone needs to step up, the Devils are hurting offensively enough as it is.
Goaltending:
Corey Schneider
Martin Brodeur
You're probably calling me a blasphemer for listing Schneider as the starter. He probably won't be the starter on opening night, but he's going to play more games than Brodeur and will be the #1 goalie by season's end. The Devils have 22 back-to-backs this season, and Schneider will probably play at least once during all of them. Add in instances where he gets both starts and other opportunities to rest Marty, and I believe Schneider plays more than 41 games. While it may not be the most consistent solution, it's still a better goaltending tandem than most teams in the NHL.
Special Teams:
New Jersey was tied for 20th in the NHL on the power play last season, finishing with a pedestrian 15.9% conversion rate. This year, sans Kovalchuk and Clarkson and adding Jagr and Ryder, I'd say it's a wash. This will be another season of inconsistency and dry spells from the man advantage unit. They did win the penalty battle though, going +7 last year, so that's something to try to replicate this year. The usually excellent penalty kill slipped a bit in the shortened season, finishing at 81.1%, which tied for 15th in the NHL with the rival Rangers. The Devils have historically been a good defensive team, so I'll say that last year deserves a mulligan and they'll be right back at the top of the PK charts this season.
X-Factor:
I think the answer to this category is a question. How many, if any, of the moves they made this offseason work out? I'm not just talking about the guys they signed, either. I'm also including the decision to not offer Clarkson a new contract in this section. Call me a skeptic, but I'm not sure that anyone besides Ryder pans out for the Devils. Ryder should get his usual 30 goals and be a productive player in other areas as well, but that doesn't replace Kovalchuk and Clarkson. Not even close. Here's hoping that a change of scenery is what Loktionov needs, though. He couldn't find a spot on the Kings' roster so it'll be greatly beneficial to him if he can stick with the Devils.
The Devils will make the playoffs if...
... they pull their usual "we've been written off, nobody's expecting us to get here" act. There really aren't any other conditions here. The Devils are one of those teams that have winning down to a science, no matter who is on the roster. The only difference for them from year to year is whether or not the formula works. The division gets tougher with the additions of Washington, Columbus, and Carolina, but New Jersey has a history of finding ways to win. I'm not saying they're going to make the playoffs, but don't be surprised if they sneak in.
The Devils will miss the playoffs if...
... we see a season where the most talented teams rise to the top. On paper, this is a 7th or last place team in the Metropolitan Division. I don't like them more than any other team in this division, save for possibly Carolina now that Joni Pitkanen has been ruled out for the entire season. Washington got stronger after signing Grabovski, Philadelphia can't be as injury-riddled as they were a year ago, the Isles and Jackets are in the process of establishing themselves as perennial contenders, and the Rangers and Penguins are far better in nearly every area of the game... it's going to be an uphill battle for the Devils this year. It's crazy to say that when you consider that this team was in the Stanley Cup Finals just two years ago, but that's the cyclical nature of the modern NHL.
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