Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils Must Take Advantage Of New York Down Years

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 03: New Jersey Devils left wing Taylor Hall (9) and New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal (18) during the first period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 3, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 03: New Jersey Devils left wing Taylor Hall (9) and New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal (18) during the first period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 3, 2018, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils look like they should be the best team in the New York market. This will be an opportunity to take advantage of the market with the Rangers and Islanders expected to have down seasons.

Three years ago, the New Jersey Devils were one of the laughing stocks of the NHL. They had a great goaltender in Cory Schneider, but their best offensive forwards coming into the season were Adam Henrique and Michael Camalleri. Kyle Palmieri had some nice upside, but it was hard to tell if he could contribute with a less supporting cast. Basically, the Devils were trash.

Not only were the Devils bad, but so was their prospect system. Pavel Zacha was the best name, and John Quenneville was not far behind. Outside of that, the team was hoping Reid Boucher could become a superstar out of the blue.

What a difference three years makes. Since then, the Devils traded for Taylor Hall, Marcus Johansson, Sami Vatanen and picked Stefan Noesen off waivers. They signed Will Butcher and Brian Boyle, while drafting Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Michael McLeod. This is a whole new franchise thanks to Ray Shero.

Meanwhile, the New York Rangers are headed for a major rebuilding year. Unless Henrik Lundqvist can turn the clock back five years, it’s likely the Rangers will be sitting near the bottom of the league. The Islanders will likely be closer to the Rangers than they are to the playoffs.

The over unders just released by Bovada last week have the Rangers at 75 1/2 wins, while the Islanders are at 83 1/2 wins. Both those totals would be at least a dozen points away from making the post season.

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The Devils, on the other hand, find themselves at 91 1/2 points in the over unders. That’s thanks to their MVP forward Hall, sensational rookies and a team mentality brought by head coach John Hynes. Honestly, this Devils team is one of the most fun to watch in the league.

Shero and company need to take advantage of the situation they’ve been dealt. It’s very rare that both the Islanders and Rangers are set for down seasons. The Devils, on the other hand, look to be in playoff contention until the final day, if not make it easily.

What the team needs to do is go heavy on the marketing push this year. Make sure Hall is on every poster and Nico is in every commercial. Use the mascot at every turn, and blast the NJ crest across billboards and anywhere else you can think of. Come up with a catchy slogan. Not one like “Now We Rise”, but one that shows the rivalry with the cross Hudson River teams is still alive. Poke fun at their issues, while boasting the fact that you’re now the best team in the New York area. And this is happening from New Jersey.

The Rangers rebuild could last a season and we all know Lou Lamoriello won’t take his job with the Isles sitting down. This is the Devils chance to make lifelong hockey fans root for Jersey’s Team.

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