The 2007-08 New Jersey Devils are a hard team to project.
They have a new coach,4 rookies,a few new veterans and lost a few key players to free agency.
Many observers are counting the Devils out,but we aren't quite ready to so yet.
The Hockey media has always had a anti-Devils bias (don't believe me? find some Mike Brophy columns in the Hockey News,where he screams "anyone but the Devils"),so they would love to see this happen.
Ironically,this is happening as the Devils begin to streamline the style that won three Stanley Cups,as new coach Brent Sutter is starting to phase out the defensive protection style and use a more aggressive fore-checking style that should begin to quiet the critics of Devils Hockey that complain of it being boring.
I doubt that will happen though,as with anything in the world,once a reputation is gained it is difficult to shed away.
General Manager Lou Lamoriello seems to being letting Sutter do things his way,but how long will he do so?
I have great respect for Lamoriello,but I must admit that I am wondering if he is serious about being more hands-off with the coaching staff.
The Devils did suffer some major losses and will need some players to step up to replace them.
The biggest loss was defenseman Brian Rafalski to the Red Wings.
Rafalski returns home to his native Michigan and I must admit that I thought Brian would return to the Devils,but going home is a good reason to leave.
I do not hold animosity towards players that return to their home area half as much as I do guys that leave to the highest bidder.
This leads to the other defector-Scott Gomez,who left the Devils for the bigger dollars of the New York Rangers.
Gomez gained about 12 miles in his attempt to be closer to his family in Alaska and will be the latest Ranger to get big bucks and be a disappointment.
Gomez is a top level passer,but is not a goal scorer and one of his demands in free agency was his desire to consistently be on the ice against the opposition's top lines,which he was rarely allowed to be in New Jersey.
Of course,that was to protect the Devils and Gomez from his less than stellar play on the defensive end,so the Blueshirts will enjoy that part of his game.
The final loss was steady veteran Brad Lukowich to the Lightning.
I think Lukowich would have returned in the right situation,but things did not fall that way.
Brad was a nice player,but his type are easily replaced.
The newcomers that the Devils brought in were not the big names that were lost,but should prove to be productive players.
Dainius Zubrus was signed after a solid 06-07 season with the Capitals and Sabres,but could have been overpaid.
Zubrus scored 24 goals last season and can play either wing or center.
Defenseman Karel Rachunek and Vitali Vishnevski come to New Jersey to add to fill the void left by Rafalski and Lukowich.
Rachunek has the rap of a soft,slow player that he will need to change to be a helpful player.
Ryan reports that Rachunek was a player that he was happy to see leave Ottawa and thinks he is not a good Devil fit.
Ryan saw him play often in his Ottawa years and I haven't seen him play much,so I will defer to Ryan until I can see him play more myself.
Vishnevski comes with a reputation of being a hard hitting,aggressive defender that could quickly become a popular Devil for his toughness.
Arron Asham comes to New Jersey from the Islanders and the gritty winger seems to be an excellent fit for the Sutter system
Four Rookies made the roster to start the season.
Forwards Niklas Bergfors,David Clarkson and Rod Pelley all start their first full season in the league and are joined by Andy Greene on the back group.
All but Bergfors had cameos at various points during last season and Greene was even on the playoff roster.
Bergfors has been a closely watched player by Devil fans since his 1st round selection by New Jersey in 2005.
He is a creative offensive player and should fit into the new Sutter style of play.
Clarkson was impressive during his appearances last season and brought reminders of Randy McKay to Devils fans.
Pelley will likely make appearances as the checking center over the course of the season,while Greene is expected to step right in as one of the top six defensemen and make an immediate impact.
The lines and defensive pairings have not been announced,so I cannot comment too much on actual pairings yet.
The Captaincy was removed from Patrik Elias in favor of 3 players each wearing the A.
Elias,along with Brian Gionta and Dainius Zubrus will each have the A on the jersey until a Captain is decided on down the road.
Gionta missed 20 games last season,but still scored 25 goals and the Devils badly need the right winger to return to 05-06 form when Brian scored 48 goals.
Zach Parise had a huge sophomore season with a 62 point year splitting his points evenly between goals and assists.
Parise will see time at both center and left wing.
Travis Zajac scored 17 goals with 25 assists and should move up to a higher line this year,so continued improvement could go a long way to Devil postseason hopes.
Tough veteran winger Jamie Langenbrunner will miss some time this season due to hernia injury,but will return around mid-season.
John Madden,Jay Pandolfo and Sergei Brylin return to harass opposing teams with their defensive skills.
Paul Martin was given a lucrative contract extension to be the star of the Devil D-Corps.
Martin has improved every year and needs to continue the improvement,especially on the power play where Rafalski's loss could be felt the most.
Colin White continues to smack around teams with his physical play,but could miss the season start after a camp eye injury and veteran
Richard Mativchuk returns after an abbreviated last season to add leadership to the team.
John Oduya returns for his second season with the Devils to round out the unit.
The Goaltenders are led by the best in the world in Martin Brodeur.
Brodeur did appear to wear down last season after playing in 78 of 82 games and Kevin Weekes has been brought in to give Marty an occasional game off.
One worry is a slow start as the Devils will play their first nine games on the road as the new Prudential Center is still being completed.
If the Devils can go 5-4 on the trip,I would consider it a successful trip.
All and all,I think the Devils will have a tough time defending the Atlantic division title,but they certainly are a playoff team and will be a tough team to beat come playoff time.
Bullpen Notes
The Devils claimed defenseman Sheldon Brookbank off waivers from Columbus yesterday.
Brookbank won the Eddie Shore award for top defenseman in the AHL last season.
No word if Brookbank will stay in New Jersey or be assigned to Lowell.
In a funny note-new Middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik left his $666,500 check in his Atlantic City hotel room.
No harm done as the check was canceled and reissued.
Quick Baseball predictions
AL-Indians in 5,Red Sox in 4
NL-Cubs in 5,Rockies in 5
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