In their final conversation previewing the 2011-12 seasons of the local N.H.L. teams, the New York Times hockey writers Jeff Z. Klein and Christopher Botta ponder whether the Devils are ready to return to regular-season dominance.
Botta: Let me confess something, Jeff. I saved the Devils for last because, in seasons of triumph or last season’s freefall, the Devils can make the prognosticators look even sillier than usual. Is there a chance Peter DeBoer gets the Devils back to being the Devils again?
Klein: It’s true, Chris, the Devils have been the model of consistency for so many years (or at least the second model of consistency, after the Red Wings). But it seems to be coming apart now, and Peter DeBoer doesn’t seem to have the track record at the N.H.L. level to make them “the Devils” again. As the former Panthers coach, it feels like he may be more John MacLean than Jacques Lemaire.
Botta: I like DeBoer as a coach and enjoy speaking with him. I’m not going to hold his Panthers experience against him. He never had the players. The book is not out on him yet.
Speaking of having the horses, I’ve always loved to watch Ilya Kovalchuk play. But it doesn’t feel like he has connected with one linemate, let alone two in his season-plus in New Jersey.
Klein: True that, and especially when he was taken so publicly to the woodshed by MacLean. But what a rally he staged last season when Lemaire came back.
Botta: He was good in the second half, as just about everyone was. Brian Rolston, the new Islander, his numbers were terrific. Looks like Kovalchuk will start on Dainius Zubrus’s line.
Klein: It’s the big question: what happens with the $100 million man this year?
Botta: Lou Lamoriello has always said he won’t negotiate contracts during the season. Although I’d like to think he might make an exception for Zach Parise, do you think the new captain’s uncertain future in New Jersey will have a negative effect on the season?
Klein: Well, I think making Parise captain is the first step toward getting him to sign a long-term contract. As captain, he’s certainly obligated to keep contract matters submerged for the greater good of the team. But in the end, who are we to question the inner musings of Lou?
Botta: Oh, it’s not sacred anymore. He missed the playoffs last year and the Devils haven’t won a Cup since 2003! Mr. Lamoriello can handle it. To his credit, he answers the tough questions put to him.
Which reminds me. I know this question has been asked for years — Lamoriello always likes to point that out to us — but does Martin Brodeur have another 65-game, Vezina Trophy finalist season in him? This lineup needs it.
Klein: Brodeur could certainly have a good season, but a Vezina finalist? No way. He’s definitely on the downswing of his great career. It’s different now than it used to be for him. Age, wear and tear brought about in part by his own refusal to cut down on his workload, and the burden over the last couple of years of having to face more shots than he ever had with the Devils — all of that has took its toll on him. His last two, very shaky playoff performances showed that.
Botta: Maybe I’m a softie, but I have a hard time counting out Brodeur. Yes, his Vezina days may be through, but I still think he’s capable of keeping his goals-against average under 2.30 and leading a team into the playoffs.
I do like their defense more than some of our colleagues, Jeff. They need more out of Anton Volchenkov, who is compensated like a top defenseman, but this is a big, tough and mobile group. O.K, Andy Greene isn’t big, but he should put together a complete season after taking a step back last year. And Adam Larsson…what a treat he’s going to be to watch in this area for a long time.
Klein: Indeed, Larsson is an exciting arrival. But I tell ya, Chris, when the Devils lost Paul Martin to that broken arm and then sent him away, that was the end of a very long line of excellent defensemen in New Jersey that stretched back to Stevens, Niedermayer and Daneyko.
Botta: A new era may begin with Larsson. He’s that good. The Devils are really intriguing to me this season because they need strong production up front from talented but still-raw kids like Josef Josefson, Mattias Tedenby, Adam Henrique and Nick Palmieri. That’s very unDevil-like and could be asking for too much. There’s not a lot of depth in their minor league system.
Klein: You’re right. They have a future. I’m just not sold on them being a top team this season.
Botta: While I take a final few seconds to come up with a prediction, tell me, Jeff: where are the Devils finishing this season in the conference?
Klein: I have them at the same 11th-place finish they managed last year, give or take one spot.
Botta: Man, I’ve gone back and forth on this one a long time. I even texted some friends, analysts on N.H.L. broadcasts without connections to the team. Five out of six of them said the Devils would finish ahead of the Islanders in the standings. I picked the Islanders for 10th in the East. I’m going to respectfully ignore those experts and pick New Jersey for 11th.
Klein: So to sum up, I have the Rangers fifth and you have them sixth. We both have the Islanders finishing in 10th and we both pick the Devils to be one spot below them.
Botta: Part of me hopes we’re wrong, Jeff. The New York area needs a little more buzz around the Stanley Cup playoffs. Eight of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference qualify. At least two out of three teams should not be too much to ask.
No comments:
Post a Comment