Season Gone to Hell for New Jersey Devils?

Is it the work of the Devil himself? Or is it just plain bad luck? Regardless, the 2010-11 NHL season has been anything but kind to the New Jersey Devils.

As of the night of January 11, 2011, the Devils are a meager 11-29-2 and have accumulated just 24 points on the season, bad enough to earn them the distinction of the worst team in the NHL. They are a distant 27 points behind the Atlanta Thrashers who are eighth in the Eastern Conference standings. Naturally, the Devils possess the worst goal differential in the NHL, having surrendered 55 more goals than they have scored.

Having qualified for the playoffs in each of the past 13 seasons, the Devils have long been a symbol of consistency in the NHL. Throw in the fact the Devils won 3 Stanley Cup Championships over that span, this season's performance is certainly unexpected.

After yet another early exit from the playoffs last season at the hands of the rivaled Philadelphia Flyers, the Devils reloaded as General Manager Lou Lamoriello made a number of savy moves. To compensate for the loss of top defenseman Paul Martin to Atlantic Division foe Pittsburgh Penguins, Lamoriello signed free agent defensemen Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder. Also, Lamoriello reacquired 2000 Stanley Cup Final hero Jason Arnott from the Nashville Predators. But perhaps his biggest move was resigning prolific sniper Ilya Kovalchuk after a series of renegotiations following the league's rejection of an earlier deal the Devils made with Kovalchuk.

So why haven't the Devils been able to win? For starters, offensive production has been scarce. Early in the season, the Devils saw their first-line left winger and prolific playmaker Zach Parise fall with what is expected to be a season-ending knee injury. Kovalchuk, who was expected to lead the offense, has just 10 goals and 13 assists to this point in the season. Center Travis Zajac, who had a breakout season last year, has not shown the same consistency; tallying just 6 goals and 15 assists. Their offense has posted a microscopic 1.81 goals per game, by far the worst in the NHL.

In spite of the offense's lack of production, the goaltending has been far worse. Martin Brodeur has compiled an un-Marty-like record of 6-18-1, posting a mediocre .887 SV% and a paltry 3.05 GAA, a departure from his consistent Vezina-caliber numbers. Journeyman backup Johan Hedberg has not been much better.

The Devils have already made some significant changes. In late December, the Devils fired rookie coach John MacLean and brought back Jacques Lemaire [shown in picture], who led the Devils to their first Stanley Cup Championship in 1995 and coached last year, on an interim basis. Captain Jamie Langenbrunner was dealt back to his original team, the Dallas Stars, in exchange for a conditional third-round pick in the upcoming draft. A new captain has yet to be announced. It is expected that other players, including under-performing power forward Dainius Zubrus, will be dealt before the trade deadline. There were whispers about dealing Brodeur, who has been a fixture in net for the Devils since the early 1990s, but the rumors were denied by Lamoriello who said, "[Brodeur's] not going anywhere." The Devils have had the pleasure of seeing flashes of the future in rookies center Jacob Josefson, right winger Mattias Tedenby, and defensemen Matthew Corrente and Matt Taormina.

Recently, the Devils have shown brilliance, but they are thought of as too inconsistent to make a serious run at a playoff spot. On Sunday, the Devils trounced the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning, the second-best team in the Eastern Conference, 6-3. Enforcer David Clarkson netted two goals as rookie Nick Palmieri tallied his first career goal, earning Brodeur the win.

In spite of some bright spots, there is little hope left for the cellar-dwelling Devils. When asked if the prospect of turning the Devils' season around was the biggest challenge of his coaching career, Lemaire said, "By...a...mile," pausing between each word, "and a plus."

More help could be on the way in the 2011 NHL Draft, in which the Devils have the first overall pick. They will have a chance to pick among the CHL's top prospects including Sean Courturier, a high-scoring center of the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL, and
Ryan-Nugent Hopkins, a center with a high Hockey IQ currently playing for the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL.

In a season of disappointment, there is still plenty to look forward to for the New Jersey Devils.