With the new collective bargaining agreement now in place and regular season hockey expected to start within the next 10-14 days, here's a quick look at where things stand in New Jersey heading into the upcoming season in terms of cap flexibility and injuries.
- A few days ago it was announced that 2011-12 Calder candidate Adam Henrique's rehab was just beginning and that he'll need another 3-4 weeks to recover. That hasn't changed, obviously, and he is not expected to be ready to go for the Devils' season opener. The hope and expectation is Henrique can return with 7-10 days of when the season begins, though there's no guarantee.
- Jacob Josefson reportedly struggled to leave the ice against Springfield yesterday after suffering a leg injury but word is he is okay. Josefson will likely see more ice this year, especially in offensive situations - he may even see some powerplay time. I think he's finally ready to take the next step and I expect his production in terms of points per game to increase this year. As always with Josefson, staying healthy will be key.
- A lot of people have asked me where Patrik Elias will play this year. I think he'll play wing for the most part, though with Henrique out to start the season they may rotate him back to centre. The Devils do have depth at the centre position, though, as even with Henrique out they still have Travis Zajac, Jacob Josefson and perhaps Patrik Elias to use at that position.
- Devils fans should be happy the likes of Ilya Kovalchuk, Marek Zidlicky and Anton Volchenkov went overseas to play during the lockout. Sure they all ran the risk of suffering an injury, but the benefit that easily offset injury risk is being in shape and ready to go when the season starts. Kovalchuk put up 40 points in 33 games and is undoubtedly in game shape. A lot of guys won't be so that's a huge leg up to someone who was already one of the best and most dynamic players in the NHL.
Marek Zidlicky also was very productive in Europe during the lockout as he put up 25 points in 25 games.
- The salary cap ceiling is set for $64.3M next season, but in the meantime the salary cap is a little over $70M for this season. The Devils have more financial flexibility with the recent ownership news and you have to believe if Devils GM Lou Lamoriello finds himself in a scenario where he can improve his roster and needs money to do so he'll be able to reach into Jeff Vanderbeek's pockets and use what he needs. The Devils have over $14M in cap space for this season alone, so if not anything else they can take on a big expiring contract at the deadline to try and get someone to help them out in their playoff run.
- As I said, there is no official word on how many games will be played this season yet but the expectation (not confirmed) is each team will play all the teams within their division seven times each. So 28 of the Devils' 48, 50, or 52 games will be against the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders. It'll be tough to get back in the playoffs with such a tough schedule, but I think they'll be able to slip in one of the bottom two or three spots.
- I wouldn't be surprised if Petr Sykora is brought back if he wants to return. He'd come cheap, the Devils could use some scoring wingers and depth on the wing. Other options include promoting from within and giving the likes of Bobby Butler, who has been scoring at a very high pace for the last month or so, or Mattias Tedenby a shot.
- Speaking of those guys, both of them scored Saturday night in a 4-1 Albany win over Springfield. Butler had a goal, his 15th of the year, and Tedenby tallied a goal and an assist. Good night from those guys.
- Now to some prospect updates...Reid Boucher scored twice and picked up an assist last night in a 5-4 Sarnia win over Erie. Boucher now has a league leading 30 goals on the year in 39 games. To put that into perspective, Boucher had 28 goals and 50 points in 67 games last year. This year: 30 goals and 52 points in 39 games.
- Reece Scarlett had two assists for Swift Current in a 3-2 win over Lethbridge. Scarlett now has 22 points in 38 games. Teammate and fellow Devils prospect Graham Black was held off the scoresheet.
- Stefan Matteau and Ben Thomson were held off the scoresheet last night in their respective QMJHL and OHL games.
Once again I'd like to thank you all for sticking with me throughout this lockout. I really appreciate it and I couldn't be happier to be able to talk NHL and Devils hockey with all of you throughout the season.
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