The New Jersey Devils made some alterations on and off the ice after failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs a third straight season. Among those moves, there was none bigger than Ray Shero replacing Hockey Hall of Fame member Lou Lamoriello as general manager on May 4. Lamoriello stayed on as president but resigned July 23 to become GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, a move that took many by surprise. Lamoriello, who was Devils president and GM since 1987, won the Stanley Cup three times in those 28 years (1995, 2000, 2003).
In June, Shero introduced John Hynes as the fourth Devils coach in five years. Lamoriello and assistants Scott Stevens and Adam Oates served as co-coaches after Peter DeBoer was fired in December 2014. Hynes was coach of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League the past five seasons. His team reached the conference finals twice and the conference semifinals twice. The 40-year-old is the youngest coach in the NHL.New Jersey last season was 32-36-14 and finished 20 points short of qualifying for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. When Shero introduced Hynes on June 2, he said he envisions the Devils being fast, attacking and supportive. Hynes said in order to succeed in those areas, they must establish a clear identity. Fortunately for Hynes, the Devils have their share of leaders. Offensively there's Patrik Elias, Mike Cammalleri and Travis Zajac. Defensively, Andy Greene has been a mainstay and mentor to the younger players, and Cory Schneider was stout in his first season as a No. 1 goalie in 2014-15.
Defensemen Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas, Jon Merrill and Damon Severson played vital roles, earned valuable ice time, and figure to be in the mix again as Shero looks to build a younger, faster team. Shero decided not to re-sign forwards Scott Gomez and Steve Bernier or defensemen Mark Fraser and Peter Harrold. The Devils also bought out the final season of left wing Dainius Zubrus' contract. Gomez tied for third on the Devils with 34 points (seven goals) last season. Shero bolstered the defensemen when he signed puck-moving John Moore to a three-year contract. Moore, 24, has nine goals and 40 points in 230 regular-season games over five seasons with three teams. The Devils ranked 28th in the NHL scoring 2.15 goals per game and were 29th with 24.5 shots per game in 2014-15. Shero filled a need at right wing when he acquired forward Kyle Palmieri in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks in June, and the organization is very high on 2015 first-round pick (No. 6) Pavel Zacha. Prospects Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau are possibilities to remain on the roster a full season. Forward Sergey Kalinin (6-foot-3, 190 pounds), who spent the past five seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League, signed a free agent contract in May. The 24-year-old had 12 goals, 25 points, 95 hits and a 50 percent faceoff efficiency in 58 games as captain of Avangard Omsk last season.Shero has promised to create a much younger, faster team. He has signed or re-signed several young players to challenge for roster spots in training camp, and approved the selection of forward Pavel Zacha with the No. 6 choice in the 2015 NHL Draft. New Jersey will give Zacha every opportunity to earn a roster spot out of training camp. The Devils will have nine games to find out if the forward is ready for the NHL; once he plays the 10th game, his entry-level contract (which he had not signed as of Aug. 6) becomes official for the season. He could be sent back to Sarnia in the Ontario Hockey League, but at 18 years old cannot play in the American Hockey League. Zacha is everything the Devils need in their lineup: He's strong on the puck, fast, and capable of finding the open teammate. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound left-hand shot was mentored by former NHL player Petr Nedved when he played for Liberec in the Czech Republic's top league in 2013-14.
New Jersey haven't had a player score at least 30 goals the past three seasons. Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and David Clarkson each had at least that many in 2011-12, the last time the Devils qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Mike Cammalleri, who came close in 2014-15 when he scored 27 goals, is the most likely to do so. The Devils are expected to get younger up front this season with Reid Boucher, Stefan Matteau and Zacha candidates to see significant time. The fact Hynes wants to attack and pressure the opposition bodes well for players who might not attract all the attention. Cammalleri, 33, who scored nine power-play goals, has scored at least 30 goals twice in his NHL career and had his highest total in six seasons in 2014-15. Adam Henrique, who is entering his fifth full season, had 25 goals in 2013-14 and is capable of building on that.
It's no secret the Devils are in a transitional period, not only within the front office but the personnel they'll have on the ice. It might take some time for all the pieces to come together, learn the system Hynes will instill, and then move forward with that game plan on a consistent basis. Though it certainly is possible for the Devils to surprise and return to the playoffs, they might be a season away from earning a spot among the top eight in the Eastern Conference. The one certainty is Hynes wants a team with a clear identity each time it takes the ice. He also wants his leaders, including forwards Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac and Henrique, defenseman Andy Greene and goaltender Cory Schneider, to maintain a high level of focus helping build that foundation.Before Lamoriello took the Toronto job after nearly three decades with New Jersey, it was clear Shero was calling the shots. He hired John Hynes as coach June 2. Hynes coached the Pittsburgh Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when Shero was Penguins GM. On July 9, Shero announced David Conte would not return as Devils scouting director. Conte was a scout for New Jersey for 31 years.
The coach has said he will not stand for lackadaisical play; he expects the Devils to be aggressive and attacking. He wants his veterans to help accomplish that.
Hynes was AHL coach of the year in 2010-11, when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finished a league-best 58-21-1. He was 231-126-10-17 in five AHL seasons.
The focus at training camp will be finding ways to increase offensive production to give goaltender Cory Schneider some breathing room. The Devils will try to improve their puck-possession game and have all five players involved in the offense. Hynes will stress good defensive structure and a commitment from his players to being ultra-competitive on the puck, something his AHL players did with great success.
New Jersey's defense is led by veteran Andy Greene, who's done a fine job working with young defensemen Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas, Jon Merrill, Damon Severson and Seth Helgeson. The Devils were fifth in the NHL in shot attempts against (SATA) and sixth in SATA/60 in 2014-15.
The free agent signing of John Moore adds depth and experience. Though Schneider was 26-31-9 last season and under pressure to be perfect most nights, he finished with a 2.26 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage, and five shutouts. Among NHL goalies who played at least 100 games the past three seasons, Schneider has a League-low 2.14 GAA and is third behind the Boston Bruins' Tuukka Rask and the Montreal Canadiens' Carey Price with a .924 save percentage.
Shero acquired Kyle Palmieri, who was born in Smithtown, N.Y., and raised in Montvale, N.J., from the Anaheim Ducks for two picks at the 2015 NHL Draft, six years after the Ducks selected him in the first round (No. 26). Palmieri should fill a need on right wing in a top-six role. The 24-year-old has 43 goals and 89 points in 198 NHL games. He's fast, aggressive, likes to take pucks to the net and throws the body.
Coach John Hynes knows how difficult it is for young players to realize their dream of playing in the NHL. He spent the past five seasons mentoring many talented prospects as coach of Wilkes Barre/Scranton, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hynes is hoping to uncover a few of those players at training camp.
Hynes liked what he saw from the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Czech Republic native, Pavel Zach at development camp in July. The 18-year-old, who has been working out this offseason in Anaheim, Calif., roomed with defenseman Damon Severson during camp and was very impressive. The center spent last season with Sarnia of the OHL.
At 6-foot-2 and 205-pounds, the right-handed defenseman Steven Santini sustained a right wrist injury against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in late October and missed 11 weeks recovering from surgery. The 20-year-old decided to return to Boston College for at least one more season but could be a prime candidate for a full-time role with the Devils very soon. He was named to the 2015 United States national junior team preliminary roster for the World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto but was unable to play because of his wrist injury.
Hynes has a familiarity with Left-Wing, Stefan Matteau since he coached against him in the AHL. The 21-year-old was signed to a two-year, one-way contract in July. Matteau has two goals and four points in 24 NHL games. He expects to be an impact player, using his big frame (6-foot-2, 216) going into the corners to win puck battles and create opportunities.
Seth Helgeson (6-foot-4, 215) has a lot going for him with his size and physicality along the blue line. He certainly wasn't a liability when given his chance in 22 games with New Jersey last season and would be the most capable replacement if unrestricted free agent defenseman Bryce Salvador opts not to return. The left-handed shot, who turns 25 in October, is very durable despite his physical approach to the game: He played in 121 straight games for the University of Minnesota dating to his freshman season in 2009-10.
Entering his fourth pro season, the right-handed defenseman Raman Hrabarenka is on the cusp of earning a regular role in New Jersey. The native of Mogilev, Belarus, has great size (6-foot-5, 235), can skate well, and plays a physical game. He had career highs in goals, assists and points in Albany last season. Hynes wants to give Hrabarenka, who turns 23 on Aug. 24, a strong identity. In addition to having the strength, the skating, and physical presence, he's adept as making plays off the rush.
Projected Lines
14 Adam Henrique - 26 Patrick Elias - 21 Kyle Palmieri
23 Michael Cammalleri - 19 Travis Zajac - 12 Reid Boucher
15 Tuomo Ruutu - 16 Jacob Josefson - 25 Stefan Matteau
32 Mike Sislo - 11 Stephen Gionta - 20 Jordin Tootoo
29 Ryane Clowe
6 Andy Greene - 5 Adam Larsson
John Moore - 28 Damon Severson
7 Jon Merrill - 22 Eric Gelinas
35 Cory Schneider - 1 Keith Kinkaid
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