New Jersey Devils: Not Time To Panic After Bad Start

It is has been a bit of a rough start in New Jersey for the second straight year, as the Devils have stumbled out of the gate a bit and lost their first three games.

The team is in a bit disarray and lack cohesiveness for the most part.

This hasn't exactly been the plan rookie Head Coach John MacLean envisioned to begin his NHL coaching career. 

A lot of this can be attributed to the salary cap problems—not just because they were limited to just 15 skaters in Monday's game, but the bigger issue that the team must be dealing with is realizing that someone who is in the locker room will be off the team in the very near future (or once GM Lou Lamoriello is able to clear salary cap space to piece together a full roster).

At some point, you have to be able to know all the pieces of who you are going to battle with for the season and while on a conscious level it may not do a whole lot, it most likely does have an impact at the subconscious level.

A player may not make the same full 60-minute effort or sell himself out as much to win the small battles, and may not even realize that it is happening because of team wide uncertainty regarding the roster.

While there may be a shortage of a puck moving defensemen, there certainly is a ton more talent in place then the Devils' record indicates; it is not time to panic—yet.

Bt a couple of more losses without a win and the pressure will definitely start to mount.

Here are a few random observations from the first three games:

The team is not going to be successful if it doesn't play a full 60 minutes. Since they've yet to do that, it isn't all that surprising they are 0-2-1 after three games.

What has happened to David Clarkson? Thus far, he hasn't been nearly the same player he was at this time last year and must pick up his game to reflect his salary cap hit of $2.67 million.

Unfortunately, he has taken a step back since his broken bone in his leg. Maybe its mental, but whatever it is, he needs to fix it fast.

Ilya Kovalchuck needs to score a goal and get it out of the way; the rest will come a lot easier.

This team cannot afford to cut, waive or trade Dainius Zubrus. He doesn't necessarily put up gaudy statistics, but he is difficult for opponents to face and that in itself is an asset the Devils need now and will need down the line.

Give the kids a chance—let's see if guys like Matt Taormina and Alexander Urbom are capable of playing in the NHL now. What better read can you get on guys then by letting them play? If they're not ready, there are ways to get a replacement, whether it's via a trade or calling up someone else, but let's see what these kids can do.

Fill out a lineup: The Devils need to fill out the roster and piece together a fourth line. Adam Mair should come on board this week, and there are rumors of Brian Rolston being considered as an option for LTIR.

If that's the case, the Devils will get another reprieve from the cap, and would then be in a position to bring up some kids from Albany to fill out a fourth line.

The team needs to learn from each other, so keeping pairings and lines together to allow plays to learn everyone's nuances and habits will prove to be valuable throughout the year.

All in all, a win in Buffalo on Wednesday night would fix a lot of the Devils' problems, including a possible hit to their psyche. 

Until then, there really isn't much to worry about beyond trying to fill out the roster, which I am sure GM Lou Lamoriello will have figured out very soon.

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