Questions New Jersey Devils face for next season -NHL offseason Special
New Jersey Devils are probably the most looked at team at the moment as they made the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals, but lost in Game 6 and when they were just about to prepare for making a comeback next season, captain Zach Parise
left the squad to join Minnesota Wild.
There are definitely a lot of questions on the minds of fans everywhere, including the biggest one which is how they plan on filling Parise’s gap. Let’s take a look at some questions that New Jersey Devils face for the upcoming regular season:
Who will be the next captain?
Zach Parise meant a lot to the New Jersey Devils and the squad meant a lot to him as well. But when it comes to financial constraints that the team is literally drowned in at the moment, Zach Parise had to think about his family’s future and Minnesota just
seemed like the best option.
Leaving the Devils was not an easy step to take by Parise mustered up the courage and made the move for the next 13 years and $98 million.
"[Parise] was obviously an important part of our team, but this League allows you to feel sorry for yourself for about two minutes and then you have to pick yourself up and come up with a plan moving forward," head coach, Peter DeBoer, said. "I think that's
where we're at now … moving forward."
Many people are pointing fingers at Travis Zajac to come and lead the group as he too is a player that can score 60 plus points each season. Ilya Kovalchuk is seen to be the second and foremost option as Zajac practically missed the 2011-2012 regular season
but came back to impress in the playoffs.
Having Zajac perform next season to his limits is crucial for New Jersey as they need him to fill the gap and assist Kovalchuk, and maybe, just maybe, it might be like they never ever needed Zach Parise at all.
How far will Adam Larsson go?
Nominated for the Calder Trophy for rookie of the season, defenseman Adam Larsson showed that he is one of the best youngsters in the league. At 18 points (2 goals, 16 assists), Larsson played his position quite well but needs to take it to that next level
for sure.
He came in late to the playoffs had played exceptionally well by providing depth on the line and coach Peter DeBoer needs to have him even better next season for sure.
Will New Jersey Devils make it to the Stanley Cup Finals again?
Every team thinks that they can make it to the Stanley Cup Finals a year after doing so, but it turns out to be the most difficult of achievements. 2011 Stanley Cup champions, Boston Bruins, and finalists Vancouver Canucks, were both knocked out in the first
round, which puts the pressure on New Jersey to outperform despite some major losses.
According to new assistant coach, Matt Shaw, the New Jersey Devils are a resilient team and will definitely work around their losses, but nothing can be said just yet on which team will make the finals and which will not.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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