The season ahead...a quick thought

by JuniorIRL on Jul 17, 2010 3:13 PM EDT

Hello to all.
Long time reader, first time writer here so go easy on me.

I've been looking long and hard at all of the posts and articles written on the site, from the other side of the atlantic.

Its seems that everyone is very caught up in this Kovy debacle and what happens where, to who....

After perusing the capgeek pages and looking at the Devils in every respect possible, us as Devils fans must be pleased with what is happening.

Parise - Zajac - Kovalchuk
Elias - Arnott - Rolston
Lagenbrunner - Zubrus - Clarkson
Tedenby - Josefson - Zharkov
Henrique - Palmieri - Leblond
Sestito - Davis - Vasyunov

Volchenkov - Greene
Tallider - White
Salvador - Salmela
Urbom - Corrente (Gelinas)

Brodeur
Hedberg
Frazee

Of course that's not the exact lines and even taking Kovalchuk out of that team still makes it as formidable as ever.

Now, here comes a few points I'd like to make (my 2c).

1. Any team in the East would love the depth that we currently have. It's exciting to see so much potential and Albany should be a very strong team this year. I know potential is not always fulfilled but, I ask you this. What team would not take this roster over their own?

2. Team chemistry is crucial this season, especially just before the playoffs. This year we MUST be better in the run up to the playoffs. Not winning every game, but getting the intensity and the chemistry right should be the number one priority.

3. I'm not sure about you, but I am very happy with the upgrade we have made on defense. Do you think we can't be the best defensive team in the league again this season? I don't know all I am sure is that opposition forwards are not looking forward to coming to The Rock anymore (but I'm not sure they ever have either). Marty must have a little grin on his face right about now.....

4. My concerns however is not about the players, not about the cap nor is it about the management of the team. My worry is that we have a green head coach who is just a little unproven at NHL coaching level......so I hope Mr. MacLean proves me wrong.

5. Langenbrunner - Can the Devils get him back to the form he was in two years ago?

I don't think I've ever been as excited as I am about this season.

All FanPosts and FanShots are the respective work of the author and not representative of the writers or other users of In Lou We Trust.

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Comments

Yes on this very warm days the thoughs of new Hockey season helps stay cool. I like the depth or the balance in our present roster. We finally have second line center in Arnott as well as larger defenseman to go along with a good back-up goaltender . Forget, the cap hit that Kovy will bring for several years and let’s just tweek the current roster and let the season begin.

by Old Puck 1 on Jul 17, 2010 4:10 PM EDT reply actions

its a nice perspective, but i doubt kovalchuck is going to stay.

by st.pattysdaymassacre26 on Jul 17, 2010 11:37 PM EDT reply actions

Well i’m sure chemistry will be better this year. Last year it was musical lines seemed like every game the lines switched. Now I have a question does anyone prior to last season remember so much line juggling with any team? That I thought was our biggest detriment last season. I mean how are players gonna play real well when the style of players on their line is in constant flux.
I do agree Kovalchuk won’t be back with us this season. But as Junior wrote I think we have lots of depth. Our defense especially I think either Urbom or Eckford can be the alternate powerplay qb. Would like to see us get another scoring forward though such as Frolov or Sharp or even Cheechoo though i wouldn’t give him as much money as Frolov or Sharp maybe a 1.5 or so.

by KingHellfire on Jul 18, 2010 1:16 AM EDT up reply actions

Obviously Sharp would be my first choice cause he was a big reason for the Hawks success the last 2 years.

by KingHellfire on Jul 18, 2010 1:18 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t know that the Devils have the assets to trade for Sharp, or the money to fit him under the cap. If you think he’s available because Chicago is dumping salary, they’re not about to take Zubrus or Salvador back from you unless you do them another favor or two.

I’m not the least bit interested in Frolov. He really has had only one good season, and he screams to me that he’d be the second coming of Nikolai Zherdev — talented, but underperforming. Let the KHL throw their dollars at him and be done with it.

There’s no reason to give Jonathan Cheechoo anything other than an invite to training camp and a two-way contract if he shows you anything. He appears to have been largely a fabrication of being paired with Joe Thornton the year after the lockout, which was a season that created a lot of one-year-wonder types in goal-scoring (Gionta and his 48, for example).

I still think the Devils are very much in the Kovalchuk hunt…. all the more with the Kings starting to move on and re-sign their own RFAs to contracts. If he isn’t here, I suspect the kids are getting a long long, with perhaps a few veterans getting training camp tryouts. There’s no need to add an “expensive” forward (at $2 million a year or so) when you’ve already got eight established veterans (including Clarkson) who make good money and will have roster spots.

by acasser on Jul 18, 2010 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Who says we would have to trade zubie and salvador to the hawks. I’m sure there are at least 5 teams that would take them two.

by KingHellfire on Jul 18, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions

I believe that the musical line changes last year were due to the fact that we had “only” one true center on the team named Zajac. He was constainly moved to play with Elias to help him get started offensively. Zubrus is not a true center and Neidermayer & McAmmond were way past their prime. Ekias had to play center at time and had no one stting him up during the season and this problem was addressed with Arnott .

by Old Puck 1 on Jul 18, 2010 10:09 AM EDT reply actions

This depth is in the eye of the beholder. Almost half the guys you have listed on your depth chart haven’t proven a single thing at the NHL level. There’s a lot of potential there, but “potential” is the word to be afraid of — they might be great, and they might be awful. Until we have a better idea of what we really have there, there’s no particular reason to be giddy like a schoolgirl — all that “depth” might turn out to be career minor-leaguers, and other teams won’t particularly care about that.

In addition, I suspect you could run the same exercise for a number of other teams, and those teams will be equally as excited about the potential of their kids and how much depth they think they have.

As for your lines…. if Brian Rolston is your second-line RW, I think this team might be deep but the talent drops off really quickly. Rolston hasn’t demonstrated that he’s still a Top 6 forward in this league based on the last two years.

by acasser on Jul 18, 2010 11:24 AM EDT reply actions

Yes, I do know what you are saying in the first paragraph but….
“Of course that’s not the exact lines and even taking Kovalchuk out of that team still makes it as formidable as ever.”
and
“It’s exciting to see so much potential and Albany should be a very strong team this year. I know potential is not always fulfilled but,”

Yes Rolston is another worry, but there is just something about the way lou does business….something tells me he’ll find another steal towards the end of free agency…

I must have unfounded faith in Henrique and Palmieri…anyone fill me in on any deatils they know of these two?

Ireland? An Ice Hockey Team?
You'd better believe it...

by JuniorIRL on Jul 18, 2010 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions