New Jersey Devils: An In-Depth Look at the Defense

Nothing new on Kovalchuk to report and I wanted to give you (Devils fans) something to read. Here is an in depth look at the New Jersey Devils defenseman.

Offensive Defenseman

The Devils don't have much on the offensive side of things as Andy Greene is their only legitimate scoring threat on the blue-line. Anssi Salmela can contribute some pretty decent numbers from time to time but is very streaky so you can't count on him. Henrik Tallinder and Alex Urbom (if he makes the team) could be counted on for some offensive output, but like Salmela you can't expect too much from them.

This year (just like last year) you shouldn't expect much offensively from the Devils defense but with all those solid forwards up front (with or without Ilya Kovalchuk) and Marty Brodeur in net, it shouldn't be a problem.

GRADE: C -

Defensive Defenseman

The Devils have a ton of defensive defenseman on the team and should have no problem in the defensive zone.

Anton Volchenkov leads the way for the defenseman as he is expected to be top 10 in the NHL in both hits and blocked shots. The Devils also have Colin White, Mark Fraser and Bryce Salvador back there who are both very steady, tough, physical defenseman who like Volchenkov, have no problem laying the body on someone or blocking a shot. The Devils defense also features Henrik Tallinder who is very reliable on the back-end and should be very consistent.

All in all it is a pretty solid group back there and they are expected to be among the top 10 teams in goals against.

GRADE: B +

Here is a list of the Devils defenseman who are expected to at least compete for a roster spot this season:

Mark Fraser - defensive defenseman

Andy Greene - offensive defenseman

Anssi Salmela - offensive defenseman

Bryce Salvador - defensive defenseman

Henrik Tallinder - two-way defenseman

Anton Volchenkov - defensive defenseman

Colin White - defensive defenseman

Alex Urbom - two-way defenseman

It is also worth noting that the Devils still want to bring Mike Mottau back, if that is true I have no idea where he will fit in as the Devils would have nine NHL defenseman.

This concludes my in depth look at the Devils defense, enjoy.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me at [e-mail] anytime, thanks.

This article can also be found at MTRMedia.com and Sportshaze.com

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