There has been a lot of speculation and concern this year because of the last place performance by the Devils this season. Many fans are left wondering, “Is this a one year thing? Will the Devils recover for next year or is it going to continue?” These worries are only worsened when ESPN’s Scott Burnside reports this week that the worst is only beginning for the Devils, Zach Parise will not want to re-sign here, and the Devils do not have a good pool of prospects.
First, let’s look at what caused anything and everything to go wrong for the Devils this year.
Last season, the Devils finished with a 5 game first round outing at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers. The goal going into the summer was the look at the team’s weak points and fix them in order to push past the first round this coming season. Matt Halischuk was traded to the Nashville Predators for Jason Arnott. Provided Arnott stayed healthy, he would be the large second line center the Devils have needed for a long time. There was also hope that he would re-ignite the chemistry he had with his linemate from the infamous A-Line, Patrik Elias.
Free agency arrived and the Devils were more active than in years past. Paul Martin, Dean McAmmond, and Mike Mottau were not re-signed. Martin signed a large deal with the Penuins and Mottau became an Islander while McAmmond does not have an NHL job currently. Rob Niedermayer, not re-signed with the Devils, plays for the Buffalo Sabres. Yann Danis was also let go.
Jay Pandolfo and Andrew Peters were bought out. Ilkka Pikkarainen returned to Europe.
Johan Hedberg was signed to be Martin Brodeur’s new backup, Anton Volchenkov was signed to be the Devils’ number one shut down defenseman, and Henrik Tallinder was signed to add a puck moving presence to the blue line. Adam Mair also stuck after being awarded a training camp tryout contract.
The biggest signing in perhaps the entire league took the whole summer to complete. We all know the story of Ilya Kovalchuk; the rejected contract, press conference, new contract, league penalties and so on. After all was said and done, the Devils went into training camp looking like the best team in the league… on paper.
Since then on January 12th 2011, the Devils have an 11-29-2 record. That is good enough for 24 points and the owner of the worst record in the league, by a lot. The Devils have dealt with injuries to Jamie Langenbrunner, Anton Volchenkov, Jacob Josefson, Martin Brodeur, Mark Fraser, Bryce Salvador, Matt Taormina, Anssi Salmela and Zach Parise. Rookies Jacob Josefson, Mattias Tedenby, Matt Taormina, Mark Fayne, Alexander Urbom, Nick Palmieri, Stephen Gionta, Brad Mills, Alexander Vasyunov, Tyler Eckford, Matt Corrente, Oliver Magnan, Vladimir Zharkov, and Tim Sestito have all gotten significant playing time.
There’s no two ways about it: Cap troubles killed this team. It has been reported that Lou was asking certain players to waive their no trade clauses in training camp. Most of the veterans that signed here did it for less money than they could have gotten elsewhere. They have established their careers and families here and of course they don’t want to move them. It’s tough for chemistry and friendships to be created when there is so much uncertainty in the locker room about who is going to stay and who is going to pack their bags and head out of town. While people are quick to blame Ilya Kovalchuk for this problem, the problem is deeper. Lou and Vanderbeek didn’t have to sign him. I accepted that this year would be an adjustment period. While the team looked ridiculously stacked on paper, there were too many new systems and new faces for things to click so quickly. Since the team took their first nose dive in October, this season has been about gearing up for next year. With Langenbrunner and likely Arnott, Rolston, and Greene out the door, the cap will no longer be a problem when it comes to signing Zach Parise and rounding out the team’s roster. It is also being reported that the salary cap could go up another 2-3 million. I also don’t think Lou will be looking to make a free agency splash this summer unless a great puck moving defenseman is available (Joni Pitkanen?). The young players in this system will be ready next year. The average age of players on this team will drop drastically and the Devils will finally have a sense of team speed.
Lou Lamoriello gave this team one more chance to turn things around when he fired John MacLean right before Christmas. MacLean was replaced with Jacques Lemaire. Lemaire has already acknowledged that he will not coach next year and is serving as a doctor to try to diagnose this team’s illness. The Devils did not respond to the coaching change in time. They have been playing much better under Lemaire but still cannot put together wins on a regular basis.
Lamoriello basically acknowledged that his team will not be in the playoffs this year when he traded captain Jamie Langenbrunner to the Dallas Stars for a conditional third round draft pick last week. Now, instead of looking forward to acquiring someone at the trade deadline to help the playoff run, Devil fans are left wondering who is next and when/where will Jason Arnott be traded.
During this terrible season, the media has bashed the Devils over the head with any kind of hate that they could come up with. They have all been predicting the demise of the Devils for years now and they finally got what they wanted. The real question is, “Will the Devils be able to right the ship for next season?”
The NUMBER ONE key to next season is re-signing Zach Parise. This player is the present and future of the New Jersey Devils. There has been speculation that he would not want to sign here but would a player give up on an organization that drafted him and taught him how to play a championship winning style of hockey while playing him millions of dollars? He also has stated that he wants to stay. He likes the organization and he calls New Jersey his home. He has also been in a relationship with a girl who teaches in New Jersey. He seems to be settling his life down here.
Another important factor is that the players have had the whole year to play together and the rookies have had the chance to gain some NHL experience so the learning curve won’t be so drastic next year. It is obvious that the Devils want Alexander Urbom to be a full time roster player next year. Volchenkov, Tallinder, and White will still be around. Will the Devils re-sign Andy Greene? Matt Taormina would be a perfect replacement for Greene if Andy demands too much money or the Devils just don’t want to keep him. The Devils ill most likely bring John Merrill to camp. The Michigan defender has been VERY impressive this year and the Devils cannot wait to have him. He is very young and might stay in college unless he forces the Devils to keep him. Perhaps the best defenseman will be acquired in the entry draft. Assuming the Devils get a top two pick in June, Adam Larsson will be the target. He will be a potential number one defenseman that the Devils have lacked since Scott Niedermayer left. If the Devils do not draft Larsson, Couturier (a center) would be next. It seems as if Jacob Josefson and Mattias Tedenby will be ready next year to be full time players as well.
The Devils are hopeful that Ilya Kovalchuk will be settled in and Zach Parise will be healthy in time for next season. This would give the Devils one of the most lethal one-two punches in the league. If Jason Arnott is traded, you can bet he will fetch a higher draft pick for the Devils. The Devils might want to use that pick to draft a goaltender if they can. It is definitely time to find Marty Brodeur’s replacement. I’m not saying that Brodeur is finished. He may very well be a top goaltender next year if the team can play well in front of him. His time is running short though. Vladimir Zharkov and Nick Palmieri are proving that they can play in the NHL. Alexander Vasyunov looked promising during his time up with the big club.
The organization has a lot of decent prospects that will be in the big leagues soon.
The Devils will also have to look for a coach for next season. That is something that isn’t even worth speculating on at this point as it is not clear who the candidates even are.
This team will be FINE. In fact, I would be willing to bet that if they get their issues sorted out they will be pushing for the division next season. They will be getting even better as their younger players mature and get NHL experience.
Cheer up Devils fans! This year has been horrible, but they will rebound!
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The Devils have finally heard the complains from the fans about how they do things and how the fans are treated and they are certainly working on it. The complaints were always at a minimum because some people are just happy with a winning team. This year, however, the fans are starting to voice their opinions.
I have been told that the Devils are working together with league officials to get a better and more affordable pricing chart for next season’s tickets. The team is realizing that it’s main demographic is teenagers through college grads who don’t have enough money to throw down thousands for season tickets and cannot dig deep into their wallets trying to buy tickets and all that go along with it.
The Devils have also hired a new marketing team and new sales department that is trying to work with the fans to make things better for everyone. Yes it’s no secret that Lou Lamoriello was never interest in keeping the fans too involved with the team. It appears, however, that they are working on it.
That’s all for today. I’m tired after shoveling a massive drive way and doing real estate appraisal reports. Time to veg and watch Liverpool v Blackburn on Fox Soccer. Liverpool should win… but nothing is certain considering how this season is going.
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