2006-07 record: 49-24-9, 107 points.  1^st in division/2^nd in conference.  Lost in second round to Ottawa Senators.

Coach: Brent Sutter (1^st season)

General Manager: Lou Lamoriello (21^st season)

Home arena: Prudential Center

Capacity: 17,615

Uncertainty.  This is the word that best describes the Devils for the upcoming season.  Uncertainty if Dainius Zubrus can fill the skates vacated by Scott Gomez, uncertainty whether Karel Rachunek can replace Brian Rafalski, uncertainty about moving into a new arena which has the club opening its season with 9 straight road games, and uncertainty regarding new rookie coach Brent Sutter.  The Devils tabbed Sutter as their new coach after GM Lou Lamoriello canned Coach Claude Julien with a few games remaining in the regular season.  Lamoriello has a history of doing this—the Devils have had more coaches than Larry King has had wives.  The last rookie coach the Devils hired was John Cunniff, who replaced Jim “go eat another doughnut” Schoenfeld in 1989.  Since then, the Devils coaching list looks like an NHL Christmas list—Tom  McVie, Herb Brooks, Jacques Lemaire, Robbie Ftorek, Larry Robinson (twice), Kevin Constantine, Pat Burns and Julien.  Hopefully Sutter, who has had success in the Western League, can hit the ground running.  With nine road games to open the season, he will need to.

Sutter must find a way to get goaltender Martin Brodeur some rest if the team is to be successful in the playoffs.  Last season, Brodeur was spectacular but fizzled out in the postseason—no wonder since he played in 78 of the team’s games.  With Kevin Weekes signed as a capable backup, Sutter needs to limit Brodeur’s action to no more than 70 games.

There is no doubt that the injury to Brian Gionta affected the team’s performance last season.  Gionta missed 20 games with a knee injury, causing Julien to have to scramble to find a replacement on the EGG line with Gomez and Patrik Elias.  Gionta’s numbers faltered as a result and he finished with 23 less goals and 44 less points as compared to 2005-06.  Look for a rebound this season.

Depth Chart

The Devils were bolstered by a solid first line with Elias, Gomez and Gionta.  With the departure of Gomez to the cross-town rival Rangers, Elias will have to center the first line with Gionta on the right wing. He disappeared at times last season and must have more of a presence.  Coach Sutter will have the luxury of using either newly acquired winger Zubrus or Zach Parise on the left side.  The money may be on Zubrus, who will have to transition from his natural right wing.  It would seem to be foolish to break up the Devils’ second line of Parise, Travis Zajac and Jaime Langenbrunner, as this line was highly successful last season.  Sutter will also have to address the powerplay, which finished 15^th last season and had only two players in double figures in PPGs.

The Devils have a knack for developing their farm talent, as was seen with Parise and Zajac the past two seasons, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that youngster Nicklas Bergfors will get the call-up from Albany and crack the starting lineup.

The Devils have the talent to be competitive and with Brodeur between the pipes, the team has a chance to win every game.  Much depends on the whether they can overcome the adversity they have been dealt—opening on the road for close to a month, Brent Sutter’s inexperience at the NHL level, and replacing 21 goals and 94 assists left vacant by Gomez and Rafalski’s departures.  Past history has shown that they will.