2014/2015 Season Predictions

[Tundra]

Still think the rangers are a cut above the isles. As for the Devils, a 47 loss team that basically brought the entire team back with the exception of an undersized injury prone 31 year old winger that was added to a woeful group of forwards plus 4 players on D that have yet to play a complete 82 game season and I can't see this team doing any better than 10 or 11 in the conference. And that's if the wheels don't fall off. On the positive side, I think they will finally find out what they have on D this year. I think they'll be a ton of mistakes but hopefully the 4 kids stick and they build from there. But that's not going to help this year.

Our defense should be all world in 3 years as they cut their teeth. But the faster the older gang leaves up front the better. I don't want to see Elias, Clowe, Zubrus and the rest of the has beens. At this point of their careers with all the hard miles accumulated on their bodies, we're talking about placeholders.

 

[Bleedred]

Our defense should be all world in 3 years as they cut their teeth. But the faster the older gang leaves up front the better. I don't want to see Elias, Clowe, Zubrus and the rest of the has beens. At this point of their careers with all the hard miles accumulated on their bodies, we're talking about placeholders.

Elias is a has been? He produced at close to a 70 point clip last year, on an awful offensive team.

 

[livewell68]

Elias is a has been? He produced at close to a 70 point clip last year, on an awful offensive team.

As did Jagr.

Elias and Jagr are the least of New Jersey's worries.

 

[Tundra]

Elias is a has been? He produced at close to a 70 point clip last year, on an awful offensive team.

I honestly don't expect much out of him.

 

[MachoDiablo]

Predictions on the XM NHL channel for the Devils are a bit more varied than I expected, but not surprisingly, many of the negative ones seem to come from people who focus on the age among the forwards, but can't name a young defensemen other than Larsson.

Still, it's interesting to hear the hodge podge of predictions for the East this year. Outside of Boston-Tampa-Montreal-Pitt (and Pitt keeps coming off as borderline to some people, but you have to believe in their talent until they prove you no longer can), there is really no consensus whatsoever on teams 5-13 or so.

 

[NJDevs26]

Honestly we might have the widest difference between our realistic celing and floor of any team in the league. I could see a scenario where we're playing Boston in the Conference Finals (our old, brittle forwards stay mostly healthy, our young D has few growing pains, we're merely below average in the shootout and Cory transitions into full-time nicely), and a scenario where we're mulling over a top five pick (our forwards can't stay healthy, the road's more rocky with the young D than we expect, we still stink in the shootout and Cory can't play 65-70 games at a high level).

 

[CKPLAYA]

Honestly we might have the widest difference between our realistic celing and floor of any team in the league. I could see a scenario where we're playing Boston in the Conference Finals (our old, brittle forwards stay mostly healthy, our young D has few growing pains, we're merely below average in the shootout and Cory transitions into full-time nicely), and a scenario where we're mulling over a top five pick (our forwards can't stay healthy, the road's more rocky with the young D than we expect, we still stink in the shootout and Cory can't play 65-70 games at a high level).

I may be overly negative but I see no scenario that has us playing in the ECF. With the group of forwards we have I think you have to be realistic and expect very little in increased goal production. As for the D, I think you have to be realistic with working 3 to 4 youngsters in that there are going to be substantial growing pains. I think those issues are too big to be overcome by improved Shootouts and more Cory (which is a question mark as well.)

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

Devils added two twenty goal scorers and depth up front. They also added fresh legs with tremedous upside as well as have Schneider between the pipes. Yet, they got worse.

 

[GhostofKenKlee]

I may be overly negative but I see no scenario that has us playing in the ECF. With the group of forwards we have I think you have to be realistic and expect very little in increased goal production. As for the D, I think you have to be realistic with working 3 to 4 youngsters in that there are going to be substantial growing pains. I think those issues are too big to be overcome by improved Shootouts and more Cory (which is a question mark as well.)

First two games say hi!