GOALIE TO GO: Top forward Zach Parise is gone, but the Devils’ mainstay in nets, Martin Brodeur, reunites with head coach Pete DeBoer for another go-round at age 40 facing a truncated, post-lockout schedule. (Reuters)
The last time the NHL had a lockout-shortened season, it turned out pretty well for the Devils. Back in 1995, they beat the Red Wings in the Finals for their first Stanley Cup.
Not much is the same heading into this season, but Martin Brodeur remains in goal 18 years later, even if he isn’t the dominant force he once was.
Brodeur and the Devils showed once again how dangerous they can be in the playoffs last season, when they made a surprising run to the Finals before falling to the Kings.
Repeating that success won’t be easy, especially since second-leading scorer Zach Parise left for the Wild as a free agent.
Still, head coach Peter DeBoer was able to exceed expectations last season, and the veteran Devils continue to know how to win.
The most difficult challenge the Devils and DeBoer figure to face is replacing Parise, who signed a deal worth $98 million with Minnesota before the lockout.
Parise’s departure puts even more pressure on Ilya Kovalchuk, who was the only Devil to score more goals than Parise last season. Kovalchuk has played well in his native Russia during the work stoppage, showing the back problems that bothered him during last year’s Finals appear to be a thing of the past.
Parise won’t be the only one missing. Adam Henrique is expected to miss the start of the season after suffering ligament damage to his left thumb while playing for the team’s AHL affiliate in November. A Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) finalist last season, the 22-year-old was also one of the team’s top performers in the playoffs with a pair of series-winning overtime goals.
If nothing else, though, they have Brodeur.
After hiring high-powered agent Pat Brisson and briefly entering free agency, Brodeur opted to play another season in Newark.
Now 40, Brodeur again will be backed up by Johan Hedberg, who is only a year younger. That’s a lot of age in net, especially considering the truncated schedule will not include the usual amount of off-days. Brodeur didn’t show many signs of age last season and was even better in the playoffs, when he recorded his best postseason goals-against average since 2003.