SB Nation - Kevin Weekes

Welcome Home (Sanitarium): Canucks-Senators Preview

Sean Zandberg — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:00:21 -0000

Senators (37-26-5)		Canucks (41-23-3)
	AT

Time	7:00 PM PST	TV	CBC
Season Series	1-0 Senators	Last Meeting	3-1 Sens (02-04-10)
The Enemy	Silver Seven	Scoring Leaders	H. Sedin: 27-63-90 Alfredsson: 17-37-54

Senators	Category	Canucks
5th	Conference Position	3rd
4-5-1	Last 10	6-3-1
2.66 (17th)	Goals Per Game	3.24 (2nd)
2.76 (17th)	Least Goals Against Per Game	2.55 (9th)
.89 (24th)	5 On 5 GF/GA	1.30 (3rd)
15.8 (26th)	Power Play %	21.1 (5th)
84.4 (5th)	Penalty Kill %	80.8 (18th)
29.8 (18th)	Shots Per Game	30.5 (12th)
28.3 (4th)	Least Shots Against Per Game	29.2 (10th)
73.5 (10th)	Winning % When Scoring First	80.0 (2nd)
78.9 (8th)	Winning % When Leading After 1	86.4 (3rd)
35.3 (12th)	Winning % When Trailing After 1	45.9 (5th)
95.8 (5th)	Winning % When Leading After 2	96.2 (4th)
7.4 (25th)	Winning % When Trailing After2	37.0 (1st)
49.3 (18th)	Faceoffs %	51.2 (7th)
13.4 (20th)	Least PIM's Per Game	15.5 (26th)
-4 (14th)	+ / - GF/GA	+39 (3rd)

Update (2:30): The struggling Pascal Leclaire will start for the Sens.

Update: Aha, AV said today: "Rome was one of our best defencemen throughout the trip," according to the Sun. That is why SOB is sitting. Take that, Rome haters!

Update: Did you know that Brad Lukowich never reported to the Moose after he was waived at the Olympic Break due to a shoulder injury? He's is done for the season as he requires major shoulder surgery. Not that he was getting called up again anyway, but hang in there, Luko!

Update: Bieksa in, Shane O'Brien out, according to Canucks.com. Huh. Hordichuk draws in and Glass sits as well.

**********************

The last time Vancouver played Ottawa, they were stymied by Brian Elliot, who stopped 29 of 30 shots in a 3-1 win. Milan Michalek had a goal and an assist and Alfie the Clown had 3 assists. Raycroft played well in the loss. That was the Sens' 11th straight victory. They would lose their next game 2 nights later to the....Leafs. Yeah.

Since that terrible day, the Sens are 4-5-1. The Canucks are 7-3-1. This game should hopefully be different, as the Canucks play their first game at home since January 27th. They should be pumped. The Sens know that.

The Sens are coming off a 2-0 loss to the Flames, where they outshot Calgary 33-25. The Canucks, eager to get home, barely lost to the Coyotes in a shootout 3 days ago.

Who's rolling for the Sens? Well, they are 1-3-1 in their last 5 games, losing to Calgary, Toronto, Carolina and the Rangers. They have only scored 7 goals in that span. Regardless:

-Daniel Alfredsson (god I hate him) had 5 assists

-Jason Spezza had 4 assists.

-Chris Kelly and Mike Fisher had a goal and an assist each.

-Milan Michalek and Matt Cullen each had 2 goals. Watch Matt Cullen and tell me you didn't wish he was a Canuck (on line 3).

Chris Phillips and a Swedish kid named Eric Karlsson chew up most of the icetime on the back end nowadays. Phillips has 7 goals and 19 points this season and Karlsson has 1 goal and 14 points. The Sens' most offensive defenceman, Filip Kuba Gooding Jr, has missed a bit of time with a lower body injury and has not yet returned.

I am curious as hell to see how Kevin Bieksa plays in his return. Prior to his injury he had only scored 1 goal in 40 games. That goal came on the opening night of the regular season. In the 5 games prior to the match where he was injured, his icetime was all over the place. He'll need to play smart in his return, because in all cruelty, the team has been fine in his absence. I'm hoping he excels down the stretch.

Alright, here are a couple videos as usual..and you won't like all of them!

1. Matt Carkner vs Tanner Glass. Ouch.

2. Chris Neil fights Rick Rypien. Strong finish by Neil.

3. One of Markus Naslund's best goals came against the Sens:

4. Nice goal by Edler against the Sens in low def (2008).

Enjoy the game! Go Canucks! And...welcome home!

Roberto Luongo will be the oh so special guest on Hockey Night in Canada's After Hours tonight. You can email a question to Scott Oake and Kevin Weekes to ask Lou here, like, if he's developed a drug problem since the Olympics...

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Feb 26

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:06:45 -0000

Paul Martin assuming he won’t make trip with Devils next week; March 10 game vs. Rangers next goal - (Fire & Ice)
McAmmond not practicing today; Martin skates on his own; Elias, Kovalachuk to meet team in San Jose - (Fire & Ice)

Tracking the Devils’ Olympians (through Wednesday’s quarterfinals) - (Fire & Ice)
Defenseman Paul Martin will not accompany NJ Devils on upcoming western road trip - (The Star Ledger)
Paul Martin still sidelined as Dean McAmmond misses NJ Devils practice - (The Star Ledger)
Dean McAmmond will not participate in NJ Devils practice - (The Star Ledger)
Rafalski pushes U.S. matchup with Finland - (The New York Daily News)
Russian Hockey League Head Wants NHL at Sochi - (The New York Times)
Women's Medal Ceremony - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Eager to return, Martin making progress - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Poll Time - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Clarkson returns to practice - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Canada aware of dangerous Slovakia - (NHL.com)
Yzerman on Russia win - (NHL.com)
US rematch? - (NHL.com)
Getzlaf, Perry stepping up - (NHL.com)
Slovakia savors win - (NHL.com)
CAN women win gold - (NHL.com)
US not looking past Finns - (NHL.com)
Kipper can stop USA - (NHL.com)
Parise's father offers encouragement, not advice - (NHL.com)
Mike Milbury not a fan of Russia's 'Eurotrash game' - (Yahoo NHL)
Toews has been as good as Kane has been disappointing - (Yahoo NHL)
Russia's hockey empire crumbles in front of the world - (Yahoo NHL)
Brian Rafalski reprises Red Wings role with Team USA - (MLive.com)
Gary Bettman should pull NHL out of the Olympics - (Detroit Free Press)
Kesler ready to be enemy as Team USA plays Finland - (The Journal News)
Parise Powers US Men's Hockey - (The Epoch Times)
KHL shares NHL concerns over Olympic competition - (NBCOlympics.com)
Ice Chips: Thanks to Slovakia, it'll be a new men's champ - (Wisconsin State Journal)
Your Boarding Pass For Team USA Hockey Bandwagon - (NBC Washington)
Slovakia-Canada Preview - (ESPN.com)
LeBrun: More U.S. star power needed - (ESPN.com); Parise
THN at the Olympics: Canada sits atop hockey world, but by too big a margin? - (The Hockey News)
THN at the Olympics: Semifinal analysis and predictions - (The Hockey News)
Screen Shots: 'Wicked Wednesday' shows NHL must stay in Olympics - (The Hockey News)
THN Puck Panel: Russia outcoached by Canada - (The Hockey News)
The Black & the Gold of Vancouver - (BlackAthlete.net); Oduya
Lots of chatter over merits of NHL continuing to compete in Olympics - (PennLive.com)

MISCELLANEOUS
New face of Hockey Night in Canada - (Canada.com); Kevin Weekes

On This Day In Canucks History: January 17

Yankee Canuck — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:00:19 -0000

January 17th, 1999: Vancouver acquires Ed Jovanovski, Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, Kevin Weekes and a first round pick in 2000 (your friend and mine, Nathan Smith) in exchange for Pavel Bure, Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a third round pick in 2000 (Robert Fried).

Trading the most exciting player in franchise history (who had told then-GM Brian Burke he wouldn't play for Vancouver again) wasn't easy. But landing Jovocop in the deal would be a boon for Vancouver as he would be their #1 defenseman during the rebuilding years and a key part of the team's resurgence in relevancy during the early part of last decade.

Gagner would retire at the end of the 1999-00 season. Brown would leave Vancouver for Anaheim and Chicago before retiring in 2005. Weekes wouldn't stay with Vancouver very long, being traded in December (along with Dave Scatchard and Bill Muckalt) to the New York Islanders for Felix Potvin.

Teams of the Decade: Shooting and PDO

Hawerchuk — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:00:27 -0000

Bill Kostroun - AP

Play defense, guys!

View full size photo »

We've seen in numerous contexts that the key to winning hockey games is outshooting your opponents: in the long-run (like a decade), your shooting percentage will converge to near the league-average, as will your goalie's save percentage, making shot differential and goal differential one-and-the-same. So it should come as no surprise that four of the top five teams in outshooting their opponents were also at the top of the leaderboard in wins:

	WIN%	GP	SF/G	SA/G	DELTA
DET	645	738	32.6	26.3	6.3
NJD	572	738	30.6	26.2	4.4
OTT	589	738	30.8	27.2	3.6
STL	507	738	28.2	25.9	2.2
DAL	566	738	27.6	25.6	2.0

The Blues are the only outlier here, and it's because they were simply unable to put together a good goaltending tandem before this season. For nearly a decade, they could barely find a league-average starter, but still managed to make the playoffs six times. Given their dominance in shot counts, it was an egregious oversight in the team-building department.

What about the opposite end of the spectrum?

	WIN%	GP	SF/G	SA/G	DELTA
MIN	489	656	26.1	29.1	-3.0
CBJ	399	656	27.2	30.2	-3.0
PIT	458	738	27.3	30.6	-3.3
FLA	455	738	29.1	32.5	-3.4
ATL	390	738	27.2	31.9	-4.7

There aren't many surprises down here either: three expansion teams, a Panthers team that made the playoffs three times in 16 years, and a Penguins team that was bad enough to be able to draft Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby in the span of three seasons. Well, there is one exception on that list, the Jacques Lemaire-led Minnesota Wild:

	PDO	SH%F	SH%A
MIN	1011	9.7	8.5
OTT	1009	10.4	9.5
COL	1008	10.2	9.5
MTL	1008	9.9	9.0
SJS	1007	10.0	9.3

PDO is the sum of shooting percentage and save percentage. At a team-level, over nine seasons, with changing personnel, it gets pulled very strongly towards 1000. Clearly, some teams, like Ottawa, Colorado and San Jose, are able to exceed it, usually by having a very good offensive team that gets more power-plays than its opponents. But Minnesota is a clear outlier, pushing its PDO to the top of the league through exceptional defense and suppression of shots in the slot. Montreal's story isn't quite as clear since the Habs cycled through six coaches in less than a decade, but they appear to have had tremendous goaltending as opposed to an exceptional defensive strategy like Lemaire does.

As for the other end:

	PDO	SH%F	SH%A
NYI	992	9.2	10.0
CHI	991	9.5	10.4
CAR	990	9.2	10.2
CBJ	990	8.9	9.9
TBL	989	9.5	10.7

I don't think anybody's surprised to see Tampa at the bottom of this list given their goaltending and defensive woes. Chicago and the Islanders have iced some very bad teams too. Columbus plays adequate defense but has always had trouble putting any goals on the board. But what about Carolina? The Hurricanes have simply had really bad goaltending during the season but have turned it up in the playoffs - Cam Ward has posted .915 and .920 save percentages in the post-season, while an Arturs Irbe/Kevin Weekes tandem hit .938 on the way to a Stanley Cup loss in 2002. We tend to remember Carolina's strong finishes, but they've frequently been very, very bad during this decade.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Nov 23

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:01:43 -0000

Watch Devils Postgame - (Msgnetwork)
Cangy: Devils Hit by Injury Again - (Msgnetwork)

NHL Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils' players stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Surrey grad Eckford nets first NHL point in second game with Devils - (BCHL)
Preds win shootout; Devils gain point...Scott Niedermayer - (hockeybuzz.com)
Devils Giving The Kids a Chance - (Bleacher Report)
Wherein We Investigate Sestito Puente’s Connection To An International Cayenne-Smuggling Ring - (Interchangeable Parts)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils slide into first place tie - (The Lowell Sun)

TRENTON DEVILS
Devils Pull Off 4-3 Victory in Kalamazoo - (TrentonDevils.com)

AROUND THE NHL
Ear to the glass: Style points - (ESPN.com)
Power rankings: Quarter-season analysis … - (Yahoo NHL)
Top players and stories at NHL quarter mark - (NHL.com)
20 questions -- and answers -- 20 games in - (NHL.com)
THN.com Blog: Olympic goalie picture taking shape - (The Hockey News)

MISCELLANEOUS
Shanahan was talented, tough - (Faceoff.com)
Getting To Know: Kevin Weekes - (The Hockey News)

Rangers Pregame: Scouting the Devils

Jim Schmiedeberg — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:00:37 -0000

This Ranger fan got attacked by all four Devils fans at the last Rangers-Devils game at The Rock in Newark.

View full size photo »

Taking a look at tonight's opponent, the New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

Head Coach: Jacques Lemaire

2008-09 Record: 51-27-4 (Lost EastCon Quarterfinals)

Last Season vs. Rangers: 3-3

Stars:

Martin Brodeur

#30 / Goalie / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Born: May 06, 1972

More after the jump.....

Patrik Elias

#26 / Center / New Jersey Devils

Height: 6-1

Weight: 195

Born: Apr 13, 1976

Who's In: G Yann Danis, D Rob Davison, D Cory Murphy, C Rob Niedermayer

Who's Out: Brian Gionta, John Madden, Mike Rupp, Niclas Havelid, Barry Tallackson, Kevin Weekes, Bobby Holik.

New Jersey Devils Season Preview from In Lou We Trust, the SBNation Community for the New Jersey Devils.

Devils News and Notes:

Devils cram before showdown (Bergen Record)

Devils brace for date with Rangers, go to work on the power play (Fire and Ice)

G Martin Brodeur played his 1,000th NHL game and his 15th straight opener Saturday night but it wasn't a good game as he gave up five goals on 27 shots in a 5-2 home loss. "Not really his best game," said Devils coach Jacques Lemaire. "It was kind of tough for him. You get a couple of easy goals on him and, after that, maybe he was questioning himself."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "What's new? When the team isn't playing well they're not going to praise you. It's disappointing for everybody, a situation like that. I hate to break the news to you, but it's going to happen again. If we don't perform, people won't be happy. That's the nature of everything." -- Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, after allowing five goals on 27 shots in the opening-night loss to Philadelphia. (Fox Sports)

New Jersey Devils Evening News, Oct 1

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:05:52 -0000

Brodeur has no retirement plan, yet; has "zero concerns" about team's future - (Fire & Ice)
Devils' players surprised by decision to let Shanahan go - (Fire & Ice)

Pandolfo's tight back feeling better - (Fire & Ice)
Tough decision for Lemaire to dump Shanahan, but says kids are "ready to play" - (Fire & Ice)
Brendan Shanahan let go by Devils - (Fire & Ice)
Shanahan missing from today's practice - (Fire & Ice)
NJ Devils players surprised to see Brendan Shanahan cut; Jay Pandolfo's sore back is improving - (The Star Ledger)
Jacques Lemaire: Cutting Brendan Shanahan was hard, but NJ Devils kids are ready - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils cut winger Brendan Shanahan - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils winger Rob Niedermayer and brother Scott are chasing the Sutters and Hatchers - (The Star Ledger)
Devils ditch Shanny - (The New York Daily News)
Shanahan leaving Devils - (The New York Post)
Shanahan Leaves Devils, Who Want to Get Younger - (The New York Times )
Shanahan decides not to continue with Devils - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Statement from Brendan Shanahan - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Players react to Shanahan's departure - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Shanahan, no longer a Devil - (Hockeybuzz.com)
Devils Part Ways With Shanahan, Josh Cries A Little - (2 man advantage)
1-2-3 Hockey: 38 Things You Don’t Know About The 2009-2010 Devils - (Interchangeable Parts)

EARLIER TODAY

Devils' position breakdown - (The Bergen Record)
Devils delay roster cut - (The Bergen Record)
New Jersey Devils coach Jacques Lemaire's passion for the game still burns - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils keep rookie Matt Halischuk on opening night roster - (The Star Ledger)
Ask The Maven: Regular Season Begins - (Msgnetwork)
Devils Family Fun Festival Day - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Puck Daddy's 2009-10 Eastern Conference staff prognostications - (Yahoo NHL)
NHL Eastern Conference preview - (Ottawa Citizen)

TRENTON DEVILS
T-Devils prepare for season in new ECHL alignment - (The Trentonian)

New Jersey Devils Evening News, Sep 30

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:56:50 -0000

Devils' keys to the season - (The Bergen Record)
Devils retool before opener - (The Bergen Record)
Pikkarainen placed on IR to start season; will be in NJ when healthy; No need to place Elias on LTIR - (Fire & Ice)
Leach, Davison, Sestito assigned to Lowell - (Fire & Ice)
Ilkka Pikkarainen placed on IR; NJ Devils roster set at 23 - (The Star Ledger)
Three NJ Devils assigned to Lowell (AHL); no more cuts may be needed - (The Star Ledger)
NHL Network will televise NJ Devils games Nov. 12 and Dec. 2 - (The Star Ledger)
With Pikkarainen on IR, Devils May Have Final Roster Set - (In Lou We Trust)
Devils place two on IR, trim roster to 23 - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Brodeur to join HNIC Radio at 4:15 p.m. ET - (NewJerseyDevils.com)

EARLIER TODAY

Niedermayer shakes off rust; Bergfors gets the point; ZZ Pops busts out - (Fire & Ice)
Peters has no respect for Rechlicz actions - (Fire & Ice)
Lemaire still not completely satisfied with Devils' play - (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Devils defeat Islanders 4-2 - (Fire & Ice)
Lemaire says "other moves" will be made; Halischuk's given No. 16 - (Fire & Ice)
Slideshow: NJ Devils 4, NY Islanders 2 - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils scuffle their way past NY Islanders, 4-2, to close out preseason - (The Star Ledger)
Is this the season Niclas Bergfors makes an impact with NJ Devils? - (The Star Ledger)
Devils nearing final look - (The New York Post)
Devils beat Isles, 4-2 - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Lemaire eyes solid game from Niedermayer - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Devils go unbeaten in preseason play - (Yahoo NHL)
Gunning for the big four - (FOXSports.com)...The NHL's Eastern Conference is a story of four very strong teams - the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers - and then a mad scramble for the final four playoff spots... Interesting
Commissioner Bettman in-studio Wednesday on NHL Live - (NHL.com); New Jersey Devils' star forward Zach Parise will be on at 1:30
ESPN reaffirms love for hockey; considered film on Devils' trap - (Yahoo! Sports)
2009-'10 NHL Predictions and Awards: Where They'll Finish - (Bleacher Report)

AROUND THE NHL
NHL preview: Can Sid & Co. win again? - (The Bergen Record)
Post Poll: The top 25 players in hockey - (National Post)
Stanley Cup contenders - (calgarysun.com)
The puck drops here - (stltoday.com); milestones in the NHL for this season... a few Devils in there
The Popsicle Brothers present NHL '09-10 - (BlackAthlete.net)

MISCELLANEOUS
Florida Panthers' Scott Clemmensen happy with opportunity - (MiamiHerald.com)
Weekes says he'll provide unique perspective to HNIC - (The Winnipeg Free Press)
Q&A with coach Sutter - (Calgary Sun)
Some life returns to the Gardens ice - (Toronto Sun); Ken Daneyko
UND hockey: Faces of the franchise - (Grand Forks Herald)

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Sep 22

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:07:34 -0000

Center Mike Swift no longer in awe as he competes for a job with Devils - (Fire & Ice)
Enforcer Andrew Peters determined to make NJ Devils' roster - (The Star Ledger)

NJ Devils will choose between keeping Andy Greene or Cory Murphy - (The Star Ledger)
Bluelines: Kevin Weekes' New Career in TV - (Msgnetwork)
2009-10 Team Preview: New Jersey Devils - (ESPN.com)
On the hot seat - (Sportsnet.ca); Brian Rolston

AROUND THE NHL
4 Playoff Teams 4 Years In A Row? Yep, It's Gonna Happen Again! - (FanIQ)

MISCELLANEOUS
Pats get star defencemen back - (Regina Leader-Post); Matt Delahey

Note: in case you missed it, I posted an updated version of yesterday's news and notes last night. I will post another update tonight.

2009-10 Season Preview: New Jersey Devils

John Fischer — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:16 -0000

More photos » Bill Kostroun - AP

The Devils hired a new head coach, plan to have a few faces on the team, and yet keep the core together for 2009-10. How well will they succeed? (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Browse more photos »

At the start of every season for a team there are so many uncertainties that could make the difference between a successful and a disappointing season. In fact, we can save time by just listing what is certain that we will see from the New Jersey Devils:

The Devils will play 82 games, 41 on the road and 41 at home. There will be games where the Devils are the better team, and win. There will be games where the Devils aren't the better team, but find a way to win anyhow. There will be games where the Devils are the better team, but lose somehow (a bad break, a fatal error, etc.). There will be games where the Devils look terrible and deserve to lose.

None of that answers the real question: Given the current team, how well will the New Jersey Devils do in 2009-10?

Overview of Last Season

The Devils had a fantastic regular season and managed to prove that there is indeed life after Martin Brodeur. Martin Brodeur was sidelined for 4 months with a torn bicep injury that required surgery in early November. Yet, contrary to what one may have expected, the Devils didn't wilt with the loss of their legendary goaltender. They soared. Brent Sutter managed the team to play solid possession hockey en route to another Atlantic Division title and a 51-27-4 record, a franchise high for wins in a season. Not a bad mark to hit given the success the team has had since 1993-94. As with most successes, there is much credit to be given: Scott Clemmensen playing very well in Brodeur's absence; the excellent play of Brodeur before the injury and not skipping a beat when he returned; the emergence of Zach Parise as a top scorer; Patrik Elias, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Travis Zajac rebounding to put up some really productive seasons; and Paul Martin leading an unheralded defense.

The playoffs were not what one expected. The Devils drew the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. The series was quite tight series with each team trading off wins, with Brodeur and Cam Ward playing excellent in net as the only constants. Alas, the Devils couldn't build off the momentum after either one of their three wins. They paid for it as the team collectively collapsed under some bad breaks to blow a 2 goal lead in 80 seconds in Game 7 to take an early exit from the postseason.

Offseason Overview

Disappointment was the best feeling one could have after that Game 7. Such a great season was marred by an embarrassing playoff exit. This was the first major reason that, I think, drove the Devils management - Lou - to reconsider the team's plans going forward. The second was Brent Sutter ~~quitting on~~ resigning from the New Jersey Devils instead of fulfilling the last year of his 3 year deal with New Jersey, and signing with the Calgary Flames to be their head coach in late June. After a season where the Devils thrived on offense due to Sutter's system, the Devils had to find a new head coach in addition to dealing with the NHL Draft and the beginning of free agency.

So the Devils basically stood pat on July 1. Truth be told, the Devils didn't do nothing; but their major deals were to retain Johnny Oduya, Andy Greene, Brendan Shanahan, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, and Travis Zajac - all of whom received raises. It can be argued that the biggest move made in the offseason, however, was to hire Jacques Lemaire as a head coach. Lemaire initially made his mark as a NHL head coach with New Jersey back in the mid-1990s. He's best known for bringing back the Montreal Canadiens' "neutral zone trap" to the NHL and leading the Devils to be NHL contenders and their first Stanley Cup in 1995. Initially, the concern was - perhaps still is among some fans - that he would be a defensive minded head coach. However, training camp has revealed so far that he wants to more offense within the team and the first preseason game indicates that he is planning to tweak Sutter's system instead of starting from scratch.

Who's Out: Outside of Oduya and Shanahan, the rest of the Devils unrestricted free agents were left to pursue other offers. Brian Gionta? Off to Montreal. John Madden? Off to Chicago. Mike Rupp? Off to Pittsburgh. Niclas Havelid? Off to Finland. Barry Tallackson? Off to St. Louis. Kevin Weekes? Now off to the television studio. Bobby Holik? Off to his ranch in Wyoming, as he retired. The only restricted free agent to not return to the organization is Petr Vrana, who will play for Vitkovice in the Czech Republic; though his NHL rights are still owned by New Jersey.

Who's In: The New Jersey Devils only made signings for depth. They added goaltender Yann Danis, brought back former draft pick forward Ilkka Pikkarainen from Finland, and signed two-way deals with defensemen Rob Davison and Cory Murphy along with some minor-league specific moves (e.g. trading Tony Romano for Ben Walter). The lack of activity was a clear sign that the Devils intend to go with a "youth movement" to spark the team overall, and to keep the overall salary cap low when the cap goes down next season - something that Lou is confident will happen.

Three Team Strengths

Chemistry - While the Devils lost a number of free agents, the core really is still the same. When Patrik Elias is healthy enough to play, they will have 5 of their top 6 forwards available - and the sixth may be Brian Rolston, who was on the team last season. The entire defense from last season returns for a third season. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect the blueline to work even better as a unit now that they have been working together for so long. There may be open spots of the team, but the main parts of the team that won 51 games last season remain.
Coaching - Jacques Lemaire may have a reputation for defensive hockey and the trap. But he's publicly stated that he wants "a little more offense" than what the team was doing under Sutter. Based on the first preseason game, I felt the team played similarly to how Sutter had the team play. A few tweaks here and there, of course. And that's the strength. Lemaire is smart enough to know that the Devils don't need to be taught a completely different system or force square pegs into round holes. He knows what the organization wants and demands, he knows what the players can do, and he has responded accordingly.
Goaltending - Martin Brodeur is still one of the best goaltenders in the world today and he's completely healthy. I'm confident opposition forwards are already trying to figure out how to deal with it. Yann Danis did a fairly good job last season on an awful Islanders team and looked good in his first preseason game with New Jersey. Really, there's no reason not to be confident in this goaltending tandem.

Three Team Weaknesses

Depth at Center - Travis Zajac had a great 08-09 season and will continue to improve. At least, I expect him to improve. Dainius Zubrus may not be a good second line center, but he showed he can play the center position well enough and he's good on faceoffs. Beyond that, the Devils are hurt here by not replacing John Madden. Lowell's Rod Pelley is expected to be on the team (and was tipped by Lou as his replacement back in July, who knows if that's true now) but his lack of experience is a cause for concern. There were plans of Elias playing center yet again, but that's not happening because he had recent surgery to remove scar tissue from his groin. So Elias is now out for 3-6 weeks. The Devils have some options to get a fourth center on the team, but even then they will have to hope no other center gets injured.
Special Teams - The Devils power play wasn't so bad last season at 18.9%, but they only scored 48 goals in 5-on-4 situations (1 of 8 teams to score less than 50) and the majority of those goals came from either Parise, Elias, or Rolston. The penalty kill was poor, finishing with a success rate under 80%. The Devils will do well to improve the power play; but the penalty kill was surprisingly porous despite the Devils' normal commitment to defense.
Offense...from the Defense - Paul Martin was the only defenseman to put up more than 30 points last season; Oduya led the blueline in goals scored with 7 and shots on net with 108; and the defensemen combined for 3 power play goals. None of the Devils' top 6 can be considered as a true offensive defenseman and it showed when Brent Sutter used 1 defenseman on a power play (and sometimes, none at all). Cory Murphy was signed to help out on that front, as he put up 15 points in 25 games - 4 goals and 6 assists on the power play. He may be a specialist at best, though, so it'll still take a team effort to provide more points from the point.

Player Mentionables

Most Important Player: In most seasons, the answer to this question is normally Martin Brodeur. But last season proved that success doesn't rely entirely on Brodeur's shoulders. Don't get me wrong, I'll happily have Brodeur in net anytime. It's just that I think Zach Parise is the most important player for the Devils' offense and for the team. Parise broke through last season and his goalscoring and play making abilities made opposing defenses crazy and ensured success for the Devils more often than not. Parise led the team with 45 goals - a total that included 8 game winners, 3 overtime goals, 14 power play goals last season. He's pretty crucial, and what's more, he has the skills to prevent from being a one-year wonder (like Brian Gionta) since his game is so dynamic. It's not that he'll crash the net and put in a rebound, but he can also fire from mid-to-long range, set someone up from the side, and beat defenders for loose pucks all game long.

As the team's best offensive weapon, he'll need to continue to put up points at a similar rate next season to give the Devils the best chance of success. When Lemaire is saying you can't sit on a lead anymore in this league; that means the best defense is a good offense. Otherwise, the Devils' offense will be significantly weaker and the team will suffer for it. As a result, Parise is crucial to the team's success this season.

Player with the Most to Prove: Brian Rolston signed a 4 year, $20.25 millon deal in the summer of 2007 with the intention that he would an immediate significant contributor to the offense. Instead, he suffered an early injury, and ended up contributing only 15 goals and 32 points - his lowest totals since 1999-2000 - from the third line after said injury. Now that Brian Gionta is signed to Montreal, there is at least one spot for a top 6 winger available. Rolston will almost assuredly get the chance to play on an offensive line and attempt a comeback season. I'm expecting him to do that and replace Gionta's numbers in the process, and he's himself told the media that he's looking to rebound from last season. Now he just has to do it. Keep an eye on him.

Player who will Breakout in 2009-10: While multiple previews are tipping David Clarkson (and I don't disagree), I'm going to through some respect and high expectations to Johnny Oduya. Since coming to the NHL from Frolunda after the lockout, he has risen from a third pairing defenseman to be Paul Martin's defensive partner. He's pretty good at moving the puck, but his positioning and awareness in his own zone has improved by leaps and bounds over the years. He's not an offensive powerhouse, but he's improved his point totals with every season in addition to his defensive play. Now that he's guaranteed to be a Devil for another 3 years, I think the best is yet to come from Oduya - who is still only in his fifth season in North America professional hockey.

A Bold Prediction of a Depth Chart: This is a guess at a depth chart, assuming all players are healthy. I emphasize guess due to the ongoing training camp, along with injuries making a difference. So don't write these down in pen just yet.

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian Rolston - Patrik Elias - David Clarkson
Jay Pandolfo - Dainius Zubrus - Brendan Shanahan
Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond - Rod Pelley - Ilkka Pikkarainen
Extras/Could Make Team: Nicklas Bergfors, Vladimir Zharkov, Patrice Cormier, Tim Sestito, Matt Halischuk

Paul Martin - Johnny Oduya
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Bryce Salvador - Andy Greene
Extras/Could Make Team: Cory Murphy, Jay Leach, Rob Davison, Matthew Corrente

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

A Bold Prediction

Predictions are risky by their nature. The unknown could strike at any kind and throw all hopes and predictions into doubt: a series of massive injuries, an unforeseen incident or problem wrecks the team internally, or even a string of bad hockey games. So many uncertainties can cause problems. Or even bring fortune, like a player unexpectedly becoming a regular producer or blowing out a rival when they least expect it. Again, the list of what is certain is far shorter and doesn't really tell us much about what a team will do in the future. Still, I think based on past history and what we do know about the team, we can make a decent attempt at a prediction.

As I've told Wyshynski, when asked for a "testimonial" for his preview, this is a franchise that has missed the playoffs exactly once and has the second best combined record in the NHL since 1993-94. The core of the team is back, Martin Brodeur is healthy, and so far, it seems that Lemaire really is just tweaking Brent Sutter's system. No, this team probably won't match the 51-win season last season unless they go some torrid streaks in 2009-10. Yes, there are still issues the Devils still have to address. Yes, the other teams in the Atlantic/East/League have made big changes that may make things harder for the Devils. But again, that core has been through a lot over the years and they know how to handle adversity. The history and the core lead me - and perhaps you - to be bold and confident in the Devils' chances this season.

So let's be bold and confident. Not only will this team definitely make the playoffs; I'd be shocked if they finish by more than 10 points behind the Atlantic Division winners. I'm predicting that the Devils finish second in the Atlantic and fourth in the Eastern Conference.

Given that I've been going through and criticizing other Devils previews, I fully invite you to tear this apart as you see fit. Feel free to leave any other comments you have about this preview and where you think the Devils will finish in 2009-10 - or just vote in the poll. I thank you for reading this preview and your continued readership.

Poll

Where will the New Jersey Devils finish in the Eastern Conference in 2009-10?

1st Place - Atl. Division & Conference Winner

21 votes

2nd Place - Atl. Division Winner

26 votes

3rd Place - Atl. Division Winner

30 votes

4th Place - ILWT Prediction

27 votes

5th Place

17 votes

6th Place

14 votes

7th Place

2 votes

8th Place

3 votes

9th Place or Worse - Out of Playoffs, Specify in Comments

11 votes

151 votes | Poll has closed