Coming into this 48-game short season, parity was supposed to be even more of a factor than ever before. This was confirmed when teams such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders both made the playoffs for the first time since 2005 and 2006, respectively. During the past decade or so, there have been primarily two teams that have made the post season on a consistent basis. This year, only one made it, and for the 22^nd consecutive year: the Detroit Red Wings.

Who is the other staple you might ask? Well, unless you are from New Jersey, you probably wouldn’t think it so, but yes, it is the New Jersey Devils. Since 1990, the Devils have been to the playoffs 20 times in 23 lockout-free seasons. Along the way, they have accumulated 9 Atlantic Division titles, 5 Eastern Conference championships, and 3 Stanley Cups. Along with the Red Wings, they have been among the most successful franchises of any sport in the past 20 years. This year however went a little differently due to some unfortunate events and a midseason collapse that just dragged on and on. In the end, the Devils finished in last place in the Atlantic Division for the first time ever with a record of 19-19-10.

Devils fans and the Devils organization may look back on this short season as a “pass”. When I look at it, I see much more. I see cause for concern. When the season first started, the Devils came out flying and were atop the Eastern Conference. The high point during the initial weeks of the half-season was an impressive home-and-home sweep of the eventual Eastern Conference regular season winner Pittsburgh Penguins. At that point all was well for New Jersey and many of the questions coming into the season for the team seemed be a nonissue. Not long after this however was where the wheels came off and the successful season that was to be came apart.

With that said, here are the 3 key things that led to the demise of the New Jersey Devils in 2013:

1. No Replacement for Zach Parise

Besides the massive deal they made with Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils organization isn’t one that usually makes a splash in free agency or the trade market. When they lost Zach Parise to the Minnesota Wild last summer, they lost a lot of contribution in almost every facet of the game. Parise logged a ton of crucial minutes on the ice, was a consistent 20+ goal scorer, a great penalty killer, and most of all, a fantastic leader. Although his playoff numbers weren’t spectacular last season, there is no denying what he brought to the Devils organization. When he left, it was expected that the Devils were going to do something, anything, to at least attempt to fill the hole Parise left. This hole however was never adequately filled and it severely cost the Devils. They lost a consistent point-getter and an all-around player that could change the outcome of games based just off of his tenacity. His motor was always running and even when he wasn’t getting on the board, he was doing something else that reflected positively on the team. When they lost Parise, they lost a lot more than just 60-70 points a year, and not replacing him was an extremely detrimental and ill-advised decision on behalf of the management.

2. Injuries, Injuries, Injuries

In my season preview, there were a few things I noted that needed to happen, or not happen, for the Devils to be successful. Unfortunately, the most important of those things happened and doomed the Devils: injuries. The first injury occurred in February, a back injury suffered by the heart and soul of the Devils, Martin Brodeur. Shortly after the initial diagnosis, Brodeur was placed on the IR and sat out a month, where the Devils downfall commenced. They went 3-9-1 in that time and just as he returned to the ice, the unthinkable happened as Ilya Kovalchuk sustained a shoulder injury and sat out a full month as well. In the time Kovalchuk was sidelined, the Devils lost their first 10 games in a row without him. This is not a coincidence that when these two players went down, the Devils went down with them. I have full confidence that with these 2 players healthy, the Devils are a lock for the playoffs and would have fought for the top overall seed in the East. From the look of this team in the early stages, they looked hungry and ready to get back to where they were. Everyone was contributing, but when Brodeur and Kovalchuk were out of the picture, the Devils sunk. Fast.

3. Lack of Depth and Support

The above two points tie into this third and final point as to why the Devils came up short this season. To reiterate, when the Devils lost Zach Parise, they lost a lot more than just a consistent point-getter.  When Brodeur and Kovalchuk were out of the picture for a few months, seemingly so did the Devils. But why was this? The Devils don’t have the star power of the New York Rangers or the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it’s not like they don’t have players that aren’t capable of producing at the NHL level and shouldering a sizeable secondary load. For the Devils, two of these kinds of players that come to mind are David Clarkson and Travis Zajac. David Clarkson, who scored 30+ goals last year, started this season off with 13 points in 10 games.  After that, he cooled off big time and didn’t score over the next 13. It seemed as if Clarkson was going to build on his breakout 2011-2012 campaign but in the end, he just disappeared for too many games at a time and was a non-factor way too often. Another disappointment this season was Travis Zajac. Zajac, who was coming into this season with a fresh 8-year, $48 million contract, had high expectations. With Parise gone, many expected Zajac to be the guy to step up and develop the way Parise did. The first two games of the season got everyone thinking just that as he scored 2 goals and the Devils got just as many wins. However, as the season progressed and the injuries piled up, this thought turned out to be very premature. Like Clarkson, Zajac was a non-factor on the scoreboard way too often and finished the season with a disappointing 20 total points (7G, 13A). Aside from these two players, there was not much else to look at from an offensive standpoint. Defensemen Andy Greene, who I noted was a player to look out for in my season preview, had a great all-around year and finished with 16 total points (4G 12 A). Marek Zidlicky also provided a nice offensive punch from the blue-line (4G 15A), but both of these players are defensemen, which shows just how shallow the Devils offense was this season as they both finished with more points than all but 4 forwards.

In the end, when push came to shove, the Devils lack of depth proved costly. The two injuries obviously were the biggest detriment to the season, but other teams had to deal with injuries too, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins were without Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and James Neal for long periods of time, but when it came down to it, they had the secondary scoring punch and depth to combat those injuries. For the Devils to be successful in the immediate future, as in next season, the way of the Devils of old has to be put aside. The Devils have been a staple of the post season for a long time, so if they want to get back in and contend, things have to change, and fast. From the looks of it, a lot of change seems to be headed their way already in the next 2 years with the looming retirements of Patrik Elias and Martin Brodeur. With those two players gone, the future of the Devils will undoubtedly be in question and a new era of Devils hockey will be upon us.

Leading up to Wednesday night’s matchup between the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers, a lot of words were thrown around that you don’t normally hear at the mid-point of an NHL season. However, due to the lockout and 48-game schedule, these words in a way seemed truthful and appropriate. Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov said the following on Tuesday of the upcoming home-and-home series between the Devils and Flyers:

“You lose both games, you done. You done. That’s it. This is it. This is probably reality. You’d be eight points behind …and not many games to catch up. It would be very, very difficult. It’s not going to depend on you (if you lose two), it’s going to depend more on other teams than you. That’s the importance of these games.”

From Mr. Universe himself, who sees things quite differently than others, this was something a lot of people would probably agree upon. In this shortened season, every game counts, especially against division foes, so NBC Sports Network’s nationally televised “Wednesday Night Rivalry” carried a lot of meaning for both teams.

Entering the game, the Devils stood in 7^th in the Eastern Conference with 29 points, while the Flyers were on the outside looking in with 25 points. By nights end, only one team showed up, and it was the team that has in all three of these heated matchups this season: the New Jersey Devils.

New Jersey got off to a hot start and on the board early. Two minutes into the game, Devils forward Adam Henrique lifted the stick of Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros behind the Flyers net, stole the puck, and sent it out towards the slot. From there, chaos ensued as Devils forward Steve Bernier fired it towards the net, followed by Henrique redirecting the puck right to Patrik Elias, who put it past an out of position Bryzgalov to give New Jersey an early 1-0 lead.

The Flyers would answer later in the period to tie the game at 1 thanks to a Jakub Voracek power play goal. The Flyers were not without its chances throughout this game, and its best ones came on the power play, which seemed early on like it could be lethal. After this goal however, the tide would shift back towards New Jersey and it would stay there, starting with a little luck. Under a minute later, Adam Henrique took the puck over the Flyers blue line, staggered towards the right-side boards, and fired the puck towards the net. The puck would find its way in thanks to a redirection off of Flyers forward Matt Read. The goal was reviewed but instantly declared a good goal, giving New Jersey a 2-1 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.

The cherry on top of what was a spectacular first period for New Jersey came off the stick of Ilya Kovalchuk.  After Bryce Salvador was called off for Interference, the Devils took advantage of being a man down, something they seem to favor at this point. Off a scramble in the corner, Devils forward Stephen Gionta threw the puck off the boards and out of the Devils zone, leading Kovalchuk perfectly for a semi-breakaway down the right side. Kovalchuk then did what Kovalchuk does and gave the Devils a commanding 3-1 lead.

Kovalchuk’s goal will for sure be one of the highlights of the night, but believe it or not, it wasn’t even the highlight of this game. That can be credited to Andrei Loktionov, who beat Bryzgalov five-hole after pulling a slick toe-drag move around a sprawling Flyers defenseman. Flyers players, both forwards and defensemen, were found out of position all night, and in this situation it cost them dearly. Defenseman Bruno Gervais pinched in the Devils zone, where three other Flyers players already were, giving Loktionov and Kovalchuk an odd-man rush. Loktionov did the rest and gave the Devils a 4-1 lead entering the third period, where the lead only grew bigger.

Just under a minute into the final period, Adam Henrique delivered again for New Jersey and for his third point of the night. Showing strikingly similar resemblance of the puck movement seen from Ilya Kovalchuk’s power play goal against the Rangers in the Conference Finals last season, Henrique received a pass in the slot from Loktionov on the right side boards and took it all the way to the net, beating Bryzgalov high glove side on the backhand to give the Devils an insurmountable 5-1 lead. With the game already well in hand, Scott Hartnell tallied a goal for the Flyers to cut the lead to 3 goals. The comeback would not happen on this night though, as New Jersey walked away with a statement win.

For a lot of reasons, this victory for New Jersey is a big step forward for the rest of the year. Not only does it extend their point cushion over the Flyers, it should also give the Devils huge confidence going forward. In the previous 9 games since Martin Brodeur went down with an injury, New Jersey struggled mightily, going 2-6-1. A big reason they were able to win tonight was because goaltender Johan “Moose” Hedberg was much stronger than he has been of late. Hedberg made 23 saves on 25 shots and looked like he found some of his game that was lost in recent weeks. Maybe it was the rivalry that fired him up, maybe it wasn’t, but if New Jersey is to continue to succeed without Brodeur back there, Hedberg needs to play like this night in and night out.

The win gives New Jersey (13-9-5) its 31^st point of the season and moves them into a tie for 6^th in the Eastern Conference with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers (12-15-1) remain on the outside looking in with 25 points, 3 back of the 8^th place New York Rangers.

The second leg of the home-and-home between the Devils and Flyers is scheduled for Friday at 7p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

GAME NOTES

• Ilya Kovalchuk has 7 points in the past 7 games (3G, 4A)
• Adam Henrique was named the first star of the game with 2 goals and 1 assist
• The Devils scored 4 goals for the first time since February 15, which also happened to be against the Flyers
• The Devils are 10-4 against the Flyers dating back to last season, including the 2011-2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

The New Jersey Devils have been a surprise team in 2013 in many people’s eyes, but on Thursday night in the nations capital, they showed why they are among the leagues best once again.

In its 3-2 victory over Washington, New Jersey continuously found themselves in a hole and were given every opportunity to climb out of it. They outshot and out chanced the Capitals, yet they couldn’t put a stranglehold on a game that they were given multiple chances to put away.

The first period produced no goals, but set the theme for the night in motion: penalties. New Jersey finished with 2 penalties in the first, one to Andy Greene and one to Stefan Matteau, who served the Too Many Men on the Ice minor, while Washington finished with one to Mathieu Perrault. Aside from the trips to the box, the highlight of the period came from Capitals Captain Alexander Ovechkin. With just over 30 seconds to play in the period, Ovechkin came down the right-hand boards with a burst of speed over the Devils blue-line and pulled a slick toe-drag move around Devils captain Bryce Salvador to the center of the ice, only to be stoned cold on the backhand by Martin Brodeur, who made timely saves to keep the Devils in it throughout.

With just over 12 minutes left in the second period, Ovechkin was at it again. Entering the zone at full speed, Ovechkin spun around sprawling Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov, feeding teammate Jason Chimera a backhand pass in the slot. The play didn’t produce a goal, but Ovechkin drew a tripping call on Volchenkov to put Washington on the power play. The Capitals would deliver with the extra man thanks to Troy Brower. Brower took it coast-to-coast from his own end and pulled an Ovechkin-like toe drag move around a Devils defenseman, leading to a shot and rebound right to the stick of Mathieu Perrault who made no mistake about it, giving the Capitals the first score of the game.

Just a few minutes later, the Devils brought back their old penalty kill magic. Down a man, forwards Adam Henrique and Patrik Elias went to work in the Capitals zone, starting with a great forecheck and forced turnover by Henrique. On his knees, Henrique got the puck to Patrik Elias up the right boards, who sent it right back behind the net. Henrique, who drew 3 Capitals players to him, brought it out to the side of Capitals goalie Braden Holtby and delivered a tape-to-tape pass across the crease to Elias, who was left completely alone and buried it over the diving Holtby to tie the game at 1 with just under 9 minutes to play in the period.

A minute later however, the Capitals would respond with yet another power play goal. Off some nice puck movement from Nicklas Backstrom and Troy Brower, Mike Ribeiro found himself in the slot with some space and fired a quick turnaround shot on Brodeur that squeaked through, giving Washington the lead back entering the third period.

About half of the final period would pass before the next goal would be produced, and it would come off the stick of recently acquired Devils forward Andrei Loktionov. Loktionov, who was playing in just his second game for New Jersey, was in the exact right place at the right time to once again tie the game. Defenseman Adam Larsson received the face-off win at the point, walked the blue line to find a nice alley down the middle of the ice, and redirected a shot off Holtbys pad right to the stick of Loktionov. Loktionov hasn’t produced many minutes for New Jersey thus far, but when he has been on the ice, he looks like a player who fits in perfectly with New Jerseys system.

Over the next two minutes of the third period, the Capitals would take two penalties, giving New Jersey a timely two-man advantage and their second of the night. Although the Devils failed to capitalize the first time around, sniper Ilya Kovalchuk wouldn’t let the opportunity pass by again. With 20 seconds left on the 5-on-3, Patrik Elias fed Kovalchuk at the point, who dropped to one knee and fired a laser past Holtby to give New Jersey the lead for good. Kovalchuk, who leads the league in ice time and had almost 29 minutes of it last night, has produced some timely goals for New Jersey this season. Just a few weeks ago he was the man who won it for the Devils in overtime against the same Capitals team. Although he hasn’t exactly been racking up the goals so far this year with just 6, he has been absolutely crucial to New Jersey’s success. Kovalchuk is second on the team in points with 16, 5 behind team leader Patrik Elias.

The Devils would hold on the rest of the way to beat Washington by a final of 3-2 and get Martin Brodeur his 8th win of the season, which is just one off the leagues top mark (Carey Price with 9). Washington did everything they could to keep New Jersey in it, and it eventually cost them. The Capitals are going to look back at this as a missed opportunity due to their own mistakes. Although they were outshot 37-19, they were in position to win if it was not for the penalties, and there were a lot of them. Washington accumulated 24 minutes of penalty time to just 8 for New Jersey. The Devils power play hasn’t exactly been lethal, but when teams give them multiple chances to take advantage, they generally do. New Jersey has made noticeable strides from last year on the power play and, at this point, seems to have experienced a role reversal in special teams. The Devils power play ranks 9th in the league with a 19.4% success rate, while its penalty kill ranks 22nd at 78.9%.

The win puts New Jersey back on top of the Atlantic Division with a 10-3-4 record and 24 points, two ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Devils are also at the top of the Eastern Conference, a place they have been for a good portion of this shortened NHL season.

New Jersey heads back to the Verizon Center on Saturday at noon to finish out their two game road trip against the Capitals.

Many thought last years Eastern Conference Finals victory for New Jersey over the Rangers was a greater one than winning the Stanley Cup. Neither team has forgotten what went down last May.

The two rivals met for the first time since then on Tuesday night in Newark and, like last year, the Devils came out on top.

Many factors that led to the Rangers postseason exit last year continued to be a problem for them again last night, credit to the Devils. For starters, the third line (fourth line last year) of Stephen Gionta-Ryan Carter-Steve Bernier continued to physically assert itself against a more talented Rangers team, Martin Brodeur outplayed Henrik Lundqvist again, and the Devils penalty kill shined like it did all last year.

Oh, and who could forget Adam Henrique?

The Devils playoff hero from last year got the scoring started five minutes into the game, beating Lundqvist up high off a feed from Patrik Elias in the corner, one of his three assists on the night. Henrique, who played in just his fourth game since returning from a wrist injury in the offseason, has provided a nice scoring boost for New Jersey with 2 goals and 3 total points. He has also restored some balance to the Devils lineup, which was a concern for many leading into this season.

Minutes after killing the second Rangers power play of the first period, where we saw Brodeur make an unbelievable save on a wide open Marc Staal, New Jersey struck again, and it would come from none other than the red hot David Clarkson. With just 52 seconds remaining, Clarkson found a bouncing puck lost in the feet of Rick Nash in the slot and buried it low past Lundqvist.

The second period was relatively quiet, aside from some more spectacular saves from Brodeur to keep the Devils lead at 2, but when the Devils got a quick power play to start the third period, they expanded their lead once again. Patrik Elias found defenseman Andy Greene wide open at the point and fired it on net, leading to a rebound right to the stick of (guess who!) David Clarkson, who lifted it over Lundqvist for his second of the night, giving New Jersey a commanding 3-0 lead.

Clarkson, who scored 30 goals last season, is off to a ridiculously hot start this year. He has 7 goals to lead New Jersey and is a huge reason why they are playing so well. His production coming into this season was a big question mark because many thought there was no way he could repeat last years success. From how he’s been playing so far though, I think it’s safe to say he’ll produce just fine.

The Rangers finally got on the board at the 13:30 mark of the third period thanks to Chris Kreider, spoiling Brodeurs’ shutout bid. It would not be enough however to spark a comeback against this defensively-sound New Jersey team. Brodeur capped off the 3-1 win with a late save against Carl Hagelin, robbing him with the glove on a point-blank shot in the slot off a rush.

The Rangers had plenty of chances throughout the game to get back in it and even pull ahead of New Jersey, but the Devils penalty kill and Hall of Fame goaltender were too much for the talented Rangers squad. New York had four power play opportunities, none of which would be successful against a penalty kill that ranked 1^st overall last year and one of the best of all time.

Something very unusual to see from the Devils is the amount of penalties they have taken this year, including last night. New Jersey has been one of the most penalized teams in the league thus far, which has led to two of their overtime losses against Montreal and the Islanders.  In the past two games however, they have held their opponents to 0-11 with the extra man.

In an offseason where we saw the Rangers upgrade with the addition of Rick Nash and the Devils staying put, even with the loss of Zach Parise, New Jersey has been the team that has impressed more so thus far. There is no doubt that the Rangers will find their game at some point, but it’s clear right now that the Devils have already found theirs.

The Devils (5-1-3, 13 points) will next face the Tampa Bay Lightning (6-3, 12 points) at home on Thursday, February 7^th.

The New Jersey Devils got off on the right foot in this shortened 48-game season, defeating the New York Islanders 2-1 in Long Island.

The game winner, coming off the stick of David Clarkson, came at 8:17 in the third period. In a game that didn’t provide the pace and natural flow of an NHL game without a prolonged offseason, it certainly seemed like one New Jersey would be content playing in all year, relying on defense and goaltending to get it done.

In the first period, New Jersey seemed to dictate the pace, was defensively sound, and outshot the Islanders 9-3. Although the period ended scoreless, New Jersey had to feel comfortable with the way they came out in the years first period.

The Devils finally got on the board with 6 minutes left in the second period, taking advantage of a 3-on-1 situation caused by a bad line change. Ilya Kovalchuk, coming down the left-hand side of the ice, feathered a pass across a sprawling Islanders defenseman, landing the puck right on the tape of Travis Zajac who roofed it over netminder Evgeni Nabokov. It was good to see both Kovalchuk, who is clearly in form from playing in Russia, and Zajac, who just signed an 8-year extension, producing right away.

The Islanders didn’t get many exceptional scoring opportunities, but one of their best came in the opening seconds of the third period. Islanders forward Michael Grabner, who was alone in the slot, received a pass from the corner but was stoned cold by Devils goalie Martin Brodeur. Brodeur, who showed little signs of rust in his first game since last June, was up to the task all night, stopping 18 of the 19 shots he faced.

With 13 minutes left to play in the third and the Islanders on the power play, New York finally found the back of the net. With the puck caught in a scrum along the boards and all four of New Jerseys penalty killers in the corner fighting for it, defenseman Travis Hamonic received a pass alone in the slot and wired it past Brodeur glove side.

About a minute later, David Clarkson took a pass from Patrik Elias at the top of the right-wing circle in the Islanders zone and buried it five-hole on Nabokov, putting New Jersey back on top 2-1, a lead they would not give up.

The Islanders began to test Brodeur more in the late minutes of the third, but Marty held down the fort. Brodeur had key saves on a shot from Matt Moulson in the slot and a slap shot from Hamonic at the point, preserving the victory.

New Jerseys next game is Tuesday, January 22^nd, the home opener against Philadelphia. The Flyers are 0-2, coming off back-to-back losses against Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

*Other Notes*

• Final shots were 28-19 in favor of New Jersey.
• The power play was off to a slow start, going 0-2 under new offensive-minded assistant Matt Shaw.
• Rookie Stefan Matteau, who wore number 15 and made the Devils opening-night roster out of training camp, saw just over 7 minutes of ice time on the fourth line with Jacob Josefson and Cam Janssen, while also putting 3 shots on net.

After 16 straight hours of negotiating last weekend, the NHL and NHLPA finally reached a tentative agreement on a new CBA. This however was technically not the end of the lockout. Work still needed to be put in to make it official, such as the ratification of the new CBA from the NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA, as well as the NHL and NHLPA signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

This past week, both of these things happened, making it official. Hockey is back.

With that, I am here to preview the New Jersey Devils and what is in store for them during the upcoming 48-game season, which kicks off on Saturday, January 19th at the New York Islanders.

Offseason recap

New Jersey lost many of its assets during the offseason, both players and staff. Players such as Zach Parise, who served as the teams Captain last season, signed a long-term deal with the Minnesota Wild. Forward Alexei Ponikarovsky, who was acquired late last season before the playoffs, also signed elsewhere, with Winnipeg. Lastly, veteran Petr Sykora, who was brought in last year via tryout and had an unexpectedly productive season, will most likely not be back with the team.

To go along with these losses on offense, New Jersey saw two of their assistant coaches in Larry Robinson and Adam Oates depart. Robinson, who was also the head coach of the Devils when they won the Stanley Cup in 2000, landed the assistant coaching job in San Jose, while Oates, who joined the organization in 2010 as an offensive-minded assistant coach, was hired as the head coach of the Washington Capitals. Replacing these coaches are Matt Shaw, who served as an assistant for San Jose the past 3 years and produced one of the better power plays in the league, and former Devils captain and Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens. Stevens, who led the team to 3 Stanley Cups, has held positions within the organization for years and with the departure of Robinson, was promoted to assistant coach.

The holes in the coaching staff have been filled, but the ones left by Parise, Ponikarovsky, and Sykora still remain. New Jersey did sign two forwards in Krystofer Barch and Bobby Butler, but other than that, no serious attempts to replace the point production lost from those players (59/216 regular season goals in 2011-12) have been made.

Forwards

Besides the losses of Zach Parise, Alexei Ponikarovsky, and Petr Sykora, New Jersey returns everyone else they had on offense from last year. What can be said about the offense this year is that the Devils are weak at the wing position while quite strong down the middle. Parise, Ponikarovsky, and Sykora were all wingers and, like I said earlier, no significant moves have been made to replace them, leaving the team, at least to start the season, in need of help at the wing.

With these players gone, other players must step up and produce. The fourth line of Carter-Gionta-Bernier must still contribute, even though it pains me to say they will probably be split up to start the season. Other young guys such as Adam Henrique, who is currently injured, and Jacob Josefson will also have to provide a spark to the offense. Josefson, who was a first-rounder in 2009, has shown improvements in the AHL and as long as he stays healthy, should be a regular in the lineup, most likely on the third line. With Henrique out to start the season, having other guys step up early is crucial to the Devils season. We all know how talented Henrique is based off his stellar rookie season last year, but with him out the first few weeks, some other players, like Josefson, will need to contribute. Another player that comes to mind is new guy Bobby Butler, who has played great in the AHL with Albany during the lockout, scoring 15 goals and 23 total points in 31 games played.

In the end, the offense will definitely rely upon its veterans to produce points. Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac, Dainus Zubrus, David Clarkson, and most importantly, Ilya Kovalchuk, all had great years last year and will need to continue that this year for New Jersey to be successful. Kovalchuk, who is a Captain candidate along with Elias, will be the centerpiece of an offense that doesn’t look to be at all an exciting or explosive one. For New Jersey to succeed offensively, it all comes down to him. If he doesn’t produce, New Jersey will struggle mightily, but if he does as expected, the Devils should be in contention throughout the short season. Here is what I have for projected lines:

On opening night:

Zubrus-Zajac-Kovalchuk

Butler-Elias-Clarkson

Carter-Josefson-Bernier

Janssen-Gionta-Barch/Matteau

When fully healthy:

Zubrus-Zajac-Kovalchuk

Elias-Henrique-Clarkson

Butler-Josefson-Bernier

Carter-Gionta-Janssen/Matteau

Defensemen

The Devils have always been a defense-first organization. With great depth and experience along the blue line, New Jersey will certainly be one of the best defensive teams in the league once again. The Devils bring back its entire defensive corps from last year, which was viewed as a very underrated group, and on paper, can run 8 guys deep. Henrik Tallinder, who was injured for most of last season, returns healthy in 2013 and will be used in the top 4. Mark Fayne and Anton Volchenkov also caught the injury bug during the lockout. Fayne injured his wrist and Volchenkov his knee, but both will be back for the start of the season. Fayne was rock-solid towards the end of the season and into the playoffs, so look for him to be a top 4 guy as well. Volchenkov provides the physical presence any defense needs, but will most likely be on the third defensive pairing.

Other defensemen such as Andy Greene, Marek Zidlicky, and Adam Larsson will be looked upon to add some offense, as this years Devils will certainly need it from anywhere it can get. In my opinion, Greene is one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. He is extremely smart, an excellent skater, and can help out on both sides of the ice. Greene also has 3 years left on his 4-year deal that he signed in 2011. Look for him to continue to grow as a player and contribute in a big way for New Jersey.

Rounding out the blue line is Bryce Salvador and Peter Harrold. Salvador was signed to a 3-year extension and Harrold to a one-way deal in the offseason. Salvador, 36, caught fire offensively in the playoffs, which is probably why he was retained at such an old age. That, and the possibility of him being an assistant captain this season. With the depth that the Devils have on defense, it’s hard to predict what blue liners will play and who won’t. Unless Salvador is given an “A”, or maybe even the “C”, I can’t see him starting every game. Harrold as well can’t be seen as regular in the lineup, even though he did impress late last year when injuries plagued the defense. Here is what I predict the pairings will look like on opening night.

Greene-Fayne

Larsson-Tallinder

Volchenkov/Salvador- Zidlicky

Goalies

The song remains the same for the goaltending situation in New Jersey. Veteran and future Hall of Fame netminder Martin Brodeur, 40, will hold down the fort this season after signing a 2-year extension with the only team he has ever played on during his time in the NHL. Backing him up once again is Johan Hedberg, who is seen as one of the most dependable backups in the league, even at the age of 39. Last season, Hedberg started in 27 games and won 17 of them, while also posting career bests in save percentage (.918) and goals against average (2.23).

The focus however will again be on Brodeur. Last year, Marty posted 31 wins in 59 regular season games played, good for 13^th in the league. For New Jersey to be successful, Brodeur will have to keep up his solid goaltending and try not to let his age get the best of him, especially in the early stages of the season. During the last shortened season in 1994-95, Brodeur didn’t post stellar numbers, with only 19 wins in 40 games started, but then again, he was only in his third year in the league. He has come a long way since then, as he is currently the NHL’s all-time wins leader, and will certainly perform better than that this time around. His performance in the playoffs last year is also very reassuring. He ranked first in goals against, as well as outperforming and outlasting Vezina trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist in the Eastern Conference finals.

I predict that both Brodeur and Hedberg will see a good amount of time this year, with Brodeur playing around 25-30 games and Hedberg the remaining ones. Both goalies are experienced and talented enough to be relied upon on a daily basis, but as it has been for New Jersey since he came into the league, their success will be determined by how well Brodeur performs.

Special teams

The Devils special teams last season performed on both ends of the spectrum. The power play last year was mediocre, ranking 14^th in the league with a 17.2% success rate. On the other hand, the penalty kill was spectacular and arguably the best of all time. New Jersey ranked first in penalty killing percentage (89.6%), power play goals allowed (27), and short-handed goals scored (15). However, due to the loss of Zach Parise, both the penalty kill and power play will suffer in some way. He provided a lot of minutes and productive numbers for both the penalty kill and power play, scoring 3 on the kill and 7 on the power play.

In this upcoming season, I expect the penalty kill to drop a little bit in its success, as expected, but still get the job done and be ranked in the top 10 in the league. I expect the power play to make big improvements as well. A 14^th ranked power play isn’t all that bad, but the way it performed in the playoffs was painful to watch, aside from this beauty scored by Kovalchuk against the Rangers, who will again be the focus on the power play.

Other Notes

You have to believe that GM Lou Lamoriello will make a move with the abundance of defensemen and amount of cap space they have (Just over $14 million). If New Jersey is going to make a move, look for it to come around mid-season. However, if the team struggles to score early on, obviously something will need to get done before it’s too late. New Jersey tends to stay quiet with acquisitions, but with Lamoriello at the helm, anything can happen.

PREDICTION

I would be lying if I said that this team is a favorite to come out of the East, or even the Atlantic Division. This team, at the moment, looks different than it has in the past and lacks the depth on offense a team needs to go deep into the postseason. Yet, I believe New Jersey is certainly a playoff team. Every year the Devils get overlooked and every year they continue to succeed and prove the doubters wrong. The culture of the New Jersey Devils organization is a winning one, and for the Devils to not be in the playoffs, which have missed it just once in the past 14 seasons, just wouldn’t feel right. In a short season such as this one, positioning in the playoffs doesn’t quite matter as much as it does in a regular 82-game season. Simply getting in would be an accomplishment this year, and I believe New Jersey will get a shot to defend its Eastern Conference crown. Look for the Devils to finish 4^th in the tough Atlantic Division, but still be good for yet another playoff birth, somewhere between the 6 and 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

After the longest bargaining session of the 2012-2013 NHL lockout, a grueling 16 hours of negotiating between the NHL and the Union starting on Saturday, January 5^th, the players and fans finally got their wish. Right around 5 a.m. on Sunday, January 6^th, Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr addressed the media together announcing they had come to an agreement on the framework of a new CBA.

Phew.

After 112 days of a world without hockey, the players and fans let out a sigh of relief as they finally got what they were waiting for. Although some things still need to be accomplished, such as majority approval from the Board of Governors this Wednesday, the feeling around the league is that the puck will finally drop this season. The hero to thank for this, in many eyes, is mediator Scot Beckenbaugh, who met with both sides throughout the later stages of the process to tackle the remaining issues and find common ground to work with.

Some main points of the new CBA include:

• 10-year deal with an opt-out clause after 8 years
• 50-50 split of Hockey Related Revenue (HRR)
• Player contract limited to maximum of 7 years, 8 years if player is resigning with same team
• Teams can spend $70.2 million on salary cap in the first year, but in year two, the upper limit will be $64.3 million with a lower limit of $44 million
• 2 player buyouts per team instead of 1
• Draft lottery will give the 14 teams that missed the playoffs a chance at the top pick, instead of the bottom 5 teams.

With the framework of a new and lengthy CBA in place, players across the league are rejoicing, including some from the New Jersey Devils. Right-winger David Clarkson told Devils writer Tom Gulitti of the Bergen Record, “It’s just that you’re glad that it’s over, glad that it’s back to work.” Veteran and Hall-of-fame goaltender Martin Brodeur, who is nearing the end of his career, was especially happy about the ending of the lockout and the chance to continue his career for another season, at least.

“I was itching to come back, listening to the news and just getting bored and trying to find things to do,” Brodeur told Gulitti. “I know when you retire and you move on it’s a lot different. I’m really excited about the game and to get back at it and try to build it back up a little bit.”

All Devils fans can be happy that Marty has another crack at a title run, and in general, the fact that he is still around after all these years and numerous work stoppages. What has been concerning to some players however is that with the short season and little time to get in a game mindset, injuries may be more apparent.

“I think that is going to be an issue,” Devils veteran forward Patrick Elias said to Gulitti. “Not because of a short training camp. Having that many games in so few days is going to be a factor, no question. There is not going to be enough rest.”

Among injuries, this shortened season will certainly cause more parity to ensue and make just about every game as important as an elimination game. For the Devils, a shortened season is something they have had past success in. In the last half-season, 1995, they won the Stanley Cup in dominant fashion. Since then though, the game has changed in almost every way and has become immensely more competitive.

During that ’95 season, the Devils didn’t fare too well in the regular season, going 22-18-8 in a 48 game season, good for a 5 seed. This time around however, they will probably have to do better than that to contend and make the playoffs. That may be a solid record in such a short span, but over the past decade, the Atlantic division has been among the best, if not the best division, and to finish with that mark will simply not cut it in the new NHL.

With what New Jersey has returning, nothing less is expected, but they will have to fill the voids left by the departure of former captain Zach Parise and role player Alexei Ponikarovsky. Players will have to step up and contribute in ways they haven’t before. The electric 4^th line of last years Cup run, Steve Bernier, Stephen Gionta, and Ryan Carter, will have to continue its production on a daily basis. Travis Zajac will have to step into Parise’s shoes and contribute consistently, both offensively and defensively. Patrik Elias, the ageless wonder who was good for 10^th in the league last year in points, will have to somehow keep that going as well. A new captain will also have to be named and do what Parise did so well in his one-year stint.

Most of all, the team will have to stay healthy. Any injury to a major contributor could spell doom for the Devils in a season such as this one, kind of like what happened with Ilya Kovalchuk in the Stanley Cup finals last year. He had a lingering injury in his hip and it seemed to take a toll on him as the playoffs continued. He was a huge factor in getting New Jersey to the finals, but as that series dragged on against Los Angeles, he contributed next to nothing and was a noticeably different player than what we saw earlier in the playoffs. The Devils went on to lose in 6 games.

Speaking of Kovalchuk, he is currently still in Russia playing with SKA and is believed to be taking part in the teams next game. According to GM Lou Lamoriello though, there is no reason to believe he won’t be returning when the season starts. Now healthy, he has had quite a year in the KHL, producing 18 goals and 22 assists in 34 games played, as well as being named to the KHL All-Star game. Kovalchuk’s role will increase dramatically with the loss of Parise and will be looked upon to shoulder the load for the Devils this year, and possibly the Captaincy.

Many think that hockey won’t return to what it was and repeat the success of last year. The fans are certainly angry about the situation and don’t exactly like the idea of a half season due to a work stoppage, but they will be back. Hockey fans are unlike any other, which may be why a work stoppage in the NHL is different than in any other sport. Once the puck drops, the memory of what has happened the past few months will slowly fade. The players are happy hockey is back and are ready to play after all the waiting.

Now, let’s play some hockey!

September 15 has been a date of note since the end of the 2012 NHL season. The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was set to expire on that date, and with just about 3 months from the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals for the NHL and its players to settle a deal, there wasn’t any reason to believe there would be no hockey in 2012-2013.

Those 3 months passed, and almost zero progress was made between the NHL and the NHLPA to strike up a new agreement. The quote that best summarizes just how far apart the NHL and the players were on their respective proposals for a new deal was from Bob McKenzie of TSN. He was quoted saying on his twitter account that the players and owners “aren’t even in the same universe.”

So with that, at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, September 16, the NHL has locked out its players for the 4^th time in 20 years and the 2^nd in 7.

There is a lot that goes into creating a CBA and at this point it goes without saying that the NHL and its players had almost complete opposite beliefs on how the new agreement should have been composed. The NHL’s initial proposal took a lot of heat as it would have resulted in massive cutbacks to the players salaries as well as decreasing the players share of HRR (Hockey Related Revenue) from 57 percent to as low as 43 percent. The players and hockey fans everywhere were left in shock and disbelief at what the NHL was asking of them, and ever since then, essentially no progress was made in hope of creating a new deal.

With the lockout now in effect and no sign of a deal being made any time soon, players are searching for jobs elsewhere. New Jersey has been active in the past few days sending players who are age-eligible to play in the AHL. A good amount of Devils players, 24 to be exact, were sent to Albany, including rookies Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson. The other 22 players are Mattias Tedenby, Jacob Josefson, Keith Kinkaid, Scott Wedgewood, Maxime Clermont, Brandon Burlon, Mike Hoeffel, Eric Gelinas, Alex Urbom, David Wohlberg, Mike Sislo, Harri Pesonen, Dan Kelly, Harry Young, J.S. Berube, Bobby Butler, Jeff Frazee, Jay Leach, Tim Sestito, Matt Anderson, Chad Wiseman and Steve Zalewski. These players would also be eligible to return to the NHL if the lockout was ever to be lifted.

While these younger guys have an idea of what they’ll be doing for at least some part of 2012-2013, veterans are in a different situation, such as hall-of-famer Martin Brodeur. Brodeur, who just turned 40 over the summer, hasn’t stated what he plans on doing during the lockout. What he has stated though were his thoughts on going through the fourth lockout of his career. In a conversation with Tom Gulitti, Devils beat reporter for The Record, Brodeur said, “It’s unbelievable. It’s kind of an unfortunate thing, especially at this time in my career. I thought I was home free after the last one, but I guess I’m stuck in it a bit more.” Brodeur signed a 2 year contract extension this summer, but for now, it looks like he’ll remain in limbo until the lockout ends.

As for Devils star sniper and possible future captain, Ilya Kovalchuk will play for  SKA in the KHL this year. His agent says the contract will be signed by September 19^th.  Kovalchuk is not the only player who will be playing in Russia this season either. Some other notable players who signed KHL contracts are Detroit’s Pavel Datsyuk, Ottawa’s Sergei Gonchar, and Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin.

One final note on this first day of Lockout 2012 comes from NHL.com, which posted an article entitled “A message to our fans.” To those who wish to see the NHL’s first statement regarding the official lockout, see the link here:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=641584

The New Jersey Devils have been very quiet this offseason acquiring new players to fill the hole captain Zach Parise left after he departed for Minnesota earlier this summer. Going about their business and retaining almost the entire roster from the 2011-2012 campaign, the Devils have restrained from making any drastic moves that could shake up their lineup. Today, New Jersey acquired just its second player this summer, Bobby Butler from Ottawa.

Butler, 25, has been with the Senators since 2009 and became an unrestricted free agent this summer. He signed a one year two-way contract with New Jersey today and can be seen at this time as another possible bottom 6 forward for the Devils.

Butlers stats don’t really stand out, as he has not played a full season at any point in his professional career. In 36 games in the 2010-2011 season, Butler produced 10 goals and 11 assists. In 56 games in 2011-2012, he scored just 6 goals with 10 assists.

In his time at the University of New Hampshire however, he was much more of a goal scoring threat. In his four years, he racked up 60 goals and 61 assists in 153 games.

Butler is by no means a safe bet to be in the starting lineup, but what he brings to the Devils organization is a young talent who has something to prove. New Jersey brought in players like Ryan Carter and Steve Bernier last year, with similar stat lines to Butler, and were not expected to provide much for New Jersey. Those two players went on to form a deadly fourth line with Stephen Gionta and were a vital part of New Jerseys run to the finals.

I am not the only one who is hopeful for Butler. General Manager Lou Lamoriello said that “he has the potential of being a top 6 forward” and that hopefully a change of scenery will do him some good. If he can regain any of that scoring touch he had in college, he can be a real threat for New Jersey.

Defenseman Mark Fayne signed a 2-year deal worth $2.6 million late Friday evening, reported first by Katie Strang of ESPN. Fayne was a restricted free agent and was scheduled to have his arbitration hearing on August 2nd after he rejected his initial offer.

The 2-year deal for the 25-year old defenseman consists of $1.2 million in 2012 and $1.4 million in 2013.

Fayne was rock-solid during the regular season as he played in all 82 games. He didn’t produce many points, but provided a nice defensive presence during the season and throughout New Jerseys’ run to the Stanley Cup finals. With this, New Jersey retains its entire defensive corps from the previous season, a good sign for the Devils defense and its new assistant coach Scott Stevens.