First-round pick Pavel Zacha is New Jersey's next great hope on offense

First-round pick Pavel Zacha is New Jersey’s next great hope on offense

Last year: 32-36-14, seventh in the Metro Division. Missed the playoffs by 20 points.

Key additions: Ray Shero, John Hynes, Pavel Zacha, John Moore, Kyle Palmieri

Key subtractions: Lou Lamoriello, Bryce Salvador, Michael Ryder, Scott Gomez, Steve Bernier, Mark Fraser, Martin Havlat

Offense: The Devils may have finally landed a true blue chipper to build around with the drafting of Zacha, but their group of forwards is still at the bottom of the league. New Jersey chose to let several of its over the hill veterans depart as free agents in a clear attempt to discover what the team has in youngsters like Stefan Matteau, Jacob Josefson and Reid Boucher, but it is abundantly clear that New Jersey needs a total overhaul up front. Still, Zacha and Palmieri may be keepers, and along with Adam Henrique they are the early pieces of a long-term offensive rebuild.

Defense: What the Devils lack on offense, they make up for on the blueline. Goalie Cory Schneider has secured his place among the NHL’s best and a quartet of emerging young defenders including Damon Severson, Adam Larsson, Jon Merrill, and Eric Gelinas have already become mainstays, with promising prospect Steve Santini also on the way. Veteran Andy Greene is one of the more under-appreciated players in the league and will show them the way. Ranger cast-off Moore was a very shrewd signing for the Devils, who can absolutely afford a low-risk, high-reward player at this stage.

Franchise direction: Shero and Hynes really have their work cut out for them steering an organization that has had no real direction in recent years. The Devils are set in goal and on D, where they might be wise to dangle one of their many rising blueliners in return for some young talent up front. New Jersey is beginning to show signs of a long-term plan, but to accelerate things the Devils would be smart to pawn off their few veteran assets that still maintain value. This season will likely be about determining who’s worth keeping before hitting the reset button next summer.

More offseason recaps: Penguins

Share: 

Mentioned in this article:

More About: