Offseason Outlook: Offense

Unlike the defensive unit, the New Jersey Devils' offensive corps is in a major state of influx. After starting off the season red hot, as a whole they cooled considerably, averaging just over 2 goals a game and being shut out twice over the season's final 10 games. With the late season injury to Ilya Kovalchuk, no one on the Devils stepped up offensively. The Devils have 11 forwards on the current roster who will need new contracts, but it is highly unlikely all of the will remain in Newark by the time training camp opens. 

KEEP WITHOUT QUESTION 

 

Patrik Elias is a free agent for the first time since the Devils nearly lost their franchise's best forward to, reportedly, their cross river rivals the New York Rangers. Elias is coming off a $6 million annual deal, and while he continuously is near, if not at the top of, the Devils' scoring list, the Devils would certainly like to retain his services for less than his previous deal. If Elias decided to ask for an identical deal, as long as it is not for much longer than 3 years, it is hard to envision the Devils' not extending a deal to one of their core, heart and soul players. 

Adam Henrique leads the list of the Devils' numerous Restricted Free Agents. Coming off his entry level contract, the Devils & Henrique need to come to an agreement on a contract and not allow any bitterness to flow over. Henrique is a valuable asset to New Jersey's future and has already written himself into the Devils' history books by clinching two series victories with overtime game winning goals last year. As was the case with nearly the entire team, Henrique struggled in productivity this season. Normally, one would attribute his lack of success to a sophomore slump but with the rest of the team literally vanishing from the goal column, Henrique gets a pass. 

Andrei Loktionov was the Devils' best acquisition during the season and was an incredible steal of a deal. Acquired February 6th from the Los Angeles Kings for a 5th round pick, Loktinov scored 8 goals and added 4 assists over the 28 games he played following his call up from Albany of the AHL. One of his most impressive feats were his off balance goal against the Philadelphia Flyers and his ability to gel almost effortlessly with Ilya Kovalchuk. 

The reason the Devils were able to get such a value for Loktionov was that the Kings feared he would not resign with them in the offseason. With his role up in the air in Los Angeles, Loktionov floated the idea publicly that he would leave the NHL for the KHL in the offseason. With his increased responsibility and subsequent increase in playing time, it's hard to imagine that playing time will be the reason he bolts overseas. His current ELC is valued at $575k annually so he is due for a considerable raise, but the Devils should not hesitate to pay out, especially since he seems to be showing early indications of developing impressive chemistry with countryman Ilya Kovalchuk. That statistic alone could be invaluable for the Devils future. 

Jacob Josefson finally made it through a season without suffering a considerable injury! All kidding aside, after his recall from Albany late in the season, Josefson finally put on display the reason why the Devils hold him in such high regard. If he resigns with New Jersey, he should have the inside track for the starting 3rd line center position. JJ would do himself well if he could add a few pounds of muscle on as he is on the smaller size for someone his height. This would help him get into the dirty areas for better rebound opportunities thus potentially leading to higher point totals as he progresses through his career. 

IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT... 

David Clarkson leads the list of players who would be an excellent fit to remain on the Devils but might no be wise. During the season, rumors began to circulate that Clarkson could seek $5 million annually, if not higher, when the free agency period begins this summer. Yes, he put up 30 goals last season and scored 10 in under 15 games this year, but he also had a goalless drought which lasted over 20 games. His inability to find the net during that stretch was only further magnified by the rest of the teams scoring woes, especially when Kovalchuk went down with his injury. Clarkson is a pure heart player, but his inconsistency scoring mixed with the bad penalties and he sudden onset of whining and begging for calls may have reduced his stock, especially if the rumored contract demands are accurate. The Devils would be wise in allowing Clarkson to chase larger dollar figures elsewhere if it comes down to $5 million per as he will most likely not be able to sustain his sudden scoring prowess. 

Dainius Zubrus is a major fan favorite. His current contract of $3.4 million annually over 4 years was not the greatest of deals but he did perform admirably when healthy. Some fan groups had unrealistic expectations of Zubrus being a major offensive threat when he signed for the contract but those who knew why he was signed understand he played well enough to make the contract worthwhile. Durability and age are the two factors which are working against Zubes. At 35 by the time free agency begins, Zubrus is another older veteran who the Devils will need to not only think about is health but also length of contract hen they approach him for a deal. 

Matt D'Agostini played well enough to remain a Devil. The problem is his qualifying offer is $1.8 million so the Devils would need to negotiate a longer contract if they want to keep Hamas it is highly unlikely they would be okay with committing to that type of money for one season. Adding to their reluctance should also the fact D'Ags tops out as a fill in on the 2nd line and is more of a bottom 6 player who also garners some time on special teams. He's still under restricted free agent status so it will be interesting to see how his summer will play out. 

COIN FLIP 

Mattias Tedenby is coming off his ELC. He has been less than impressive during his multiple stints at the NHL level, save from a brief hot streak three years ago, and for whatever reason he does not seem to be getting better while playing at the Albany level. While a severe facial nearly ended his career and his life this year, Tedenby's work ethic has always been suspect as he was called out by numerous coaches at the NHL level. 

Tom Kostopoulos was a good midseason pickup off the waiver wire from Pittsburgh. Always playing on the fourth line, the Greek winger registered a goal (on a penalty shot nonetheless) and 18 penalty minutes. Kostopoulos was quick to defend his teammates in scrums and posed a sizable problem for opposing defenses to worry about in front of their net during his 15 games with the club. It might not be easy to find a spot on the roster for him next season, especially with Krys Barch still under contract for another season, but GM Lou Lamoriello has done stranger moves in the past (last year signing both Cam Janssen and Barch). 

HAPPY TRAILS 

Alexi Ponikarovski played phenomenally in the playoffs for the Devils last year, even scoring the game winning goal in overtime of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Flyers. Fans were heartbroken to learn he had signed with the Winnipeg Jets while he Devils' hands were tied waiting for a certain playoff-choke artist to decide he was too homesick to play in Jersey anymore and needed to go ack home and play with his friend in Minnesota, but I digress. 

When the Devils were on a roll to start the year, Dainius Zubrus went down with an injury. As soon as he was placed on injured reserve, Lou Lamoriello almost immediately reacquired Poni from the Jets for draft picks and a little known prospect. In his first game back, he scored against the Flyers, mirroring what he did last season upon his arrival in Newark. But the honeymoon phase quickly ended as Poni became extremely inconsistent. While his contract hit is not unbearable, the Devils could be more apt to spend the cap space elsewhere. 

Steve Sullivan was reacquired by the devils after nearly 17 years just at the trading deadline this year. It was one of those "well you knew Lou was going to do something" moves where he tried to catch lightning in a bottle and reattach a missing limb with some chewing gum and a bandaid. Playing the opposite point of Zidlicky on the power play, Sullivan used most of his chances to pass to Elias or another forward down low than shoot himself, yet both goals during his 2nd stint in Jersey were on the man-advantage. Sullivan has played over 1,000 games but it is not realistic to think he will still be in the Devils lineup entering 2013-14. 

Tom Kostopoulos

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.

Better Hold on Tight

Two months ago, a game like last nights would have been over midway through the second period.

If those Devils would have somehow found a way to net the equalizer, as Matias Tedenby did, then surely the final dagger would have been Jeff Skinner's second power play goal with under 10 minutes to go in the third period.

These Devils, however, didn't roll over they way they would have during the first half of the season.

These Devils battled. And it paid off.

With under three minutes remaining. Ilya Kovalchuk started up ice from his own end. I had even said aloud to my friend sitting next to me in section 230, "It's time for Kovy to do something." A pair of moves through Hurricane defenders put the crowd on the edge of their seats, some even being frustrated that this rush could end in the same fashion they had seen before with a turnover, only it didn't.

Kovalchuk got to the right wing boards, drawing two defenders, and fired a shot seemingly harmless on net. The catch was that Cam Ward bad been giving up rebounds like they were the packets of cards every fan got at the game Friday night. Nick Palmieri jumped on the loose rebound and used the vacated space to lift a shot over Ward's right shoulder and in for the equalizer.

I firmly believe the Prudential Center had not erupted into such an ovation all season long.

In a game that they had to win, the Devils had overcome two power play goals by Jeff Skinner, and killed off a third penalty by Anton Volchenkov, without earring a power play of their own.

It a tense game to watch as a fan, but when the Palmieri goal hit the back of the net, fans knew they still not only had hope, but could steal this one back before regulation expired.

Just a few minutes later, Patrik Elias nearly made that hope come true as he found himself wide open in front of Cam Ward after a feed from Brian Rolston. Elias tried to drive the shot home before Ward recovered, but he toed the shot and the puck slid harmlessly into Ward's butterfly. Following the whistle, all Elias could do was look to the rafters in disbelief.

If the Palmieri goal had the crowd on fire, the Elias near miss had them believing this was the Devils' night. The buzz between regulation and overtime was amazing, people talking about playoffs (insert Jim Mora sound byte here). Others making friendly bets who will get the winner, none even wagering on any Canes. The confidence the team has shown on the ice has undoubtedly reached their loyal fans.

Even with the overtime being pretty evenly matched, there were no talks of doubt, no talks of this is the end. People are believing and the players know and feel it.

Travis Zajac broke into the Carolina zone, drew two defenders as he left a drop pass for Mattias Tedenby, late in overtime. Tedenby coolly took the pass and follow Zajac, who now assumed the role of lead blocker, into the slot and ripped a wrist shot off Ward's right arm and in, sending the 13,000+ in attendance into a frenzy of jubilation.

The win put the Devils 15 points back of the Hurricanes for 8th in the Eastern Conference. More importantly, they climbed above both the Islanders and the Senators, thus beginning their climb back to the chase.