Devils become the center of attention

NEWARK, N.J. – After a one year hiatus from missing the Stanley Cup playoffs, the New Jersey Devils bounced back to not only make the playoffs, but made it all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. Although they lost to the Los Angeles Kings, the Devils looked like a young, hungry team that could not only contend next season but win the cup.  
The Devils did not have a great season, however, in the scoring department where they finished the season 15^th, 9^th in defense, 14^th on the power play, and 1^st overall on the penalty kill. Ilya Kovalchuk led the team in points (83) and goals (37).   Zach Parise was second in goals with 31 and Patrik Elias led the team in assists with 52. David Clarkson also hit the 30 goal mark, but that is where the good news ends for the Devils.   Only two other players had over 20 goals and two more over 10.
On defense the Devils did not have a player with more than four goals. Bryce Salvador led the team in plus/minus with a +18 rating.   Oddly enough for a team that is defensive minded the Devils only had 5 of the 11 players who suited up on the blueline were a plus player.  
Of the list of free agents Parise is of course the big name forward that everyone is after. The odds of him staying in Newark are slim if the right team comes along and makes a major pitch.   The other name that Devils fans should worry about leaving the nest is Salvador where teams such as the Flyers who need defensive help would love to hurt the Devils in other ways than on the scoreboard.
Four of the Devils top five prospects are defenseman with the exception of goaltender Scott Wedgewood. With the potential move of Parise look for the Devils to seek help down the middle of the ice come draft day.
In PHN’s mock draft the list isn’t that bad considering that it is a defensive laden draft, so most of the picks ahead of them will allow a lot of quality forward left for the Devils choosing.   Some of the top centers left on the board are: Colton Sissions, Andreas Athansiou, and Mike Winther.   The Devils could go for a winger such as Nicolas Kerdiles, Phillip Di Giuseppe, and Tomas Hyka.   Since the Devils have very few quality players down the middle and the potential loss of Parise, look for New Jersey to take a center come draft day.
“With the 29^th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the New Jersey Devils select, from the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League, Colton Sissions.”
To learn more about Colton Sissions click here .
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com