New Jersey Devils - 2014-15 Season Preview

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Nov 20, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; New Jersey Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) celebrates with right wing Dainius Zubrus (8) and left wing Patrik Elias (26) after scoring a goal in the third period against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. The Devils defeated the Ducks 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NEW JERSEY DEVILS

2013-14 RECAP

In their final year with Martin Brodeur in the fold, the Devils might have been just a little too loyal to the diminshing return they got from the legend instead of throwing newly acquired Cory Schneider into the fire. The resulting 5 point playoff miss meant that Brodeur left town having missed the playoffs in his final Jersey season. However, offense is more of a concern as the Devils were one of only 3 Eastern Conference teams to fail to reach 200 goals (along with bottom feeders Florida and Buffalo).

Apr 13, 2014; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur (30) is honored by fans after his 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

CHANGES

IN – Mike Cammalleri, Martin Havlat, Scott Clemmensen

OUT- Martin Brodeur, Mark Fayne, Anton Volchenkov, Ryan Carter

A year after bringing in Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe and Damien Brunner, the Devils still need to find offense so they looked to Cammalleri and hope for a return to form, and health, from Martin Havlat to increase team productivity. Clemmensen steps back into a New Jersey Devils uniform in as a backup to replace the guy he first came in to understudy for, and he should be more comfortable playing 15-20 games.

Mar 31, 2014; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Adam Larsson (5) passes the puck against the Florida Panters during the third period at Prudential Center. The Devils won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

3 BIG QUESTIONS

1. How Good is Schneider? – Long considered a top-end prospect and quality goalie, this will be the first time in his career that he is the undisputed starter and will be given a vast majority of the action and all the important games. Now we will get to see how good he really can be.

2. Who will score? – Jagr was far and away the team’s best forward last season, and he will be turning 43 just after mid-season. The Devils brought in more scoring over the summer, but it is time for the likes of Adam Henrique and Travis Zajac, the homegrown talent, to start contributing more because Jagr and Patrik Elias won’t be around forever.

3. Will Adam Larsson get “there”? – Remember when Larsson was considered almost even money to be the first overall pick? That was some time ago and he ended up going 4th overall, but the blueliner has had his struggles to live up to those expectations and even spent significant time in Albany last season. This will be his fourth North American season, and the Devils hope he can start to fulfill some of the promise he showed leading into the draft.

Mar 30, 2014; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Calgary Flames center Mike Cammalleri (13) during warmup prior to the game against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

PREDICTION