No pressure or anything, but if defenseman Andy Greene isn’t among the NHL’s Rookie of the Year candidates by spring, the Devils will be struggling to make their 11th straight playoff appearance.
He showed last season that he’s more than capable of being among the elite of the rookie crop, upgrading the Devils’ blue line when Lou Lamoriello’s salary-cap mess finally allowed Greene to join the team in February. Now, the Devils need him to be one of the best of their revamped backline.
Greene played 23 regular-season games last year, two below the rookie cutoff, so he’s still eligible for the Calder Trophy this season. He figures to be the least experienced regular on the Devils’ defense, but with his skills and skating ability, he’ll have to provide much of what they’ve lost.
“Like all young kids, he still has lots to learn, but he plays with a lot of poise,” coach Brent Sutter said. “You’d never know he’s as young [24] as he is, playing the way he does.”
The Devils, who meet the Islanders in Lowell, Mass., tonight, are a work in progress, especially on defense. Brian Rafalski is the latest departure in need of replacement while they still haven’t overcome the losses of Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer. Losing Brad Lukowich matters, too, and though the additions of Vitaly Vishnevski and Karel Rachunek solidify matters, Greene looks like one of the main puck-movers. His game resembles that of Rafalski, perhaps quicker and more agile, but still in need of seasoning.
“You have to prove yourself all the time, and with a new coach, you have to prove yourself to him, too,” Greene said. “I just want to continue, hopefully play in a lot of situations.”
The Michigan native is yet another of the rabbits Lamoriello pulled from a hat, like Rafalski and John Madden, undrafted college free agents who chose the Devils.
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The Devils narrowly avoided a Dan Boyle-type disaster when the skate Travis Zajac hung on the high hook atop his locker fell and barely missed hitting his head yesterday. Tampa Bay’s Boyle is out four to six weeks after a falling skate cut tendons in his wrist. …
Jamie Langenbrunner confirmed he may be out eight to 10 weeks from sports hernia surgery. … Kevin Weekes (probable concussion) skated after his teammates yesterday without apparent incident.