Grading the New Jersey Devils' Performance for the First Half of the Year

A blazing start. A disturbing cool down. An injured goaltender. 

This defines the first half of the New Jersey Devils 2013 season. It has not been a steady ride. More like a trampoline jump really, the dangerous version with the metal springs they do not make anymore.  

After a torrid start during which they dominated division teams the Devils led the Eastern Conference as late as February 17. Since then they have gone 3-6-2. It is increasingly problematic when you consider two of those wins came via the shootout. They have been outscored by 15 during this free fall to seventh in the standings. 

The eighth-placed team, the New York Rangers, have two games at hand.

While it smells bad lately you can not ignore the great start, especially when handing out grades. Remember those teachers in school who weighted your performance at the end of the year, basically how strong you finished up? I did not like that because once the weather got warm at the end of the year my focus would landslide. So I'll assess everything evenly.

And to be fair, New Jersey looks lost without Marty Brodeur. If Ken Daneyko is Mr. Devil, then Marty is Dr. Devil, Ph.D and M.D. 

The offense, defense, goaltending, special teams and coaches will all get marks. 

Pretend the words are in red ink. 

Offense

Even when the Devils were winning the offense was not scoring a lot of goals. 

They are 23rd in the league in scoring. Not only is New Jersey missing Zach Parise from last year but Petr Sykora as well. He scored 21 goals last season, a lot of them big ones, and you have to wonder why Lou Lamoriello never even attempted to bring him back for the 2013 campaign. 

Patrik Elias and Ilya Kovalchuk are doing what they are supposed to be doing, scoring at a point per game clip.

After a great start scoring goals David Clarkson has not found the back of the net in 12 games. His last tally was on February 15. His silence has coincided with the Devils slide. 

After those three New Jersey's next two point leaders are defensemen. Travis Zajac is not producing like his contract might suggest. I pointed the finger at him last week, here. 

The bottom line here is that this team is simply not built to score goals. Where is the skill? Did people expect unproven role players like Stephen Gionta and Steve Bernier to play the way they did in the playoffs (inspired, relentless, zero to 60 miles per hour) for 48 games? Were an 18-year old Stefan Matteau and Bobby Butler really supposed to replace Parise and Sykora? Butler has already been released. 

You look up and down the roster and it is not going to yield a lot of goals. If the Devils want to compete for another Stanley Cup then they may need an offensive acquisition. Still, in the NHL you need to find a way to score as a team.

Grade: C-

Defense

The days of a physical, dominant Devils defense are long gone. Scott Stevens is in loafers, not skates. 

This unit is, well, okay. Middle of the pack. Good but not great.

Roster wise they look to be in good shape. New Jersey has eight capable defensmen who fight for six spots every night. Bryce Salvador is a stay-at-home guy, a worthy Captain who is going to battle and lead by example. Marek Zidlicky and Andy Greene are heady guys who have jumped into the offense well. Anton Volchenkov, for all his offensive ineptitude, has been giving everything he has in the defensive end. Mark Fayne, Peter Harrold and Adam Larsson are young guys who have been up and down.  

Henrik Tallinder is a veteran on this team and seems to be in Coach Pete DeBoer's doghouse. He is often a healthy scratch and is now a little banged up and has appeared in just 14 games so far.

Considering the lack of offensive punch, the defense should play better. They can clear the zone more emphatically. They can knock around these teams putting up big numbers against them a little more. Especially with Martin Brodeur sidelined, the D has to raise the stakes in their own zone. 

There are some good prospects in the organization a few years down the line. But the current guys are very capable of driving a deep playoff run. Along with Martin Brodeur the defense was behind the great start in New Jersey, and they need to tighten things up and get back to that level of play.

Grade: B- 

Goaltending

The goaltending so far is tough to grade, considering the effect Brodeur's injury has had on Johan Hedberg. 

Before going down Marty was, well, Marty. Good record and a decent save percentage. He was off to a better start then last year. He looked like the long offseason did him some good. 

Then his back barked in lat February and we have not seen him since. The longer Brodeur remains on Injured Reserve the more worrisome it becomes. 40 years of age + a bad back= trouble. Especially for a goaltender. 

Johan Hedberg, when he was the back up, did exactly what he was supposed to do and then some. in four games he went 2-2, but he could have gone 3-1. His save percentage as the backup is .942. Stellar.

But it is amazing how a different mentality can change things. All of the sudden Brodeur comes up limp and Hedberg is pressured to be the stop gap. It is like going from reliever on a baseball team to the ace of the staff over night. Totally different attitude. Additionally, since February 23 when he assumed the starting role he has played in nine straight games. Remember folks, at 39, Johan Hedberg is not young either. 

Despite a few great games, he has not played well as the starter. It is tough to grade him rigidly. And don't forget Brodeur's great play early on. 

Grade: B+

Special Teams

Last season the Devils set a modern NHL benchmark for penalty kill percentage with 89.6 percent.

This year they have taken a huge step back in that category. at 78.6 percent, 25th in the league is so un-Devils-like. It is tough to identify what exactly is going wrong. Once opposing power plays set things up in the umbrella or overload Devils fans get that sinking feeling.    

One bright spot is that New Jersey leads the league in shorthanded goals with seven. Perhaps the aggressive pursuit that generates so many shorties gets the Devils in trouble? Is there a sabermetric for this?

The power play is less then impressive as well. After finishing 14th last season under the guidance of assistant Adam Oates, who is now the head coach in Washington, the Devils brought in Matt Shaw from San Jose, who led a perennial top power play with the Sharks. They have faltered to 18th however. Losing Zach Parise definitely hurts in this area. 

Grade: C

Coaching

On February 11 Pete DeBoer was the early front runner for coach of the year for ESPN's Pierre LeBrun in his weekly power rankings.

Again, a lot of this slide is a result of Brodeur's injury. Marty is good for the team both on the ice and active in the clubhouse. Having said that, the head coach always gets some grief when a team is struggling like this. 

To his credit Deboer continues to mix up lines like a hockey alchemist the way he he did last year. He is looking for the right chemistry and it worked in the playoffs last spring. He has recently had Travis Zajac playing on the third line with Ryan Carter and Steve Bernier and that group looked great against Winnipeg on Sunday.

It is perplexing what is going on with Stefan Matteau. he is scratched from the lineup a lot. Prior to the start of the season many believed Matteau, as long as the option still existed, would play out his last year in juniors and continue to develop at his own pace.

But DeBoer (and Lamoriello) decided to keep him up, kicking in year one of that three year rookie contract. But he doesn't always lace up the skates and is not even optioned to Albany to play with the AHL club.

Of course, being around a group of veterans is beneficial to a 19-year-old kid. But a 19-year-old has to play to get better. especially when you only have a three-year leash on him. 

Elsewhere on the staff, Matt Shaw has not improved the power play like he was expected to. Defensively, even the great Scott Stevens is having a tough time replacing Larry Robinson.

Grade: B

Team Overall: B-, pretty accurate for a seventh place team.