With the NHL lockout now over and the regular season set to begin within the next 10-14 days, there is much work and preparation that needs to be done for all teams, players and coaches. Here are some notes on the New Jersey Devils' captain candidates, Petr Sykora's hopes to return to the NHL this season and more.
- I'll start off with the captaincy thing. The Devils, being the veteran team that they are, have a lot of good candidates for captain, as you might expect. Whether the player wants it or not, you could make a good case that any of Bryce Salvador, Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac or Ilya Kovalchuk should be the next captain. Heck, some say that Adam Henrique has shown enough in terms of production and leadership that he should be given consideration. I definitely wouldn't give the "C" to Henrique for at least a couple years, but you get my point.
For my money, Ilya Kovalchuk will and should be the next captain. He's locked up long-term so the Devils won't have a situation like they did last year where they put themselves in a situation to have their captain walk away from the team. Kovalchuk is loved by his teammates, in his prime and has experience wearing the "C". He's also shown commitment to defense since becoming a Devil and is now a guy the coaching staff feels comfortable with on the ice regardless of the situation. That's the kind of guy you want to be captain. Someone who is liked by his teammates, works hard and isn't a liability no matter the situation. That's what Kovalchuk has become.
Now to look at the other candidates:
Bryce Salvador is a veteran guy who plays the right way and goes about his business like a true pro. He's liked by his teammates, has a lot of experience in the NHL and has worn letters on his jersey before. The fact he's signed for another three years doesn't hurt his cause, either. If the Devils don't want to have Kovalchuk become their captain for the next decade plus and don't want to go through the trouble of giving it to him now and stripping it from him at some point, I could see them naming Salvador captain now and hoping that Henrique has matured enough to take on that role in a few years.
Patrik Elias has worn the "C" on his jersey before and I'm sure if approached he would accept the role as team captain. He's a great leader, a great player and has been a model citizen for the Devils for a long, long time. That said, I think Pete DeBoer knows Elias would prefer not to take on that role again and for that reason I don't think he will.
Travis Zajac is a well liked and respected player in the room, but I don't see him being named captain. He's an unrestricted free agent at year's end and I really don't think the Devils want to go down the road of naming him captain with the risk of having him walk away from the team next summer just like Zach Parise did this past summer. If he was clearly the best guy for the role I could see DeBoer and the staff taking a chance but there are plenty of other good candidates. For that reason, I don't see it.
- I exchanged a couple messages with Petr Sykora's agent Allan Walsh Sunday and Walsh confirmed to me that Sykora hopes to play in the NHL this season. Devils President and General Manager, Lou Lamoriello, never ruled out the possibility of re-signing Sykora and to be honest, I expect him to be back on a one-year deal.
- Earlier today Owen Sound Attack play-by-play man Manny Paiva, a friend of mine, confirmed reports that Devils prospect Artur Gavrus will return to the Attack and play in the OHL again this year. Gavrus, the Devils' 6th round pick in the 2012 NHL draft, had previously been playing hockey over in Belarus.
In my opinion, this is good news. The OHL is a much better developmental league for young players than leagues in Europe as they're playing against players of similar ages, skill sets, sizes, etc. in the OHL where as in Europe they're playing against men.
Gavrus will not only play more in Owen Sound than overseas, but in joining the Attack, where he played his hockey last year, he's joining one of the top teams in the OHL - a team that has a good chance to win it all come playoff time. It will be interesting to see how he performs the rest of the season.
- The Albany Devils beat the Binghamton Senators, one of the better teams in the AHL, 5-2 last night. Jacob Josefson, Adam Larsson and Stephen Gionta, all of whom are regulars with New Jersey, all played in the win. Larsson scored his 3rd goal of the season while Gionta picked up an assist. Josefson was held off the scoresheet.
Though playing those guys benefited Albany as they picked up the win, I'm a little surprised they all played. Sure it's good to get in game action and help better prepare themselves for the NHL season in a couple weeks, but why play them and run the risk of having them suffer an injury and not be ready to go when New Jersey needs them? Quite a few other AHL teams sat out their regulars. Some even sat out players that may not make their respective NHL teams.
- Mattias Tedenby scored in the 5-2 win and is on a bit of a mini hot streak as he has two goals, three points and a plus-3 rating in his last two games. He's heating up at the right time as the NHL season is right around the corner. I expect he and Bobby Butler, who has been very good the last month or so, will battle it out for a top-9 spot in New Jersey. Given Butler's play of late and the fact that more time in the AHL could benefit Tedenby, I think Butler has the early leg up. Tedenby will need a good camp.
- Keith Kinkaid stopped 23-of-25 in Albany's win last night. He is now 10-7-3 with a .918 save percentage, a 2.38 goals against average and two shutouts on the year. That's pretty impressive considering the start to the season he had.
Who do you think should be the next captain of the Devils? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!
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