Offseason Outlook: Defense

Well, here we are again. Two years removed from their first early golfing season since the mid 90's, the New Jersey Devils seem to be a team toeing the line between rebuilding or retooling.   

A year ago, the Devils made a spirited run to the Stanley Cup finals, littered with emotional, spirited victories and even a handful of dominating performances. (See: entire Flyers' series. Yes even the Game 1 OT loss in Philadelphia) Normally, a team would build on that type of performance or suffer only minor setbacks. Missing the playoffs the following season is just downright rare.     

Taking out the anomaly of both 2006 Finals participants (Edmonton and Carolina) missing the big dance the next season, the last team to accomplish such a feat were the 1996 New Jersey Devils who became the FIRST team in NHL history to fail to make the post season the year after winning Lord Stanley's Cup.     

So where does a team which came within 2 games, a bad penalty and a horrendous missed call, go following missing their second playoffs in 3 years?     

First we look towards the blueline, which in all fairness, was the Devils' best aspect of their team. Sure they had a few breakdowns and a few players who underperformed horrendously, but as a cohesive unit, they game in and game out gave the Devils their best chances to win and allowed a considerably low number of shots to reach Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg and the brief time, Keith Kinkaid.     

AMNESTY BUYOUTS (?)     

One of the must-have features of the new CBA as reducing the salary cap by over $7 million starting in the 2013-14 season. To help teams accommodate the reduction of cap space, the NHL & NHLPA agreed to allowing each of the League's 30 franchises two buyouts which would not count saint the cap(amnesty or compliance buyouts).      

Two teams in particular, the New York Rangers and the Monteal Canadiens, helped influence the NHLPA to requesting that the amnesty buyouts could be used before the start of this season when they told two specific players hat they would be paid not to play hockey this season. Under the terms of the amnesty buyouts, players could not be injured in any way when they were to be bought out. To protect themselves from this, the Rangers asked Defender Wade Redden while the Canadiens asked Scott Gomez both not to report to their respective camps and just stay healthy. After the NHLPA and the owners agreed to allow the early buyouts, Redden signed with the St. Louis Blues while Gomez headed to California to play with the San Jose Sharks. Both players are happily in the playoffs (Gomez still with the Sharks, Redden now with the Bruins).     

It will be interesting to see which players will end up hitting free agency much earlier than originally anticipated this summer. Names like Roberto Luongo or Ryan Miller could become big fish in a small free agent pool. Of course, both the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres will seek trade options before even considering letting any NHL team have a crack at their All Star goalies without getting anything in return.     

The Devils, meanwhile, have a few viable options at their disposal but before executing any buyouts, they must decide if any of the players in their system can make an immediate impact at the NHL level.     

ON THEIR WAY OUT?     

Anton Volchenkov leads the list of potential amnesty buyout candidates.  The hard hitting defender was brought in three summers ago to try and add a massive physical threat to the Devils' blueline which had been absent since Scott Stevens retired in 2004. Since coming to NJ, however, Volchenkov has been hurt often (an accepted risk when initially signing him because of his physical play) but also has even suspended twice. Most recently, A-Train was suspended for 4 games this April when he hit Boston's Brad Marchand high and into the boards. His speed has also become an extreme liability, drawing similarities to traffic cones and pylons. Sure, he has not come even close to the disaster of being a concrete barrier in the middle of the Jersey Turnpike disaster that Ken Klee was but he still is a strong candidate to be amnestied.     

Bryce Salvador is very unlikely to be bought out. His contract doesn't exactly hamstring the Devils just yet, but his play and physical health have already shown signs of breaking down just 1 year into an 35+, 3 year deal he signed last summer. Sure, we all would love to remember the Salvador of last post season who pulled the proverbial rabbit out of thin air with his offensive outburst, but the Salvador Devils' fans are becoming used to is one of slow feet and slow reaction times. His defensive awareness, especially when he's inexplicably paired with Volchenkov is dangers for the Devils and not their opponents. This year, it took the former member of the Blues nearly 30 games to look comfortable and reliable on the ice but his season was then cut short after blocking a shot from Boston's Zedeno Chara. While X-rays and his MRI showed no breaks, Salvador did not play any games for the remainder of the season. Being the captain of the team and having a good rapport with coaches and players alike all but guarantees Salvador will be back next season.     

Neither of the two options have any true trade value at this point in their careers, especially Volchenkov who still has another 3 years remaining on his 6-year deal. It is hard to imagine he would be on the active roster next season wi the Devils having a "get out of a bad deal free" card which they can still play.     

Henrik Tallinder is a buyout candidate only if he cannot be traded AND the Devils need to have a roster spot open for the impending youth movement. He is an outstanding mentor for younger players but doesn't necessarily play the type of hockey which would be conducive for top-6 minutes which he could garner elsewhere. Tallinder is not near the end of his playing career so it will definitely be interesting to see where he and the Devils go for the final season of his 4-year deal. While he could e moved for either picks or mid level prospects, having only one year left and there being a shallow crop, it may be more skiable to hang on to Hank and allow him to mentor the youth.      

Peter Harrold is an unrestricted free agent and unless the Devils use both amnesty buyouts AND none of the young upcoming defenders are capable of making the roster, Harrold's tenure with the Devils could be at an end. The utility player was solid for the Devils as a stopgap following the injury of Tallinder last year and did well eating minutes on the 4th line as well, but he is not an everyday NHL player by any stretch of the word as shown as the season came to a close this year. If he is going to remain in the organization, he needs to have a 2-way deal. He should not be guaranteed an NHL roster spot next year.     

PLAYERS WHO SHOULD BE SAFE

Mark Fayne, Andy Greene, Adam Larsson.     

COULD BE BACK IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT     

Marek Zidlicky has a great shot, very accurate especially when pinching from the point and given an open look. His ability to hold the line on the power play has taken a step back as has his defensive awareness. He is an asset on the power play and while he could be replaced in the future by Larsson or Fayne, for next season he could come sick to New Jersey if he doesn't demand much more than the $4 million he earned last year.     

NEXT IN LINE     

Eric Gelinas finally, and deservedly, got his first taste of NHL action late this season making his debut against the Pittsburg Penguins. Gelinas was unexpectedly matched up frequently against the Penguins top line with perennial All-Star Evgeni Malkin and performed admirably. While he was a minus-1 on the night, Gelinas looked clearly as if he belonged on the NHL roster. What's more impressive is that he has played only 1 season with the Albany Devils after aging out of the QMJHL. The 22-year old was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2009 draft and could be poised to have a regular role next year in New Jersey.

The same accolades can be said for University of Michigan defender Jon Merrill. Merrill is left the Wolverines following his junior season and signed and Entry Level Contract with the Devils beginning in the 2013-14 season. Merrill, in the meantime, reported to Albany where he played 12 games while amassing 8 points (1g-7a). If the Devils did not see Merrill as being NHL ready, it is hard to imagine he would have foregone his Senior season at Michigan to play for Albany as his competition is marginally better in the AHL. It is not hard to fathom that the former 2010 2nd round pick will be a least starting the season in the NHL next year.     

A curious name making his case to be a regular on the NHL squad is Alex Urbom. The 2009 3rd round pick started the infamous 2010-11 season in the NHL and while he didn't struggle anymore than his defensive unit, the Devils' elected to return him to Albany after 7 games and a bunch of healthy scratches. He returned to the NHL club for the season finale against the Bruins where he scored his first NHL goal. 2011-12 was similar as he spent only the month of December with the Devils before returning to Albany. The lockout didn't help his aspirations of sticking with the big club this year and he only played one, shaky game with the Devils. Could 2013-14 be the year he finally displays his full potential and secures a regular role on the top squad?

Weekly Flashback: 1999

Weekly Flashback: 1999

Last week, we took a look back almost 19 years to the glory days of the New York Rangers. We rehashed what made 1994 a good year and then were quickly reminded how god awful it really was [cough Justin Bieber cough cough].

This week, we travel back to 1999 and remember the last time the Buffalo Sabres reached the Stanley Cup Finals. That year, any hockey fan outside of the Dallas Stars’ fan base would be able to tell you the NHL chose selective enforcement with in the crease rule and were pretty much screwed out of their chance for their first Cup.

The last time the Sabres reached the Stanley Cup Finals:

-The Denver Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII

-The Yankees beat the Braves in the World Series

-The Spurs beat the Knicks in the NBA Finals

-Manchester United beat Bayern Munich after coming back from being down 1-0 late in the 2^nd half at the UEFA Champions League.

-USA Women beat China at the Women’s World Cup after Brandi Chastain scored the winner on penalty kicks.

The Good Stuff:

-The Euro is established

-The Sopranos, Family Guy, Futurama, Spongebob Square Pants, Law & Order: SVU all made their debuts on TV.

-Dow Jones Industrial Average first eclipsed 10,000 then a few months later cracked 11,000 for the first time ever.

-Canada creates Nunavut as another province.

-Bill Gates becomes worth more than $100 Billion.

-Napster is created.

Mercury 7 is recovered from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean

The Bad Stuff:

-Half dozen avalanches happen around the world, killing over 100

-An F-117 Stealth Bomber is shot down over Kosovo, being one of the very few aircraft lost during the conflict.

-Columbine massacre

-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is released, exposing the world to Jar Jar Binx. No one has forgiven George Lucas since.

-JFK Jr realizes he’s not as good of a pilot as he claimed to be and crashed off the coast of Massachusetts.

-Sega Dreamcast is released

-‘Doug’ is cancelled

Deaths: Gene Siskel, Richard Kiley, Stanley Kubrick, Joe DiMaggio, Shel Silverstein, Owen Heart, DeForest Kelly, George C. Scott, Wilt Chamberlain.

Of course, the biggest disappointment in the hockey world of 1999 was ‘No Goal,’ but 1999 was the final time we were able to see Wayne Gretzky lace up the skates and take the ice. He amassed 62 points in his final season with the New York Rangers.

Next Week: Islanders or Sharks will be under the microscope as do another flashback.

Weekly Flashback: 1994

[This is the first of multiple trash talking posts I'm making as League Manager of my Fantasy Hockey League with a crop of hockey friends and family, Enjoy!]

Why are we looking back nearly 20 years, you ask?

Well, last year, the Rangers came within two games of making it back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since their 54-year-drought ending Cup win. So, rather than hoist a "NYC Area's Second Best" banner, let's give the Rangers fans out there something to look back on:

The Last Time the Rangers Won the Cup…

-Brazil won the World Cup
-Cowboys beat the Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII – the last of 4 straight appearances by the Bills
-Rockets beat the Knicks in 7 games

The Good Parts:
-Schindler’s List won the Oscar for Best Picture
-The following movies came out: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Blank Check, D2: The Mighty Ducks are Back, Major League II, Speed, The Lion King, Blown Away, Little Big League, Forest Gump, Angels in the Outfield, True Lies, The Mask, Clear & Present Danger, Pulp Fiction, Little Giants, The Shawshank Redemption, Dumb & Dumber
- Woodstock was revived with Woodstock ‘94
- Green Day released ‘Dookie’
- Nirvana’s ‘Unplugged in NY’ came out
- Soundgarden released ‘Superunknown’
- Aerosmith released ‘Get a Grip’
- 'All That!' and 'Ahh! Real Monsters' make their debuts on Nickelodeon.


And Now The Bad:
- Kurt Cobain offed himself [or Courtney Love killed him, whichever way you prefer]
- John Candy died of a massive heart attack
- Richard Nixon died.
- ‘Dinosaurs’, ‘Tale Spin’ and ‘Saved by the Bell: The College Years’ were cancelled… okay, maybe that last one was a gift from god and should be placed in the “good” list.
- Cesar Romero died, he was the original Joker.
- Dakota Fanning was born.
- Baseball went on strike, and that pretty much killed the Montreal Expos

Oh and if you needed any more of a reason why 1994 sucked...

...Justin Bieber was born... nuff said.

Devils Cap Off Perfect Week with OT Win

The long layoff for the NHL ended last Saturday night as 24 teams kicked off their respective seasons.

New Jersey, fresh off their run to the Stanley Cup Finals, began their quest to repeat their Eastern Conference Championship run by squaring off against Atlantic Divisional rival, New York Islanders.

Travis Zajac got the scoring going after burying a beautiful crossing feed from Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson sucked the life out of the crowd at Nassau Coliseum with his goal moments after Travis Hamonic leveled the two teams at 1 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the 3^rd period. Martin Brodeur stopped 18 of 19 shots for his first win of the season.

Three days later, the Devils Squared off against the Philadelphia Flyers who were playing their third game in four days. Having lost to Pittsburgh at home and then falling to Buffalo on the road, the Flyers were desperate for a victory. Unfortunately for them, they got off on the absolute wrong foot as Travis Zajac again ignited the scoring, netting his second of the season just 67 seconds into the game. Clarkson, too, would get his second of the year on the power play with 25 seconds remaining in the opening stanza.

Kovalchuk would add a short handed, penalty shot goal in the third as the Devils continued their domination of Flyers’ goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov dating back to last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals matchup where the Devils made the Russian keeper look amateurish.

Brodeur stopped all 24 Flyers shots he faced for his second win and 120^th shutout of his career, 10 of which coming against the Flyers.

The shutout streak would continue into Friday night where the Devils would play host to the Washington Capitals. Stephen Gionta would finish a Jacob Josefson attempt to net his first of the season and only his second career regular season goal. Patrik Elias would register his 897^th point of his career when he pushed home a rebound off a Marek Zidlicky shot and a Clarkson deflection on the power play late in the 2^nd period.

The Devils’ discipline came apart nearly entirely during the third period as they took 5 consecutive penalties including three within seconds of each other. Washington seized the opportunity by scoring once on the power play [Mike Ribeiro] and then again as their final advantage expired [Mike Green].

Their gifts from the Devils would cease there as New Jersey came out a different team in the overtime period, bombarding Michal Neuvirth with 7 shots before Kovalchuk wristed a tight angle attempt top shelf to win the game for the Devils with just 20 seconds remaining in the extra frame.

Their 3-0 start is the best the Devils have had since the 2002-2003 season in which they went on to win the Stanley Cup in 6 games against the Dallas Stars.

Fast Start Imperative in Shortened Season

Only 20 minutes into this young season, for two teams its quite obvious their mantra: Score early, score often.

Both the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins ran up multi-goal leads in their respective season openers.

While it is extremely early in their respective games and the season, its quite obvious how much emphasis has been placed on them to have solid starts to this abbreviated season.

Hopefully, the New Jersey Devils are taking note while they wait for their clash with the New York Islanders later tonight.

The Devils, who many predict to miss or just squeak into the post season, are relatively intact from last year’s team minus Alexi Ponikarovski and Zach Parise. Both played critical roles in their run to the Eastern Conference Championship and while neither will be easy to replace, the Devils seek to show the League they are more than just a one-man team.

Tonight, they need to jump on a weaker opponent in the Islanders, a team they have struggled with, especially at Nassau Coliseum, in recent years.

One thing that will certainly interesting to watch will be the Devils’ new power-play attack, introduced by Assistant Coach Matt Shaw. Said Head Coach Peter DeBoer of the new system, “We’re going to be shooting more and looking for that perfect look less.”

Last season, the Islanders were one of the least penalized teams in the league, being shorthanded only 236 times, only 11 ahead of San Jose’s league best 225. Their penalty kill percentage, however, was a botton-10 low 80.5%.

Hopefully, the Devils, who drew around the league average of 267 penalties last year,  will be able to convert on both even strength and the advance tonight to start their season off on the right foot.

Adam Larsson, Krys Barch and Peter Harrold will be tonight’s scratches while Mattias Tedenby will get another chance to prove he’s NHL ready and will start on the 2^nd line with Patrik Elias and David Clarkson.

Devils' Details - 1/17

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Zajac Re-signs

For the first time in a long while, the New Jersey Devils locked up a potential free agency before the season started.

On January 16^th, first-line center Travis Zajac signed an 8-year deal worth $46 million. Zajac, who was set to become a free agent on July 5^th [moved up from July 1^st due to the event we will not name] signed the first max contract allowable for teams to retain their own free agent under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Critics are quick to question the Zajac contract citing his career numbers not being as impressive as other who are in the same pay grade, but Zajac’s talents extend beyond the scope of just points. He’s one of, if not the, best centers in the Devils’ lineup, he’s excellent in both ends of the ice and Zajac is an excellent leader even though he does not garner a letter on his sweater.

Expect Zajac to produce around 35 points this year with at least 10 goals.

Captain Salvador

On Thursday, Bryce Salvador was named the 10^th captain in Devils’ history.

This came as a surprise for many, thinking either Patrik Elias would get a second shot at the “C” which was stripped from him by Brent Sutter or Ilya Kovalchuk would get a crack to be the captain of a second team. 

This, however, is a solid reward from a player who showed extreme loyalty to the team where he made a name for himself.

Playing for the St. Louis Blues, Salvador was a bottom pairing defender. At the 2008 trading deadline, the Devils acquired Salvador in exchange for Cam Janssen.

Since his arrival, Salvador had progressively improved his way of play on the blue line for the Devils until 2010-2011 season where he had to sit out with post-concussion syndrome. There were extreme fears Salvador’s career would be over as a result of PCS, but Bryce persevered and returned to form during the regular season, then exceeded them becoming an offensive surprise from the blue line during the playoffs most prominently during the second round matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Hitting the free agent market on July 1^st of 2012, Salvador could have easily taken his talents to a handful of other teams and been a steady point in their defensive corps. He instead, however, waited for the Devils to deal with the Zach Parise soap opera and signed the day before Parise jumped ship to head home to Minnesota.

Salvador’s deal secured him to be part of the organization for the next 3 seasons. Now, those 3 years, he’ll be the Devils leader both in public and behind closed doors, as was the case apparently for a while prior.

Matteau Impresses

In June, the Devils made a surprise move in the eyes of critics by drafting Stefan Matteau, a grinding forward from the US Under-20 national team.

Fans, for one, were shocked because Matteau’s father is the same Matteau who is part of Devils’ infamy.

Even after being dropped from the eventual gold medal winning Under-20 team, Matteau refocused and was the only Devils’ junior player invited to camp.

Since his arrival, Matteau has done nothing but impress his future teammates with his focus, drive and overall on-ice play. He even managed to pull off a feat his father had done prior and score on Brodeur during the inter-squad scrimmage earlier this week.

As of Thursday, Matteau was still in contention for a spot on the Devils’ 23-man roster. Should he survive the final cuts on Friday, he could still be tested out for the 6 game maximum before being returned to his junior team.

The future of camp-invitee Matt Darche with the Devils rests entirely on their decision of Matteau. Should Matteau stick beyond the 6 games, Darche would more than likely not be offered a contract at least at the NHL level. A two-way deal is not out of the realm of possibility however, he is 36 and do the Devils need yet another over-30 forward with plenty of youth ready for shots?

Welcome Back

It's been a long freaking off season.

Parise put his best diva routine combined with deception on par with a Las Vegas magician. The NHL-NHLPA reenacted their high school drama queen days, and Ilya Kovalchuk was a pawn of the KHL pretending to be an actual hockey league people care about.

But in just a few short days, the puck drops and story lines will again be about athletic competition rather than just social media posturing.

One thing that also happened over the off-season is Deviling the Details has moved here.

Gone are the old articles, the inaccurate scrolling header and a well made webpage. But here's what we can deal with for now.

New articles will be up shortly, but for now, welcome back.