New Jersey Devils 2010 Preview & Predictions

New Jersey Devils 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

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NEW JERSEY DEVILS

2009-10 record: 48-27-7
Shootout Record: 6-5
Division Finish: 1st, Atlantic
Conference Finish: 2nd, Eastern
Goals For: 222
Goals Against: 191

New Jersey Devils 2010 Preview

A model of efficiency on the ice for so many years, the Devils now need to get some stability behind the bench.

Devil-for-life goaltender Martin Brodeur was in agreement after Jacques Lemaire stepped down following New Jersey’s third straight first-round elimination, its longest string of short springs since the early 1990s.

And when general manager Lou Lamoriello made his decision, he kept it in the family, promoting longtime assistant and one-year farm-team coach John MacLean. His mandate: keep the club responsible on defense, without putting the fans to sleep with a trap mentality.

MacLean scored more goals than anyone in franchise history, 347, so you know where he’s coming from.

MacLean’s long service to the team meant he crossed paths with several of them as teammates, such as Brodeur and forwards Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston.

Last year’s Devils weren’t exactly a charity case, posting 103 points, making it an incredible 12 times breaking into triple figures since 1993-94. In six of the past seven seasons, they have won at least half their road games. They came out of the gate last October winning their first nine away from the Prudential Center.

But the past four springs, they’ve also have been knocked out of the playoffs on home ice.

MacLean’ inherits the 38-year-old Brodeur, who had a 45-win regular season, before the surprising Philadelphia Flyers overwhelmed the whole Jersey squad in the first round. And the Devils have two of the hottest young snipers in the game in Zach Parise and Travis Zajac, who contributed a total of 63 goals. The Devils’ bold investment in Ilya Kovalchuk could pay huge dividends. The left winger may be back after getting 27 points in 27 regular-season games, with six more in five playoff tests. After losing defenseman Paul Martin to free agency, Lamoriello did bolster the blueline significantly by signing Anton Volchenkov from Ottawa and Henrik Tallinder from Buffalo to long term deals.

2010 New Jersey Devils Offense:

Along with Parise, the late-season arrival of Kovalchuk gave New Jersey two gunners in the League’s top 20 scorers, The former’s 347 shots were second only to Alex Ovechkin’s 368 and his plus-24 made him the only Eastern Conference player not employed by the Capitals to do that well. Perhaps no one is more thrilled with the offensive opportunities under MacLean than the dangerous Parise. Had captain Langenbrunner and Elias managed one more goal each Elias missed almost half the season the Devils would have had six 20-goal men, which was a lot for a defensive conscious, Lemaire-coached team. Also falling back after missing a chunk of the season was Dainius Zubrus, with 10 goals, his lowest in a decade, though he had the only game winner in the playoffs. Rolston and Kovalchuk had a couple of goals each in the playoffs. The repatriation of consistent shooter Jason Arnott from Nashville should add some offensive punch to the Devils’ roster.

2010 New Jersey Devils Defense:

Volchenkov had 14 points in 64 games last year, but his two-way play once ha,d him over the plus-70 mark for a recent three-year run with the Senators. Tallinder has been plus-l0 or higher in five of his past six seasons with Buffalo and, like Volchenkov, has never played for another franchise. Michigan native Andy Greene had not played a full season for the Devils, in fact he was never drafted. But with Johnny Oduya traded, he led all Jersey blueliners with 37 points in 78 games, as well as being a plus-nine with four game-winning goals. The Devils used 13 blueliners in all last season, with Mike Mottau and Mark Fraser coming to prominence, the rookie Fraser getting into 61 games, but just one in playoffs.

2010 New Jersey Devils Goaltending:

More debate about how many games Brodeur plays in the regular season versus his lack of recent playoff success will likely ensue, but if he didn’t play 70-plus,. would the Devils keep getting such bonuses as home ice advantage? Brodeur’s first start of the year was his 1,000th game, and his next playoff victory will be No. 100. He picked up the three shutouts needed to eclipse the last of Terry Sawchuk’s big records, achieving 104, and now sits at 110. Yann Danis became another in the list of goalies who’ve had to make do with little work, ending up with just six decisions (3-2-1) with a tidy 2.06 goals against average. But the Devils signed 37-year-old free agent Johan Hedberg, formerly of Atlanta, to a one-year deal with the plan to take some of the workload away from Brodeur.

New Jersey Devils 2010 Special Teams

The Devils were just outside the League’s top 10 with the extra man at 18.7%. Parise had nine power-play goals and Rolston seven, with a couple of more against the Flyers. They gave up just five short-handed goals all regular season. The ever-disciplined Devils were short just 239 times, best in the NHL and killed enough of those (82.8%) to rank 13th.

New Jersey Devils 2010 Season Predictions

Washington kept Jersey a distant second in the East last season, but the immediate threat will likely again come from Pittsburgh and perhaps the Cup finalist Flyers. Brodeur is sure to be a big part of the story, no matter what workload is assigned him by the new coach.

We predict that the New Jersey Devils will finish 1st in the NHL Atlantic.

New Jersey Devils Betting

New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup Odds: +1500
New Jersey Devils Eastern Conference Odds: +700

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