This is my take on how the Devils lines should shake out and my opinion on the team:
Ilya Kovalchuk - Travis Zajac - Zach Parise
Patrik Elias - Dainus Zubrus - David Clarkson
Mattias Tedenby - Jacob Josefson - Nick Palmieri
Eric Boulton - David Steckel - Cam Janssen/Vladimir Zharkov
Anton Volchenkov - Andy Greene
Mark Fayne - Mark Fraser/Bryce Salvador
Adam Larssen - Henrik Tallinder
Matt Corrente - Matt Taormina
Martin Brodeur
Johan "Moose" Hedberg
Rebounding from missing the playoffs wont be easy...or will it? The Devils come into this season with everyone healthy and looking to make noise in the regular season and more importantly beyond. For starters, the ZZChuk line needs to be together. There is too much firepower for that line not to thrive. Kovy has learned how to play with his teammates and Zajac and Parise have some of the best chemistry I've ever seen. That line could be one of the best in the league. Then you have Elias and Zubie paired with Clarky and that provides scoring as well as a defensively responsible second unit DeBoer can rely on. The third line is the future of the squad. A pair of young Swedes and a young American who look to break out this season. Finally we come to the fourth line which is mean and nasty. Boulton, Steckel and Janssen all are bruisers and will physically out-battle any threesome in the league.
Now onto defense. The pairing of Volchenkov and Greene would provide bone-crushing blows on one side and a slick play-making defender on the other. Those two are probably (with Tallinder) the most reliable defenders on the team with the departure of Colin White. Fayne and Fraser would be interesting, that is if Fraser beats out Corrente and Taormina for the bulk of the playing time. The wild card is if Salvador can fully recover from his injury. If Salvador comes back, look for him to slide into that second pairing. Fayne really came on at the end of last year and proved that he can play solid D while also chipping in on the powerplay. Finally we come to the most intriguing duo with the rookie Larssen and the veteran Tallinder. Tallinder the last two years has developed Tyler Myers of the Sabres and Fayne into two very good defenders. He should be paired with Larssen so he can teach him and bring him along. Also them both being Swedish doesn't hurt matters.
Finally the netminders. Is there any worry with these two men in net? Marty and Moose are about as experienced as they come. Marty's durability has been shaky the last few seasons but he is the most decorated goaltender in NHL history. If he stays healthy he will no doubt post yet another 30 win season. And his backup is one of the most reliable backups in the league. Moose got thrown into action more than anticipated last season and immediately became a fan favorite. Proof is in the pudding as the crowd at The Rock would yell 'Moooooooose' after every save he would make. Marty and Moose may be getting long in the tooth but they are still both at the top of their game and will need to be this season with the extremely tough Eastern Conference and especially their own Atlantic Division.
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