Devils, Fans must accept strong possibility of missing the playoffs and no 2nd round for 4th straight year

As tough as it may seem to sink in much like the 2009 Round 1 defeat in the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, the Devils and their fans might have to accept a failed season. While the regular season is not over until early April, the Devils are currently 15 points out of the 8th and final playoff spot and the top 8 are taking huge strides in separating themselves from the bottom 7. It will be Mission: Impossible for the Devils to catch up to that gap, but it is doable never the less.

The Devils have had so little positives happen this year to at least give the fans some hope to get out their slump. Mattias Tedenby's play has been one of few bright spots. Many fans like me are shocked that the Devils are in this position, because many though the Devils would be a top 4 team in the conference, but with the way players develop and systems are these days, it is all about speed and skill and going to the net. The Devils do not have most of these elements.

You would think that the return of Jason Arnott, Ilya Kovalchuk and signing Volchenkov and Tallinder would be a good thing, but it was not. Volchenkov is playing well, Tallinder and Kovalchuk are not, and Arnott is up and down. They are struggling to score goals, but with the type of off-season the Devils had, all other 29 teams are ganging up on them and bringing their A-game as well as the Devils taking some of their opponents lightly.

To me it would be tough to accept this reality, but on the bright side it would give the Devils a strong reality check and message that they are not as good as they seem and that they would have to increase their work ethic. If they finish 30 out of 30, they would be guaranteed a top 5 pick in the draft and it hopefully would bring them skill that they have lacked. It might not be a bad thing if the Devils miss the playoffs.

I will say this though, this team will be better next year regardless of how this year ends. There will be less distractions and expectations will be very low and that is when the Devils play at their best. Hopefully, everyone will be healthy and held more accountable. It seems as if most Devils fans cannot wait for this year to end, but what happens is out of our control. If the team misses the playoffs, radical changes could commence and hopefully it will be for the better. But, simply put the Devils cannot dwell on their past failures for very long and clear their minds and clean their slate and focus and recharge for next year.