[Devils-list] Devils training camp preview

[John Lopez]

This is slightly dated (8/27/01) but still worth a read.  I don't recall
seeing it posted out here before.  If so, please disregard.

Devils training camp preview

By KARA YORIO
Faceoff.com correspondent
PRE-SEASON REPORT CARD

Forwards: B+    They should have the first line of Jason Arnott, Patrik
Elias and Petr Sykora in camp together from the beginning for the first time
since they were put together during the 1998-99 season. But the Devils still
must replace Alexander Mogilny, find someone to match up well with Scott
Gomez and get something consistent from Turner Stevenson. Bobby Holik is
unhappy and Randy McKay and Sergei Nemchinov are older.

Defence: C    Basically they traded Sean O'Donnell for Tommy Albelin and
that's a loss of seven years. The defense is older (having three players who
are 37), is not very mobile, Colin White proved inconsistent last season and
the prospects have not come along as originally hoped.

Goalies: A    The Devils still have their franchise goaltender in Martin
Brodeur. His backup spot ? good for 10 or 11 games a season ? is open, and
will probably go to J.F. Damphousse.

Coach: A-    Larry Robinson must still wonder what he could have done
differently to get his team to play at their best during the Stanley Cup
final, but he should be given more credit for getting the group there the
way they were playing.

Front office: C    Many other teams in the NHL stormed past the Devils
during the off-season, acquiring available free agents and making themselves
better. Lou Lamoriello may have found another diamond in the rough in his
draft of Kmin Koming from Sweden but he basically let other teams get better
while standing pat on his own. Not to mention that he has lost the loyalty
of Bobby Holik.

Team: B    If the rest of the league lives up to their potential, this is
not going to be an easy season for the team that has been in the Stanley Cup
final the last two years. The Devils will have to fight it out for their
division and conference this season. The Flyers have gotten much better and
are probably the pre-season favorite in the Atlantic Division.

The Penguins are without Jaromir Jagr, but do have Mario Lemieux and the
Islanders will have some talent behind their fight, although it is doubtful
they will be battling at the top of the division. Meanwhile Toronto and
Washington have also improved in the off-season, making first place in the
Eastern Conference up for grabs.

New Jersey did not make any obvious improvements over last season's team.

While that team was good enough to get them to the Stanley Cup final, they
also got a little bit lucky and were rewarded with positive matchups, thanks
to finishing at the top of the Eastern Conference. If they're in the middle
of the playoff pack, the fight to the final will be much, much more
difficult.

After the Game 7 loss to Colorado in June, general manager Lou Lamoriello
talked about establishing more on-ice discipline with this team ? starting,
he said, in training camp. What that will mean exactly is unknown at this
point, but Lamoriello has been known to squeeze his team tightly and if he's
trying for more discipline his grip might be too much for this group.

Coach Larry Robinson will help keep the team balanced and make sure there's
fun along with the new focus on discipline, but after witnessing what he
considered multiple mental letdowns during last season's playoffs, Robinson
might not be as willing to have such a free and easy team.

And like the rest of the league, the Devils must deal with a fractured
focus, as many players will be thinking about and playing toward February's
Olympics.

After the Olympics, Robinson must reunite his "family," many members of
which will have just spent two weeks disliking each other on the ice and
fighting for something they all want. Robinson must find a way to keep those
feelings from returning from Salt Lake City with his players.

LAST SEASON'S HIGHLIGHT: Patrik Elias took his place among the NHL's elite
forwards last season and there's no reason why he shouldn't continue at that
pace this year. He battled with Alexander Mogilny at the top of the team's
goal-scorers list and together with some fierce playoff performances from
Bobby Holik and quality goaltending from Martin Brodeur, they helped bring
the Devils back to the Stanley Cup final.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Once again, the Devils will be in search of a second
line that can score consistently and take some of the pressure off of Jason
Arnott's line.

With the loss of Alexander Mogilny, the Devils must find a scorer besides
Patrik Elias and Petr Sykora, someone who can team with Scott Gomez and
create some offense so it is more difficult for the opposition to match up
and shut the Devils down.

Also, they'll need to find consistency in their power play unit which was
up-and-down last season and has lost Mogilny, who was key in creating goals
when the Devils had the man-advantage.

FORWARDS: Camp may be very interesting for the Devils forwards. Bobby Holik
must show early that he is not still bitter about his arbitration hearing.
Instead look for Holik to try to prepare himself for a fast start, knowing
he is up for the highest bidder at the end of the season. The problem for
Holik is, when he tries too hard to score, he can't find the net. In
training camp, he'll have to put together the right attitude for success.

Barring injury, Patrik Elias, Jason Arnott and Petr Sykora will finally get
a chance to show what they can do when given a full training camp. If they
can get their timing down early, they could be near top form when the games
begin to count.

Randy McKay is coming off a broken hand suffered in last season's Stanley
Cup final. McKay re-emerged as a pivotal piece of the puzzle last season
when coach Larry Robinson rested him enough to keep the veteran healthy and
helpful.

Camp will be the time to find someone who can have chemistry with Scott
Gomez. The loss of Alexander Mogilny and Bob Corkum to free agency opens up
a couple of roster spots. Look for 2001 draftee Andreas Salomonsson of
Sweden to be given every chance to make the team and the group of
prospects - Jiri Bicek, Pierre Dagenais, Stan Gron - once again to be given
a chance to show they belong.

Christian Berglund, who played in Sweden last season, has a chance with a
great showing in camp. Also first-time camp attendee Brian Gionta, who
played for Boston College last season, could make the team with an
impressive camp.

It's most likely, however, the Devils will choose to give him time in the
AHL with the Albany River Rats.

DEFENSE: If age and experience truly outdoes youth and exuberance, the
Devils are the team with the best defense in the NHL. With three players at
37 years old (Scott Stevens, Ken Daneyko and re-acquired Tommy Albelin),
Robinson will have a tough task in front of him trying to give his older and
proudest players rested enough to make it through the playoffs.

Meanwhile, other teams will likely try to take advantage of a lack of speed
on the Devils defense.

Colin White is also a vulnerability unless he learns to control his temper
in his third NHL season. Brian Rafalski and Scott Niedermayer are the Devils
best and fastest defensemen.

Rafalski must maintain the offensive confidence he had during the 2001
playoffs and Niedermayer must find a way to give a consistent high-level of
effort throughout more of the regular season than he normally does.

Against some of the lesser teams, Niedermayer tends to let up. He will be
even more essential this year as those around him age and he cannot slack
off simply because the opposition is Tampa Bay.

With Ken Sutton signing with the Islanders, the spot for the seventh
defenseman is open to a young guy who proves he is ready. Expect the top
contenders to be Mike Commodore, Sascha Goc and Josef Boumedienne.

GOALIES: The battle is on to be Brodeur's backup. The job looks slated for
J.F. Damphousse because the Devils will likely want first-round draft pick
(1999) Ari Ahonen getting playing time in Albany. Ahonen played in the
Finnish League last season.

With the arrival of Ahonen, Damphousse is expendable to become the guy with
one of the toughest jobs in the league - sit for a few weeks then get thrown
into the net for a game. As always, the Devils' season is pretty much riding
on Brodeur not getting injured.

The backup job here is not so much to be ready and able to take over but to
be decent enough to give the team a chance and for the players in front to
have a level of confidence even when Brodeur isn't behind them.

OFF ICE: During the off-season, general manager Lou Lamoriello was given
added duties. The YankeeNets, which owns the Devils, put Lamoriello in
charge of overseeing the operations of the NBA Nets as well. How he'll have
the time to do both is unknown, but he is more likely to lose sleep than to
mishandle any hockey responsibilities. Still, it'll be interesting to see if
and how he can juggle the duties of both teams.

ONE TO WATCH: Andreas Salomonsson. Selected by the Devils in the fifth round
and 163rd overall, Salomonsson might be the 2001 draft pick with the best
chance to make the team. At 27 (and turning 28 in December), Salomonsson
certainly isn't an unproven kid. He has played in his native Sweden for
years.

Last season, he had 10 goals, 12 assists and 46 penalty minutes in 48 games.

In the world championships, he had four goals in nine games. The six-foot,
185-pounder is a natural center, but that never matters in New Jersey if
they need a winger more than a center. Look for Salmonsson to make a Brian
Rafalski-like impact on the Devils. The numbers might not be awe-inspiring
but they will come from a source no one expected.