5 Lineup Changes the New Jersey Devils Should Consider for the New Year

With 2015 rapidly approaching, the New Jersey Devils need things to change quickly. 

The team is 12-17-6, eight points out of a playoff spot. Though New Jersey's schedule has been brutal thus far, the team has played the joint most games in the Eastern Conference and has a huge hill to climb to get back into the playoff picture.

It is still early enough in the season to turn things around, but it must start soon.

This list will look at five lineup changes the Devils can make in 2015 to leave the struggles of 2014 in the past.

Commit to Michael Ryder, or Cut Him Loose

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Michael Ryder scores one of two goals against the St. Louis Blues on November 7. He has not scored since.

Michael Ryder's goal-scoring struggles have reached nearly catastrophic proportions. 

It has been 20 games since the 34-year-old winger has scored a goal. He has averaged nearly a goal every three games over his career.

These struggles, combined with his lackadaisical defensive play and propensity for finding himself in the penalty box, have led head coach Peter DeBoer to make Ryder a healthy scratch twice this month.

Ryder's reaction to the first time he was scratched makes it seem as though that may not inspire him to improve his game. Tom Gulitti at the Fire and Ice Blog reported Ryder's comments after being benched: 

"

It’s the coach’s decision to do what he’s got to do if he can win, so it’s his decision. There’s not much I can do. I didn’t think I was playing bad, but it is what it is. The coach makes decisions and that’s it.

If I was playing really bad, you can kind of get a feeling it was going to happen. But, I don’t know. I don’t have any answers.

"

While Ryder recognized that his lack of scoring is a problem, he did not seem to understand his poor defensive play makes him a liability who cannot be afforded if he is not scoring goals. 

If benching him is not going to get the job done, New Jersey needs to do one of two things—either keep him in the lineup and hope he gets into a rhythm or find a way to get rid of him permanently. 

The Devils need goals; this is clear. Ryder has been a capable goal scorer for 10 years. The team does not have enough goal scorers to regularly bench a guy who may be able to contribute offensively. While he is a defensive liability, without more goals, the Devils will be going nowhere anyway.

But, if management feels his play or his attitude is such that there's no reason to suppose he will turn it around, a quick move at the trade deadline may be best. His contract expires at the end of the season, and surely a contender in need of a goal scorer would take a chance on Ryder for the right price.

Give Playmakers Currently in Albany a Chance

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Reid Boucher takes warm-ups.

The Albany Devils, New Jersey's AHL affiliate, are 13-10-5, which puts them in the middle of the pack in the AHL's Eastern Conference. 

The Devils (of New Jersey) have been forced to rely on call-ups from Albany more often than they would have liked so far this year, as injuries have been brutal, particularly at forward. Tim Sestito and Mike Sislo have filled in most frequently and with little success.

Sestito's call-up is related more to his position (center) than his skills and is likely to end once the team can field enough centers.

Sislo's call-up was likely more related to his skill and speed, as he entered the lineup on a regular basis right as Damien Brunner's contract was terminated. Unfortunately, he has no goals and one assist through nine games. For the Albany Devils, Sislo has seven goals and four assists in 21 games. Clearly then, he has some skill but not enough to stick at the NHL level.

There are others in Albany who deserve a chance though, particularly as injuries continue to ravage the Devils' forward corps. 

At the top of most Devils' fans' minds is likely Reid Boucher, the 21-year-old winger from Michigan. Many will remember Boucher for his final season in juniors with the Sarnia Sting, in which he scored 62 goals and notched 33 assists in 68 games.

His scoring pace has understandably slowed in the AHL, but his 22 goals and 16 assists in 56 games during the 2013-14 AHL season is more than respectable. 

Boucher has played four games with New Jersey this year, but as a third- or fourth-line player. To more accurately assess his ability to help the team, he needs a chance as a top-six forward.

Other possible contributors from Albany are Joe Whitney, who has 10 goals and 13 assists over 28 games in Albany, and Stefan Matteau, who has one goal and and eight assists in 24 games.

Pair Adam Larsson with Andy Greene Until Damon Severson Returns

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Adam Larsson celebrates a goal with Travis Zajac and Michael Cammalleri.

Damon Severson's injury deprived the Devils of their top defensive pairing, but with Adam Larsson's return, New Jersey has a capable replacement.

Severson, a rookie, had been averaging 23:02 a night, had four goals and eight assists and sported a respectable minus-four rating, given that he faces the opponent's top players every night.

His play has certainly been a revelation and one of few pleasant surprises for a struggling Devils team, but so has the emergence of Larsson.

Of the faceoffs that Larsson has been on the ice for, 43.6 percent have been in the defensive zone, the highest such rate on the team. This shows how quickly Larsson earned DeBoer's trust.

Despite the difficult situations his coach has put him in, Larsson's plus/minus is only minus-two. 

Until Severson is back, Larsson must be the player to replace him alongside Andy Greene.

Keep Michael Cammalleri, Jaromir Jagr and Adam Henrique on Separate Lines

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Jaromir Jagr waits for the puck to be dropped.

When it comes to Devils forwards this season, there are only three who have not been downright disappointing at times—Michael Cammalleri, Jaromir Jagr and Adam Henrique.

Jagr and Henrique lead the team with 20 points apiece, and Cammalleri leads the team with 11 goals in only 23 games. 

Past these players though, the stats of the forwards quickly become saddening for Devils fans. 

Michael Ryder and Patrik Elias: only four goals each.

Martin Havlat: eight points over 22 games.

Travis Zajac: eight points over 27 games.

It is for this reason that the Devils' top forwards must be separated—the team's other forwards need help to move in the right direction. 

Two of these three, perhaps even all three, could play on the same line and would probably have significant success together. But unless the line became the NHL's best by a large margin, it would not be enough to turn the team around. 

Cammalleri, Jagr and Henrique must be the players to drag Ryder, Havlat and others out of the funk they currently find themselves in. If production does not start to come from secondary scorers, the work of the primary scorers will go to waste.

Stay Healthy

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Could this be a trio of mumps sufferers?

Only three Devils players have played in each of the team's games this season—Stephen Gionta, Andy Greene and Marek Zidlicky. 

So while health is not a change that DeBoer or management can personally enact, it is without a doubt the biggest change the team can hope for. 

Most recently, Elias and Havlat were unexpectedly forced out of the lineup due to illness, with the mumps as the suspected cause. If so, both players could face two weeks or more out of the lineup.

Cammalleri returned from injury Thursday night and has now missed 12 games due to injury this season.

Henrique has missed seven games. Zajac has missed eight. Dainius Zubrus has missed seven. These are just the notable forwards.

Of course, there is not anything individuals can do about the injury bug. The team just has to hope that luck can get back on New Jersey's side before the season slips away for good.