| Jeff Cargerman. 24th February, 2009 - 2:59 pm
 Every sports outlet in the country was ready to write off the New Jersey Devils as a lottery team in early November when Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur went down with a biceps injury. That was until backup Scott Clemmensen came out of nowhere to lead the Devils to 79 points. New Jersey currently sits in 3rd place in the top heavy Eastern Conference, just ahead of division rival the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Atlantic Division was expected to be one of the strongest in the NHL this year. The Stanley Cup runner up Penguins, along with the Rangers and Flyers have all failed to impress in recent weeks and it appears that the Devils are poised to emerge with the division crown.
The Devils are primed for a major run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Netminder Martin Brodeur, one of the best of all time, is returning soon from injury and will combine with Clemmensen to form to be one of the top goaltender tandems in the NHL.
New Jersey is equally strong up front. Left Winger Zach Parise is proving to be one of the top goal scorers in the NHL and will continue to be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time. Parise is currently second in the NHL with 35 goals scored and fifth in the league with 70 points.
The Devils have a great mix of NHL newcomers and battle hardened playoff veterans. The 24-year-old Parise, along with talented 3rd year Center Travis Zajac add to the Devils? veteran roster that features the likes of Stanley Cup winners Patrick Elias, Brendan Shanahan, and Brian Rolston. Elias is coming off three seasons of below typical play, but he has returned to top form this year and is averaging over a point per game and is leading the Devils in assists. Rolston has missed significant time this year due to injury and Shanahan was a midseason signing. Getting both into the swing of things will be critical for the Devils down the stretch.
Rumors have been surfacing that New Jersey is interested in acquiring Scott and Rob Niedermayer from the Anaheim Ducks. The Niedermayer brothers are players that would make the Devils the team to beat in the East. Ultimately, it is the fresh legs of the younger players that carry a Cup contender to the playoffs, but when April rolls around, the teams with the veterans that have the most playoff experience tend to go farther in the postseason.
The return of Martin Brodeur in the next week and the possible acquisition of an All-Star contributor will be the deciding factors of whether the New Jersey Devils are Stanley Cup contenders or are going to check out in the 2nd round. If the Devils can outlast the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals in the Eastern conference playoffs, the Devils have the talent up front and a superstar in goal to edge out the Detroit Red Wings or San Jose Sharks for their 4th Stanley Cup. |
