NHL

Devils will return to playoffs, but another deep run is doubtful

The last time there was a 48-game season following a lockout, it was the Devils, led by goalie Martin Brodeur, who won the Stanley Cup.

That was in 1995, when Brodeur was still a youngster and his Hall of Fame plaque was not yet a given. Now the franchise goalie is 40 years old, and with another lockout-shortened season having just begun, he hopes to have the same result as the last time.

“Pretty similar, huh?” Brodeur said the other day, smiling.

Even more similar because in the 1993-94 season, the one before they won, they lost an epic Eastern Conference Finals to the Rangers. Last season, they beat the Rangers in that same round, only to lose to the Kings in a six-game Stanley Cup Finals.

In order to repeat their standard lockout follow-up of a championship, Brodeur and Co. are going to have to find a way to fill the void of their captain, Zach Parise, who left to sign a massive free-agent deal with the Wild. With $100 million winger Ilya Kovalchuk giving fans a scare by spending a couple of extra days in his native Russia playing in the KHL All-Star game, training camp got off to an inauspicious start. But the 36 games Kovalchuk played as the captain of SKA St. Peterburg only helped him stay in game shape, and the Devils hope he will ease the transition for one of the oldest teams in the league as the condensed schedule begins to grind away.

OFFENSE

The Devils are missing 59 goals from last season’s lineup, as Parise, Petr Sykora and Alexei Ponikarovsky are gone. That means there will be ample pressure on the remaining veterans to be even better, specifically center Travis Zajac, who missed most of last season with an Achilles injury but came back like gangbusters during the playoffs. It earned the 27-year-old an eight-year, $46 million contract extension, which he hopes can be the start of him breaking out of Parise’s shadow.

Winger David Clarkson hopes to repeat his career year (30 goals) and along with Kovalchuk, Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus, that core group will have to carry the load. More also is expected of the two young Swedish forwards — 21-year-old center Jacob Josefson and 22-year-old winger Mattias Tedenby — who are slotted in or near top-six positions.

The return of second-year center Adam Henrique from left thumb surgery in a couple of weeks also will be a boost.

DEFENSE

There should be little change in the defense from last season, as the group that finished the regular season ninth in goals-against average (2.50) is back. They’re led by responsible veteran and newly minted captain Bryce Salvador, set to pair with the mercurial Marek Zidlicky, an offensive threat but a defensive liability. With a solid second pair of Andy Greene and Mark Fayne, coach Pete DeBoer can experiment with a third combination depending on matchups.

Anton Volchenkov almost definitely will be a fixture, but the sixth spot could rotate between Peter Harrold and Henrik Tallinder. There is a chance DeBoer could keep 20-year-old Adam Larsson up, as well, who has some learning to do but is as big a talent as they have on the back line.

COACHING

Pete DeBoer proved last season he has the coaching acumen — both in motivational skills and in game strategy — to compete at the highest level. Never during the run to the finals was he outcoached, and never did he get any less than 100 percent from his team.

He showed some fire in his gut when he screamed across the benches at Rangers coach John Tortorella in May, but then showed a level of class demanded by general manager Lou Lamoriello and the franchise when he was forthright and contrite to the media afterward. Entering his second year, it’s been a benefit for DeBoer that he has such strong veteran leadership in the locker room, and he doesn’t get in the way.

GOALTENDING

In that championship season of 1995, Martin Brodeur played 40 of 48 regular-season games, a fine amount for a 25-year-old, yet not so much 15 years later. With 10 back-to-back games on the schedule, you can expect those to be regularly split between Brodeur and Johan Hedberg, a reliable backup.

Hedberg, no youngster at 39, also might get an occasional spot start early, with DeBoer knowing that coming down the stretch, if the team is on the playoff bubble, he wants no one in nets bedsides Brodeur. There should be a concern for injury for both of the netminders, but as Brodeur proved last season, sometimes age is just a number — which, if it continues to prove true, is a plus for the franchise, considering he still has one year left on his contract after this season.

PREDICTION

The Devils don’t look like a favorite in the East, but they didn’t look like one last season, either. They have enough talent and veteran leadership to get them to the playoffs, somewhere in the middle of the pack. But what took them far last season was some postseason magic — remember the two series-winning overtime goals from the rookie Henrique? — and that doesn’t come around too often. If they win a series, they should be happy.

ROSTER

Goalies: Martin Brodeur, Johan Hedberg

Defensemen: Andy Greene, Peter Harrold, Bryce Salvador, Anton Volchenkov, Mark Fayne, Marek Zidlicky, Adam Larsson, Henrik Tallinder

Left Wings: Dainius Zubrus, Mattias Tedenby, Krys Barch, Ryan Carter

Centers: Travis Zajac, Patrik Elias, Jacob Josefson, Stephen Gionta, Adam Henrique (injured)

Right Wings: Ilya Kovalchuk, David Clarkson, Bobby Butler, Steve Bernier

KEYS TO THE SEASON

Most Important Offensive Player: Travis Zajac. Now officially a franchise cornerstone, Zajac needs to break out of Parise’s shadow.

Most Important Defensive Player: Bryce Salvador. He’s the captain and bedrock for a stout back line.

Top Rookie: Jacob Josefson. Though he has played 69 career NHL games, the 21-year-old Swedish center will play a big role early with Henrique injured.

Key Coaching Decision: First, will Pete DeBoer keep Patrik Elias as a center, as he did for training camp in Adam Henrique’s absence? Second, will he keep Adam Larsson and give him a shot, or let him play big minutes in the AHL?