Why has it been tough for Devils to keep their own Big Name Unrestricted Free Agentsin recent years?

With the upcoming start or maybe even the whole season in jeopardy, I decided to write about why it has been difficult for the New Jersey Devils to keep their own Big Name Unrestricted Free Agents. Many players have come and gone through the Devils system whether its developed or through a trade or even a free agent deal, and some of them have been big names such as Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny, Bobby Holik, Scott Gomez, Scott Niedermayer, Brian Rafalski, Brian Gionta, John Madden, Paul Martin, Joe Nieuwendyk and now this summer Zach Parise. All of these players have decided not to return to the Devils during past various Summer's. Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny and Bobby Holik each came back for 2nd stints, but only Lemieux's was more successful which helped lead the Devils to the Stanley Cup in 2000.

But, now lets talk about some of the reasoning behind some of them leaving. While, many players entering Unrestricted Free Agency always say that money and finances are not a factor, most of them end up taking the bigger stick of the deal. Bobby Holik wanted to get paid like a number one center, which he was not and bolted for the division rival New York Rangers on a 5 year/$45 Million dollar deal, a contract which was heavily scrutinized by the National Hockey League and thus was a huge factor of the labor dispute between the league and the players in 2004-2005 and wiped out the entire season. Scott Niedermayer was seen as a core player, but he wanted to play with his brother and with the Devils failing to land him in previous attempts, he chose to join him in Anaheim. Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny, John Madden, Brian Gionta, Joe Nieuwendyk and Brian Rafalski each left on not so bad terms, because they led the Devils to the Stanley Cup although money seemed important to guys like Rafalski and Gionta. John Madden wanted a chance to win, but he struggled in his last few years, so the Devils decided to get younger. Scott Gomez in the Summer of 2007, whom Bobby Holik helped develop decided to follow his path and get paid like a #1 center which he is not and signed with the same Rangers at 7 years/$51.5 Million dollars. Paul Martin was injured for most of the 2009-2010 season and was reportedly unhappy with how the Devils handled his injury and opted to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins to start fresh. Now, this summer Zach Parise was the most stunning. Devils fans expected Gomez and Holik to leave, but not so much Zach Parise. This is what led to this question.

For Parise it was never about the money, but yet he took a huge 13 year/ $98 Million dollar deal to sign with his home state Minnesota Wild. He only spent one season as Devils Team Captain and now its time for the Devils to name another new Captain. Many saw Zach Parise as the future to form a perfect scoring tandem of himself and star Russian Winger Ilya Kovalchuk, whom the Devils acquired in February 2010 and successfully locked up long term when he hit Unrestricted Free Agency. Now, losing him makes losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the Finals hurt that much more. Most of the time the Devils lost a big name Free Agent,  General Manager Lou Lamoriello has done very little to sign a Free Agent to compensate for the loss of a key player. His philosophy is to build through the Draft and youth. And, he never signs someone for the sake of signing someone unless it helps the team and makes it better.

It is tough to explain the reason, but its simple, Lou Lamoriello is known as tough negotiator, but he does not have a good selling point to bring anyone back or bring a new player to New Jersey. The Devils do not sell a lot of tickets and struggle to sellout most games. While Parise is loyal and has loved Devils fans, there was something besides wanting to go home that kept him from coming back to the Devils. We will never know the real reason, but one thing is certain, Lamoriello does do everything he can to keep his players even if he does not negotiate in the middle of the season or before the season. Its all about the selling point and some players do not take it with them to heart. 

Comparing NHL CBA Offer and possible NHLPA offer.

A few weeks ago, the National Hockey League presented its first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) offer to the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA). The Players have not formally rejected the proposal from the NHL, but it is expected to do so tomorrow. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has warned the players last week that the League will lockout the players if they are unable to reach a CBA by the September 15 deadline. Should there be a lockout, it will be the 3rd lockout since 1994 and 2nd one since 2004, which cost the NHL the 2004-2005 season, so hopefully we will not go through that trouble again. So, here are the five main points from the League's proposal and what the counter offer will be from the players.

• Owners want to give players 46% of its Annual Revenue or 46-54 split compared to 57-43 split right now. Players will roll-back their salaries about 24%, which they did back in Summer of 2005 when they reached a CBA at that time. 
• NHLPA likely will try to get rid of the Salary Cap and Introduce a Luxury Tax system where if a team spends more than a certain payroll number, it will have to spend "X" amount of money per $US dollar back to the league itself, which would not be good for owners of small market teams, but might agree to some form of a salary rollback. 
• Owners want to get rid of salary arbitration process, where an independent/3rd party decides a player's salary for 1 season or sometimes 2. The Player must be a Restricted Free Agent. Normally it hurts the relationship between a player/his agent and the team.
• It will not rest popularly with the NHLPA, but in its offer it will not get rid of it. But if the NHL takes the luxury tax system, the Players could agree to end salary arbitrations.
• Owners want Entry-Level-Contracts to incoming drafted rookies and undrafted free agents to be 5 years as oppose to 3. 
• NHLPA will look to keep it at 3 years or even lower it to 2 years in order to give the player a larger market. 
• Owners want a player to play minimum of 10 years before reaching unrestricted free agency as oppose to 7 years now. 
• NHLPA will look to keep it at 7. 
• Owners want to limit long-term contracts to 5 years due to numerous front-loaded contracts that are 7-15 years in length and sometimes cause Salary Cap confusions. For example someone on a 10-year-contract worth $50 Million dollars can make $48 out $50 Million in the first 8 years and only make $2 Million in the final 2 years of the contract. However, the Salary Cap Hit would remain $5 Million since average salary counts. 
• Players might want to limit a contract to 7-10 years, Owners might go as high as 7. 

How will Devils respond to Rangers acquisition of Rick Nash?

The 2012 off-season for the New Jersey Devils has not been a disaster, but it certainly has not been a pleasant one. Since losing Zach Parise on July 4th to the Minnesota Wild, the Devils have basically stayed quiet for the most part and watched division rivals get better. The Flyers have gotten better on defense and were almost able to snare one of the NHL's best defenseman in Shea Weber when they signed him to a 14 year $110 Million dollar offer sheet, but the Nashville Predators luckily matched the contract. However, the Devils main division rival, the NY Rangers on Monday completed a trade for superstar forward Rick Nash from Columbus for basically a weak package of Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon and a 1st round pick in 2013. 

Now, the question every Devils fan is asking, is how will they respond? Well, as usual Lamoriello will seem unfazed and un-bothered by the moves being made by other teams. While, everyone is still hoping for Lou Lamoriello to sign either a Alex Semin, Shane Doan or a Andrei Kostitsyn, it is still very likely that he will still stick to the plan of looking from within to respond. There is no question, the Devils will have their work cut out for them in the Atlantic Division, but there seems to be no rush for Lou to improve the team at least for now. It is still a very strong possibility that Lou will go out and sign one of the three names mentioned above, but when it will happen or not happen remains a mystery.

Shane Doan seems very unlikely as he is waiting for the Coyotes sale to Greg Jamison to move forward, but if that is not resolved, the Devils have not been in his interested places to sign. Although, I expect Lou to call and gauge interest in Doan, it seems unlikely he has interest in going to New Jersey. The Devils are facing stiff competition from the Penguins, Flyers, Red Wings, Canadiens, Canucks, Sharks and Kings as well as the Coyotes for Doan's services. Doan has stated that his first choice is to remain in Phoenix though, if the team stays there at least for the next 10 years, but that remains to be seen. While, Doan could be the best fit out of three due to his leadership qualities, the Devils will have to probably overpay more than waht other teams would in order to sign Doan. So, as for now its likely between Semin or Kostitsyn ir possibly nothing. 

But, as I have stated all Summer long, it seems lilkely the Devils are going to trade of of their excess defensemen for a forward with the Edmonton Oilers as a strong trade partner due to their large number of young forwards, whom they obviously will struggle to keep most of them in a hard Salary Cap era. But, I expect Lamoriello to do something by the time the season starts assuming something or someone is available, but there should be no panic at all to make a move. It has to be done in a smart and professional matter. 

Devils hire Scott Stevens and Matt Shaw as Assistant Coaches to replace Adam Oates and Larry Robinson, Lamoriello still in no Rush to fill Parise hole

The New Jersey Devils have brought back one of their best Team Captain's in their history, but obviously not as a player. Scott Stevens has been named a full-time Assistant Coach by General Manager Lou Lamoriello. Also brought in as an Assistant Coach is Matt Shaw, who most recently was let go by the San Jose Sharks. Both of them will join a tandem which already includes Dave Barr and Chris Terreri on Head Coach Peter DeBoer's staff, who lost Larry Robinson to San Jose, where Shaw came from and Adam Oates, who became the Head Coach of the Washington Capitals.

Stevens and Dave Barr will be behind the bench with Peter DeBoer on game days/nights, while Matt Shaw and Chris Terreri will watch from above. Stevens will run the defense-men while Shaw will run the Power Play. Barr will continue to coach the Penalty Kill, which was dominant in the regular season this past season. The Sharks had the NHL's 2nd ranked Power Play this past season under Matt Shaw, but ironically former Devils Assistant Larry Robinson came in to replace him in San Jose along with Jim Johnson, who ran the Capitals power play. However, the circumstances might be different for the Devils power play due to the loss of Zach Parise. So, in the early going the man advantage will likely mightily struggle and it will not be Shaw's fault, but it will be his duty to make sure the new chemistry clicks on the power play. The Devils success on the power play will be up to whoever the new personnel will be on it.

Stevens will take over what he call the deepest defensive corps in recent year for the Devils. He will get the responsibility to continue molding Adam Larsson into an elite defenseman in the NHL, which Larry Robinson had the pleasure of doing this past season. The Defense is basically similar to the one that finished this past season, but its much healthier. Henrik Tallinder is coming back from a severe blood clot which shelved him from January until Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Mark Fayne will however miss the 1st month of the season at least with a torn tendon in the wrist. So we shall see how the coaching staff clicks.

As mentioned above Shaw will watch from above, so it will be up to Peter DeBoer to call the Power Play plays during a time-out since Shaw will watch from above. However, there could be situations where you will see Shaw join Barr and Stevens alongside DeBoer on the bench.

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As expected, Lou Lamoriello gave his common response of "Status Quo" when it came to talking about the possibility of signing a Free Agent forward to compensate for the loss of Zach Parise. He has not completely ruled out bringing someone in before the start of training camp and also mentioned that the current CBA uncertainty will have no impact on the way he conducts business much like the Devils financial uncertainty. Lamoriello could be pursuing Free Agents, but he is in no rush to sign someone, but he is claiming that winger Mattias Tedenby is on a tough workout regime at home in Sweden with his Devils teammates  Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson, Alex Urbom and Herik Tallinder. He will look to him to have a break out season and have a bounce back season from his disappointing sophomore campaign. However, I expect him to sign a free agent, but he will not rush in the process. Question is will Semin, Kostitsyn or a Shane Doan be available. 

Lamoriello in no rush to compensate for loss of Zach Parise

While many Devils fans are still feeling a sense of betrayal and frustration for the loss of Team Captain Zach Parise to his home-state Minnesota Wild for 13 years/$98 Million, there is no rush for General Manager Lou Lamoriello to immediately look to sign someone in order to not replace, but compensate for the loss of Parise. Devils fans have been impatiently waiting and wanting for Lou to sign someone quickly, but Lamoriello will never sign someone just for the sake of signing someone. Top Free Agents remaining are Alexander Semin, Shane Doan, Andrei Kostitsyn, Peter Mueller and Kyle Wellwood. Most Devils fans want Lou to sign Semin, but there have been no indications whether he is close to signing anywhere. Doan;s preference is to remain with the Coyotes if they remain in Phoenix long-term.

But, other than the names mentioned above, there really is no reason for Lou Lamoriello to go outside and sign someone. In fact, the market is pretty weak, so Lamoriello who always prefers the traditional route of going within to replace talent will likely look that way. You can expect the tandem if Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac to remain together. Question is, who will be there winger? The likelihood is that you could see Elias back at LW on that line. Zubrus will likely play with Henrique and Clarkson and Tedenby will likely play with Josefson and possibly Steve Bernier moving up to the 3rd line. Carter, Gionta and newly signed Kris Barch or Cam Janssen will patrol the 4th line.

But one thing is certain, it is only July 10th, so there is still a long way to go for the Devils and Lou Lamoriello.

But here is there projected depth chart for 2012-2013:

Patrik Elias-Travis Zajac-Ilya Kovalchuk
Dainius Zubrus-Adam Henrique-David Clarkson
Mattias Tedenby-Jacob Josefson-Steve Bernier
Ryan Carter-Stephen Gionta-Cam Janssen/Kris Barch
Steve Zalewski

Andy Greene-Mark Fayne
Henrik Tallinder-Marek Zidlicky
Bryce Salvador-Anton Volchenkov
Peter Harrold-Adam Larsson
Alexander Urbom-Jay Leach
Matthew Corrente

Devils lose Team Captain Zach Parise to his home state Minnesota Wild

The New Jersey Devils have a history of losing big name free agents, but today could be the biggest one of all. Scott Niedermayer was once considered a career Devil, but in Summer 2005, he left to join his brother in Anaheim. Back in 2001, the Devils lost leading scorer Alexander Mogilny to the Maple Leafs. In Summer 2002, they lost Bobby Holik to the rival Rangers, but everyone forgot that quickly since the Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup and in 2007 they lost Scott Gomez to the rival Rangers and Brian Rafalski to the Red Wings. 2009 was not as bad, but they did lose Brian Gionta and John Madden. Today, Team Captain and forward Zach Parise, who was loved by many chose to go home and play for the Minnesota Wild along with his long-time friend and USA Hockey buddy Ryan Suter. Both players signed identical 13 year/$98 million dollar contracts, an annual cap hit of $7.5 Million dollars a year.

Make no mistake about it, the New Jersey Devils and General Manager Lou Lamoriello did everything they could to try and convince him to stay. In fact, Parise said he would not have chosen the Wild had Ryan Suter not come there, so Zach himself enticed Ryan to join him with the Wild. It was rumored the Devils made a significant offer to Parise, but he chose to play in his home state. Obviously this is a very huge loss for the Devils. He is a great fore-checker, can go to the tough to play areas and he created a lethal penalty kill unit with Adam Henrique.

So, now the question is where do the Devils go next? Well today is not a negative on the New Jersey Devils Organization. Obviously they lose a great leader, but as Lou Lamoriello says, this locker room is made up fo leaders. It will create an opportunity for someone to step in and play a bigger role on the team. Most notbaly Left Wing Mattias Tedenby, the Devils 2008 1st round pick who is a small guy, but has yet to live up to expectations. Should the Devils decide to go to free agency and make a trade, viable options include Alex Semin, Shane Doan, Peter Mueller out of many players. It would be interesting to see if Lou Lamoriello will try and trade for Rick Nash or Bobby Ryan, but that is a severe long-shot. Are the Devils a playoff team without Parise? Yes, in my mind they are still a playoff team. It will be tough for them to return to the Stanley Cup Final, but they are a playoff team.

The Devils played 69 games without Parise during the 2010-2011 season, which was a very disappointing season, but they had a stretch run, so they might have to revert to that formula for this season, but obviously play at a very consistent level. 

Devils in Race against time to lock up Team Captain Zach Parise

It is a little over 48 hours before the National Hockey League Free Agency period begins and the Devils are yet to lock up and re-sign Captain Zach Parise to a new long-term deal. General Manager Lou Lamoriello and Zach Parise and his agents Wade Arnott and Don Meehan have confirmed that they began contract negotiations, but left it at that and did not say anything further. There is a growing sense that Parise will test the free agent market as he told the Newark Star Ledger and the North Jersey Record that his agents have done a great job preparing him for July 1st and that even if he reaches July 1st, the Devils are still going to be in the hunt.

Many Devils fans have a huge feeling of pessimism and a bit of optimism at the same time in terms of what happens with him and the team. Ironically, Parise is getting married on Sunday, so we might not know his decision until later in the evening or it might wait til Monday or Tuesday. Devils fans prefer he make his decision on Sunday obviously so they can move on. One way or another, there is no way of knowing how much Parise is asking for and maybe his agents will purposely until July 1 until deciding his market value. Sidney Crosby agreed to a 12 year/$104.4 million dollar deal with the Penguins yesterday with an annual cap hit of $8.7 Million Dollars. Now, that is way too much for Parise obviously, but it does sort off drive his price up a bit more. So, do not be surprised if a team offers him a $8 Million Dollar cap hit.

The Devils however might only be prepared to offer in the neighborhood of $6.8 Million to about $7.5 Million dollars in terms of a cap hit, but it might be severely front-loaded contract. Let's not forget what happened in Summer 2010, when the Devils went through a whole Summer with the Kovalchuk saga, so they have to be very careful in this negotiation. In Summer 2006, Patrik Elias also tested the market on July 1 along with Langenbrunner, but both ended up staying. Now, that is very likely to be the case with Zach Parise, but it will be a very tough process, much tougher than with Elias and Langenbrunner.

So, which teams might have interest in Parise besides the Devils? Well, it is very likely that Parise might join Crosby and Malkin with division rival Pittsburgh Penguins, who cleared space at the Draft by trading Jordan Staal and Zbynek Michalek. He has said, he has no plans to join the Devils most hated rival the NY Rangers, but that can all change in a NY Minute. Another hated division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers are also in on it, but indications are that Parise wants to sign out West if he leaves the Devils. I'd say the top 3 are the Det Red Wings, hometown Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators. There are indications that Parise wants to team up with good friend Ryan Suter on some team. But anyhow, we shall see. Stay tuned for what could be them most tilting Summer in New Jersey Devils history. 

Will Zach Parise be a huge loss for the Devils? What will the Devils do if he leaves?

There continues to be huge speculation that the Devils financial problems will affect the way Lou does business and his chances of re-signing Team Captain Zach Parise. However, the way I think of it, ownership issues or no ownership issues, it will have no bearing on his decision and he will keep his options open. The Phoenix Coyotes have had ownership issues and yet they managed to make the playoffs and make it all the way to the Western Conference Finals this past year. That could be a factor in Parise ultimately deciding to stay put in New Jersey on a long-term basis.

The Devils last Summer signed Parise, who was a Restricted Free Agent only to a 1 year contract worth $6 million dollars just so they can avoid the "dreadful arbitration process." Arbitration usually hurts the relationship between a player agent and the team management. The Devils elected to take Parise to team arbitration, but avoided the whole process. Based on Parise's body language, he was not too thrilled about the Devils even electing to go to arbitration with him, despite avoiding it and his agents Wade Arnott, Don Meehan and Pat Morris were not to thrilled either.

Parise is represented by the Newport Sports Agency, which represents high profile clients such as Steven Stamkos, Brad Richards, Ilya Bryzgalov, Drew Doughty, Mike Green, Dan Hamhuis, Jarome Iginla, Evander Kane, Wade Redden (Got his Money) among others. Last Summer they accounted for very high contracts for Brad Richards, Ilya Bryzgalov, Steven Stamkos and Drew Doughty. The most notable were Brad Richards and Ilya Bryzgalov, who took 9 year deals worth $60 million and $50 million respectively with the Rangers and Flyers. So, they would almost certainly like for Zach Parise to test the free agent market and waters.

I think Parise will stay eventually, but it will be a very tough and dreadful process with his agency. But, now the question. Will he be a huge loss and what do the Devils do next? In my opinion, Parise will be a huge loss in the short term, meaning the Devils will likely have to take a step back for about 2-3 years. They would still be a playoff team, but it will be very tough for them to win the cup or maybe even get past Round 1. I do not expect Lamoriello to pursue any Unrestricted Free Agents, but he might try to make a trade. The Free Agent Class  this Summer appears to be very weak., so expect the Devils to experiment with a few rookies and prospects and players from the AHL which are ready to turn pro. If that does not work out, he will most certainly seek a trade.

But, bottom line is that Parise's decision will come down to winning and stability in goal. The Devils will have Marty Brodeur back in net next season and maybe very likely the following year. Is that stability? It is int he short-term. Parise might want assurances from Lou Lamoriello that he will sign or develop a capable successor to Marty that can take over and succeed. Will the current Stanley Cup Final appearance help the Devils chances? In my mind, I think it helps the Devils chances, but in Parise's mind, there could be a huge gap between winning the Stanley Cup and going to the Final and losing it. The Devils do have a winning pedigree and an outstanding coaching staff and DeBoer is likely here to stay for a very long time. That could be another factor in his decision. Is him being named captain a selling point for him staying in NJ? He will most certainly consider this as a Pro, not a Con.  But, I guess we shall see, but it is not the end of the world should the Devils lose Zach Parise as he might only have 2-3 good years left in him. Plus his playoff production has not been as great as we wanted and come to expect from him. 

Devils Projected 2012-2013 Roster

Well, let's forget all the questions and uncertainties the Devils will have this Summer in 2012, here is an early look at what they could look like in 2012-2013.

With all potential UFA's back (minus Sykora, Harrold and Salvador):

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Ilya Kovalchuk
Patrik Elias - Adam Henrique - Dainius Zubrus
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Jacob Josefson - David Clarkson
Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier
Extras: Eric Boulton, Mattias Tedenby, Vladimir Zharkov

Andy Greene - Mark Fayne
Henrik Tallinder - Marek Zidlicky
Anton Volchenkov - Adam Larsson
Extras: Jon Merrill, Eric Gelinas

No Parise, but most of other UFA's back:

Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Dainius Zubrus
Patrik Elias - Jacob Josefson - David Clarkson
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Adam Henrique - Mattias Tedenby
Ryan Carter - Stephen Gionta - Steve Bernier


Andy Greene - Mark Fayne
Henrik Tallinder - Marek Zidlicky
Bryce Salvador - Anton Volchenkov
Extras: Jon Merrill, Eric Gelinas, Adam Larsson

Notes: Devils will keep their 2012 First Round Pick in next Friday's NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh. They will have to forfeit it in 2013 or 2014.

Devils take huge step forward, but now enter Summer of Uncertainty after losing Stanley Cup Finals

After missing the playoffs during the 2010-2011 season, the New Jersey Devils proved many skeptics wrong this past season by making it to the Stanley Cup Finals as a 6th seed, taking out the Philadelphia Flyers and the top seeded New York Rangers en route. However, they ran into a wall known as Jonathan Quick, who won the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP for the Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings. The Kings became the 1st 8th seed to win the Cup in NHL history. So, now there are many questions facing the Devils and here they are:

What is the future of Zach Parise with the Devils?


This will be the most important question of the Summer for the New Jersey Devils. Parise was mum and silent after Monday's series loss against the Kings and would not even discuss or give any hints about his future. The Devils will make every single effort to lock him up long-term, but he will have a very huge market that will attract him during free agency. In fact all 29 other teams will be heavily interested in him. Also, the Devils have an uncertain financial situation, a cloud that was hanging over them all year long, but it seems as if its close to getting resolved and it could be very good news for the teams affordability to keep Parise a Devil. After all, he is the Team Captain and it would not be right for him to leave after one year. I say, if Parise goes unsigned by the time free agency starts, chances of him staying in NJ are slim.

What will happen with Martin Brodeur?


This will be priority #2 for Devils, but he made it known he will return to Devils, but at what cost. That remains to be seen.

What will the Devils do with their own free agents?


The Devils have many key unrestricted free agents other than Parise and Brodeur. Fayne and Taormina are the only restricted ones, so they will likely be back. But, here are some of the key Unrestricted Free Agents:

-Ryan Carter: (Stays)
-Stephen Gionta (Stays)
-Steve Bernier (Stays)
-Cam Janssen (Leaves)
-Peter Harrold (Leaves)
-Alexei Ponikarovsky (Leaves)
-Bryce Salvador (Try and re-sign him, but might be too pricey for Devils)

What will happen to Larry Robinson, Dave Barr and Adam Oates?


The Devils biggest weakness in 2010-2011 became their biggest strength in 2011-2012. Their coaching staff did a great job and my guess is that Larry Robinson will likely step down and Adam Oates will stay, but he will get interviewed by the Washington Capitals for their Head Coaching job, where he once played and was very popular. Dave Barr will obviously stay on to continue to develop and re-develop their strong penalty kill.

Will Adam Larsson and Adam Henrique have success in their sophomore seasons?


Adam Henrique is up for the Calder Trophy or Rookie of the Year. But most players do go through sophomore slumps, I think Henrique will battle some bumps next season, but I think he will be very productive as well. Larsson had a tough rookie campaign, but I think he will be a force with the Devils in his 2nd season.

Who will the Devils back-up or future starter be in goal?


There is no question the Devils have to start grooming and playing the successor to future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur this next season or the next. It seems very unlikely, though its possible that Johan Hedberg returns, but he might play in NHL or maybe Sweden or Russia next season. The two most qualified Devils goaltending prospects to come up are Keith Kinkaid,w ho spent this past year in Albany (AHL) and Scott Wedgewood, who plays for the Plymouth Whalers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Maxime Clermont and Jeff Frazee are not ready. The Devils might choose to go outside the organization for someone like Anders Lindback of Nashville or Josh Harding of Minnesota or even a Jonathan Bernier of the Cup Champion Kings, but that will be a late summer question for Devils to answer.

Which young players are ready to make the Jump to the NHL?


Lets start with Mattias Tedenby, who had a rough year, but I think he will be on the team next season, but needs to improve his hockey sense and smarts in order to be effective. On defense it seems likely that Eric Gelinas will be ready to make the jump. Jon Merrill, another top defensive prospect is likely staying at the University of Michigan, but if he were to sign with Devils, he would make a huge case for the opening night line-up.

How will the CBA uncertainty impact the Devils and NHL?


My guess is that it will have a small impact, but not a huge one. Teams have to go about their business fromt he expiring Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) as all contracts and personnel decisions will likely be grandfathered into the new CBA. 

2012 Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings


Notes: Well, this playoffs has been the most unpredictable playoff yet. With the Devils facing the Los Angeles Kings it could be a series with a lot of back-end storylines. Remember in Summer 2010, Ilya Kovalchuk was choosing between the Kings and the Devils. He chose New Jersey and the Kings had to settle for Alexei Ponikarovsky, who now also plays for the Devils. Peter Harrold spent last year with the Kings organization back and forth between the NHL and the AHL in Manchester, New Hampshire. Zach Parise and Kings defenseman Matt Greene were college roommates at the University of North Dakota. And finally, there are 3 LA Kings who have huge history against the Devils and that is Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, who used to play for the division rival Philadelphia Flyers. Gagne might not be expected to play in the Final as he is still recovering from a concussion, but he is cleared for contact. So, this could be a Devils vs Old Flyers series. Now back to the two teams in the series on the ice. It will be a match-up of two very different teams that play very aggressive. The question is after being able to solve Henrik Lundqvist, can the Devils solve Jonathan Quick? This series will be very hard for the Kings, much harder than Vancouver, St. Louis and Phoenix, but I still think the Kings are more aggressive and more physical and their Penalty Kill has been lethal in the playoffs and the Devils power play is very fragile at times.

Prediction: Kings in 6.  

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 3 Predictions

East:


(1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils:


Notes: Everyone in the NY/NJ area wanted to see this epic and that is exactly what they will get. This series will only be fitting if it has an overtime ending. This series will be a battle of wills, but I have to give the edge to the Rangers in defense and goaltending. Offensively, you can give the Devils the edge due to their aggressive fore-check. You can be assured that Girardi and McDonagh will be out against the Parise line of the Devils and sometimes against Kovalchuk. But this series will most definitely come down to Lundqvist and Brodeur. The big key for the Devils will be if they can get more than a one goal lead. They have struggled against the Rangers this season in Madison Square Garden. They simply cannot afford to let Lunqvist get into their head. I just have to err on the side of defense in this series.

Prediction: Rangers in 7


West:


(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings:


Notes: The :Los Angeles Kings have been relatively unbeaten in these playoffs knocking off the Presidents Trophy Winning Vancouver Canucks squad and then thumping the most consistent team in the NHL, the St. Louis Blues. But, who could have predicted that the Kings will meet the Coyotes for the Western Conference Crown. The Coyotes absolutely annihilated the Nashville Predators, who were picked by many to win the Stanley Cup. But as the Rangers and Devils, this will come down to the two goaltenders in Mike Smith and probably the best goaltender in the West in Jonathan Quick. I will have to go with the team of destiny and we could be looking at a coaching re-match of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, but with two different teams.

Prediction: Kings in 6

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Predictions

Eastern Conference:


(1) NY Rangers vs (7) Washington Capitals


Notes: The past two playoff meetings in this series, the Capitals had home ice advantage. However, this time is a role reversal where the Capitals are the lower seed having to go to New York for Games 1 and 2 and if necessary Game's 5 and 7. But home ice does not mean anything in this playoffs, hence Round 1. The 1st series is considered the toughest one to win in the playoffs, but it only gets harder even if the pressure might be slightly less. This series will be very tricky for both teams. The Capitals have finally figured out how to be strong defensively and play more of that grind out style of hockey and Braden Holtby is the real deal, but can he handle the pressure for another series. However, I think Lundqvist will have a strong series and I think the Rangers will score those timely goals and Kreider will be a secret weapon.

Prediction: Rangers in 7


(5) Philadelphia Flyers vs (6) New Jersey Devils


Notes: After a hard fought 7 game series against the Panthers, the Devils run into the best offensive team in the NHL in the Flyers. Two years ago, these two teams met in Round 1 and the Flyers humiliated the Devils in 5 games. This series will come down to special teams in my mind. The Devils penalty kill, which broke all sorts of records during the regular season has struggled in Round 1 against Florida, but can they fix it in 48 hours. However, unfortunately the Flyers are just too deep offensively for the Devils and Martin Brodeur to handle no matter how bad Bryzgalov is.

Prediction: Flyers in 5


Western Conference:


(2) St. Louis Blues vs (8) Los Angeles Kings


Notes: This series will come down to one thing and one thing only, goaltending. Both Elliott and Quick had stellar regular seasons. Both teams special teams have been very good in Round 1 and both offenses love to play and have that physical edge.

Prediction: Blues in 7


(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs (4) Nashville Predators


Notes: Not much to say on this series, but it is a match-up of two similar style teams. However, I think one team has a lot more riding in this series that the other.

Prediction: Predators in 6

What's next for Vancouver Canucks after so called upset loss to LA Kings?

Last June, the Vancouver Canucks came within one win of bringing the Stanley Cup back home to Canada. Instead, they brought a downtown Vancouver riot which cost the city Millions of Dollars in damages. While the riot could have been worse if the Vancouver Canucks ultimately won the cup, this year, they fell 3 rounds short, after being shocked in 5 games in the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. These Canucks were no where near the team they were last season and no where as passionate. It is clear that they were outplayed by goaltender Jonathan Quick, who can easily carry the 8th seeded Kings to the Cup Finals. Now, the Canucks must find a way to recover from 4 straight wasted opportunities to win the Stanley Cup going all the way back to 2009 playoffs.

Will Roberto Luongo remain with Canucks or is Cory Schneider the new #1?

Based on the fact that Cory Schneider started an elimination game for the Canucks seems to be an indication that Luongo if he stays with Canucks will have to win the #1 job back in training camp. Luongo has a 9 years left on his contract with Vancouver worth $5.34 million dollars in cap hit. There are teams looking for a #1 goaltender and with as not much pressure as there is in Vancouver. Most of the blame for the Canucks lack of playoff success falls on Luongo, who was the team captain until 2009. My guess is that he will be on a short leash going into next season and could be trade bait by the deadline.

Will Alain Vigneault be back as coach?

Alain Vigneault has done a great job by making the Canucks an elite team in the NHL, but the question is, has he done all he can do. The Canucks have a qualified NHL coach in Craig MacTavish, who is coaching their minor league affiliate in Chicago. He coached the 8th seed Edmonton Oilers in 2005-2006 playoffs all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. He will also be on a short leash and might not be back next season.

What is the Canucks biggest off-season need?

The Canucks do not need any radical changes in the off-season. They just need to get their mental state straightened out and just play with more hunger and passion. It's evident they ran out of gas against LA and that the Kings were more hungry and more grittier and more passion. The Canucks will need to add more size and grit and maybe another scoring center to take the pressure of Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler. They do have a gritty winger who will pan out very well next season or very shortly in Zack Kassian, who will also be able to score. He will become a fan favorite, but they might also want to add a size-able defenseman. So, we shall see.

2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 Predictions

Western Conference:

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings:

Notes: The Vancouver Canucks have the edge in virtually every single category except for goaltending, where I give Jonathan Quick the nod over both Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider. Coaching would be even, but I think if the Canucks can get 3-4 goals a game, they should be able to weather Quick and the storm. Darryl Sutter is usually good against Vancouver and pulled the 1st round upset in 2004 playoffs as coach of the Flames, but this is a different situation.

Prediction: Canucks in 6


(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks:

Notes: I give the Blues the edge in defense and goaltending. Offensively I think the Sharks are better, but no matter how good they are in the O column, either of Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak will be able to stop them and the Blues D will be able to shut them down. I think the Blues will get timely scoring and be able to pull this one out.

Prediction: Blues in 5

(3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks:

Notes: This is a tough series to predict. The Coyotes are looking to win their first round playoffs series for the first time ever. They had the misfortune of running into the Red Wings the past two years, but Chicago is tough to figure out. The edge is even in every category, but on defense I give the Hawks a slight edge with Keith and Seabrook. However, I did pick them to win the Cup, but I just think they have been so up and down that it will hurt them in this series

Prediction: Coyotes in 7

(4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings:

Notes: This it the toughest series to predict with every category being even The Red Wings have the veteran experience edge over the Predators, but Nashville has the edge in the mentality. But I think the Veteran leadership might propel the Wings in this series.

Prediction: Red Wings in 7

Eastern Conference:

(1) New York Rangers vs (8) Ottawa Senators:

Notes: Forget the Regular Season series. It will have zero to no effect in this series. The Rangers have the edge in every category but offense. But this is similar to Sharks and Blues, but the Rangers have so much more riding in this series.

Prediction: Rangers in 6

(2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals:

Notes: This series is another tough one to predict. The Bruins are the defending champs and the road to June goes through them. I will say the Capitals have ended the season a high note. I think the momentum will carry into the playoffs. However, the Bruins have the edge in every category and are getting healthy. The Capitals however have been very tough to read this year. They have been amazing, awful, then dominant, awful. Basically Jekyll and Hyde altogether. However, I think this series will be my upset pick.

Prediction: Capitals in 7

(3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils:

Notes: The Devils are back in the playoffs and are opening up on the road and I think it a good thing for them. They have not had much success in recent years with home ice advantage. And they probably got a sigh of relief in Round 1 by not playing either the Rangers, Bruins or Penguins and even the Flyers. For the Devils its simple, there best players have to be their best players and they cannot beat themselves. The Panthers are a very skilled and hard working team. However, I think the Devils have too much to lose and too much to prove in this years playoffs.

Devils in 6

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs (5) Philadelphia Flyers

Notes: This series is much like the Red Wings and Predators. Its a shame one good team will be out in Round 1. But this series will be much nastier and much bloodier than the respective Western Conference series. However, I think the Penguins are on a route to win the East this year and I think the injuries in Philly will hurt them.

Prediction: Penguins in 6

Devils will open up playoffs on the Road against Southeast Winner

With the Flyers victory over the Buffalo Sabres last night, the Devils have officially been locked in as the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference meaning they will avoid the NY Rangers and the Boston Bruins in Round 1 and will instead face the winner of the Southeast division. That will all be determined tomorrow night when either the Washington Capitals or the Florida Panthers could win the division. The Devils are 3-1 against Washington this season and 2-2 against Florida. Both teams would be tough opponents for Devils, but coach Peter DeBoer would love to face his former Florida Panthers team and win a playoff series against them. However, Washington might be more ideal with their goaltending uncertainty, but they could be very dangerous due to their expectations in the playoffs.

The Devils have not won a playoff series since 2007, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning coached by current Rangers coach John Tortorella in 6 games. They have also not advanced past Round 2 since 2003, when they won the Stanley Cup. So, the Devils expectations could for now be to at least go past Round 2, but this team obviously has bigger goals. The Devils will open up sometime next week in Florida or Washington on Wednesday or Thursday or maybe even as late as Friday.

Angry Devils beat up Rangers 4-1

The New Jersey Devils looked like a very angry team out for vengeance tonight after being shutout 1-0 on Sunday afternoon against the Islanders. Ilya Kovalchuk scored in the first minute of play and that basically set the tone for the game. Although the Rangers won the second period battle after tying the game a 1 on a goal by Derek Stepan, the Devils won the eventual war.

David Clarkson scored off his pads on a hard Petr Sykora shot and Ryan Carter sealed the deal minutes later. Patrik Elias added an empty netter for good measure. Shots were 29-26 Devils. In fact, the Devils had more shots than the two teams had combined in last Monday's game at the Garden, which favored the Rangers 15-13 for a total of 28. Martin Brodeur was stellar in net making 25 saves for the victory.

Usually, in past years when the Devils surrender a lead to the Rangers, they collapse and fall apart, but tonight was not the case. The Devils fought hard both in the fighting department and on the scoreboard. Ryan Carter fought Brandon Dubinsky of the Rangers, even so knocked him out of the game. Cam Janssen fought John Scott. Both scraps were key to Devils momentum. All in all a very good effort from the Devils. In my opinion, Jacob Josefson, Ryan Carter and Marek Zidlicky had their best games as Devils.

Devils prepare to hopefully finally solve the Bruins, Tallinder likely out for the year.

Tomorrow's game between the Devils and Bruins will feature two teams coming off being shutout in their previous games. The Devils are yet to beat the Bruins this season and have been outscored 14-5 and 10-2 at home. It will be their final meeting of the season between each other and one more chance for the Devils to finally be able to solve them. Martin Brodeur will start tomorrow night, while Johan Hedberg will start Friday in Washington.

After three straight struggling offensive efforts, coach Peter DeBoer shook up his lines. He kept his top line of Parise, Henrique and Kovalchuk together, while putting Josefson on a line with Ponikarovsky and Clarkson. He moved Zubrus up to the Elias and Sykora line to get that line going. Steve Bernier is on the 4th line with Boulton and Carter.

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Devils Defenseman Henrik Tallinder was supposed to return to action in 2-3 weeks, but now it apparently looks like he will miss the rest of the regular season and early playoffs. In an interview with Rich Chere of the Newark Star Ledger, Tallinder said he feels good health wise, but it still feeling week in his lower left leg with the blood clot. He is yet to finish his mdeication cycle, so only then will he know whether he can play. The Devils might play it safe and shut him down for the rest of the year. However, his return this season is still a huge question mark.

Devils won't be aggressive at deadline, but might make a small move or two

The New Jersey Devils sit in 4th place currently in the very tight Eastern Conference race, but with the trade deadline a week away, the Devils might be sticking with their current roster. Lou Lamoriello is however looking to improve his team, a position he was not in last season. The Devils are currently battling a number of injuries, which could affect theor decision on which trades to make. Henrik Tallinder and Travis Zajac are battling long-term injuries and are not expected back until late-March at the earliest. Tallinder has a left leg blot clot and Zajac is recovering from a sore-Achilles which resulted from playing after suffering a torn-Achilles tendon in the summer.

Adam Larsson is still out with a lower back bruise and Ryan Carter has a fractured hand. Both are expected back shortly and it could result in the Devils trading a few players like a Eric Boulton, Nick Palmieri or even a Steve Zalewski up front. Jacob Josefson or Mattias Tedenby could also be involved in trade discussions. But Lamoriello might be looking for a puck moving defenseman and that could force Taormina, Foster or Salvador into trade discussion with Tallinder expected back this season. Word leaked out last week that Wild defenseman Marek Zidlicky was on his way to the Devils, but that trade was made by Zidlicky himself, not Wild CM Chuck Fletcher.

With all that said, the trade dilemma will be huge for Devils, but one thing is certain, the Devils will not be in on Rick Nash or Jeff Carter or Ales Hemsky.

Devils fight off Flyers furious 3rd period rally for a 6-4 win.

Kurtis Foster had a redemption game for the Devils after two tough games this week scoring 2 power play goals to give the Devils a 6-4 win against the Flyers. The Devils led the Flyers 6-0 after 2 periods, but somehow an angry Philadelphia team scored 4 in the 3rd and out-shot the Devils 24-1 in that period. Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Dainius Zubrus had the other Devils goals. Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jaromir Jagr and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers.

Johan Hedberg made 37 saves for the Devils and Serge Bobrovsky was relieved by Ilya Bryzgalov. It was the Devils 3rd straight win coming out of the All-Star Break and 2 of them against teams they are chasing in the standing. Their next two are no different against Pittsburgh and the same NY Ranger team they beat this past Tuesday. Kovalchuk had a Gordie Howe Hat-Trick today, a goal, assist and a fight against Flyers forward Brayden Schenn.

Devils unlikely to be fully healthy this season even if everyone returns

The Devils have been battling key injuries all year long and are likely to continue to do so for the remainder of the season including playoffs if they make it. It started when Travis Zajac went down in the summer with a torn Achilles tendon and then briefly returned before being shut down again. Jacob Josefson missed 3 months with a broken clavicle which required surgery. Now, the Devils injuries include Henrik Tallinder (Blood Clot in left leg), Adam Henrique (Minor groin pull), and Travis Zajac (Complications from Torn Achilles). Adam Larsson, Bryce Salvador, and Ryan Carter are battling minor bumps and bruises as well as ailments, which could be played through.

While all players are expected back this season, they all will have to play through the pain. Zajac and Tallinder seem like they are long-term injuries. Travis Zajac is week-to-week, but is yet to receive medical clearance to do on ice activities and will likely have to be a 3rd or 4th line center when he returns, which is likely to happen by end of February or early-March. Henrik Tallinder is out 6-8 weeks, but that prognosis was given 2 weeks ago from today, so he will return in 4-6 weeks from now assuming there are no setbacks in the clot. Adam Henrique is expected back sometime next week.

Zajac has said repeatedly, the Achilles is something he will have to deal with for the duration of the season. Tallinder will also have to be very careful in dealing with his clot, and Henrique will have to control his stretch. But, all Devils including Josefson will have to get their rhythm back very slowly.

Devils pull out back and forth effort in Shootout against Rangers

Normally when the Rangers grab a lead against the Devils, the game seems over. But, tonight, it was not the case. Former Devils tryout Anton Stralman gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead towards the end of the 1st period. Zach Parise tied it up midway through the second and it was all tied up heading into the 3rd period. Midway through the 3rd, Brian Boyle gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead and later in the period the game became a frantic finish.

Ilya Kovalchuk tied the game up at 2 on the power play, but 36 seconds later Michael Del Zotto broke the tie. That seemed to tell the story for the Devils against the Rangers, but a lcuky board bounce at the end of the period allowed David Clarkson to tie the game at 3 before heading to overtime.

The teams failed to score in overtime, but Ilya Kovalchuk scored the lone shootout goal to give the Devils the 4-3 victory. It was Martin Biron, not Henrik Lundqvist in net for the Rangers. Shots were 29-26 Devils, but the game was back and forth, but the Devils found a way to solve the Rangers for the first time this season and get only their 2nd win against the NHL's elite teams which includes the Rangers, Bruins and Flyers.

Devils still searching for identity as it enters All-Star Break

Say what you want about how much better this Devils team is now compared to last season, it still has a long way to go. The team is entering the break on 3 game losing streak and only picking up one point in the process with a shootout loss to the Buffalo Sabres and even sometimes showing signs that merited their play last season. Yes, their mentality has been a lot better this season as they have been to overcome deficits in most of their games, but they still have been having trouble with secondary scoring despite having a balance of goals from their top 7 forwards.

Kovalchuk has the team lead with 19 goals, Clarkson with 16, Elias with 18, Zubrus with 12, Parise with 15, Henrique with 13 and Sykora with 12. They did acquire forward Alexei Ponikarovsky from Carolina, to try and get their bottom 5 forwards going. Jacob Josefson is back from his shoulder injury and should improve the offense a bit and Zajac, who returned in December from an Achilles injury and later suffered a small setback is close to returning as well. This should position the Devils very well for a good stretch run, but they will have to do without their best shutdown defenseman for about another 2 months. Though Andy Greene is close to returning from a broken foot, Henrik Tallinder will be out with a blood clot in his left leg.

The Devils are expected to pursue help on defense at the Trade Deadline if their current group continues to struggle. Kurtis Foster has not really lived up to his expectations as his defensive game has struggled and Matt Taormina has been better than last season, but his size continues to be a question. Mark Fayne has been up and down. Adam Larsson has proven he can play at this level, but he has experienced growing pains. The Devils best defensemen have been Bryce Salvador and Anton Volchenkov. Tallinder has been good when healthy as well and when Greene returns, they will have accrued a lot of depth in that position, but will definitely look to strengthen that position. Foster and Taormina are likely the odd-men out when Greene and Tallinder are both healthy. Expect Foster to get dealt to get more playing time elsewhere and chances are, the Devils could use Fayne as a trade chip for a top 4 defenseman.

Many questions still surround the Devils, nothing bigger than the Zach Parise situation. The Devils are highly unlikely to trade Parise at the trade deadline regardless of their play, but his possible return value could be huge. Teams like the Leafs, Habs, Sabres, Sharks, Kings and Wild will gauge very high interest in Parise at the deadline and in Free Agency should he hit July 1st unsigned. I expect the Devils to try and sign Parise to an extension as we get close to February 27th, the NHL trade deadline, but no talks have started yet, but I expect them to do so at about the 2 week mark.

Another question is will the Devils finally be able to match-up and beat the NHL's elite teams in the Rangers, Bruins and Flyers in the East and Red Wings, Hawks and Canucks in the West? They have the Rangers this Tuesday for their 1st game after the break, so it should be good medicine for the team entering the break on a 3 game win-less streak.

Devils get humiliated by defending champ Bruins at home

Devils fans better ask for more than a refund after tonight's no show against the defending champs. After going ahead 1-0 against the Stanley Cup Champion Bruins on a Power Play goal by David Clarkson, the Devils sat back and saw the Bruins score 6 straight. Not only did the Bruins score, they humiliated the Devils and Marty Brodeur was left alone and played terribly.

Shots were 31-27 for the Devils, but that was not indicative of the way things were played tonight. In fact the only positive for the Devils was that they did not allow a short-handed goal, but I think if the score was 6-1 Devils, they would not mind allowing a shorty. It was the Devils worst game of the year even going back to last season.