I decided to change the way I do my weekly report on the Devils. Instead of giving out letter grades each week, I am going to track whether or not the trend of their play has been up or down this week. I just felt that letter grades weren't flowing as well because what was an A for one player was a B for some others.

M. Brodeur		Had a great game in Pittsburgh and followed it up with a pretty bad outing at home. The Buffalo loss wasn't completely his fault
Y. Danis		An excellent start to his career in NJ against the Bruins. I hope the confidence he showed in net on Thursday tells NJ to use him more than we've used our backups in the past.
R. Niedermayer		Didn't get a point this week, was robbed by Miller on a goal Wednesday night but he seems to be doing the right things out there.
R. Pelley		4th line = not still not so good.
T. Zajac		A 2 point night in Pittsburgh followed up by goose eggs against Buffalo and Boston. I am looking for a little more consistency out of this guy.
D. Zubrus		Points in 2 of the last 3 (and 3 of the last 4) including the GWG in Boston.
P. Elias	-	Injured, hopefull will practice with the team in the upcoming week.
J. Pandolfo		Got injured against the Pens and will be out 4-6 weeks.
Z. Parise		He's a points machine and I know I can't count on him for something every single night.
A. Peters		Why is this guy here? Spent most of the week as a healthy scratch but played in Boston, didn't do much.
N. Bergfors		I was a sell on this guy but he's starting to looking more comfortable at the NHL level. Got a couple of points, made some nice plays and the kid certainly has some wheels.
D. Clarkson		Picked up a couple of assists in Pittsburgh and then looked lost against the Sabres. I would have given him the red arrow but he got an important goal Thursday in Boston.
M. Halischuk		No points, don't hear his name much, not sure what to think. Maybe Holik should give him a buzz and tell him what wearing #16 is all about. Wait, no PIMs yet, put down the phone Bobby, put down the phone.
J. Langenbrunner		Seems to be good for an assist a game, I'd like goals but points are points and I expect my first liners to get them night in and night out.
P. Letourneau-Leblond		Doesn't have a point but I prefer this guy over Peters. Lemaire seems to swap those two but I am hoping that Lemaire gets on the PLx3 bandwagon soon.
I. Pikkarainen		4th liner, not doing anything in my opinon.
B. Rolston		Can someone explain this guy to me? $5 million a year, has 0 points this week, can't seem to finish plays that are handed to him and he can't find his way off the third line. Maybe he should sell hot dogs at the home games, this way NJ can get some kind of ROI.
M. Fraser		Played his first game against Pitt, got his first goal which also happened to be the first goal by a NJ D-man this year
A. Greene		Was the man this week. Only bright spot against the Sabres and picked up asists in the other games (and I thought for a brief moment he had a goal in Pitt, not Bergfors).
P. Martin		Got hurt against the Pens, like Pando, out 4-6 weeks. This one is going to hurt.
M. Mottau		Missed the Pens game due to injury but came back with 19 mins against Buffalo and 26 mins against Boston
C. Murphy		Hit waivers, then went to Lowell, then came back when Martin went down only to find himself sitting above the press box.
J. Oduya		Like Rolston, I am down on this guy. Huge contract, ZERO contribution and now he's come home to NJ after an injury against Boston and won't play in TB on Saturday.
B.Salvador		Seems to be doing what a d-man should, picked up an assist in Boston.
C. White		In my opinion he becomes the number 1 guy while Martin is down. He should think so to and maybe then he'll actually play like it.

My "Player of the Week" award goes to: Andy Greene (Parise can't win EVERY week!!)

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The Devils didn’t play a very good game against the Thrashers for some reason but they rebounded nicely vs the Hurricanes and then went in and took care of the Rangers in MSG. Seems that the Devils are playing more focused hockey away from The Rock this season.

 

Forwards

 

18  Niclas Bergfors – Grade: The kid is really starting to impress me a little bit. He seems to work hard for the puck and that paid off in his first goal of the season Thursday vs the NY Rangers. Grade: B- (C)

23  David Clarkson – Kind of a quiet week but did pick up an assist on the Bergfors goal. Grade: B (A)

16  Matt Halischuk – Still not sure about this kid and he’s on my very short list of guys that go once Elias is healthy– Grade: C- (D)

15  Jamie Langenbrunner – A goal and 3 assists this week, can’t ask for much more. Grade: A (B)

22  Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond – Only played two games, didn’t do much but I think he’s a better option than Andrew Peters. Grade: C-  

21  Rob Niedermayer – Picked up 2 assists this week. He continues to be very consistent. Grade: B (B)

20  Jay Pandolfo – He’s out there, playing his typical Defensive style but didn’t find the point column this week.  Grade: C+ (B)  

9  Zach Parise –  There he is… 5 goals and 2 assists this week. We knew he’d wake up! Grade: A (B+)

10  Rod Pelley –  1 shot but he’s winning face-offs., can’t complain about that. Grade: C (D-)   

25  Andrew Peters – Played in the Atlanta game only, didn’t win the fight he started. Can this guy do anything? Grade: F (F)    

17  Ilkka Pikkarainen – Not really playing much. He sat for the Carolina and Rangers games. Grade: F (F)  

12  Brian Rolston – No points this week. He’s supposed to be excellent under Lemaire yet this guy can’t find his way off the third line. Third liners don’t get paid 5 million a year. He has to wake up soon. Grade: D- (C+)

19  Travis Zajac –  He was taken away from his usual line mates yet continues to find his way onto the scoring sheet. That’s what a star hockey play does. Grade: A (A)  

8  Dainius Zubrus – Found his way onto the ZZ Pops line and got the game winner against the Rangers. Grade: B (C)

 

Defense

 

6  Andy Greene –  Logging decent minutes, not contributing in the scoring but doing a decent job keeping the other teams from doing so. Grade:  C (C)   

7  Paul Martin -  He’s playing the most of all the D guys and staying out of the box. Grade: B- (B-)

27  Mike Mottau – He’s your average D guy but he took on Avery which ups anyones grade because Mottau isn’t usually a fighter and he had a nice defensive play on a wide open net vs NY.  Grade: B (C) 

29  Johnny Oduya  – Didn’t we give this guy a ton of cash this summer? Contract weighing him down? He’s not doing much out there. Grade: D- (D)

24  Bryce Salvador  -  Assisted on both goals in the loss vs Atlanta but he’s contributing. Grade: C (D)  

5  Colin White - Another average week for Colin White but he continues to play very disciplined hockey. Grade: C (C)

 

Goalie

Marty Brodeur – Marty is getting older and over the past few years, we noticed that it takes a little time for Marty to get going. He’s a good goalie, and at moments he’s great but we are 8 games into the season so we haven’t seen the real Marty yet. He didn’t have a great game against the Thrashers but got the SO vs Carolina and did well vs NY so each week he is getting better. What more can we ask? Grade: B+ (B)

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As I had feared last Friday, the Devils didn't do a very good job agasint the Thrashers. We will never be sure if the Devils were looking ahead to their game the next night with the Hurricanes or if they lost fair and square to Atlanta. One thing is for sure, the Thrashers outplayed the Devils for 40+ minutes. However, Saturday was a different story and the Devils, as a team, got the win. It really was a complete team effort and if they play like they did on Saturday night, win or lose, a fan can't be upset with that kind of performance.

The "Too Many Men" penalty is getting rediculous though. The Devils have been called 4 times in the last 5 games for having too many men jump on the ice. It's one of the worst penalties to take because it's just a complete lack of concentration. It's simple, jump on when you man jumps off, or is ready to do so. Devils worked on it in practice this week and I pity the next guy that does it.

In other news, Cory Murphy was placed on Waivers yesterday and cleared waivers today and has been assigned to Lowell. He's actually not the guy I wanted to see go, that honor belongs to Andrew Peters. He plain SUCKS. He can't score, can't pass, takes dumb penalties and can't even win a fight. Why is he here? The Lowell Devils signed left wing Dean McAmmond to an AHL contract today. McAmmond has 178 goals and 253 assists in 934 career NHL games but I doubt we will be seeing him in the NHL.

I really hate these gaps in between games as the next game isn't until Thursday at MSG.

 

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It's that time of week again. Each and every Friday, I will hand out my grades for the games played from Friday night through Thursday Night. This week, only 2 games were played in that time frame, @Florida and @Washington. It was mentioned to me last week that I may have been a little hard on the Devils with my grades but they were 1-2 at the time and had just lost to their biggest two rivals. A trip through Florida and Washington DC seems that have made quite a difference.

 

Forwards

18  Niclas Bergfors –He got one assist in the 2 wins this past week but it was an important assist and came after a lot of hard work. I do expect more from him. Grade: C (C-)

23  David Clarkson – 2 goals, a GW and one that forced OT. He did much better in front of the net this week and dropped the gloves to try and spark the Devils after going down 2-0 to Washington. Grade: A (C)

16  Matt Halischuk – Played in only 1 game on the road trip, didn’t do much. If I were him, I’d be worried about my spot on the team once Elias is healthy. Grade: D (D)

15  Jamie Langenbrunner – Still only has 1 goal that counts but he had the two shootout goals that translated into wins. Grade: B (C)

22  Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond – One game played, no points, very little ice time. Grade: D  

21  Rob Niedermayer – Another week, another 1 goal and 1 assist. Seems to be a pretty consistant player. Grade: B (C-)

20  Jay Pandolfo – He did a good job of shutting down the Caps top players. Grade: B (C)  

9  Zach Parise – Picked up a couple of assists but like Langenburnner, had two important shootout goals. Grade: B+ (B)

10  Rod Pelley – Not a good week and didn’t get any shots this week. Grade: D- (D)   

25  Andrew Peters – Played one game, the other two, he was where he belongs..SCRATCHED!! Grade: F (F)    

17  Ilkka Pikkarainen – Part of the horrific 4^th line still that has very little production. Grade: F (D)  

12  Brian Rolston – Had a better week, a goal and a couple of assists. His goal against the Caps, which cut the lead in half, was extremely important.  Grade: C+ (D)

19  Travis Zajac – Most consistent player through 2 weeks. Grade: A (A)  

8  Dainius Zubrus – Still hasn’t picked up his game much, only picked up one assist in the three wins last week. Grade: C (C)

 

Defense

 6  Andy Greene – Picked up 1 assist this week. Grade: C (C)   

7  Paul Martin -  Picked up another assist, remains consistent. Grade: B- (C)

27  Mike Mottau – Not doing much out there but not hurting us either. Grade: C (D) 

29  Johnny Oduya – Hasn’t found his way to the score sheet but leads team in PIM (no majors). Grade: D (D)

24  Bryce Salvador - Hasn’t done much but he did have 1 fight. Grade: D (D)  

5  Colin White – Got one assist against Washington and somehow has stayed out of the box. Grade: C (D)

 

Goalie

Marty Brodeur – Had a much better week and got his GAA down to 2.93 from 3.63 last week. He’s been getting better each game and even though he started out poorly against Washington, he turned it on and shut them out for 2 periods plus OT, including many PP opportunities to start the third period. He became the first goalie to reach 30 shootout victories this week with a win over Washington in the shootout. Grade: B (D)

 

Games Coming Up This Week: Altanta, Carolina  and @NY Rangers

 

 

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Each Friday afternoon I am going to put together a Devil's Report card for the week. I was going to do this once a month only but I thought doing it once a week would track the growth of players better than month to month. This week is kind of harsh but I don't think anyone of the Devils played all that well.

 

Player	Grade	Comments
Danius Zubrus	C	2 Assists in 3 games. I do expect more from the big man especially being out there almost 17 mins a game
Zach Parise	B	1 goal and an assist including a PP goal against TB. He also had a sick SO goal which of course doesn’t count
Rod Pelley	D	Nothing yet, averages 7 minuts a game and has 4 shots
Brain Rolston	D	He had that 1 goal in the blowout by Philly and has since looked a little lost.
Jamie Langenbrunner	C	Like Rolston he had the one goal in the Philly game and nothing really since although he had the SO winner in TB.
Matt Halischuk	D	2 games, 1 shot, nothing to show…I know, he's a rookie
Ilkka Pikkarainen	D	2 games, no shots part of the horrific 4th line.
Nic Bergfors	C-	He has 1 assist but hasn't really impressed but did look a little better vs TB
Travis Zajac	A	2 goals, 1 assist, only guy shooting regularly and save their asses against TB
Jay Pandolfo	C	He tries, he really does and he had a heads up goal Thursday night
Rob Niedermayer	C+	Not a bad start, 1G and 1A and logs decent ice time
David Clarkson	C	3A's and not many shots. I was hoping for more of him in front.
Andrew Peters	F	This guy is awful in my opinion.
Patrick Elias
Colin White	D	D hasn't been wonderful
Andy Greene	C	Got the assit on the Zajac last minute goal with a nice play to keep the puck alive
Paul Martin	C	One assist, the one constitant guy on D I think I can rely on
Bryce Salvador	D	D hasn't been wonderful
Mike Mottau	D	D hasn't been wonderful
Cory Murphy	D	D hasn't been wonderful
Johnny Oduya	D	D hasn't been wonderful
Mark Fraser
Marty Brodeur	D	Awful game to start and slowly getting better as the games go along. 11 GA 3.63 average is kind of sucky.
Yann Danis

Overall I'd give the team a D because I didn't feel much from them this week. They got blown out at home, lost to a rival and barely escaped from TB with 2 points when they almost had 0.

 

 

 

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I was visiting my favorite New Jersey Devils forum on the internet yesterday and I noticed two things. One, people really seem to freak out when you lose the first two games of the season. I think I said it in my recap yesterday but I will say it again. Just because you lose a few games to start off the season doesnt mean that your season is done and you should mail in the next 80 games. Someone brought up the point that no team that has started 0-3 has ever gone on to win the cup. To that I have to ask, how many people gave the Devils a chance in 2000 when the Flyers took a 3-1 series lead? I only bring that up because these crazy little stats that people dig up are only meant to be broken. Sure, with the Olympics happening this season and a number of Devils likely to be playing in Vancouver this February, I would like to stockpile as many wins in the beginning of the season as possible so as not to burn out our Olympians later in the season but if that doesn't happen, it's not the end of the world.

The second big discussion on the forums was about Marty Brodeur. Some people claim he's still the best while other claim he's done. I'm sort of in the middle and I am sure this won't make me extremely popular among Devils fans. Marty Brodeur was once the best goalie in the league, I mean he backstopped the Devils to 3 cups in 4 appearences but the truth of the matter is that he is 37 years old. Evetually he isn't going to be as quick and polished as he was 10+ years ago. Now I've said it for the last 2 years and I will say it again, if someone came to me and said I will trade you a decent package for Marty Brodeur, I would more than likely do it at this point. Marty is still one of the better goalies in the league but certainly not the best anymore. Sure, I like superstars to stay with one team and retire that way but if you can help your team fill some needs, then why not? I mean I am sure Marty would have a decent value on the market. I wouldn't actively shop him but if the oppurtunity arose, I wouldn't just turn it down, that's all I am saying.

In the first two games of the season, I have certainly noticed that Marty seems to have some kind of confidence problem. I mean the Flyers game was down right awful for him and the winning goal by the Rangers the other night was pretty soft as well but he's always let hin soft goals from 20 to 30 feet out. I was more concerned with the goal that tied the game at 2. The Rangers got him moving from side to side and beat him low stick side. I thought Marty didn't get side to side quick enough, something I always felt he was good at in the past. So is that his age catching up to him? I predicted that he would win 40+ games this season but after the first two, I don't like what I see in him.

With that said, he did give up the GW with 2:10 left to play in the second meaning that the Devils had 22:10 to put the equalizer past Henrik but that proved to be something they couldn't do. That problem is something that isn't on Marty and something that needs to be addressed soon.

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I thought I would take a lead from Puck Daddy and post my 10 bold predictions for the upcoming season for the New Jersey Devils, which by the way, kicks off tomorrow night against Philadelphia. So here we go!!

1. Zack Parise - Having been close last season with 94 points, Parise will be the first Devil to score 100 points in a season. He will end up with 47 goals (1 shy of Gionta's record) and 54 assists for 101 total points.

2. Marty Broduer will play 72 games this season and will win at least 40 of those starts.

3. David Clarkson will end up in the 20/20 club with 21 goals and 24 assists. He will also lead the team in fighting majors with 21, so I guess he's in the 20/20/20 club..

4. Rob Niedermayer will do a good job replacing the 2008/2009 version of John Madden, who was a disappointment in most eyes but the pre-Sutter John Madden we all fell in love with is long gone.

5. Niclas Bergfors won't be a big disappointment this season but he's not going have anyone putting his name in the Calder Trophy talk either.

6. Brian Rolston's leadership on the ice WILL prove to the fans why Lou brought him back to NJ last summer.

7. Travis Zajac, Jamie Langenbrunner & Patrick Elias will all end up with 30+ goals this season.

8. By November 1st, the media will stop talking about Jaques Lemaire being a defense first, a trap hungrykind of coach who has his teams play boring hockey... ehh who I am I kidding, they won't but they should be!!

9. The Devils will end with a 46-29-7 record and finish 3rd in the Atlantic and 5th overall and will face the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round.

10. With the addition of Rob Niedermayer to the Devils organization, talk about Scott joining his brother and his ex-coach in NJ will be a common theme in the media, especially come the trade deadline.

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The start of the season is just a few days away so there is no better time to put together my Devils season preview.

Last Season: Finished third in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division champions (51-27-4, 106 points), eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in a shocker in the first round of the conference playoffs, 4-3.

For the second year in a row, the Devils saw their season end early in the playoffs, this time to the sticks of the Carolina Hurricanes. To be truthful, I thought Carolina and NJ were very evenly matched teams, the killer about that series would be the come from behind wins in Game 6 and Game 7 as well as the Jussi Jokinen buzzer beating goal in Game 4 which turned Marty from a fun loving guy into a monster his own daughter wouldn't talk to. (He's since seen the error of his ways!!)

The Devils were a surprise to everyone last season because of the injury to Marty Broduer that forced him to miss 50 games. Scott Clemenson came up from Lowell, made Kevein Weekes continue to sit on the bench and saved the season for the Devils. Parise had an incredible season creating talk of being the first Devil in franchise history to reach a 100 points, something he eventually fell short of by only 6 points.

Off-Season Action: Brent Sutter stepped down as head coach and duped the organization into thinking he wanted to be with his family. Technically, Calgary is closer to his family and he gets to work with his brother but I am still calling foul on this situation. Lou turned to his good friend Jaques Lemaire to return to the Devils bench after leaving Minnesota. John McLean was given the head coaching duties in Lowell, which part of me wonders if this is to prep him for being the Devils head coach in the future. Scott Stevens was given a more active coaching role with the team (another preperation for the future) and Jaques good friend Mario Tremblay is along for the ride.

Long time favorite of mine, John Madden traded in his NJ address for one in Chicago while Scott Clemmensen, Brian Gionta, Niclas Havelid and Mike Rupp also opted for a change of address. Bobby Holik officially hung up his skates and Kevin Weekes took a job with Hockey Night in Canda (add your own HNIC jokes here!) Lou has never been a major player in the Free Agent Frenzy and continued that trend this year adding only Yann Danis and Cory Murphy well after July 1st deadline. Ilkka Pikkarainen hopes to follow in the footsteps of John Madden and Brian Raflaksi as guys that no one drafts, gets a chance from Lou and eventually becomes a major contributor in the NHL and as fans, we do too!! Brendan Shanahan returns to the Devils for a second straight season signing another one-year deal with team, which begs us to question is this going to be it for him? Travis Zajac and Johnny Oduya sign long term deals with the club.

Leading The Way: Zack Parise will continue to get more and more people to open their wallets and buy a #9 jersey. Last season he was on a line with Zajac and Langenbruuner and we watched him score 45 goals and 94 points which were almost record highs in both categories. There is no reason to believe he won't be able to at least equal those numbers this season, even on a team coached by Lemaire and thus aggrevating the Rangers fans out there because they have to live with knowing they took Hugh Jessiman over Zack Parise. Brian Rolston SHOULD step it up this season. He's back with his coach, back on the wing and should find a system that he's familiar with and does will in.

Breakout Player: Without a doubt this has to be David Clarkson this season. There is no reason to believe he can't be a 20 goal scorer this season and even put up 20 assists. Clarkson went from 9 goals in 2007/2008 to 17 goals last season and continues to remind every long time Devils fan of Randy McKay. Like McKay, he'll find himself in front of the net a lot putting in those so called "garbage goals" and, like McKay, not hesitate in throwing down the gloves. McKay scored a career high 24 goals while playing for Lemaire.

Blueline Hero: Paul Martin scored 33 points last season, led all D-men in ice time and average shifts by a long shot but doesn't get the praise like certain D-men before him. He's a critical player to this organization. Right behind him some would put Colin White's name here but I am going to go with Johnny Oduya (am I the only one who quotes Fargo when people talk of him?? Oh do ya now?) because he is so gifted with moving the puck.

Between The Pipes: The usual debates have already begun about whether Marty (who turns 38 in May) should play 70+ games but it's a bit moot after he played only 31 last season and still had inconsistency in the postseason. If the Devils make the playoffs again, it will be (as always) on Brodeur's shoulders.

2009/2010 Preseason Report Card:

Forwards: B
Defense: A-
Goaltending: A
Special Teams: C- (hard to give it that much considering the lose Madden on the P-Kill).
Coaching: B (Lemaire didn't have great recent success in Minnesota).
Management: A (Come on it's LOU!!)

Predicitions:
The Atlantic Division is once again a tough division. It has seen 4 of its 5 teams make the playoffs for 3 straight seasons. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are two teams that I think could finish ahead of NJ and the Rangers and Islanders are two teams that could finish behind the Devils. I see the Devils finishing third in the division and fifth overall meeting the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs. Is a cup in the future for this team? I can't answer that question but the Devils should continue their consistent march to the playoffs in the Spring and as a Devils fan, that's all you can ask for, a shot!

Before we move on to the 2009/2010 season, let's just go back a visit the highlights from last season one more time!!

 

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As a Devils fan I notice that it seems that the same two questions get asked every year and it always seems to turn into the biggest stories going into the season. Will Marty play so many games and can the Devils actually score a respectable amount of goals?

Marty Brodeur - Playing a lot of games is something Marty does, something he usually does. The exception was last season when he got injured and was forced to miss a large amount of games. Every season prior to the 2008/2009 season, it seemed that Marty took on too many games and come playoff time he seemed tired and the cause of the Devils exit from the post-season. Last season, Marty only played 31 games because of his injury and the Devils STILL left the playoffs early, so what does that tell you? At this point, who cares how many games Marty Broduer decides to play in net. It's really not worth asking him because it is an impossible question to answer. Injuries could happen, decisions made during the season could happen, who knows but it's not worth bothering him with this question. Miikka Kiprusoff played 76 games last season, Turco 74 games, Backstrom 71 games and Lundqvist played 70 games and NO ONE has asked them is they plan to log so many minutes this season. Let it go, he plays what he plays. If its all 82 games and they still make the playoffs, then good for him.

Scoring - The media always seems to question NJ's ability to score goals. Last season the Devils ended with a respectable 238 goals and finished 15th in the league in that category. Parise had a team high 45 goals, Elias had 31 and Langenbrunner had 29. Two other players also broke the 20 goal mark for the season. A few years back, Brian Gionta set the team record for number of goals scored in the regular season, a mark that Parise did not reach with his 45 goals last season. I do believe the goals will come again this season and it has been several years since the Devils played the defense first style of hockey. This team has a lot of talented scores and I would expect, unless injuries prevent it, that Parise scores 40+, Elias, Zajac and Langenbrunner put in at least 30 goals and I wouldn't be surprised to see David Clarkson be a 20 goal scorer this season.

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With the start of rookie camp this morning, its very clear that the season is just about upon us. With Brent Sutter lying his way out of NJ, the Devils have welcomed back a familiar face in Jaques Lemaire. I've thought about this move all summer and finally decided to put those thoughts to paper...paper being this blog.

Bringing back an old face to the organization is nothing new to the Devils but is bringing back Lemaire the right move? Hard to say at this point in time. I was in favor of bringing in a young coach (for the record I never wanted to give the job to John Maclean) and keeping him there for a number of years because I am tired of this revolving door of head coaches and I have to believe Lemaire isn't a long term solution given his age. Lemaire is known for his defensive style which doesn't exactly work in this league anymore but I want to believe that he recognizes that. I do believe Jaques Lemaire as the Devils coach has the ability to work out for several reasons:

1) He's a take no nonsense type of coach who will demand respect on the bench and in the locker room. There will be ZERO question as to who is in charge and who the players will answer to which is something I always questioned about Brent Sutter.

2) As I stated earlier, he is a defensive minded coach. This doesn't mean that the Devils will or should abandon the offensive style they've been working on over the last two season but that Lemaire should fix some of the weaknesses they did have on defense. While they were fourth in GAA's last season, the Devils did have issues holding on to a lead late in the game, a weakness pointed out by the Hurricanes in Round One of the playoffs. I am hoping Lemaire will be able to use his defensive knowledge and boost the confidence of the defense which will translate into holding on to leads in tight games.

3) Brian Rolston should make more of an impact this year. Rolston didn't succeed under Brent Sutter but came to NJ at the price he did because of his success under Lemaire. The is no doubt in my mind that Lemaire will look to Rolston to help lead this team (Langenbrunner rightfully remains the captain). I wouldn't be surprised to see Lemaire give Rolston "A" that Madden used to wear and that type of responsibility should benefit both the Devils and Rolston. I'm sure we will see Rolston back on the wing where he played for Lemaire in Minnesota, which should also increase Rolston's production.

4) The young players who are going to replace the guys that left get to learn from an excellent teacher. If you think about the young guys that Lemaire has taught in his career, you would absolutley agree with the statement I just made.

The one thing that remains clear is that the Devils can not afford to take a step backwards in their approach on the ice, something that a lot of fans fear will happen with Lemaire back in charge. The Devils have spent a lot of time trying to adopt an offense first attitude and escape the "Trapping" image that Lemaire brought the first time around and Lemaire must recognize that. Players like Parise, Zajac and Elias must be given the oppurtunity to play their game and the defensmen must be given the green light to pinch up and create offensive oppurtunities when they present themselves. Lemaire is smart enough to understand this and recognize that this team is much more talented than his Minnesota teams or even his 1995 Stanly Cup Champion.

As I said in the beginning of this post, I am not sure Lemaire was the right move (because I believe his time here is limited) but I believe 100% that he can work and I am willing to give him that chance. Of course there will be a transition period as there always is with a new head coach but that transition starts today as rookie camp opens up and kicks in to high gear when the veterans get here on Saturday. Get ready because the puck drops on the 2009/2010 season in exactly 24 days.
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