Surprised no one has already put out a fan post on this...

In moving Kovalchuk to the right side and losing Parise to free agency, the left wing position has suddenly gone from the strongest position on the team to a weak link. While I think it makes sense to move Kovalchuk back to LW, especially since that's what he's been playing in the KHL, Pete Deboer has already stated he intends to continue using Kovalchuk at RW. And I take him at his word - he's only had six months to think about it, after all. Arguably, Kovalchuk is a better playmaker on the right side than on the left - less one dimensional on the right. But the gaping hole on the left side, especially with Henrique on the shelf and Josefson day to day, is hard to ignore.

Scoring depth is going to be a huge problem. The devils will be hard pressed to find two lines that can score consistently and can't expect the fourth line to chip in as many goals as they did during the playoffs. Bobby Butler may be able to replace Sykora's goals if he keeps up the groove he got going in the AHL, but the replacement of Parise's production will have to be done by a combination of Josefson and Tedenby with additional contributions from the defense - especially from Larsson and Fayne.

There won't be anything close to perfect line combinations, especially while Henrique is out. With a perfectly healthy lineup I'd be inclined to:

Henrique - Zajac - Kovalchuk

Zubrus - Elias - Butler

Tedenby - Josefson - Clarkson

Carter - Gionta - Bernier

Not particularly inspiring, with Butler and Tedenby as two huge question marks. Expect a lot of tight, grind it out games!