New Jersey Devils 2047-2048 Season Preview

[AaronRStanley]

Last Year

After losing JP Freeman, Keven Baird, the Devils went into the 2046-47 season with low expectations. Gary Stacey was now the headliner at center, and Petter Magnusson was potentially heading out of town. But after a deal in the offseason to bring in Raphael Hamel, and some early season struggles, the Devils came together as a group, fighting their way to a 6th place finish in the East, getting all they could handle in six games against the Leafs.

Offseason Moves

Entering the offseason, the Devils had several RFAs, including Raphael Hamel and Zane Turgeon, both of whom were highly sought after. Both of them signed offer sheets with the LA Kings, which were promptly matched to bring them back into the fold. Gennadi Petrov was signed to an offer sheet by the Panthers.

At the draft, Vaclav Hruska, a strong goaltender playing for Drummondville, Tuomo Nurmi was picked from Pori of the Finnish league. The Devils had four other prospects selected, of which none are expected to play in North America any time soon.

The Devils were quiet in Free Agency, signing Francois Tremblay, a young center formerly of the Halifax Moosehead.


Positional Breakdown

Goaltending - The blue paint is going to again be manned by Raphael Hamel, who played every game last year. He's expected to take another step forward, while being backed up by young Jesper Bergkvist, who should see some starts throughout the year and towards the playoffs.

Defense - The blue line will be led by a quartet of 23 year old dmen. Zane Turgeon and Olli Heinonen will once more serve on the top pair, where they both acquitted themselves well. Bo Lindberg will be expected to take a big step, as he plays alongside Radovan Urbancok, who is looking to stay healthy for a full year and continue his growth. The bottom pair will be fought over by three players, Mark Buhlmann, Marshall Fisher, and Mats Fritzmeier. All three are more than capable, and this should be one of the more intense battles at camp.

Wings - Petter Magnusson is once more the headlining act in New Jersey, and will be looked at to lead this team on the ice and off. Koivunen, Proskuring, and Rogers will all be fighting for top six minutes, but will see a big fight in training camp from the likes of rookies Dan Morrow, Brad Duval, and Gord Todd, all of whom are looking to get their first taste of real NHL action. With as many as two wing positions available in the top 9, the rookies will have to fight for their spot and icetime this year. Shane Shaw is also a factor as he may finally begin to earn the faith his GM has in him. Penalty killing on the wings is something that needs to be addressed, as the Devils have lost a member or two from their unit of last year.

Center - Gary Stacey comes to camp the incumbent at first line pivot, and don't expect him to play anywhere else. Kent Welch and Paul Savard will be in an all out fight for second line minutes, with the loser playing either third line minutes if Savard wins, or in the minors if Welch wins, a strong motivator for young Savard as he looks to get HIS first taste of NHL action. Thompson and Zeman will likely form two thirds of the fourth line, with a LW needed.

Season Expectations

After outperforming expectations, the bar has been raised on this group, who is expected to compete for a top 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. There are some very strong teams in the east, and this isn't going to be easy, but with the Board only expecting roster improvement, the time is now to overachieve.

Projected Opening Night Lineup

Magnusson - Stacey - Koivunen
Proskurin - Welch - Rogers
Savard* - Vlcek - Morrow*
Shaw - Zeman - Thompson
Kari Laine

Turgeon - Heinonen
Lindberg - Urbancok
Buhlmann - Fritzmeier
Fisher

Hamel
Bergkvist

*denotes rookie