The New Jersey Devil's season thus far has been nothing short of catastrophic. Some even claim that this years Devils are the worst in team history. I am not sure I agree with that assessment, but sure, they have been awful. Of course it can't be easy to live up to the expectations that comes with winning three Stanley Cups in nine seasons. But that is the unfortunate situation for these new Devils.
Scott Gomez left and so did Brian Rafalski. Martin Brodeur and Patrik Elias both stayed, and are both shadows of what they used to be. I know you should never write off Brodeur (and I'm not saying he's finished), but his six losses in eight games so far suggest he is far from his best game. The Devils rely a lot on him to win those games they can't dominate. They also rely heavily on the skills and leadership of Elias, and right now he seems to bring none of that. Unless he can regain some of the form he showed late in the 2005-06 season, the next playoffs will be without the New Jersey Devils.
Another thing to point at is the fact that New Jersey have played all but one game so far on the road. Only after nine though away games did they make their home debut at the new Prudential Center, which they of course lost to the Ottawa Senators.
On the other hand, nothing inspires a team like being called the worst bunch in franchise history. Perhaps this will spark this group of Devils to perform way beyond expectations. Is it likely? No, not very.
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