#1: Devils Open Camp with 1 NHL Center

Hello Devils Fans! If you’re like me, you’re probably eager for the long off-season to be at an end. Another first round playoff departure for our Devils.  Another coach.  Another relatively quiet free agency period.  Same old philosophy – spearheaded by the Lou/Marty brain-trust.  Eklundian rumors of a Marleau trade now behind us, let’s take a realistic look at what kind of product NJ is going to ice this year.

The top line is essentially a lock: the same guys are back who carried the team all of last season, hoping to repeat that success.

Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner

However, the rest is a bit less clear.  First off, NJ chose not to resign Madden, Gionta, and Rupp.  Bobby Holik retired.  Madden, a long-time Devil, and parts of two Stanley Cups, was let go most likely due to age and performance.  He hasn’t been the same checker in either of the last two early playoff exits, which is where it counts.  He got a 1-year deal in Chicago, so hopefully he finds success.  Gionta was also a career Devil, but became a victim of the salary cap world.  In the new reality, not every player can be resigned and be given reasonable raises.  As a “very good” but not great scorer, he priced himself off the team and signed a fat 5-mil per contract in Montreal (reunited, I might add, with his buddy Gomez).  Good for him.  All the best.  Rupp was a character guy but beyond physicality (and props to him for dropping the gloves as much as he did when it was never his game to begin with), didn’t offer much to the team moving forward.  Now he’ll have a chance to play on the same team and defend the likes of Crosby, Malkin, etc. in the Steel City.

The result is two less natural centers (Madden, Holik).  Three if you count Rupp, who played center at times in his career.  Compounded with this – the fact that Brian Rolston (who was brought in as a “center” for the Elias-Gionta line) never quite found his form last season post-injury, and now is slated to play wing under new coach (and familiar face) Jacques Lemaire.

So where are the centers? Well, first off – there are still centers available on the free agent market, but not many who actually fit the “2nd line center” billing.  You’ve got talented checkers like Manny Malhotra and Dominc Moore, but it remains to be seen if NJ will sign guys like those while their official position on the “Madden spot” will go to AHLr Rod Pelley.  If they choose to sign a Malhotra-type, they’ll essentially have two 3rd line centers, and Zajac logging 1st-line minutes while he may be better suited to 2nd-line expectations.

The plan as of now, according to quotes from Lemaire (courtesy Tom Gulitti of the extremely informative Fire & Ice blog), Elias will be tested as a center, where he has at times been tested before.

Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner
Rolston-Elias-Bergfors*

Nic Bergfors is one of the Devils’ top prospects, but it remains to be seen if he can step into a top-6 role.  This should be his make-or-break professional appearance.  He’ll either step in and show why the Devils were once so high on him (in the mold of prior youngsters like Elias/Sykora, Parise/Zajac, etc.), or he’ll bust and the Devils may have little patience.

The third line is a bit up in the air.  However, the GM did state this summer that he’d like Clarkson to see more minutes, which would say that he’ll not play on the 4th line at all this year (he did play 3rd line much of last season), but it remains to be seen if Clarkie will get a shot with Elias and Rolston.  I tend to think he may at some point, but Bergfors will need top-6 minutes if we’re to get any look at him.

Rod Pelley is promoted to Madden’s checking spot, but he hasn’t proven anything in the NHL in his 60+ games of experience.  Jay Pandolfo is still with the team, sans-Madden, and it’s not known how Lemaire will use him.  Pando was benched for a long period of time in the Sutter-regime and looked more like an expensive 4th liner. Personally, I believe the initial 3rd line will be:

Pandolfo-Pelley-Clarkson

Remaining players include Danius Zubrus (3.4m), Ilkka Pikkarainen (signed from Finland), Piere-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (P3L), and Brendan Shanahan (re-upped for 1 year).  Andrew Peters (Buffalo) has also been given a try-out, who will compete with P3L for the fighter position. It likely shapes up as:

Shanahan-Zubrus-P3L

*Pikkarainen on possible rotation with P3L and/or Shanahan.  Zubrus seems an ill-suited natural center himself, but provides good depth in a 4th or 3rd line role.  He’s also a candidate for the 2nd-line center spot, but considering the rookie Bergfors, I don’t believe he’ll have it from the onset.

In summary:

Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner
Rolston-Elias-Bergfors
Pandolfo-Pelley-Clarkson
Shanahan-Zubrus-P3L

Pretty good depth on all of the lines – but Rolston will have to compensate for the loss of Gionta (which is mostly a wash).  This season may depend on how well Elias can adjust to center, if Parise and Zajac can duplicate their success under Jacques Lemaire, and if Brodeur can play as well in the playoffs as he does in the regular season.  It seems to me that a key piece is missing, probably in the forward-core, and definitely at least 1-upgrade in the defense (which will remain untouched from last season).

NJ will likely open the season with what they have – but may be a good trade candidate in an upgrade at center and possibly on D.  Let’s see how the coaching change affects their play, which is likely what Lou plans to do before making a move. Go Devils.