In Lou We Trust

As it's already old news, but the New Jersey Devils just stomped all over the Atlanta Thrashers to the tune of 6-1. The big story out of that one outside of the Devils rolling Atlanta up like a rug and threw it down the stairs in the second period was Martin Brodeur leaving the game due to injury. It was an elbow injury and Gulitti's already reporting that Marty's not playing tomorrow night. Those looking for Kevin Weekes to get some games, well, you got your wish - though something tells me that you probably didn't want it this way. Hopefully, Brodeur's injury will be minor and he'll be back in short order.

As far as the game itself, there are some nits to pick. Scott Mackie had some complaints about Nicklas Bergfors' and Petr Vrana's ice time at 2MA and colorful language aside, he's got a point. There was no real reason, that I could tell, that required Brent Sutter to shorten the bench. Amazingly, save for a few shifts, he kept the fourth line of Mike Rupp, Bergfors, and Vrana together instead of his usual mixing up of the lines. Anyway. It's a minor point for Vrana as he's going to continue to play in the foreseeable future. Hopefully Bergfors will continue to get time before his call-up ends. That Matt Halischuk was sent down to Lowell (as reported by Gulitti) is at least a sign that Bergfors will be at The Rock for a little while longer, I think. Speaking of nits to pick, can someone show Sheldon Brookbank how to defend a 2-on-1? I'm not a hockey player or a coach, but I'm pretty confident the right way is to not stay in the middle and lamely reach for a pass. Colby Armstrong found Slava Kozlov (the good Kozlov) with a pass and Kozlov was patient and cooly slid the puck off Weekes' sliding skate and into the net. The run-and-gun (because defense isn't something they are good at) Atlanta Thrashers upped the tempo as the Devils took their foot off the proverbial pedal in the third and it led to their only tally of the night. That's not to say the Devils took the third period off, but it was a bit sloppy and you could tell they were playing with a 5-6 goal lead. It's forgiveable because, well, it was a 5 goal lead and they kept it that way thanks to Kevin Weekes and a defense that bended a little but not too much.

And so the majority of the game is exactly what I expected to see before the game and from what I read afterwards at places like IPB. The Devils kicked the snot out of a terrible hockey team. The offense was clearly on point - more then they were back in mid-October - as Nicklas Bergfors got his first goal from the sideboards - and I think it definitely hit Johan Hedberg's blocker not Dainius Zubrus' stick so it was his goal. This was followed up in the second period when Patrik Elias threw a shot (or a pass to the slot?) from the sideboards with enough vigor that Mathieu Schneider and his stick helpfully deflected right past Hedberg. The remaining 4 goals all came from the slot. Zach Parise got his first off a rebound after Jamie Langenbrunner drove to the net; Parise got his second on the power play by burying an open net in the slot after great passes from Travis Zajac and Paul Martin. Brian Gionta scored just after a power play ended by burying a rebound off an Elias-tip of a Johnny Oduya shot. Jay Pandolfo got his first of the year by burying an Oduya - who was key on a lot of these plays with 3 assists - feed right in the slot.

Saturday's game clearly had this lesson demonstrated by the Devils: GO TO THE NET. It's where the goals have been coming from for New Jersey and with 21 goals being scored in the last 5 games, it's something I'm sure the coaching staff keeps emphasizing to the players. Particularly Brian Gionta, as both of his goals this season came from within 6 feet of the net. Perhaps they should also emphasize other players in joining Parise's Shot Club, as Chere reported on in the Star Ledger this morning. In all honesty, I regret not seeing this game as it was certainly an exciting blowout by the Devils. They did what good teams should do to poor teams - just outright beat them, and New Jersey clearly outclassed them that night. And, just like many things in life, the Devils really don't get to sit back and enjoy it as they will be without Brodeur against a good Buffalo Sabres squad on Monday night. The offense is clearly hot right now, hopefully they can keep the fire burning against the Sabres tomorrow.

According to Chere, the New Jersey Devils have signed Alexander Vasyunov. He has been assigned to Lowell and this is excellent news for the Devils' prospect. According to Gulitti, a driver for this move was Vasyunov's playing time in Russia - rather, the lack of it. He played in only 2 games for his KHL team Yaraslavl Lokomotiv and so he wanted out. Now, he'll be in Lowell getting minutes every night for the AHL affiliate. This is exciting for him and for fans of the Devils' prospects. He's quite talented, he's represented his country in the U18 tourneys and in the World Junior Championships, and now he's going to get proper development in games while being close to the parent franchise. The Devils don't have a lot of offensively skilled players in their system with top-six forward potential outside of Bergfors and Tedenby, so this is great news for their system.

If you don't know who Vasyunov is, there's a comprehensive profile of Vasyunov at Hockey's Future. The big concern in the profile was whether he would get the playing time he needs to progress. He should have no problem with that in Lowell if stays healthy. Given that he's played in the KHL already this season - albiet not that much - I think he might have to clear waivers to transfer to New Jersey. So I expect him to spend the season in Lowell short of injury concerns. I think we're going to hear and see much more about him in next season's preseason anyway. If you're wondering how the Devils' system of prospects look, take a look at Jared Ramsden's audit of the Devils' pipeline at Hockey's Future. It's looking a lot better than it did a few years ago; and should Vasyunov improve with playing time in Lowell, it will be even greater.

See, the fact that Brent Sutter claims that the Devils were lifeless is just not true. There was definitely some life on this team. We're talking about a night where the Devils scored 5 goals. The Devils just do not score 5 goals all that much. Colin White even had a bomb from the point that beat Vesa Toskala, and people, when Colin White scores, it's a rare occasion. The points came from all over the lines - David Clarkson, Dainius Zubrus, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Zach Parise all lit the lamp. Brian Gionta had a solid night with 2 assists. Matt Halischuk got his first NHL point on his debut - and looked OK overall. What's more is that even when they coughed up their initial 2 goal lead after the first and their 1 goal lead in the third, they came back with equalizers. While the power play didn't convert, they at least kept up pressure on Toronto and got some legit scoring chances in the process - which is the next best thing to scoring on a man advantage, I think. And, on a health note, Patrik Elias took a puck to the face but came back so he's not the next one on a growing list of injured Devils (h/t Gulitti).The offense last night was solid and the only time they really failed was in the shootout and has to do with the other end of the rink. Were they perfect? No. Were there confusing coaching decisions? Yes (e.g. Why was the bench shortened in the third?) But they put a Toronto defense to the sword, I can't fault a Devils offense wherein they did their job and earned 5 goals.

What I can fault - and agree with Sutter regarding the lack of mental focus and other criticisms - is the defense. The defense was absolutely pathetic. Not just the defensemen - while Mike Mottau and Andy Greene put up three points and White added a goal - but the entire Devils team was pitiful on defense. The Maple Leafs love to shoot; but 48 shots on net against is absolutely pathetic. Giving up 48 shots in 60 minutes is never acceptable. Yes, the Devils held Toronto to nothing in overtime; but that just emphasizes my point. The first period wasn't so bad; but from the second period on, they didn't even try to position themselves or take a stand. The Devils' idea of defense last night was to chase Toronto around and hope for a turnover that never came. It wasn't that Toronto took 48 shots, but most of them were high quality shots. It's no wonder they scored as much as they did. The defensive game by New Jersey was poor, I don't know why Sutter didn't try any adjustments. Then again, it really was one of those nights where they couldn't do much right on that end.

To be fair to Martin Brodeur, the first three goals came on deflections. Can't do much about those; though the second and third goals came on some very questionable power plays. I sat in Section 1 with Marty right in front of me and I didn't see him high-stick anyone. Maybe I missed it? Clearly, the ref thought otherwise. And the Zubrus penalty came when a Leaf just decided to pretend he was a soccer player and fall down when his stick was nearby. All I'm saying is that those calls were weak. Not as weak as the penalty killers or the defense for New Jersey was last night, but weak all the same. That all said, Brodeur really should have smothered up the puck before it led to Jamal Mayers dashing home a loose one (with a d-man right there NOT LIFTING HIS STICK COME ON DID THEY LEARN NOTHING FROM PHILADELPHIA) and he let a soft one go by for his fifth one against. Vesa Toskala had a bad night, as the Devils managed to put just as many past him on fewer shots.

All three of the linked articles of the beginning praised Toronto as being filled with life. To be honest, they didn't play all that well either. Their defense was just as leaky and Toskala was shaky all night except for the overtime and shootout. If I'm Ron Wilson, I've already got the videotape showing his team being particularly vulnerable down low and Toskala's having some additional words with their goalkeeping coach. I don't think either goalie or team was tired (Seriously, Internet, how is Marty tired after not playing for 3 days? In October?), for that matter. Toronto rode their offense to success as New Jersey did and they got it done in the shootout. That's how they got their 2 points - their offense produced and succeeded and everything else was below standard. If that's being filled with life or being the better team, OK, but I really can't agree with that sentiment.

The Devils got a point out of it to go with their now 3 game winless streak, but this one is frustrating because if the defense asserted itself last night or if Marty was sharper on a couple shots in the third period, then the Devils win this game. But life and hockey doesn't care about "ifs" and I'm sure Sutter would agree it isn't about "deserves" either. The Devils got a point and that's the result. From Gulitti, we learn the guys rode their bikes right after the game and Sutter discussed with them how it went down on video in today's practice. This is, I think, a fair way to go and we all hope to see a much better performance against Atlanta this Saturday. Especially on defense.

Well, well, well. After I made a big point of it for the Devils to call up Nicklas Bergfors yesterday, the Devils did as I thought they should and called him up. There's more to it than that, though. As Gulitti reports, Pierre-Luc Latourneau-Leblond cracked his orbital bone, and so the Devils called up Bergfors and Matthew Halischuk.

While they are clearly excited to play, especially Halischuk who will make his NHL debut tomorrow night, I do feel bad for Rod Pelley. He played 58 games with the team last season and showed signs of being a capable defensive center. Given that the more recently injured Devils are wingers (Leblond, Jamie Langenbrunner), it makes sense for wingers to be called right up. I have no problem with Halischuk being called up for a few games. Still, that he got passed over in spite having shown his talents with New Jersey as recently as last season is definitely not good news. Maybe if a center goes down, and I really hope not - I don't want to see any more injuries for a while, he'll get a call up. Regardless, I hope for the best for Bergfors and Halischuk tomorrow night.

Incidentally, Jared Ramsden at Hockey's Future just published a big update regarding who's who in the Devils' system of prospects. Petr Vrana, as well as Bergfors and Halischuk are rated highly as prospective forwards. It's quite an astute analysis as Vrana earned a spot on the NHL roster through training camp and the further call-ups now include Bergfors and Halischuk. It's very informative for those of you wondering how the young guys are doing and how things look for the future. It does look stronger than it was, say, back in 2005. The lack of a solid goaltending prospect in the system still remains, but that can be rectified in short order with a free agent signing or perhaps selecting one in the 2009 Entry Draft.

Not for nothing, but at the very least, the call-ups will drag the average age of the current Devils roster down a bit. James Mirtle found that the Devils are pretty old, with the third oldest team (based on average age) in the league. Only Anaheim and Detroit are ahead and break the 30 year plateau. That's actually not some bad company to keep with as both teams have been fairly successful in recent years. Also, based on what he found out today, that the Devils may stand to gain a few pounds, particularly on defense. OK, it doesn't have too much to do with Bergfors or Halischuk. It's just some interesting demographic information.

Tom Gulitti has reported that Bobby Holik and Brian Rolston are now officially on long term injured reserve. It's a sensible move as both players have already been out the minimum length to be on LTIR and it's going to be a while before either player returns to action. Might as well free up a little more cap space. Now, earlier in the day, Gulitti has made it clear that A) Jamie Langenbrunner's status is up in the air for Wednesday night against Toronto and B) it's not even clear if anyone will be called up. Sheldon Brookbank did play at forward on the fourth line on Saturday and contributed little - as did the fourth line as a whole, in the bigger scheme of the game.

I'd like to make the point that now is the perfect time to call up Nicklas Bergfors if Langenbrunner isn't going to be ready for the next game or even Saturday's game. While Brookbank didn't hurt the team's efforts; there is a reason he is better suited for defense. He's not soft, but he definitely stuck out on a line with Pierre-Luc Latourneau-Leblond and Mike Rupp. Sutter's lines against the Flyers on Saturday were odd and I think it helped work against the Devils at times. I mean, really, Patrik Elias playing on the off-wing? Come on. I think this set of forwards would be better off for Wednesday if Langenbrunner can't go:

Elias-Vrana-Zubrus
Parise-Zajac-Bergfors
Pandolfo-Madden-Gionta
Leblond-Rupp-Clarkson

In this set, you keep the tandems of players who have been playing well with each other: Elias and Zubrus, Parise and Zajac, and Madden and Pandolfo. Vrana has shown he can handle playing center in his set of games so far, so I see no reason to change that. Gionta finally potted one in on Saturday to show that he is, indeed, a scoring winger. However, for a few games, I think his speed will mesh much better with the quickness of John Madden than to have him play on the top line with either Elias or Zubrus handling duties at center or shoehorning in on what Zajac and Parise have got going. Also, I think Gionta - just on the basis that he's a Devil - can handle the defensive responsibilities that go with the third line. Besides, he'll make the counter attacks that Madden and Pandolfo generally force just a bit more threatening to the opposition. The fourth line is still a "banging" line and a better one than if Brookbank was in Clarkson's spot, so you got that going for you.

As far as Bergfors goes, we've seen that he has the skillset of a scoring forward and has been drafted as such. Now is a great chance to see that in action. He'll be pumped to be playing in New Jersey and I'm sure will at least give a good effort. Besides, if he doesn't do as well, it's not the end of the world - he can be sent down and someone else can be called up and I can admit that Bergfors didn't cut it in a short call-up. Regardless, I think the lines I came up with would be a better option for what the Devils can do now than what they did do on Saturday afternoon.

And in any case, if things don't work out in game, Brent Sutter will just mix up the lines like he usually does.

The title is straight forward. The New Jersey Devils soundly defeated the Dallas Stars to the wonderful and glorious score of 5-0. The Devils, outside of David Clarkson for a few shifts, didn't focus solely on Sean Avery. And they didn't need to as Avery played the best game possible. He couldn't make good passes. He couldn't time his own passes or drives into the zone, causing some offside calls. Despite 4 shots on net, none of them really challenged Martin Brodeur. He got hit plenty of times from various Devils and he even fell down once. The fans let him know that he sucks and tonight, he truly did. He didn't contribute much to the Dallas cause of winning hockey games tonight, that's for sure.

Unfortunately for Dallas, Brendan Morrow, Marty Turco, and the collective blueline of the Stars had worse nights. Morrow was clearly frustrated by the third period and he didn't do much of anything all night save for the odd shot or two. Marty Turco misplayed the puck four times and John Madden made him pay on the fourth one with a goal, leading to his eventual benching. The Stars defense had to get desperate at times and got away with making sure the Devils didn't pound home a number of rebounds, loose pucks, and one-timers-to-the-slot. Yet, they were beaten in a variety of fashions. Jamie Langenbrunner got off a short-side backhander early. John Madden split the defense - a phrase most don't get to type too often - to drive in on net and beat Turco for a goal. Funny thing on that play, it looked like the defensemen got frozen and didn't really react when Madden noticed he had a giant gaping hole to skate through to Turco. The defense didn't pick up Turco's mishandling of a clearance and didn't pick up a streaking Madden who nicely tucked in his second goal. The defense couldn't shut down Zach Parise putting home a tight rebound on Tobias Stephan. And the defense just let David Clarkson skate about at the top of the zone to let loose a bomb of a slapshot. To think, some think he only can do toe drags, NHL-09-like dekes, and wraparounds. The Dallas defense was poor, to say the least.

Now, there is some criticism to be had on the Devils' side. First, they took 6 penalties total - with Dainius Zubrus getting caught three times. One of them was holding as Nicklas Grossman got caught holding as well. It was on the far end of the rink, did they hold each other? Anyway, taking a call when the other team is taking one is poor. So, the Devils still need to curb the discipline issues. The penalty kill was on point tonight so it didn't matter. Second, related to special teams, the Devils didn't get a power play goal despite 4 opportunities. Third, and this has nothing to do with the team, but some rowdy people up in sections 132 and 133 just loved yelling anti-gay slurs about Mark Messier and Avery. I have no issue heckling Messier or Avery or most other Rangers, but that's going over the line. It's classless, it's bigoted, it's stupid and it should have no place at Devils games. The Devils can't do anything about that, so that's more of a personal complaint. (And speaking of, Greenman, wear something underneath your bodysuit, please.)

That all aside, the Devils played great. The offense was clearly successful with 5 even strength goals. Madden earned his brace. Langenbrunner, Parise, and Clarkson got on the board - showing that 3 of the 4 lines got points tonight. Only the first line of Patrik Elias, Petr Vrana, and Zubrus was held pointless; but they played very well. Elias put 8 on Turco/Stephan and with a little more luck, someone on that line would have lit that lamp. Even Pierre-Luc Latourneau-Leblond got his first NHL point on an assist, so congratulations to him. And he wasn't only out there to goon it up; he looked decent enough in his 8:41 of ice time. Other players stuck out as well: Travis Zajac got 2 assists as the whole Parise-Zajac-Langenbrunner did very well. Brian Gionta looked good at wing with Jay Pandolfo (who had a slapshot on net) and Madden. On defense, everyone played well except for a few brain-fart giveaways by Colin White (other than those, White was fine). Andy Greene, in particular, looked very good by driving to the net which led to Parise's goal; and he got an assist on Clarkson's bomb from the point. Greene is making a great case for being a starter on this team in the games he's played in so far.

And then there was Marty. Brodeur only had a few scoring chances against him and he stopped them all with style. A beautiful kicksave off of a one-timer. Holding the puck in middle of a few scrums. The only time he was truly beat was when Stephane Robidas got the puck right in front of the slot and Marty already went low. Robidas, in hindsight summed up Dallas' night, roofed the puck well over the net on a one-timer. Brodeur stopped all the shots and climbs closer to the all-time wins and shutout records. He and the Devils earned their result tonight.

So, despite my nitpicking, this was an absolutely great game for the Devils. They scored plenty of goals of all kinds - from the opportunistic to the pretty to the powerful. The defense didn't allow a ton of scoring chances; and when the Stars got their few chances, Brodeur essentially told them, "No. Not tonight." Excellent job by New Jersey. Hopefully they can carry this momentum and confidence into beating Philadelphia on Friday. Given that the Flyers are still winless (and rivals to the Devils), we should see some desperate and aggressive hockey from them. For other thoughts from the game check out Scott Mackie's comments at 2MA (he was in section 209); Pookie's game woolgathering from Dallas at IPB; Jersey's thoughts at Imperfect Dynasty; and Gulitti ran a live blog at Fire & Ice.

From Gulitti, we learn of two rather important bits of news. First, Bobby Holik's pinkie finger was broken and he will be out for about 3 to 4 weeks. Above all, I hope his finger heals properly before he goes out there to play. His loss is particularly hurting because the line he centered, with wingers Mike Rupp and Dainius Zubrus, has been rather good at generating some energy while being able to play actual hockey. He's been a thorn in opponent's side and I think the Devils will miss that. The other teams won't, as they'll be annoyed a little less.

What I don't understand is the other bit from Gulitti: Pierre-Luc Latourneau-Leblond was called up from Lowell to fill in that roster spot. Why him? Why not Rod Pelley who has experience centering that fourth line? Why not Nicklas Bergfors so he can play up top on the wing and Vrana can play center if only so we can see how much Sergei Brylin he has in him? Don't get me wrong, Vrana did well in his first NHL game skating with Patrik Elias and Zubrus. Maybe the Devils should go fill some of that lost veteran presence with a veteran of the Devils-preseason process and call up Pascal Rheaume. I feel that any of those would be a better option than to call up, well, the next Rob Skrlac. I fear that Latourneau-Leblond will do all of the following against Dallas and/or Philly:

• Play 3-6 minutes on the ice and maybe get a hit or two.
• Fight someone (Sean Avery? Steve Ott? Someone else?)
• Force Sutter's hand to double shift a forward who can contribute more than just physical play and tire them out.

Yeah, I know, he's not a guy being called up because he's got an awesome triple deke. He's called up because he's a tough guy. Still. I'm not a fan of this move. I know it's been done before (like, well, Rob Skrlac), but I don't like it to be honest. Even from a physical perspective, I don't see how a rookie like Latourneau-Leblond is going to keep an experienced agitator (Ott) or an experienced jackass (Avery) in check.

I don't expect him to be called up for the entire 3-4 week period. Once the team sees how he does (or doesn't), I think the Devils will make some other moves to fill in that spot. With Rod Pelley, a center who has worked on that fourth line and can play some decent defensive hockey, available, I'd have to think he'll get his shot soon enough. I think he would contribute more than Latourneau-Leblond in general. That said, if Latourneau-Leblond plays well enough and contributes more than just his fists, then fair play to him - he should stay up and I'll be wrong. I just have my doubts about it.

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Washington Capitals in DC in a shootout, which ended a thrilling 65 minutes of hockey with the score of 4-3 in favor of the Devils. To be honest, I didn't see this game live on TV as I was at Giants Stadium supporting the NY Red Bulls in a must-win game for their own playoffs hopes and so I saw this live instead. Thoughts about the game have already been written at 2MA, IPB, and at Beast of the East (excellent summary of the first 5 games, Tibbs). So I look upon and add my late thoughts.

Generally, getting a win on the road is good and putting in three goals is good when the team hasn't been able to do that all season. That the Devils scored one off a deflection (Petr Vrana), one from down low on the power play (Zach Parise), and a bomb from the point (Andy Greene) are all very encouraging. I still think the Devils rely too much on the strategy of taking long shots and hoping for a rebound, but they were able to mix it up quite nicely. Congratulatons are in order for Vrana's deflection. It gave Patrik Elias the franchise lead in assists and it was Vrana's first NHL goal. Congratulations are in order for Greene as that goal will certainly give the team a reason to keep him on the ice rather than keeping him as a scratch.

The Devils kept pace with the Capitals - who were high flying enough as-is last night - and looked generally good. The top two lines for the Devils were solid, even though they had to be mixed up after Bobby Holik suffered an injured finger; a broken pinkie, as reported by Gulitti. The defense had it's moments of weakness, such as leaving Brodeur out to dry for Alexander Semin's rush in the first period that led to his goal. Also, I felt they allowed the Capitals to make a few too many of those cross-ice passes that opened lanes and holes for them to shoot at. Brodeur was generally solid in spite of what the scoreboard shows. Other than Semin's breakaway, Brodeur was beaten a rebound that he had no chance at on a 5-on-3 penalty kill, and Mike Mottau's unfortunate deflection off dumped puck by Semin. That last one was a fluke, folks. Still, the defense did come up big at times and force a good number of counter attacks the other way.

The penalty killing was strong and they had to be tonight. The Devils just took way too many penalties. Again, but tonight's game has been the biggest offender so far. The Capitals spent a total of 12:46 of the entire game with at least a one man advantage. That's well over a sixth of the whole game! New Jersey has had a reputation of staying rather disciplined as a team. So far this season, they haven't displayed that same kind of discipline. While they have only took two major penalties, they have taken 31 minors in 5 games. 8 of those minors came last night and each one of them resulted in a power play for the Capitals. They took 7 against the Islanders on opening night (8 if you include the penalty shot), 5 minors and 2 majors for fighting against the Penguins, 6 minors against the Rangers, and 5 against the Thrashers. This is simply too many. It's too many opportunities for the opposition to get some offensive momentum and to score goals. It's too much time spent in the game where the Devils have to focus solely on defense. And while some of the calls are soft, the Devils players have to do a better job understanding how the ref is calling the game. If he's calling it tight in the first period, that should be understood by the second and third periods - and definitely after taking some calls. As far as the calls itself go, they are all over the place. They include hooks, trips, holds, pucks going over the glass, interference calls, &c. A gamut of infractions, if you will.

It's not that the Devils are prone to one or two bad habits. It's not that only one or two Devils are the result of this - captain Jamie Langenbrunner leads the skaters with 10 minutes total and there are only five skaters haven't sat this season yet. A majority of the team has been punished for infractions so far in these five games. They are giving away power plays and keeping various players in a box instead of on the ice where they can contribute as a team. Brent Sutter and the coaching staff needs to get this team's mind right about keeping their sticks down, keeping their hands away from hugging an opposition player, and keeping their cool on the ice. The Devils' lack of discipline needs to be stopped now before we start seeing them lose hockey games because the other team dropped multiple goals on power plays against the Devils. They succeeded last night against a Capitals team that played fairly well, but it will not always be this way.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention other, rather important result from last night's road win over the Thrashers. Brian Rolston lost his edge and careened right into the corner boards feet first. To say it hurt was an understatement. Rolston had to be helped off the ice with his teammates, not even using his right foot at all. After the game, we learn that Rolston has a high ankle sprain (link is from Gulitti).

Gulitti points out the obvious: changes will have to be made and Sutter already has the quotes on it. He also points out a similar case: Sidney Crosby had a similar injury last season and missed more than a quarter of the season with 29 games. Jersey from Imperfect Dynasty puts it best as to why this is a big loss. He (Rolston, not Jersey) was the key signing for New Jersey this offseason, he's already right up there on the first line and getting significant power play minutes, and was expected to be a scorer. Hard to do any of that if you're out injured.

Jersey guessed last night that it could be Vrana's turn and he's right. Gulitti reports that Petr Vrana will get to start and he's already practiced with Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus. He was already up with the team, so it would be a real nasty message to send had the team called up, say, Nicklas Bergfors to play. Vrana isn't just getting some respect from Elias, though, he's getting an opportunity to play his way onto this team. The team clearly notes his versatility, now it's time to see if he's got the talent and the other stuff needed to stick in the NHL. He looked good in preseason, so I'm both confident and hopeful he'll make the most of this opportunity. If not, or if Vrana is found to be better suited on the lower two lines and this injury is prolonged, the Devils may want to consider Bergfors. Rolston's X-rays came up negative per Gulitti, yet it's not certain how long he'll be out. Personally, I don't think it's necessary to rush any recovery; I hope Rolston will make a full recovery before stepping on the ice - something Crosby didn't to last season. But if Rolston is still injured, say a month from now, and Vrana's not up in that spot, I'd have to think Sutter will make a call to Lowell and ask for Bergfors. It would be the chance Bergfors would need to show that drafting him in the first round back in 2005 was a good idea.

That all said, it's Vrana's chance now. I sincerely wish Vrana the best of luck tomorrow night and in the near future. It's your time to shine. (Hopefully, much more than Paul Rodgers.)

Petr Vrana and Anssi Salmela will be on the New Jersey Devils active roster starting this Friday, according to Gulitti. Both showed that they have the proverbial goods in preseason. Vrana looking good at both center and wing helped force Sutter's hand as versatility is something you'd want in an extra forward. I'm particularly impressed with Salmela because he didn't really shine right away. As the preseason went on, he got more notice and more of an impact.

Will either one start on Friday? I doubt it. I think the forward lines are set unless someone plays poorly, Vrana is a better match-up, or there's an injury. Even if Mike Mottau is still injured, Andy Greene and Sheldon Brookbank is still up with New Jersey so while it's more likely based on how he ended preseason, Salmela is still in competition for getting playing time.

Gulitti is your main source for news and the he's reporting the big news before tonight's pre-season game is that Fedor Fedorov's opportunity at becoming a Devils just went down drastically - specifically, drastically down to no longer existent. The Devils have too many forwards good enough for the NHL level and Fedorov didn't impress the team enough to find a spot for him. I felt he was OK in preseason so far; definitely putting in a good effort in each game. But he wasn't even the most impressive forward on the Trying to Make the Team Line. I think it's a class move for Lou to respect Fedorov's wishes for wanting to play in the NHL and have his agent to talk to others. It's much better than leaving him under contract and forcing a situation should Fedorov not want to report to Lowell.

In any case, this Gulitti post is important because it establishes that none of the top twelve forwards have been upseated yet and that many of the prospects are now working with Lowell. While nothing is guaranteed, if you're training with the minor leaguers, a start in the NHL isn't going to be likely unless injuries rear their always-ugly head. Incidentally, the notable prospect still with New Jersey? Petr Vrana. My guess in the NHL Full Access article is still alive! But it's bigger news for Vrana. Gulitti's assertion in yesterday's analysis of the players trying to make the team is holding true and the team is going to see if he can play wing tonight against the Islanders. Now's the time for Vrana to take it to the proverbial next level.

Incidentally, speaking of tonight's game, Martin Brodeur will play his first full 60 minute game tonight. Martin is still the Man and shall be referred to as such until he is no longer playing hockey. If you think Brodeur is just a system goalie, Pookie has a concise message for you at IPB. I endorse it.

I just came back from the first hockey game of the 2008 preseason at The Rock against the Rangers; a 3-2 win. This should provide a good boost after a 4-1 loss to Philadelphia the other night. Now, to be honest as much as it is great to see a win - especially over the rangers - I can't place a lot of value in the result. It's preseason. These games don't count and both sides aren't featuring their best available. So let's look at is how the teams did. However, it's preseason. It's important to also keep in mind that not everyone is "there."

The big differences between the two games were the first two forward lines, two thirds of the fourth line, and the defense. The Philly game featured the potential first line of Patrik Elias, Brian Rolston, and Brian Gionta along with a big line of Bobby Holik, Dainius Zubrus, and Mike Rupp. The Rangers game saw Zach Parise reunite with Travis Zajac and David Clarkson; with the expected third line of John Madden, Jay Pandolfo, and Jamie Langenbrunner. The fourth line's only consistency was Pierre-Luc Leblond-Letourneau. The defense against the Flyers featured Johnny Oduya, Colin White, Mike Mottau, Sheldon Brookbank, Matthew Corrente, and Tyler Eckford. Against the Rangers there was Bryce Salvador with Paul Martin, Anssi Salmela and Andy Greene, and Jay Leach with Matthew Spiller (an admittedly weaker defense).

Despite the line-up changes, it's fair to say that the Devils didn't exactly shine in either contest. Moreso in the Flyer game, the Devils were all over the place from being pressured to applying pressure. But the finishing wasn't there (not a great start for Elias, Rolston, and Gionta) and the Flyers truly capitalized on the Devils' mistakes (e.g. Corrente's giveaway), leading to the result. Against the Rangers tonight, the Devils looked solid for the first half; the Rangers surged in the second half of the second period; and both teams looked absolutely inept on offense - the Devils not being able to generate a rush, the Rangers not being able to aim a shot against the mighty Scott Clemmensen - until the last 5 minutes or so.

So what does this tell us? Well, the Devils still have some rust to get rid of. It is worrisome that the team can go through long stretches where they generate nothing on offense. Games will have such lulls, but not for 7+ minutes without a shot or much possession on the attack. Between the two games the competition has changed, Corrente didn't really impress against the Flyers whereas Salmela looked OK against the Rangers. Among the consistent forwards between the two games - Fedor Fedorov, Nicklas Bergfors, and Petr Vrana - those three looked particularly lively in both games. Namely because they are all looking for spots on this team and are giving what they can. It's hard to say who sticks out the most. Fedorov showed he can take the body tonight; Bergfors picked up 2 assists across both games; and Vrana got the one goal against Philly. There's plenty more preseason left, so I wouldn't expect much to be determined right now.

Oh yeah, the best Devil overall has to be Zach Parise. He scored a brace tonight . The first on a heads up play from a missed (deflected?) Bryce Salvador shot where he potted it past Henrik Lundqvist and trickled in. The second was an amazing put-back. Backup goaltender Antoine LaFluer stopped the initial Paul Martin shot and before it hit the ground, Parise swooped in and smacked it into the corner of the net. I'm sure there will be some video of it soon. Anyway, Parise clearly showed that he's ready for the season; I hope he keeps that same drive to make goals happen for this season.

Lastly, read Tom Gulitti's Fire & Ice. He's got all the impressions, quotes, and thoughts about the pre-season games. He's got way more information of interest than I will and you'll get a better feel for how things are going. Then again, if you're a Devil fan, you should be reading Gulitti anyway.

We can all relax now, Tom Gulitti has reported that Rod Pelley has signed a 2 year, $1.1 million deal with the Devils. If you like official announcements without much information, the Devils main site announces that Pelley has signed. Gulitti gives no indication that it's a two-way deal; so that's $550,000 cap hit. NHL's Cap has the Devils with approximately $3.1 million in salary cap space before the deal; so I think this signing it likely guarantees that if the New Jersey Devils will sign someone, it won't be for big money. Likely for a two-way player, if anyone. Anyway, I got two questions about this?

First off, it really needed to take this long to sign Pelley? Pelley made $522,000 last season. Per Gulitti's details, he's getting a raise of $3,000 for this season and then he'll get a $50,000 raise after that. Sure, for most of us, that would be huge. But for a NHL player? That's not significant. The negotiations ran long for that small of a raise? I can see the issue of the contract being one-way being a sticking point? But did it need to go all the way to September to agree on terms?

Second, while I have no issue with Pelley on the team; he's proven to be a capable fourth line center in the 58 games he played last season. But he does know that he's got to compete for his spot again in spite of the contract, right? Consider the following: The Devils kept Pelley, signed Bobby Holik, they have Mike Rupp and David Clarkson, signed Fedor Fedorov - who wants to play for New Jersey and not Lowell, and they have (at least) Petr Vrana competing for a spot. I don't know about you, but I see a logjam on that fourth line. Who gets those last set of roster spots depends on what Sutter wants to do and what the new(er) guys do in camp. For that reason alone,

Again, I don't have a problem with Pelley; and I'd almost have to think that Sutter will keep an extra forward on the roster given this logjam of capable fourth liners. And hopefully for Pelley's sake, he'll get one of those sports. Otherwise, I openly wonder why Pelley was signed.

I was sick for a few days, so bear with me for being rather late with this. Tom Gulitti is back with actual substance at Fire & Ice. Apparently, the unofficial beginning of training camp, or "the informal pre-camp workout," began yesterday at the Prudential Center with 18 players arriving to train. 18! And 12 of them are Devils regulars! That's excellent! Three guys stick out from the list that Gulitti that he posted:

1. Tyler Eckford. This doesn't surprise me much, as Eckford wants to start getting to work right away. He didn't show up to the Devils' development camp in July because he was still taking courses at Alaska-Fairbanks, as Gulitti reported. Hopefully his classes went well, U of A-F can use that scholarship for another player, and Eckford starts making progress as he becomes a professional ice hockey player.

2. Fedor Fedorov. He's serious about wanting a position with the New Jersey. He showed up to developmental camp and he's been given a number in this workout (which may mean nothing, Pascal Rheaume got a low number in camp many times). I still think that he'd have to start on the fourth line were he to make the team and that's a shame for Fedorov. Bobby Holik was signed in the offseason and he may end up there; and even then it'd be a fight with Rod Pelley.

3. Rod Pelley. Now, he's not signed yet and he's working out with the team. Gulitti asked Lou about his contract status and he had this to say:

A day later, Gulitti raised the question to Pelley:

Usually, players without contracts don't take part in team activities - especially ones that could result in unfortunate injury. It's great that he isn't holding out and it's clear he wants to be with New Jersey; but I'm absolutely baffled that he's not signed. What would both sides need more time for? For a player who, most likely, will make only (yeah, I know, only) six figures? Could it be that they are discussions over whether he'll be a one-way or two-way player - especially with others (Holik, Fedorov) that could center the fourth line? Could it be incentives? Could it be the shoes? I have no idea. With the official training camp beginning in a few weeks, I suppose we'll hear a resolution to this soon - and hopefully a reason as to why this took so long.

Anyway, Gulitti has also asked Lou about whether the training camp will be open to the public and Lou's answer says "probably not." Well, it's not a straight "no," but it may not be likely given his answer. As far as why the practice rink has seats and a sponsor (the AmeriHealth Pavillion Center!), well the center isn't just for the Devils' practice but it will host hockey clinics, tournaments, and maybe some youth hockey among Newark teams. In a feature about the youth hockey representation at the Rock, co-owner Mike Gilfillan talks in this video (1:44 in) about the Newark Americans and a mite Americans squad and how they'll move to the Pavillion eventually. That probably makes more sense as to why there are seats at least. (ASIDE: I love the fact that the Devils have all of these video clips on their official site, but a way to promote that you even have this or have new videos would be excellent.)

Would an open camp bring in more and new fans to the franchise? Honestly, I don't know. It would make the team more accessible in a way and allow the fans to see more of the prospects and their favorite players up close. On the other hand, the camp likely takes place during the day - which isn't really accessible for most people - and it's mostly going to be drills and practice between those you will see in Newark in October and those you will see in Lowell (or elsewhere). If you're really into the team, I can see this as something you'd like to check out; but maybe not if you just learned that the Devils are a hockey team. As an analogue, I went to a NY Giants training camp session last year with my brother. We both thought it was interesting, but it was mostly standing around watching the players do their thing in practice with other Giants fans. While it was cool to see them upclose and working out (e.g. Jeremy Shockey helped Kevin Boss how to lift a guy on a block), it wasn't particularly exciting and I didn't see it as something that would make somebody become a Giants fan. Also, there were just several hundred spectators for the training camp of a vastly popular NFL team. I don't know if the Devils' camp would gain nearly as much interest from the public. I could be wrong, though; but I just think that while opening training camp to the public would be nice, it may not bring a significant benefit.

It's almost time for the Devils Hockey and what further reminder could there be than a new list from Jared Ramsden of Hockey's Future. Yes, he ranks the top 20 prospects in the Devils' system, gives his rationale for where they are, and discusses their potential.

Now, I fully understand and agree with Nicklas Bergfors' and Mattias Tendenby's spots in the rankings - they do have more of an upside than Matthew Corrente as top 6 forwards - the real cause for discussion would be beyond the top 4 prospects. I don't think people doubt that Bergfors, Tendenby, Corrente, and Petr Vrana are at the top; but there are some movements I never would have guessed. Like Tyler Eckford being ranked behind T.J. Miller, Mark Fraser, and the recently drafted Brandon Burlon. Given that Eckford has been mentioned by name by Lou, he's probably ranked higher within the organization. Another example would be the assessment of Alexander Vasyunov's skill. Yes, he has plenty of it, but it really doesn't mean a whole lot if he's not going to be coming to New Jersey in the near future. Ditto Vladamir Zharkov. Also, why was Anssi Salmela on the list to begin with? I understand he's within age (23), but he's already "there" to a point, what with him coming straight from the Finnish league and the Finnish World Championships squad.

That all said, Ramsden has clear and very insightful write ups on each player, so you get an idea as to what he thinks their projection is. Unfortunately, should Ramsden's projections hold true, the Devils seem to have a lot of third-line forwards and depth defensmen in the system. Perhaps that's why Ramsden is still high on Vasyunov. It makes the Tendenby pick much more necessary, what with him being a skilled forward with the capacity for ludicrious speed. Based on how I see it so far, I can see a number of these guys getting at least a game with the team in limited capacity. Namely, Bergfors, Vrana, Corrente, Eckford, and Halischuk.

The real question we're all thinking with respect to these prospects- one that will be answered in training camp - is whether any one of them will make the team in October. Corrente is the popular and most likely choice; but with 7 other defensemen on the roster, even he may not be able to break through right away. That's the blessing and curse with prospects. You like their upside and you want them to play (and play well!) in the pros, but you know that some extra developmental time in a lower league wouldn't be the worst thing - at the same time, wondering how much more time will it take before they break through. And that's assuming they can do that.

One thing's for sure, I expect the Devils to pick up a prospect goaltender sometime in the next 2 seasons. Hopefully, he will go along much better than Jean-Francois Damphousse, Ari Ahonen, and Jeff Frazee - he may be right in line to replace one the best of all time. Hopefully, the Devils will pick the right one instead of just one.

Woah! Actual Devils news in the dead of August! According to Tom Gulitti, the Devils have placed physical defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski on waivers. Gulitti's post is brief, but he does state that the Devils intend to buy out his contract to clear up his $1.8 million of cap space.

Vishnevski wasn't particularly bad. OK, his production was not existent and you didn't really want to see him in the top 4. But, he was a physical defenseman and he did his job as Vishnevski finished last season with 140 hits, 10 behind leader David Clarkson. Beyond that, that's all you should really expect from him. He's not particularly quick, his positioning isn't anything to write home about, and his main talent is, well, hitting. He fit on the team, playing 69 games for the team, but his spot was always in doubt by the sheer number of third pairing defensemen on the team.

However, with seven other defensemen on the roster, it seemed likely that a move was going to be made. Back in July, I figured Vishnevski would be a player on the trading block. Shows you what I know, he's not going to be traded at all. Just dumped. Should his contract gets bought out, it'll be more likely that Vishnevski will be picked up on waivers. Like I said, he has his role and he does it competently. While it won't be for $2 million/year, one of the other 29 teams will pay him to do just that.

So the Devils would benefit by clearing up some more cap space. Unless there's some regulation involving buyouts (and I'm sure there is - any cap gurus with some knowledge about this, please let me know), the Devils should end up with a little over $3 million in cap space. Not a bad chunk of change, but I don't see the Devils going out and signing another free agent. There really isn't too much value left. But it will come very handy in February for a trade deadline deal, giving the team more flexibility as to who they can pursue.

I still think the other major factor in this decision, other than money, is the roster itself. With Vishnevski, the Devils had 8 defensemen on contract with 2 prospects already named by Lou that the franchise is interested in seeing further. With Vishnevski on the outs, Matt Corrente or Tyler Eckford (or someone else entirely, like Anssi Salmela) will have a much better chance of taking an eighth spot. I also think the Devils aren't done making moves on defense. Depending on who shows up strong in camp, we may see at least one other defensemen being moved - either traded or placed on waivers.

Over at the FanHouse, Jes Golbez gives Johnny Oduya some respect (also known as "props," "dap," "due," and possibly "love") as one of the best bargain players in the entire league. Golbez' reasoning is pretty sound, with a reference to an interesting analysis with the plus-minus stat that I haven't seen until now. Even Devils fans who paid attention during the second half of the season would be surprised at a +27 for the man. That all said, and to support Golbez' argument, Oduya's averaged the third most minutes on the team with 19:01/game, with 3:24/game on special teams. He's been used in all situations and has mostly featured on the top pairing with Paul Martin since the All Star Game. Most impressively, he scored this goal. All this in his second NHL season. Oduya has definitely took it to the proverbial next level.

It'll be interesting next June when Oduya becomes an unrestricted free agent. If Mike Commodore can command $3.75 million/year, as long as Oduya doesn't regress, we're looking at possibly at least $4 million/year. A third season in the NHL, improved performance going into this third season, and a contract year? All the signs point to an even better season for Oduya - and definitely a big raise (hopefully from Lou).

Elsewhere: Brent Sutter did a good, long interview with Tom Gulitti, which is available at Fire & Ice. If you heard the FAN 960 show, this is a nice supplement. Holik's role is better explained, we learn that Larry Robinson stepped down of his own volition, he likes Matthew Corrente, and he doesn't prohibit fights in practice. Why did Gulitti ask that? Well, it's because the confident Fedor Federov and Harry Young went toe to toe with each other at the developmental camp today.

Speaking of developmental camp, Brandon Burlon and Anssi Salmela are still hurt, Vladamir Zharkov showed up, and Matthew Corrente is thinking like a little engine that could, according to Gulitti. He's grown up, physically and emotionally, based on the interview. And he can play some defense, as I understand it. If I were him (and/or his fans), I wouldn't get my hopes up for making the regular roster right out of camp. That Lou and Sutter have openly praised Corrente definitely helps him out. It's always a good thing when the Legendary General Manager and head coach like what you do on the ice. However, his biggest obstacle is based on the sheer number of defenders available. Corrente is going to have to do more than prove in training camp that he's better than the other rookie defensemen (e.g. Salmela, Mark Fraser, Tyler Eckford) to get a spot. He's got to show he can bring more to the table than either Andy Greene, Vitaly Vishnevski, or Sheldon Brookbank. Vishnevski has been in the league for a while and Greene and Brookbank were regulars (well, as regular as you can be on a team with 9 rotating defensemen) last season. That will not be easy. That all said, it's a question of "when" and not "if" for Corrente. I just wouldn't write his name down on the roster just yet. Now if (or when) someone gets traded and that opens up a spot on defense, I fully expect Corrente to be among the leaders in taking that role.

First, from Tom Gulitti's Fire & Ice, it's brief but important with respect to the bench. Larry Robinson is stepping back to return to his role as a special assignments coach and Tommy Albelin will step up into being an assistant coach. From the comments, Gulitti elucidates on what Robinson did the last time he was a special assignments coach. With a lot of young players, this additional focus could help. It will be interesting to see how Albelin's role will affect the defense - even though that probably won't be fully realized until well into the coming season.

The most intriguing thing about this move is that it may expand Sutter's hand in coaching. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Albelin has not been an assistant coach at this level. It wouldn't be a the worst idea for Sutter to be more active with the defenders - assuming he isn't already - and to help Albelin out. Then again, it's entirely possible that Albelin may not need the help, or if he does, he could possibly get it from Robinson. One thing's for sure, there probably won't be a coach in the press box on a regular basis next season. Unless that's where they want Jacques Laperriere.

At this point, I'm now just grasping at straws here with respect to the coaching. Perhaps anything could happen.

Second, as reported by Gulitti and Rich Chere of the Star Ledger, Fedor Fedorov is confident on making the team. The quotes in Chere's article are interesting, to say the least. It's good to see someone with confidence; it can definitely make a difference between a good camp and a bad camp. But he seriously was signed to a one-way contract? I guess the organization is confident in Fedorov. After all, he's making $500k if he ends up in New Jersey or Massachusetts. Good luck to Mike Rupp, Rod Pelley (who's in camp without a contract), and Petr Vrana! You all now have more competition for a regular spot.

Second and half, Gulitti finds out why some of the prospects aren't available - specifically Mattias Tedenby and Mike Hoeffel.

Third, I found out from HF Boards that Sutter did a long interview with "Boomer" Dean Molberg on Calgary's FAN 960. You can listen to the whole thing on the FAN 960 website right here. He is quite specific that he wanted Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik's role on the team (it rhymes with "north mine").

But you probably don't really care about that. What you do care about are the New Jersey Devils. And this week the Devils are in action. In that the Devils prospects are already getting a look at by the organization. As usual, Tom Gulitti is on top of things with a who's who at camp. (Aside: Seriously, Fedor Federov is now in the organization? I guess after Jean-Luc Grand Pierre and Ian Moran, I guess this signing won't do too much damage in it's stupidity/bizarreness.)

The Devils forwards as signed: Patrik Elias, Zach Parise, Brian Gionta, John Madden, Travis Zajac, Jamie Langenbrunner, Dainius Zubrus, Mike Rupp, and David Clarkson. They have kept Jay Pandolfo and Rod Pelley was qualified. And now Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik have joined the fold. The top prospects (among others) within the Devils organization competing for a spot are Petr Vrana and Nicklas Bergfors (who will only be in as a top 6 forward).

On defense, the Devils have Paul Martin, Johnny Oduya, Colin White, Andy Greene, and Vitaly Vishnevski. They have re-signed Mike Mottau, Sheldon Brookbank, and Bryce Salvador. Karel Rachunek has left for Russia. The top Devils prospects competing for spots on the blueline (among others) are Matthew Corrente and Tyler Eckford.

That's 13 forwards with at least two prospects that could make the jump, and 8 defensemen with at least two prospects who could get a spot. Clearly, someone is leaving New Jersey this summer. The top guys are pretty much untouchable short of an amazing deal. Something like Zach Parise in a package for, say, Dion Phaneuf. No, it almost definitely won't happen but you never know. I never thought Jason Arnott would be traded with Randy McKay for Langenbrunner and Joe Nieuwendyk. Anyway, here's who I think are five Devils who are the most likely to be moved in my standard, quite wordy style. I think this will be much better than discussing the possible signing of Fedor Federov. (Seriously? Fedor Federov? Tell me this has Lowell written on it. Please tell me this is only for Lowell.)

WHY HE MAY GO: He didn't look all that great last season despite his no-fear style of play. He was shuffled around the top two lines and failed - like the rest of the team - to really generate some consistent scoring. For $4 million a year and considering what he did to get that fat contract, 22 goals and only 8 on the power play is disappointing especially when the expectation was that he'd be a leader on the offense. I'd almost go as far as to say it's questionable as to whether he can even a level of 35 goals again. His contract ends after this season making the cap hit only in the short term for his eventual new team, and a change of scenery could spark his scoring touch again. Furthermore, it doesn't help that the Devils now have 4 potential right wingers on the top 2 lines not named Gionta. Granted, I emphasize potential but these include: Brian Rolston if Elias remains a center, Dainius Zubrus can play the right, Nicklas Bergfors if he has a good camp, and Jamie Langenbrunner if he remembers how to do that again. His spot is numbered to a degree, really.

WHY HE MAY STAY: Gionta got most of those 48 goals in '05-'06 from in front of the net. He wasn't featured in the slot for most of the last season. If Sutter gives him that opportunity, he could become more productive. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, he's in a contract year. He may "turn it up" based on that alone, and it may benefit the Devils more to reap that extra effort than to let someone else enjoy it.

WHY HE MAY GO: Last season was a sophmore slump, a drop off in scoring and in overall play. He found himself on the fourth line by season's end and the concern is whether or not his overall development has taken a big step back. A drop in 8 points isn't so bad on it's face, but instead of showing he can be a second-line center who can make some plays, work well with Zach Parise, and someone who gets in good on-ice positions in general; he regressed in all aspects. Given how much he was shuffled around with seemingly no clear improvement. The Devils may want to cut their losses now and offer a forward spot to another prospect forward.

WHY HE MAY NOT GO: He is just coming off a sophmore slump. This happens to lots of rookies who have decent-to-good first seasons. Other teams figure out who he is and play against him accordingly. It'll be up to Zajac to work hard and improve in various aspects - consistency, skating, shooting, decision-making, etc. - for a strong third season. That said, the Devils drafted the guy, they signed him after two years in North Dakota, and he immediately fit on the top team. While some fans think otherwise, it doesn't make sense for the Devils organization to give up on him after one bad season in his young career. It would send a bad message to all the other prospects and young players on the team (do well or you're gone). It could also come back to haunt NJ if Zajac does turn it around and becomes a pretty good player.

#3. Vitaly Vishnevski
WHY HE MAY GO: Vishnevski's big asset to the club last season was that he's a physical defenseman. He can hit, he can hit hard, and that he works on the third pairing. Now that Brookbank and Mottau are returning and with Andy Greene still there, there's going to be an awful lot of people for two slots. What really hurts Vishnevski is that Bryce Salvador has been re-signed. While he's not a hit machine like Vishnevski, Salvador can be just as physical, only he's much better defensively. While Salvador won't likely get third-pairing minutes, the Devils can afford to rotate Brookbank, Mottau, and Greene on the third-pairing without sacrificing much physical play. Considering that Mottau and Greene got a lot of minutes last season, they will likely be the favorites for those spots. Like Asham on the fourth line, Vishnevski could likely be the odd man out. Even more so if Matthew Corrente and/or Tyler Eckford impresses in September.

WHY HE MAY NOT GO: Vishnevski can easily be the "constant" on the third pairing and if Sutter chooses to, have a real physical defense. If Martin-Oduya is split up, there could be a strong hitter on each pairing. The Devils would literally be tougher to play against on defense. Other than that, I don't know what I can say. Greene and Mottau have proven themselves (to a point) with the time he's got on the ice, and Brookbank has shown to be as good as Vishnevski for much less money. Actually....

#4 and 5. Andy Greene/Mike Mottau (the two are interchangeable in this regard)
WHY HE/THEY MAY GO: They've each played at least 19 minutes last season and didn't look terrible at it. Oh, there's been some nights where you wonder what they're doing on the ice. Don't get me wrong. But they have shown that they can handle it, they just need more experience at it. Furthermore, they are cheap. Mottau is only making $762,000 and Greene is earning a mere $600,000. Should the Devils make a package deal with Gionta, either defenseman can be thrown in to help sweeten the deal while not making it prohibitively expensive for the other team's cap. Greene may be more likely in this scenario as he has the advantage of time on his side - Greene will turn 26 this season, whereas Mottau will become 31 by season's end.

WHY HE/THEY MAY NOT GO: They've earned their spots on the line-up. Greene has averaged 19:30 in the 59 games he played, and Mottau finished the season second on the team in average time on the ice (20:03) with the most games out of all the defensemen (76). While they certainly didn't "wow" anybody, they were steady enough and a second season in this set up could see them as even better defensively. They're more familiar with what they'll have to do, what they'll have to improve, and how they will be coached. Also, should the Devils want to take on more salary in making any deals, they can provide good-enough defending for a low cost this season. Their relative bargains can go either way as a reason to keep them or to move them.

HUGE I CAN BE QUITE DAFT AS A TEAM SIGNING COMMODORE FOR $3.75 MILLION/YEAR EDIT: I completely forgot that Aaron Asham was a UFA and was not re-signed by New Jersey. I swore I looked at the Devils player numbers at NHLSCAP enough, but I completely missed it. Anyway, he's gone and, well, that makes it a little easier on the forward logjam. But there's still too many players on the roster, I still think a trade will happen at some point this offseason. Thanks to anonymous (who is legion and divided by zero and blah blah blah) and arbund972 for catching this in the comments (comment at ILWT and correct me - today!).