Thu Sep 20 15:01:30 2007

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2007-08 New Jersey Devils Preview

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(Sports Network) - There was a time not so long ago when the New Jersey Devils came into every season as a favorite to win the Stanley Cup. That may not be the case now, but the Devils are still a dangerous team as long as they have a future Hall of Famer in net.

Martin Brodeur put together one of the finest seasons of his stellar NHL career in 2006-07 and was awarded his third Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender. The 35-year-old goaltender has showed no signs of slowing down and actually played in a career-high 78 regular-season games last year.

However, the active regular season may have had a negative effect on Brodeur's postseason play. The Montreal native went just 5-6 in the playoffs as his club was knocked out in the second round by Ottawa.

The Devils will have a new man behind the bench this season as Brent Sutter takes over as head coach for longtime general manager Lou Lamoriello.The 45- year-old Sutter was one of six brothers to play in the NHL and is now the fourth member of the famous hockey family to become a head coach in the league.

However, Sutter may not have the greatest job security in New Jersey as the past two Devils coaches haven't lasted a full season. The Devils decided to fire Claude Julien as head coach after 79 games last year despite the fact that the team was in first place. In 2005-06, Larry Robinson resigned after 32 games, possibly recalling the fact that he was fired by Lamoriello in 2001, just one year after leading the Devils to a Stanley Cup title. Lamoriello took over head coaching duties on an interim basis in each of the last two seasons and ended both years behind the bench.

The Devils have won three of the last four Atlantic Division titles, but both the New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins come into this season as favorites over New Jersey to take the crown this year. That's due in large part to the fact that the Devils lost their best playmaker (Scott Gomez) and top defenseman (Brian Rafalski) over the offseason.

FORWARDS - The loss of Gomez would hurt the Devils no matter where he wound up going, but the fact that the centerman signed with the division rival Rangers compounds the situation.

Gomez had been a staple on the Devils offense since breaking into the league in 1999-2000 before deciding to cash in this offseason. The Anchorage, Alaska native notched 60 points (13 goals, 47 assists) last season.

However, the Devils will still have valuable forward Patrik Elias at their disposal this season. The 31-year-old Elias was the leading scorer for New Jersey last year, as he notched 69 points (21g, 48a). The Czech star has spent his entire NHL career with the Devils and has recorded 60-plus points in five seasons.

Taking over for Gomez as center on the top line is expected to be 22-year-old Travis Zajac. The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba had an impressive rookie campaign in 2006-07 as he posted 17 goals and 25 assists. He will be called on to add to that total this year.

A youngster who took a big step forward last year was Zach Parise, a first- round pick by the Devils in 2003. The 23-year-old American played in all 82 games in his second NHL season and recorded 31 goals and 31 helpers.

New Jersey will also hope for more of the same from veterans Brian Gionta and Jamie Langenbrunner this season. Gionta missed significant time due to a groin injury last year, but still managed to notch 25 goals and 20 assists in 62 contests. Meanwhile, Langenbrunner had the highest point total of his career as he put up 60 points (23g, 37a) in 82 contests.

The Devils also added free agent winger Dainius Zubrus to their roster this summer. Zubrus was traded from Washington to Buffalo before the deadline last year and had 24 goals and 36 assists in 79 total games.

Although not a prolific scorer, the Devils John Madden is a big key to the team's success. The 34-year-old center is one of the best penalty killers in the entire league and a former Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward. Last year, Madden had 32 points (12g, 20a) -- his lowest total since the 2001-02 campaign.

DEFENSE - The Devils blue line has lost quite a few marquee defensemen in recent years and Rafalski joined the list of the departed this offseason.

New Jersey lost both Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer after the 2003-04 campaign, as the former opted for retirement and the latter went to Anaheim as a free agent. The Devils were able to survive those setbacks and continue to play stingy defense and it's likely they will be able to cope without Rafalski as well.

Last year, New Jersey allowed just 193 goals in the regular season, placing them first in the Eastern Conference and tied for third in the NHL.

The Devils will miss Rafalski's 55 points from last year as well as his ability to quarterback the power play. Paul Martin will likely become Jersey's top-scoring and No. 1 overall defenseman in Rafalski's absence. The 26-year- old Martin played in all 82 games last year and notched three goals and 23 assists.

Offseason signee Karel Rachunek left the Rangers and will add some depth and scoring ability to New Jersey's blue line. The 28-year-old Czech played in 66 games with New York in 2006-07 and put up 26 points (6g, 20a).

The Devs also signed Vitaly Vishnevski this summer after the Russian notched three goals and nine assists in 52 games with Atlanta a year ago.

At 6-4, 215 pounds, Colin White is a prototypical defensive defenseman who loves to bang in front of the net. The Devils have another player cut from the same mold in 6-3, 215-pound veteran Richard Matvichuk.

New Jersey will also rely on improved play from younger defenseman such as Andy Greene and Johnny Oduya, who were both rookies last season. Greene, 24, played in 23 games and recorded one goals and five helpers, while the 25-year- old Oduya 11 points (2g, 9a) in 76 contests.

GOALTENDING - Brodeur was already considered to be one of the best goaltenders of his generation before he managed to put together possibly his greatest campaign in 2006-07.

All he did was set a new NHL record with 48 wins while finishing first in shutouts (12), and third in goals against average (2.18) and save percentage (.922). It all added up to Brodeur winning the third Vezina Trophy of his storied career.

However, the long season was rough on Brodeur, who stumbled in the postseason with a 2.44 goals against average and 5-6 record in the playoffs. The truth is that the Devils have put more pressure on their franchise goaltender by not holding onto key skaters and sometimes the legendary backstop can't do it all.

This year, New Jersey has opted to upgrade at the backup goaltender position rather than take Brodeur's durability for granted. The team signed Kevin Weekes, who should see more action than former Brodeur fill-in Scott Clemmensen did in the last few seasons.

The Devils are the seventh team for Weekes, who played in 14 games with the Rangers last season. The 32-year-old has a 2.90 GAA and .902 save percentage in 323 career games.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - The Devils always seem to exceed expectations as pundits tend to prematurely predict the franchise's demise. New Jersey's championship form has been depleted by free agency, but Lamoriello is a master at putting together a playoff team on a budget. The Rangers, Penguins, and possibly the Flyers look better on paper, but Jersey will still be in the hunt for the postseason thanks in large part to the presence of Brodeur in goal. This could be the year the Devils' free-agent losses finally cause the team to implode, but it wouldn't be wise to bet on it.