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MCDevils
NJ Devils: Sweden West
First: I would like to say this analysis is all based upon the Devils unloading Rolston through the necessary draft picks and a Kovalchuk cap hit of 6.66M.
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The Devils would be most benefited from playing a "defensive" minded dman on each line. First, it spreads out the general inability to skate the puck out of the zone that plagued Mottau, White and Skoula last season.
I also firmly believe that the "transition" game that the Devils need to improve on would be overall helped by spreading out the better skating defensemen. When Martin and Greene were on the same pairing late last season, White, Mottau, Salvador, and Skoula were liabilities while in the Devils zone because opposing fore-checkers were able to generate constant turnovers as the Devils D tried to cycle and drop the puck along the boards. It wasn't fooling anyone, especially the Flyers players.
I also believe that if Andy Greene can gain some consistency he will easily match the offensive output that everyone was hoping Martin could achieve.
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My speculated pairings given my initial statement.
Greene - Volchenkov
Tallinder - Salvador
White - ????? (Fraser, Salmela, Urbom, Corrente, Eckford)
** I never remember which side the individual dmen play on, but I'm pretty sure that Volchenkov, Tallinder, and White are correct.
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Greene - Volchenkov
This has the most potential IMO of providing a lot of offensive opportunities for the Devils as well as being equally effective defensively. Greene was the most impressive player the Devils had last season against Philly. He was the ONLY (including Paul Martin) defensemen we had that seemed able to actually skate the puck out of trouble.
Volchenkov seems like a wrecking ball, and although I'm a little worried about him getting out of position on some of his hits, Andy Greene has the wheels to get back and help him out on the occasion he needs it.
Tallinder - Salvador
This pairing has the same potential as the top pairing, but to a lesser degree. Salvador is great physically and from my limited viewing, Tallinder seems like he can skate just as well as Paul Martin, and at half the price.
White- ?????
White is solid, and if he wasn't playing against the best competition the other team had (I don't he will anymore with the addition of Volchenkov) he would probably be very effective. ILWT had a fantastic analysis of how he rates compared to other defensemen in his salary range, and he's basically getting paid a similar contract to all the other dmen in the league that fill the same role White does. I think he gets scapegoated too much because he obviously has next to no offensive ability so you only ever pay attention to him when he's making a defensive mistake.
The mystery man position will be an interesting scenario for the Devils. They have a plethora of options.
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The Devils would be most benefited from playing a "defensive" minded dman on each line. First, it spreads out the general inability to skate the puck out of the zone that plagued Mottau, White and Skoula last season.
I also firmly believe that the "transition" game that the Devils need to improve on would be overall helped by spreading out the better skating defensemen. When Martin and Greene were on the same pairing late last season, White, Mottau, Salvador, and Skoula were liabilities while in the Devils zone because opposing fore-checkers were able to generate constant turnovers as the Devils D tried to cycle and drop the puck along the boards. It wasn't fooling anyone, especially the Flyers players.
I also believe that if Andy Greene can gain some consistency he will easily match the offensive output that everyone was hoping Martin could achieve.
======================
My speculated pairings given my initial statement.
Greene - Volchenkov
Tallinder - Salvador
White - ????? (Fraser, Salmela, Urbom, Corrente, Eckford)
** I never remember which side the individual dmen play on, but I'm pretty sure that Volchenkov, Tallinder, and White are correct.
======================
Greene - Volchenkov
This has the most potential IMO of providing a lot of offensive opportunities for the Devils as well as being equally effective defensively. Greene was the most impressive player the Devils had last season against Philly. He was the ONLY (including Paul Martin) defensemen we had that seemed able to actually skate the puck out of trouble.
Volchenkov seems like a wrecking ball, and although I'm a little worried about him getting out of position on some of his hits, Andy Greene has the wheels to get back and help him out on the occasion he needs it.
Tallinder - Salvador
This pairing has the same potential as the top pairing, but to a lesser degree. Salvador is great physically and from my limited viewing, Tallinder seems like he can skate just as well as Paul Martin, and at half the price.
White- ?????
White is solid, and if he wasn't playing against the best competition the other team had (I don't he will anymore with the addition of Volchenkov) he would probably be very effective. ILWT had a fantastic analysis of how he rates compared to other defensemen in his salary range, and he's basically getting paid a similar contract to all the other dmen in the league that fill the same role White does. I think he gets scapegoated too much because he obviously has next to no offensive ability so you only ever pay attention to him when he's making a defensive mistake.
The mystery man position will be an interesting scenario for the Devils. They have a plethora of options.
- Fraser - He's probably one of most likely options to be on the team. He had a decent season, but will mostly be remembered for the horrific turnover he committed in the playoffs.
- Urbom - He's going to be the best player among this list eventually, but he's still developing, and given that the Devils think so highly of him, I can't see them risking his future by making the jump so early, especially with a crowded blue line. However, that same crowded blue line might help to insulate him. He needs minutes in the NHL or he should be returned. We don't want a repeat of David Hale.
- Salmela - The flashiest player on this list with the most immediate offensive upside. He needs to play consistently and given that he didn't play major minutes on a bad team in Atlanta, I can't see him logging heavy minutes on the Devils.
- Corrente - Given that the Devils will be extremely close to the cap, he might have a great chance to stick because the Devils obviously think he's capable of playing D and a bottom line winger in a checking role.
- Eckford - He needs to prove he belongs on the team now or never. He's in the same position Bergfors was in last year, where he had to make it. I think that his defensive game might still hurt him.
- Taormina - The least familiar name on the list. I'm only listing him because he lead the AHL club in defensive points last season, and MacLean spoke very highly of him during his Q&A after the coaches press conference. He's at a very cheap price too, which when the Devils need to just squeak in under the cap, might help him.
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