Hey Devils- It’s Time to Rebuild!
As we hit the Christmas break, teams finally have a chance to catch their breath and assess where they are and look themselves in the mirror to ask one simple question: are we for real or is it time to blow it up? And for New Jersey Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello, it’s time to realize that his club needs a complete overhaul.
Despite missing the playoffs last year, this was a club that posted some of the better possession numbers in the league, and if they could have had any success in the shootout, most likely would have been in the playoffs. Figuring they added some offensive pieces, finally turned over the reigns to a legitimate number one goalie, with a little bit of luck, some even thought this team would be a serious contender. Okay, maybe I was the only schmuck who thought that, but still…
Through 36 games the Devils stand at 12-17-7, good for 31 points and seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. Their offense ranks 28th in the league, and the team has resorted to bringing back Scott Gomez off the streets to play top six minutes. To Gomez’s credit, he has played well, but his presence and minutes are more of a testament to the rest of the forward group that has been underwhelming at best.
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42-year old Jaromir Jagr is tied for the team lead with 20 points (5 goals, 15 assists) along with Adam Henrique. Free-agent acquisition Mike Cammalleri has provided some offense (team-leading 11 goals), but has missed a dozen games with a variety of ailments and with four-years remaining on his contract after this season, must make the Devils feel uneasy about the long-term health of the32-year old winger.
Beyond that though, the forward group is rather vanilla with no game-breakers and contains a mix of disappointing or past-their-prime players. The biggest disappointment up front no doubt has to be Travis Zajac who has only eight points through 28 games. The Devils were counting on the center to be a top center when they re-signed him to a eight-year, $46 million deal with a no-trade clause before the 2013/14 season. Unfortunately for the Devils Zajac hasn’t been able to re-capture the scoring touch that saw him post back-to-back 60+ point seasons when he was 23 and 24 years old.
The defense has some promising pieces with youngsters Eric Gelinas, Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, and Damon Severson, but with most young defensemen, growing pains are expected and coach Pete Doboer has yet to find a consistent defensive rotation. Veteran Marek Zidlicky has provided some offense from the blue line (five goals, 12 assists), but with Bryce Salvador injured (wink, wink), Andy Greene being just okay, the once defensive-stout Devils organization has allowed the 12th most goals allowed per game.
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Of course part of the issue with the goals against is goaltender Cory Schneider. After signing a long-term extension last summer with the Devils and firmly entrenched as the team’s number one netminder, Schneider has been mediocre so far this season. He’s played 31 of the team’s 36 games, posting a .915 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average. And beyond the numbers has been too often the poor quality of goals allowed that have doomed the club. Perhaps with Doboer finally giving rookie Keith Kinkaid some action, Schneider can get some more regular rest and improve the second half.
Overall this is a bad team with a coach that will most likely be fired after another playoff-less season. It’s time to think big picture, no matter how painful that may be for an organization that was synonymous with winning.
Right now they are the fifth worst team in the league by the standings, and the Devils should use the rest of this season to play whatever young players it has and build for the future. The organization does not contain any star-power in its farm system, and the only way it will be able to acquire a talent is if it “wins” the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, or at the very least, the consolation prize in Jack Eichel.
They have a few pieces they need to move before the deadline. Jagr will have suitors and should be moved by the trade deadline. He won’t fetch much, perhaps a mid-round draft pick or average prospect. Maybe a team gets desperate and looks at a veteran like Dainius Zubrus to add some size to their bottom-six. Of course he makes $3.1 million through next season, so most likely the Devils would have to retain some money if they moved him. There isn’t much on the roster that is attractive to a playoff team unless the Devils decided to move on from Cammalleri. It would really deplete the little offense they already have, but the point here is to get a high draft pick. Moving someone like Cammalleri would give the team some much-needed assets and also worsen them this year. Win-win.
It also wouldn’t hurt if they brought in a coach would would play the young players and recognize that this season is about finding pieces for the future. This group just isn’t good enough to get on a roll and climb back into the playoff picture. Time to embrace youth.
The organization has never recovered from Ilya Kovalchuk‘s early retirement. Beyond losing an all-world player, the Devils used the money freed up to bring in middling veterans that haven’t lived up to their billing. In a few short years the Devils went from an organization with Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and coming off a Stanley Cup Finals appearance to a roster with little upside that does nothing to excite the fan base.
The Devils have to deal with the likes of the Penguins, Islanders, Capitals, and Rangers in the Metropolitan Division, and all of those clubs look like they will be around for a while. They must realize that things won’t get easier until they bottom-out and bring in some star talent. And only then can they dream of winning a Stanley Cup again.