After failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, the New Jersey Devils look to begin anew.
John MacClean turned out to be more of an excavator than a head coach. The hole that he dug and put his Devils in turned out to be an early grave. After winning just 9 of their first 34 games, he was forced to make a premature exit.
Jacques Lemaire was called in to take the reigns in an attempt to resurrect a very dismal start. From day one he began giving hope to a confused fan base. Under Lemaire, NJ made a big push towards making the playoff but fell short by 12 points. Lemaire announced his retirement at season’s end which forced the Devils organization to make the biggest change they would undergo all off season.
New head coach Peter DeBoer is looking to turn things around for the 2011-2012 season. DeBoer is hoping, as well as the fans, that history does not repeat its self for him. When with the Florida Panthers, Peter managed to miss the playoffs all 3 seasons. For the people of New Jersey and Lou Lamoriello, Peter DeBoer better pray that he can deliver a deep run into the playoffs. Sadly with his NHL past and the Devils struggles of late, he wont have much time.
Last season Zach Parise went down early with a knee injury that gave him a short 13 game season. It seems the injury bug has managed to stay in New Jersey for another year. Now the IR position is filled by Center Travis Zajac (Achilles). Zajac was heavily favored for a top line spot in Coach DeBoer’s new offensive game plan. The former 1st round draft pick was coming off of a season in which his stats were not what he had been used to in the previous two. His 44 points, 13 goals and 31 assists, was a significant drop from his 62 and 67 point seasons in ’08-’09 and ’09-’10 respectively. Despite his dip in stats last season, he was being looked to by the organization to help return the Devils back to glory. The injury is projected to keep Zajac out of the line-up for roughly a month and a half of the regular season. Being that is an Achilles injury that time table may be extended.
Left Winger Zach Parise and the Devils were not able to settle on a long term contract, but did manage to agree on a 1 year deal. although it is a small victory, it is still a victory. The return of Parise allows for some optimism to be thrown around the bar room gossip.The superstar is coming off of a serious knee injury, yet he is being seen as a serious consideration to wear the “C” at the start of the season. The 27 year old is looking good and will be a huge contributor to the Devils line up this season. Seen as a major face of the franchise, Parise gives fans hope in a season with so many questions. He is an avid goal scorer and a member of the Olympic silver medal winning United States hockey team. Why wouldn’t fans be excited?
Ilya Kovalchuk has been an enigma while with the Devils. When he is hot, he is a contributing member to the team. When he is cold, he might as well play for the opposing team. Although he scored 31 goals last season, 10 goals less than the previous season, he was a staggering minus 26. Last year he was looked to step up his game and make up for the big loss when Parise went down. He failed. This season he will be faced with a similar task. Will he manage to take on that responsibility and live up to his contract, or will he show us what we have already seen?