Bleacher Report - Articles by Jill T

The Devils: Addition by Subtraction

Jill T — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:08:11 -0400

Brian Gionta and John Madden have been integral parts of the New Jersey Devils throughout their careers. Madden has given up his body to shut down the top offensive units of his opponents. Brian Gionta's small stature never stopped him from standing up against the biggest and, as a result, he dished out many goals en route to setting the franchise record of 48 in a single season. Both have been rewarded with Stanley Cups.

While remembering the contributions that they made in the past, as well as those of the other departures, it is time to look forward at the future of the team.

Lou Lamoriello's choice to do seemingly nothing on Jul. 1 could prove to be beneficial to New Jersey's future.

Since the lockout, the Devils abundance of veteran players, particularly forwards, has not provided many opportunities for prospects to make the roster as full time players.

Parise, Zajac, and Clarkson are the only three to completely make it to the NHL. There have been stints for players such as Vrana, Bergfors, Pelley, and, most recently, Leblond. There has been little room, though, for these young players to take over as forces in the NHL.

The voids that Gionta and Madden leave are spaces for prospects to thrive in. For all we know, Rod Pelley could be an even better John Madden and Bergfors will break Gionta's record of 48 goals in a season. With Rupp's departure, Leblond can take over and be even more of a presence than Rupp has been. Who knows—maybe he even has a Stanley Cup winning goal in him.

With the salary cap predicted to go down by a significant amount for the 2010-2011 season, the lower pay roll will save the Devils from having the cap problems that they had in 2005-2006. It can also allow for a trade deadline move should the Devils be buyers, which they fully have the potential to be despite some player departures.

The core of the Devils remains in tact. The Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner line will be vital to the Devils' success again. Elias is still an integral part and his creativity allows him the ability to play with almost anyone.

Expect Rolston to start fresh and have a better season than he did last year.

There will be some questions in Ilkka Pikkareinen and other prospects that will be placed into the lineup, but most have had several years of practice in the minors and will be ready to prove themselves in the big league. The young legs could add extra spark to the team.

Oduya and Martin headline the defense corps that will remain the same as it was last year. The defense was responsible for one of the lowest goals against in the league and, with another year of experience, one can only hope they get better.

While Lou Lamoriello has yet to name a coach or sign any players from outside of the organization, the 2009 free agent day has the potential to prove as a very successful one in years to come. Some key players from the Devils' past may have been subtracted, but it may pave the way for some great players of the Devils' future to be added.

You've Got to Lose to Know How to Win

Jill T — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 10:31:48 -0500

Rewind to 2006. The New Jersey Devils won 11 straight to end the season, and then proceeded to sweep the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. After a longer than usual break for the playoff season, the Devils faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the Semi-Finals. You have to be a good team to win 15 wins in a row, but the team that came back from a break was not that team.

Back to 2009. The Devils won 8 games in a row, in convincing fashion, against tough opponents, before facing the Washington Capitals on Tuesday, February third. The game was a tough one as they seemed to forget all the little things that a team has to do in order to succeed. They suffered a tough loss against a team they are battling with for second in the conference, but in the end the positives just might outweigh the negatives.

On Saturday night, the Devils faced off against the Atlanta Thrashers and from the puck drop they played the game they knew they needed to play to win. They won battles along the boards, limited the shots through complete puck posession, stuck up for teammates, had a strong penalty-kill which produced two short handers, and also scored on the powerplay.

Their turn around and dominance in play on Saturday night can be attributed to becoming aware of those little things that they failed to do on Tuesday night. When winning, a team can easily forget to think about doing the little things because they seemed to come second nature. The loss to the Capitals made them aware of what they failed to do and they were able to pay more attention and do those things on Saturday night.

The NHL season is a learning process. The disappointing loss to the Capitals was just another stepping stone in the process of preparing for the playoffs. A team that can rebound from a tough loss and play as well as they did against Atlanta is a team with a strong identity which is completely vital for playoff success.

Those 2006 Devils didn't get to learn. They were so accustomed to winning, they forgot what those little things were. Who knows, if the first round series had been prolonged, the outcome of the second round could have been different. No need, though, to wonder or speculate, it is what it is, but it just goes as proof that sometimes you've got to lose to know how to win.

News & Notes

- If you're well enough to sit on the bench, shouldn't you be able to play? This was the question that was running through my head on Saturday Night as I watched Stephen Valiquette get tortured in net for the New York Rangers. Allowing ten goals isn't like a regular hockey game, it's more like an all-star game. Sure, they were in Texas and it was hard to call up a backup, but flu or no flu, I think Henrik Lundqvist should've stepped in.

If he was that terribly ill that he couldn't step in in a scenario like this, he shouldn't have been on the bench.If you're truly a good teammate, you do not sit around and watch as your fellow goaltender allows ten goals. It all happened pretty fast, though, in the third period, but that is even more reason why he should've stepped in. Lundqvist would have only had to seen about 10 minutes of playing time, and that's not a lot.

The bigger question though is was this really the flu, or was he just sitting out to save himself and his GAA. Lundqvist is a great goalie, but sometimes I question his sportsmanship. He lost three games prior to this, and then all of a sudden gets the flu. I have seen him, too many times this season, pull himself from the goal. That to me says that he could have not played for selfish reasons.

Rumors

- The Devils are apparently in the bidding for defenseman Chris Pronger, as reported by Rich Chere, Devils beat reporter for The Star Ledger. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? There were concerns about Brendan Shanahan ruining chemistry, but since they have only lost one game since his arrival, maybe it built chemistry. But how much is too much before you ruin the chemistry?

One of the defensemen, all of whom have had great success this season, will have to sit out, and that could potentially create bad blood. It can be looked at, though, that it could create some more healthy competition. What would the Devils have to give up, though, to get Chris Pronger?

Chris Pronger is one of the biggest defensive names in hockey so they would definitely have to give up a lot. Could this deplete the crop of prospects? Could it get rid of a much needed first round pick?

Clearly the Devils and Anaheim are in talks, as shown by the trade made the other day which sent Sheldon Brookbank to Anaheim in return for prospect and current Colgate student Greg McIntire. Could this be the beginning of a big move to acquire Chris Pronger??

Alex Ovechkin in Words and Pictures

Jill T — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 11:56:07 -0500

We all know he can score. We know that he can do it in every fashion. We see him celebrate after every single goal, and we see how it never gets old for him because he knows how special every goal is in the greatest hockey league in the world. Why does he have this success? Well, through the following quotes and pictures, you'll see that a part of his success comes from his inner drive and desire to do whatever it takes in order to win.

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New Jersey Devils' Depth

Jill T — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:45:31 -0500

The second Martin Brodeur went down, the media claimed the Devils were down and out. There was no way the team could survive and stay competitive with their Atlantic Division foes. Now, as the Devils stand atop the Atlantic Division, the depth can be credited for making the Devils thrive through all types of adversity thus far in the season.

For years a question surrounding the Devils has been whether or not they could survive once Brodeur's career was over. The answer has been found as the Devils got a sneak peak of their future without him, and it is by no means bleak.

While the Devils' depth at goaltending has been targeted for criticism in the past, Clemmensen's .922 save percentage, 2.29 Goals Against Average, and most importantly 19 wins proves that the Devils have goaltenders with the ability to win.

To put it into perspective, Clemmensen is seventh in the league for wins, only one behind All-Star Tim Thomas and five behind All-Star Henrik Lundqvist, both of whom had head starts on their seasons.

In 2003, the last time Brodeur won the cup, his save percentage was .914, less than Clemmensen's current save percentage. How's that for a seemingly "third-string" goalie at the beginning of the season?

The media's pet name for the Devils' defensive corp is the "no-name defense." Well, the defense might not include names such as Stevens or Niedermayer anymore, but they do boast all positive +/- ratings. Mike Mottau, a career minor-leaguer until receiving his opportunity last season, leads the defense with a +16 rating.

Not only does that give great tribute to his ability, but it also indicates the excellent coaching by Brent Sutter, as well as the great vision that he has in seeing the potential of players.

The defense is quite dynamic with hard-hitters such as Colin White and Bryce Salvador, but also has the finesse, smooth skating players in Johnny Oduya and Paul Martin.

The defense is fifth in the league in goals against, so much for lacking "big-names," this should be enough evidence that the Devils defense creates its name by playing a team game.

On to the offense, the one that has been criticized for being "boring" in the past. By averaging 3.00 goals a game, eighth in the league, I would think that the Devils can no longer be called boring anymore.

The Devils have the depth to put out four solid lines that can all contribute evenly. Zach Parise on the first line, Patrik Elias on the second line, Brian Rolston on the third line, and now Brendan Shanahan on the fourth line?

With those names on different lines and given support by excellent players such as Zajac, Langenbrunner, and Madden, you can't really give those lines numbers because they all have the ability to contribute evenly. In Parise and Elias, the Devils have players in the top 10 in scoring. If that's a boring team, I want to see an exciting one.

Part of the reason for success at all ends of the ice is the team game that the Devils play. They forecheck hard and don't give up on the play. When they're playing at their best, they are one of the best teams in the league.

As they continue to get more consistency, the Devils are a force to be reckoned with. With a healthy Martin Brodeur, and players that are well rested because all four lines are able to contribute somewhat evenly, they should be a force in the playoffs.

Of course, they still have to make the playoffs and continue to play the way they have thrived through adversity this season, but with the depth of the Devils, there is no reason they should not be able to continue their success or encounter any lengthy struggles.