Battle Of Hudson

The one, the only Patrik Elias (TSN.ca)

Of the thirty-one forwards invited to Devils camp, maybe about seventeen or eighteen have a realistic chance to make the big club – given the fourteen one-way contracts on the roster, plus Stephen Gionta who likely isn’t going to be in the AHL despite his two-way deal.  This blog will be more about looking at who fits in where, along with who has a chance to steal a lineup/roster spot.  Despite the fact the Devils have a tendency to be chamelon-like with positions (even the great Patrik Elias has bounced back and forth between LW and C over the years), I’ll take a look at the forwards position-by-position where they’re currently listed.

We’ll start down the middle at center: Despite a horrendous season offensively last year, Travis Zajac is once again penciled in for the top spot…in no small part due to his two-way game (which includes an above 57% faceoff percentage).  However, Zajac needs to be better than the 20 points and -5 he put up in 48 games last year and prove he wasn’t just a beneficiary of being on the same line with Zach Parise when both were the nucleus of the team’s top line three-four years ago.  Same goes for second-line pivot Adam Henrique, though he at least put up eleven goals in 42 games, his meager five assists all season and a -3 both need to improve dramatically.  Ironically, Henrique also benefited from being on a line with Parise (and Ilya Kovalchuk) during his rookie season when Zajac was hurt, but like Zajac slumped without Parise last year.  Zajac and Henrique returning to previous form is doubly important given both are beginning long-term deals this season – Zajac’s eight-year $46 million extension and Henrique’s six-year $24 million deal.

Then you have Gionta, former first-round pick Jacob Josefson and castoff turned brief revelation last season Andrei Loiktionov fighting for the other two center spots, and maybe even places on the roster.  Gionta was one of six Devils to play all 48 games last season, and his fourteen points weren’t bad considering his fourth-line energy role, but his penalty-killing left a lot to be desired, and his sub-40% total on faceoffs was atrocious. Why the staff doesn’t move Gionta over to wing is beyond me since he’s both undersized and can’t win a faceoff to save his life.  Loiktionov was one of the best forwards on the team for about a month or so after his arrival from purgatory in LA, but like most of the team regressed down the stretch finishing with just eight goals and twelve points in 28 games. For whatever struggles both had, last year was a total nightmare for Josefson who put up a mere three points in 22 games with a -10 rating.  Because of his age and intelligence he’ll get another shot this year but now’s the time for his game to improve or else.  Ultimately I see Loiktonov starting as the third-line center with Josefson getting fourth-line and PK duties if he impresses and Gionta playing over him if he doesn’t. I think all three will make the roster, helped by the fact Loiktionov and Josefson have one-way deals.  While Gionta does have a two-way deal which would save money if he was sent down, I doubt he would play in the AHL because it’s likely someone would claim him first.  Other centers in camp include perennial fill-in Tim Sestito, one-time fourth-liner Rod Pelley (this year’s obligatory welcome home guest), Darcy ‘brother of Travis’ Zajac, Graham Black, David Wohlberg, Ryan Kujawinski and Ben Johnson.

As usual, left wing begins with all-time Devils leading scorer Elias, who put up one of the few non-disasterous seasons up front last year with 14 goals and 22 assists, pacing the team in scoring and playing all 48 games – earning himself a new three-year $16.5 million deal in the process this offseason.  Then you sorta figure Ryane Clowe will start on the second line given his pricey FA contract (five years, $4.875 million per) and the expectation that if healthy he’ll be able to replace what the departed David Clarkson gave the Devils…grit and enough scoring to chip in semi-consistently.  Clearly Ryan Carter will make the lineup and resume his role as a gritty third/fourth liner with just enough skill to make a difference.  Perhaps the most intriguing forward in camp is Rostislav Olesz, here on a one-year $1 million tryout deal after injuries and a bad contract condemned him to the minors for much of the last two seasons.  Besides having NHL talent and a big body (6’2, 215) one more thing Olesz has going for him is familiarity with coach Pete DeBoer from their days in Florida, and DeBoer seems all but sure Olesz will make the roster:

“I haven’t seen him play in a couple years, but I had a pretty long tenure with him,” DeBoer said, referring to the three seasons he coached Olesz in Florida. “It wasn’t a month or two. We had him for over a year, so I think I have a pretty good handle and pretty good comfort level that he’s an NHL player. But, obviously, he’s fighting for the same things everyone else here is in camp. Whether or not you’re in the NHL is one thing. It’s another what kind of a role are you going to play and how big of a role are you going to play.”

It will be interesting to see what kind of role Olesz does wind up playing.  Quasi-enforcer Krys Barch is also in contention for a roster spot given his $750k one-way salary as well as the fact the Devils don’t really have another player that can fill the role on the roster but with fewer division games this year (and more third/fourth line talent on the roster) perhaps the need for a one-dimensional fighter – Barch didn’t even have a point in 22 games last year – has lessened all the more now.  If Barch does make the team, he’ll probably be a healthy scratch more often than not.  There’s also 2013 first-round pick Stefan Matteau knocking on the door of a roster spot, but after he proved he still needed some work last year (when our lack of depth rushed him into the lineup) offensively and discipline-wise, he’ll almost certainly start the season in Albany this time around. Ben Thomson, Riley Boychuk, Mike Hoeffel, Chris McKelvie and unsigned invitee Remy Giftopoulos are also in camp all but certainly fighting for AHL spots, as opposed to NHL spots.  After all, that’s usually the underreported story of camp…everyone pays attention to who’s on the immediate radar for an NHL spot but if you don’t make the AHL starting lineup and get a prominent role there (exempting guys who go back to juniors and college after camp),  you have little chance of even being a call-up down the road.

At right wing, the Devils tried to replace their one big Russian-sized hole this offseason with short-term patches in 41-year old Jaromir Jagr (one year, $4 million deal) and 33-year old Michael Ryder (two years, $3.5 million per).  Jagr showed he still has some gas in the tank last year playing over 100 games between the NHL season/playoffs and his overseas games during the lockout.  During his NHL campaign, Jagr put up 16 goals and 19 assists in 45 games for Dallas and Boston in the regular season (which would had led us in goals and points, and put Jagr just one behind Kovalchuk in assists last year).  His playoffs weren’t nearly as successful as Jagr perhaps finally got worn down and went goal-less in 22 games – though he did chip in ten assists and ran into some bad luck too.  Jagr will turn 42 during the Olympics but the Devils need him to hold back Father Time for at least one more year.  Ironically, the 33-year old Ryder also started last season in Dallas and got traded, even putting up similar overall numbers to Jagr with 16 goals and 19 assists in 46 games between the Stars and Canadiens.  Both will likely be shuttled between the first and second line, with Ryder probably doing more even-strength duty and Jagr being more prominent on the power play.

After a wrist injury compromised his 2013 season, Danius Zubrus returns with a new three-year $9.3 million deal.  Age is a concern here too, although Zubrus is ‘only’ 35, he’s been playing in the NHL since he was 18, but when healthy Zubie is invaluable with his forechecking and posssession game as a top three-line winger. Assuming he finishes this deal intact, Zubrus will have spent nine seasons in a row with the Devils after bouncing around between Philly, Montreal, Washington and Buffalo earlier in his career.  Steve Bernier by comparison is only in his third season with the Devils, but he, Carter and Gionta combined to form one of the most beloved fourth lines in team history during the 2012 playoffs and parts of last season.  Bernier’s also a superb role player – Zubrus-lite if you will – with enough skill to play a major role on a third or fourth line, wherever needed.

Former first-rounder Mattias Tedenby will get one more chance to make the team but there isn’t a likely role for him, especially given his decreasing icetime and role the last couple of seasons under DeBoer, not to mention his lack of offensive production at any level including the AHL.  Tedenby may have already been passed on the depth chart by 20-year old Reid Boucher, who broke an OHL record (previously held by some guy named Steven Stamkos) with 62 goals in 68 games last year.  Boucher signed an entry-level contract last year and put up three goals and two assists in an 11-game tryout for Albany last year.  Boucher’ll likely start the season again there this year but who knows what happens if he has a big camp.  You could always shift Zubrus to center if there’s a role for Boucher this year, though most likely he’ll wind up replacing Jagr going into next season – who said he may or may not retire after this year.  Last year’s leading scorer in Albany was Joe Whitney, who’s another one to watch in case there’s a need for a call-up early in the season.  Whitney’s undersized but talented, putting up 26 goals and 25 assists in 66 games with a limited offense around him.

Also in camp again is enforcer Cam Janssen, but he’ll likely be in the AHL for a second straight season, especially since he’s even more one-dimensional than Barch – though a much, much better fighter.  So will Harri Pesonen, who was an occasional fill-in last year and a depth player at best.  Mike Sislo and Myles Bell round out the camp roster up front, with Bell being another name to watch down the road after the talented D/RW slipped to late in the draft due to a troubled past: Myles Bell fatal accident

Ultimately my line predictions at least for the start of the season are:

1. Elias-Zajac-Jagr
2. Clowe-Henrique-Ryder
3. Olesz-Loiktionov-Zubrus
4. Carter-Josefson-Bernier

Healthy scratches: Gionta, Barch

Outside looking in: Tedenby

Prospects to watch: Boucher, Matteau

Last up tomorrow or Monday: Looking at the Devils’ goaltending, which is alternately the biggest question mark and the biggest certainty of camp