New Jersey Devils Redux: 2014 and Beyond

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

Ever since my NHL fan viewership (mid 1990's), the New Jersey Devils have always been either a playoff contender or Stanley Cup contender (and champion on 3 different occasions).

Oh, sure, since the about 1994-95, they have also had some teams that have just missed playoffs or just generally not been much of a contender, but they usually find ways to bounce back and be right in the mix.

Backstopped by future HOF'er Martin Brodeur on most of those years and having a veritable defenseman factory down in their minor league system, it didn't take long for this franchise to pick itself back up and continue on doing what they had always done: compete for and participate in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

These last couple seasons, after their last Eastern Conference title in 2012 though, the team has had drastic changes as many veterans have either left the team, retired, or simply have no longer played like they used to.

New blood coming in from the minors have had less impact overall than in previous seasons, and the big one....no more Marty Brodeur as the De Facto guy in net.

The Devils for the fist time in a while....at least during my NHL viewership....could be entering a time in their franchise when they may struggle to put together a legit playoff and/or Stanley Cup contender.

With divisional and conference rivals all having outstanding young cores moving forward, the Devils will need to make sure each and every one of their draft picks are sound, that they make no mistakes in development, and even, perhaps, that they rethink some of their age old philosophies, and maybe think in a more offensive mindset, as the league moves more and more towards the open ice/more scoring type games....and of course, this is done through increased adding and enforcements of certain rule sets.

That isn't to say NJ will enter a 'dark period' where they will be a bottom dweller for the foreseeable future.
The Devils DO have a few things in their favor that will ensure that in any given season, they can, perhaps be a solid playoff contender, if not a Stanley Cup one.

Cory Schneider in goal is definitely a good place to start for this franchise.
He won't ever replace Marty Brodeur in his prime, but he doesn't have to. No one can replace Brodeur.
But Schneider is and will be, a very, very good goaltender (barring injury) for many years to come, and I can't think of a better way for the franchise to begin life without Brodeur.

On the defensive side of things, the Devils still subscribe to the goal prevention philosophy first, and their minor league affiliates reflect that, as they still seem to have decent d-men come right into the league and able to play at the NHL level.

The big club in NJ can sure use some of that now, as they have some vets who could probably be shown the door sooner than later, and replaced by younger, system D-men up from the AHL or even Europe.

And on the forward front, there are mostly veterans there who DO know how to win and have been part of successful franchises elsewhere, but also a few young players sprinkled in such as Adam Henrique and Jacob Josephson, who can continue to develop into more solid NHL players....although a nice infusion of much younger talent could REALLY be used on this team.

Throw in the fact that their Metropolitan division isn't exactly rife with Stanley Cup contenders (even the Pens took a step or two back and need to re-prove themselves), and you have a situation in NJ that while not looking particularly rosy, is far from any black hole that a franchise could fall into given some of the weaknesses on the team.

How long will it be before a new batch of contending Devils take their places in Lord Stanley's tournament on a regular basis?
Who knows.
I have them as a complete darkhorse for this coming season because I honestly don't know how to categorize them right now.

They definitely are searching for that new core of Devils that will be a problem for NHL rivals for years, but also have some nice pieces NOW, and have many veterans whose experience can certainly offset some of the better talent (and INEXPERIENCE) on some other teams.

But as long as a team has a very good goaltender, they will be in many games, and the Devils certainly have that.
And perhaps some work done to actually practice shoot outs and improve there will go a long way towards getting this club to a post season berth.
NJ's shoot out woes are well documented, and they, like others in the NHL, will simply have to make shoot outs part of their preparations for regular season games if they want the points for it.

Devils fans or others outside the fanbase.......thoughts and perceptions on the franchise as they stand now, please.

 

[hf101]

Nice Blog TGF!

 

I wouldn't count the Devils out, as a matter of fact I think they will be right in the mix up until the end of the season unless unfortunate injuries take the team in a different path.  Several players on their roster have a history with injuries, but there is also some talented youth to go with some talented vets.  

 

I think the biggest question mark for me with the roster is the backup goaltender.  Maybe Brodeur gets a late signing, but I think there is too much risk in net beyond Schneider.

 

I plan on attending two games against the Devils to start off the season.  One preseason game on the 25th and two weeks later for the Flyers home opener.  

 

I don't think this team will become a perennial contender as in years past but right in the mix.  Had the Devils not gone 0-13 last season in shootouts this team might have solidified a playoff spot last season.

[jammer2]

  I've got the feeling that the Devils will wait one more year and then name Henrique the captain. He's already their emotional leader, soon he will get the "C" and it will be official.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

  I've got the feeling that the Devils will wait one more year and then name Henrique the captain. He's already their emotional leader, soon he will get the "C" and it will be official.

 

Funny you should say that, @jammer2 .

 

I got into it a little bit with a supposed 'long time Devils fan', and while I didn't say anything about time frames, I DID say that I thought Adam Henrique was captain material, and eventually, the Devils would build a team around him...sorta...and he would come to define Devils hockey.

To this, this supposed fan went absolutely haywire, saying I didn't know what I was talking about, etc, etc....

 

Now, granted, this particular person tends to be a blowhard anyways...more like the "my opinion is the only one that matters type"...but I thought, at least, since he was a Devil's fan, he'd have a bit more introspect into his own team.

 

Anyways, brought that up because glad to see other people whose opinions I value much more (such as yours   ), come out and say kinda the same thing...and have @hf101 agree with it too.

 

I will admit, after listening to a bit of a tirade from a Devil's fan, I did feel that perhaps, I IDIDN'T know what I was talking about, but you have re-assured me, and reminded me I should just go with my gut feelings, and that right or wrong, I should just stick to what I believe, regardless of how much others think their opinion is much better than mine.

 

Anyways, if the Devils are to continue the defense first trend, obviously goaltending will come to the forefront, defensemen will continue to have to be churned out, and good two way forwards (such as Henrique) will have to be continued to be developed.

 

Geez..even as soon as this coming season, out of the Metro, they could be right there causing problems for the upper tier, or scraping the bottom with the cellar dwellars...just hard to tell at this point....but the Devils for sure, are no longer, for the time being, that elite franchise I always associated playoff hockey all the years I have followed the NHL.....but I'll be damned if they don't get back to that sooner than later.

[MadDevil]

The Devils are definitely in a transition period right now. It's the closest thing to rebuild I've seen since I became a Devils fan in the late 90's. That might sound contradictory considering the average age of their forwards, but it's kind of a rebuild while not going in the tank. The Devils don't have the luxury of being a Chicago or Los Angeles, sucking for the better part of a decade, compiling solid foundational players, and then surrounding them with the right complimentary pieces. The Devils have had two top 10 picks in the last 18 years. One of them was Adam Larsson, the other was sent to Vancouver for Cory Schneider.

 

They've got all the makings of a very solid foundation on the back end with Schneider and a plethora of young defensemen in the system. Everybody knows about Larsson, Merrill, and Gelinas, but then you throw guys like Severson, who the organization is very high on, Santini, and less heralded guys like Scarlett, Helgeson, and Jacobs, and it looks like the old Devils defenseman factory again.

 

The biggest issue is going to be up front. The only under 30 forwards they have are Zajac, Henrique, and Josefson (who seems to be made of glass). Jagr and Elias are in the twilight of their careers. Cammalleri should be productive for at least a couple years. Ryder is on the back nine of his career. Zubrus has a lot of mileage on him for his age. Clowe and Havlat are injury prone. Brunner is still a big question mark. Everybody else is bottom six material. They definitely need to find a way to get some youth up front. I really like Boucher and think he could be a solid second line scorer eventually, but I don't know if he'll ever be a top line guy. And that's really where the weakness in the system is. Quenneville and Matteau project as middle six forwards, at best. Kujawinski, Bell, Wood, Johnson are all probably bottom six forwards, if they make it at all. 

 

It's kind of a weird time for the Devils. You've got what looks like a bright future on the back end, and then you've got what has to be the oldest group of forwards in the league. Which is good from an experience standpoint, but not so much when they're going up against younger, faster teams. If the vets up front can stay relatively healthy, and the kids on defense don't fall on their faces, I think the Devils should be back in the playoffs this year. Whether or not they can do anything once they get there, who knows. The Metro is pretty much one big mess of mediocrity, and outside of Boston the rest of the conference isn't really much better. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Very nice insight from an actual Devils fan.

Thank you, @MadDevil .

 

When I posted my own, I did wonder some about the youth the Devils had that may or may not see the light of day in the NHL, and you cleared that up some.

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  Apparently, you and I are not the only people that feel Adam is a natural born leader. 

 

 

 http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=730093&navid=nhl:topheads

 

 

 I really think one of the key factors in leadership by example. In other words, when everything is on the line, you up your game, rise to the occasion...and it inspires the entire team to follow suit. Adam already has 2 series winning goals, both coming in OT. That's one of the main reasons I believe he's worthy of being mentioned in the captain sweepstakes. Bryce Salvador is a good solid captain, but I do believe he's just a stop gap until Henrique is ready.

 

  When Windsor was pulling off their back to back Memorial Cups, it was Henrique who was looked upon for leadership, to steady the ship....and that was a team with Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis in the line up....Adam's leadership shone through, even with those lofty names in the same line-up. In junior, Henrique had 3 series winning goals and 3 OT goals in the Memorial Cup tourny as well....so the clutch scoring at the NHL level is no mirage, he's just doing what he has always done.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Thought I would give this thread a **bump** as I am watching a game between the Devils and the Bruins, and NJ was holding their own pretty good, until lapses in defense cost them not only control of the game, but the lead as well....

 

At the center of the defensive gaffes? Yup...Bryce Salvador and Marek Zlidlicky.

Boston forward Seth Griffith DID make a nice play to split the D and get that goal that gave the lead (and control) of the game to Boston, but the bottom line was, Bryce and Marek were simply PATHETIC in their attempts to shut down Griffith.

 

I even had to fight back the urge to vomit a bit as the Boston announcers kept going on and on about Seth Griffith's "highlight reel" goal......oh, please...

Not gonna take away anything from the up n coming player, it was a nice goal...but highlight reel? I don't think so....Boston announcers can go sell that kool aid to someone else.

That goal was made possible by the absolute INEPT defensive display, or lack thereof, of Zlidlicky and Salvador.

 

How does all this relate to this thread and the Devils' future?

Simple.

Bryce Salvador and Marek Zlidlicky simply HAVE TO GO!

 

I KNOW they are the two 'vets' on defense, but if the vets on defense are going to play as half assed as I just saw in the Boston game, and how I've seen them play regularly throughout the last two seasons, then I'd rather go with all youth on the blue line, take my lumps there while the young guys learn their craft.

Rather lose with guys who have the possibility of learning, rather than two old dogs who haven't updated their tricks in the last 3 or 4 seasons...

 

Devils have young guys like Severson, Gelinas, and one guy, who seems to be sitting OUT more than playing, Adam Larsson...why is he sitting out? Because the current crop of D-men are clogged up with the likes of Marek n Bryce...

 

Cory Schneider is a goalie in his prime and you would think the team would want to field the best chances of making the most out of his prime.

Schneider gets hung out to dry more times than not, and even though he would admit he needs to be better too (he would be right about that to a degree), the bottom line is, he has some void-of-heart or nothing-left-in-the-tank flat out prehistoric defensemen in front of him "helping" him to prevent goals.

You ask me, Schneider deserves a bit better than that....NJ gave up their 1st round pick for him after all, no?

 

Both Marek and Bryce are UFA's at the end of the year, but dammit, if I am a Devils fan, I am thinking that is simply 65+ games way too long to have to watch those two....

If somehow, some way, the Devils can waive those two clowns, pass them off on some other team who perhaps can mask their sizable deficiencies, then I'd do that in a heartbeat THIS year, free up that cap space NOW, and start letting all their young D play together for the balance of this season, thus giving them a jumpstart on next season as far as experience, chemistry and familiarity with each other are concerned.

 

That 2014 and Beyond reference in the thread title? Yea, it SHOULDN'T include the law offices who ALWAYS settle for a plea, of Marek and Bryce.

Get those two OUT of Newark and start that future sooner than later!

[MadDevil]

Salvador being named captain is one of the worst things the Devils have done on recent memory. Not because he's a bad leader, but because he's a bad player. I'm convinced that if he didn't wear the "C" he'd be riding the pine instead of getting coned multiple times per game. It's honestly embarrassing to watch him play defense.

Zidlicky I'm not quite as hard on. He's never been good defensively, but for the last couple years has been the only offensive weapon on defense. With Gelinas on the team now, and the offense Severson has added, he's really not necessary anymore. I'm hoping they dump him for a pick or something this year.

That goal they gave up was just horrendous. Salvador got beat with speed and couldn't keep up with Griffith, I'm not sure what the hell Zidlicky was doing, and Cory didn't play it very well either. Just a complete comedy of errors that has become far too common lately. The Devils are just a really bad team right now.

[jammer2]

@MadDevil  I've only watched one Devils game this year. Just curious, Has Cory Schneider's play really slipped this year, or is the defense leaving him hung out to dry? I anticipated his numbers would look better once he was the unquestioned #1. He always seemed like the type that gets better with more play. Here we have the spot where his only competition is the rookie Kincade. Cory should be thriving, but instead he's having his worst season ever...by far.

[MadDevil]

Cory hasn't been as bad as the stats would tell you. Much of it is the horrific defense being played in front of him. The Devils are giving up an average of 5 more shots per game than last year, which might not seem like much, but it's still very un-Devils-like. The PK has been a complete dumpster fire. For some unknown reason they've gone from being a very aggressive PK to an incredibly passive one. It doesn't help that Salvador gets worked like a cheap hooker on the left side pretty much every PK. Not to mention all the turnovers and failed clears.

 

That being said, Cory has also let in some bad goals. There are at least 4-5 goals where he's been beaten cleanly on the short side that he probably should have had. He's also been incredibly unlucky. He's had two goals where the puck has hit the backboards and deflected in off of him. And then there are the Adventure Time with Cory moments when he thinks he's Marty Brodeur with the puck. There have been at least 2 goals that have been direct results of failed attempts at playing the puck. They need to get him a leash to stop his wandering.

 

Overall I'm really not that worried about him yet. The team he's playing behind is just bad. The forwards are old and slow. Cammalleri just came back from an injury. Henrique, Havlat, and Clowe are still out. Although Clowe has been utterly useless, so that's kind of addition by subtraction. Zajac and Elias have largely played like crap so far. Elias looks like he's hit the wall. Ryder is Ryder. Good one game, invisible the next. Brunner is pretty much a waste of a roster spot. He's one of the few forwards with speed, but has the IQ of a fence post. The rest are all pretty much grinders being asked to play over their heads because of the injuries. On defense, the kids have all actually been pretty solid. Obviously they have their moments, but for the most part I think they've held their own, or even outplayed the vets. Larsson has been solid, but for some inexplicable reason is still getting limited minutes. I don't know what's going on there.

[jammer2]

@MadDevil  I've said it for years, the Devils need to improve their depth at center....specifically Zajac at center. He's just not the kind of prolific scorer you need from a top 6 forward. They need a point producer to take the heat off Henrique. Right now, he's the only dangerous center on the squad, which means he gets no break from the endless line of checkers sent in to stop him.

[MadDevil]

The Devils lack of real top liners is a problem. As much as I like Jagr and Zajac, they really shouldn't be on the top line. Zajac is more of a second line center, and Jagr should be more of a complimentary player at this point in his career. Even Cammalleri is borderline. The problem is to get those kind of players you pretty much have to either draft them or pay a pretty hefty price to trade for them. The Devils haven't been very good at drafting/developing offensive forwards for a while now. They've got plenty of two-way types, which has always been a staple of Devils hockey, but you still need guys who can create offense and score goals. It doesn't help that Tedenby was a bust and Josefson looks like he's going to be more of a bottom six forward. I hate to say it, but it might actually be a good thing if this team bombs out the rest of the season. Getting a top 5 or top 10 pick and drafting a good young forward would go a long way to helping fill that need.

[yave1964]

@MadDevil

The Devils have propped the organization up with veterans such as Cammelerri, Clowe, Jagr,Ryder,Havlat, Brunner ect... among the forwards and Zidlicky and Salvador on defense. Not a bad way to do things if the cupboards are bare, a good bunch of players who are capable of a good game 2 out of every 3.

They have made the move with Marty, arguably the greatest goalie of all time, it needed to be done. Schneider, in the 3 plus games i have seen played by your boys has been very human especially on high shots stick side.

I love Henrique, i also love Eric Gelinas and wish they would just leave him alone quarterbacking the power play. I remember watching him twice last year, challenging the defense from the point with the extra man, every time the defender would collapse a few extra feet towards the goal Gelinas would move in closer, and closer and then fire an absolute cannon. What is wrong with him? I know he doesn't play like a conventional d-man, hell move him to the wing and tell one of the geezers to go play golf with Marty if you have to. The kid seems lost the times i watched him this year.

Down on the farm, well, not much stands out. I still think Matteau could have a career, i agree with TFG, let Salvador go and plug him in and let him play, he cannot be any worse than Bryce. Reid Boucher looks like a 3rd liner, other than that a bunch of guys who are career AHLers in Albany right now. Thus the signing of the vets.

To me, for the Devils to contend the vets need to get hot in April and so does Schneider. They are no better or worse than half a dozen other Eastern conferene teams, built a little different, sure but not a bad club. At first glance the forwards look like a retirement home in search of an HMO but most of these guys can still play. And the defense, Greene is a favorite of mine, just a smart player. If Schneider gets it together at the right time and the oldsters wanna go out in a blaze of glory, sure they could make something happen.