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Predictions
EAST
1. WAS
2. BOS
3. PHI
4. PIT
5. CAR
6. MTL
7. NJD
8. TBL
9. TOR
10. BUF
11. NYR
12. FLA
13. ATL
14. OTT
15. NYI
WEST
1. CHI
2. VAN
3. ANA
4. DET
5. SJS
6. CGY
7. CBJ
8. LAK
9. MNW
10. STL
11. DAL
12. EDM
13. NSH
14. PHX
15. COL
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Back to Preview Main
EASTERN CONFERENCE
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51-27-2
106 PTS
Playoff Result: Lost 1st round
(CAR)
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TOP SCORER: Zach Parise, 84
TOP GOAL SCORER: Z. Parise, 45
TOP ASSISTS: Z. Parise, 49
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PP RANK: 15
PK RANK: 20
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Ceiling: $56.8M
Devils: $50.56M
Floor: $40.8M
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OPEN 1/2
WAY
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Brian Rolston. With the other Brian (Gionta)
gone, Rolston must earn his $5M salary by scoring more than the
brutal sum of 15 he produced last season.
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Martin BrodeurOne game shy
of 1,000, what hasn’t this 37 year old future Hall of Famer done?
His consistently low goals against average and solid save percentage
has enabled the Devils to get away without much offense and he shows
no sign of letting up, even at this point in |
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7. New Jersey Devils
All that’s old is new again. Jacques Lemaire, who
famously led the Devils to the Stanley Cup in 1995 and ushered in the most
reviled defensive system in NHL history, “The Trap,” returns to New Jersey,
taking over a club that had found a new offensive direction under ex-coach
Brent Sutter, who joined his brother Darryl in Calgary. Will Lemaire return
the Devils to the style of hockey he made famous in Jersey, then again in
Minnesota until last season?
You can bet your life on it. And you can bet that
Lou Lamoriello welcomes it.
The Devils, with a “No-name” defense consisting of
Paul Martin, John Oduya, Bryce Salvador, Paul Martin, Mike Mottau and Colin
White, finished fourth in the league’s defensive rankings.
Offensively, the Devils lost Brian Gionta, but it’s
no surprise, since Lamoriello would be loathe to pay $5M for a player who
had dipped to 20 goals and will likely not reach his career-high 48
(2005-06) again. Look for right wing Nicklas Bergfors, a 2005 first round
draftee, to get a crack at the lineup after scoring 22 goals for Lowell (AHL).
Center Petr Vrana, a 24-year-old from Sweden drafted in 2003, is also worth
a look.
Zach Parise, 25, netted a career-high 45 goals and
finished fifth in the NHL scoring race in his fourth NHL season. His
confidence is now sky-high, as proven by his 364 shots. Jamie Langenbrunner
recorded a career-high 29 goals and ever-reliable Patrik Elias potted 31.
Brian Rolston had a dreadful season after signing for 4 years, $20.25M.
Figure that Lamoriello will assign a good deal of Gionta’s offensive load to
Rolston after the Flint, MI native scored 15 goals, his lowest total since
1995-96, his second in the league. Dainus Zubrus is good for a point ever
other game.
The team will suffer from the loss of John Madden,
shutdown artist extraordinaire, who signed for a year with Chicago.
In goal, Martin Brodeur is healthy after being
limited to only 31 games due to elbow surgery. The four-time Vezina,
four-time Jennings trophy winner will be backed up by Yann Danis, who did a
solid job in the nets for the brutal Islanders last season.
The Devils will be back to a more defensive system,
but make no mistake, their offense is disciplined, and hey, Brian Rolston
has to have something left in the tank, right? Figure that the Devils will
bore the opposition to sleep and find themselves in the post-season once
more.
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