2014-2015 Review
At the start of last season, the Devils had a roster full of aging veterans at forward and young defensemen, with newly acquired Cory Schneider in net. An odd mix of rebuild and closing-window Cup chasing, the Devils found themselves behind the curve of the “new” NHL.
As has been their trademark for 20 years, offense was severely lacking and a defensive system combined with strong goaltending kept them from being a complete basement dweller. With only one potent goal scorer, buoyed by an unsustainable shooting percentage, Schneider often put the team on his back only to lose due to lack of goal support.
Coach Peter DeBoer was fired during Christmas break, with former GM Lou Lamoriello hilariously putting himself behind the bench yet again as a “co-coach” with Scott Stevens and Adam Oates. Younger players started to receive more playing time and the only movable assets, Jaromir Jagr and Marek Zidlicky, were shipped out for picks at the trade deadline. The Devils would finish seventh in the Metropolitan Division and selected sixth overall in the June entry draft.
New Additions
Jiri Tlusty
Tlusty signed a late summer, one-year deal with New Jersey and will likely be flipped for draft picks at the deadline. Still, he’s a solid puck possession player that makes up for lack of offensive upside, and should be in the New Jersey top six for as long as he’s there.
Kyle Palmieri
Palmieri comes to the Devils after spending the last five years with the Ducks, never recording more than 14 goals in a season. Still just 24, he’ll compete for (and likely win) a top six forward role with his new team. His upside is limited, however, due to lack of playmakers in New Jersey that can help propel his own game.
John Moore
Traded to Arizona as part of the Keith Yandle deal, Moore was not retained by the Coyotes. The Devils picked him up for three years, betting that he will fit in with the young blueliners already in Newark. Moore needs some seasoning and to be sheltered from tough competition, but he could still develop into a serviceable bottom pairing defenseman.
Ray Shero
After a hall of fame run of production with New Jersey, the Devils and Lou Lamoriello parted ways. Ray Shero heads to the Devils after being let go by the Penguins, hoping to transform the cultural identity of the defense-first Devils. Without a Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin to build around, Shero has his work cut out for him in the rebuild. His first move was bringing in John Hynes from Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate to coach the team.
Key Losses
Steve Bernier
A hero of the 2012 Stanley Cup grinder line, Bernier ends his tenure with the Devils but stays in the division, signing with the New York Islanders to play a fourth line role.
Ryan Clowe
When Clowe signed his massive 5 year, $25 million deal with New Jersey prior to the 2013 season, he came with health risks associated with recent concussions. Unfortunately, he never got much of a chance to show Devils fans why he was brought to town, as concussions forced him to retire.
Bryce Salvador
The captain of the 2012 Stanley Cup runner up also retired this season, as Salvador battled through nerve and concussion problems of his own over the last three seasons. His leadership will be missed, but his roster spot can be filled with one of the Devils’ young defensemen.
Scott Gomez
All he needed was a chance, and Gomez showed that he wasn’t completely out of gas after an embarrassing past several years. His seven goals and 34 points were the most he recorded since 2010, which also goes to show how starved New Jersey was for offense last year.
Dainius Zubrus
Another ancient player by the NHL standards, Zubrus was bought out after eight seasons with the Devils. His production dropped significantly and he couldn’t seem to leverage his size, Zubrus was a liability on the ice.
Biggest Strength
Defense and Goaltending
It remains to be seen how new coach John Hynes will roll out his more aggressive and open system of play, but a sound defensive structure is in the DNA of the Devils organization. Last season, Cory Schneider posted an absurd .925 save percentage over nearly 70 games, a true workhorse from a bygone era. The blueline boasts young talent in Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas and Damon Severson, along with stalwart veteran Andy Greene. There isn’t a Scott Neidermayer 2.0 on the roster, but the Devils have the backend to make life difficult for opposing forwards.
Biggest Weakness
Offense
With a few exceptions, you could pretty much roll this weakness out for the last 20 years. Never a team heavy on firepower, the Devils traditionally employed a balanced attack with pressure applied from the blueline combined with rolling out four competent lines. At this point, the Devils are in the extreme with regards to lack of firepower; Michael Cammalleri led the team with 27 goals last year on an unrepeatable 17.3% shooting rate.
Outside of Cammalleri, there is no player on the roster besides a well-past-his-prime Patrik Elias that has a history of producing. Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac have not materialize as the offensive weapons they were once thought to be, but remain solid support players. Unfortunately, the Devils offense is littered with secondary scoring options.
Bottom Line
It has been a long time since the Devils have undergone a rebuild, but it has been long overdue. With a game stealing netminder and plenty of salary cap space going forward, perhaps the Devils can accelerate their rebuild quicker than teams rebuilding due to cap mismanagement.
Nevertheless, 2015-2016 looks to be a tough year for New Jersey. A system change away from a defensive minded philosophy should help the offense produce, but the team finished 28 th of 30 in goals scored last season and will probably be in the bottom ten yet again.
Fantasy Slant
Most Overrated: Michael Cammalleri
He was the lone bright spot on offense, but shooting at 17.3% shouldn’t be counted on again. Cammalleri has the skills needed to score 20 goals, but he should be closer to 20 than he was to 30 last year.
Most Underrated: Cory Schneider
Schneider didn’t receive a vote for the Vezina last year due to his lack of wins, but Schneider was arguably the best goalie over the course of the year. If he played for a team that wasn’t allergic to scoring goals, his .925 save percentage easily should have given him 40 wins, perhaps even 50, over the 69 games he played last year. It will probably be much the same this year: solid ratios for your fantasy team, but lacking wins to support a high draft pick.
Biggest Surprise: Adam Larsson
Larsson often found himself in Peter DeBoer’s doghouse, whether for lack of effort or due to a coaching philosophy to shelter his bluechip defenseman. After the calendar flipped to 2015 and the coaching staff was shaken up, Larsson was given a chance to prove himself and gain NHL experience. He responded very well, playing over 20 minutes a game and producing 20 points in 43 games.
He should build off of the experience from last season, but his upper limit is capped due to New Jersey’s scoring woes. Expect a 30+ point season with room for more, and take him as one of your last defenders in drafts.