The Devils Are Frustrating

Over their last two games, the New Jersey Devils have scored a whopping zero goals. Yes, the Devils have been shutout two games in a row. Remember when the Devils used to be on the opposite side of that? I remember that fondly, and it feels like a long time ago. Rational Devils fans have always known this kind of season was going to come at some point. Marty is in the twilight of his career, our traditional offensive powers are old, and it's time to transition to more young players up and down the roster.

As bitter as we are, we do miss Parise. (Photo credit: Google Images)

That all being said, I still didn't think that our record would be this bad at this point of the season. It's become painfully obvious from an offensive standpoint that we definitely miss both Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk. On the defensive side of things, Pete DeBoer needs to keep letting the young guys play. It's unfortunate that Jon Merrill got injured in his first game in New Jersey because we have such high hopes for him. However, there is no reason not to continue playing Adam Larsson and Eric Gelinas. They have played well despite the team's record, and they'll only get better the more that they play. Luckily, goaltending isn't really and issue. Cory Schneider just got healthy again and Marty has played pretty well in his absense, all things considered. You can't really expect the goalie to bail you out EVERY night when your team is not scoring. But right now, it's the offense of the New Jersey Devils that needs help.

Devils fans are bitter about Zach Parise leaving, especially the irrationally passionate one like myself. However, if Zach Parise somehow came back to New Jersey, we would all welcome him back with open arms and root for him like it was 2012 all over again. With Ilya Kovalchuk, I don't know if any Devils fan will ever welcome him back after how badly he screwed us over for this year. That being said, there is no doubt that we as fans miss his offensive prowess; this team could definitely use some of it right now. I bring up these two guys because it speaks to a much larger issue for the Devils that's starting to become more and more pronounced as the years have gone by, and it has nothing directly to do with the players on the ice.

If you know my love for the Devils, then you know that Lou Lamoriello is my idol. If I ever become a general manager (which is looking less and less likely by the day, but that's a whole different story), he is who I want to model myself after. However, for all of Lou's strengths, his weaknesses are KILLING the Devils right now. His biggest weakness is apparent total lack of a willingness to negotiate with star players during the final year of their contract. At this point, saying that we've lost star talent doesn't suffice. We have been HEMORRHAGING talent in the last decade.

Careful, Lou. Your weaknesses are showing. (Photo credit: NY Daily News)

Some of the guys we've let go haven't looked like bad decisions (Scott Gomez, Brian Gionta, David Clarkson). However, we lost Zach Parise solely because Lou didn't feel it was necessary to negotiate during the season. Oh? Because I'm pretty all Zach wanted was Lou to talk with him during the season to get the deal done. How many times does he have to say to the media that he wants to stay in New Jersey for you to get the hint, Lou?! He'd still be a Devil if Lou had come to him after Thanksgiving and told him he wanted to get an extension done, but can't possibly be bothered with in-season negotiations. I can't blame him for the Kovalchuk fiasco, there was really nothing he could there without making that situation worse than it already was. I remember thinking that losing Paul Martin wasn't going to be so bad, but I kind of wish we had him now.

Lou also can't seem to ever manage the salary cap. I don't understand some of the contracts he gives out. They always seem like they're either too expensive, too long, or both. He also mismanages the prospects. Yes, I'm talking about Adam Larsson again. I'm sure you're all tired of hearing me talk about him, but the kid needs to play if he has any hope of turning into the defenseman we all know he could be. And it's not only the mismanaging of prospects, it's also drafting the wrong kind of prospects. I wish Lou and co. would stop drafting guys who project to be third line checking forwards! You don't have to draft those guys! They're available every year in free agency, usually on one-year deals! Start drafting guys with offensive talent. We need to fill the farm with guys that can light the lamp on a semi-regular basis. Outside of Reid Boucher, who else in the minors has any sort of offensive touch? If you're struggling to find an answer, that's totally normal. People have been saying that Pete DeBoer needs to be fired. It's not his fault. We've seen what he can do with a legitimate hockey roster. We just need to get the proper players in place, and that responsibility falls on Lou.