It’s The Devil Inside Them I Don’t Trust…
Club: New Jersey Devils
Fantasy Impact Rating: Cool
Superstars: None
Big Producers: Zach Parise, Brian Rolston, Patrik Elias
Mid-Level Flyers: Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Gionta
Rookies/Prospects: None
Sleepers: Travis Zajac
Avoid The Hype: John Madden, Bobby Holik, David Clarkson
Analysis:
The New Jersey Devils are looking to improve on their dismal goal production performance from last season, hoping to rely less on their goaltender, and get back to the Stanley Cup before Brodie decides to hang ‘em up.
Zach Parise is one of the younger faces in New Jersey that is making a big impact on the team. Parise has shown improvement in each season since his rookie year, and continues to develop into New Jersey’s premier player. Parise led the team in goals with 32, and points with 65, and was a huge presence on the power play for the Devils. This young, up and coming left winger would be a great first option at left wing for fantasy managers, and should disappear from the draft board between the 4th and 6th round.
The Devils will surely benefit from Brian Rolston’s leadership capabilities as he looks to bring another 60 point season to East Rutherford. Rolston is a great 2nd option at winger for any fantasy team, and sometimes goes overlooked in drafts for a more flashy option. Rolston has been consistently productive wherever he has played around the league and it’s this kind of consistency that New Jersey needs to improve their goal scoring totals each game. Don’t consider Rolston before the 5th round in a 12 manager draft, however, if you see him lingering around in round 8 or later, jump on him. He’ll be a good source or points from a secondary position on your team. Patrik Elias is another solid option for fantasy owners looking to beef up their point totals a bit. Owners adding Elias to their roster should be aware of the inconsistencies that sometimes accompany his play, and should use him in a 2nd option, possibly 3rd option role on your fantasy team.
Jamie Langenbrunner brings point scoring potential to the table, however much like the players around him, he’s extremely streaky. He spent some time on injured reserve last year, but should be able to maintain top line duties this fall. Even though he’ll be top line, it may not be a bad idea to use Langenbrunner as a 3rd option at right wing. Anytime after the 10th round in a 12 manager league would be ideal to nab Langenbrunner.
Travis Zajac may be a player you want to consider in the later rounds of your draft this year just in case he starts to live up to his potential. Zajac appeared to gel really well with Parise over the past couple of seasons, but never seemed to stay line mates for long. Zajac might be a nice 4th option at center until he hooks up with the right crowd.
You may want to avoid John Madden and Bobby Holik in this year’s draft, and only consider Madden as a stopgap center. Madden had a nice season last year, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in a repeat performance. Allow someone else in your league to take on the risk. Bobby Holik is a name that many people may be familiar with because of his tenure in the NHL, however, even though he is back in New Jersey where he played 10 seasons prior in the 90s, don’t expect much production as he finishes up his career.
Brian Gionta has been a bit of a disappointment ever seemed he shelled out 89 points in 2005-2006. Having his production fall off by 35+ points the following 2 seasons on top of being on one of the lowest scoring teams in the league makes Gionta’s reliability questionable. Consider him a 3rd option at wing and don’t draft him until the late-middle rounds. Fan favorite David Clarkson made a bit of a splash with the Devils last season scoring 22 points and adding 183 penalty minutes. He’s not quite at the level that Sean Avery or Daniel Carcillo are at right now, but keep a watchful eye on him. He’ll be 3rd/4th line detail in New Jersey this year, but may be worth keeping on your bench in case you need to try and make a surge to win penalty minutes late in a week.
Goaltending:
Situation: Rock Solid
Greade: A-
1. Martin Brodeur
2. Kevin Weekes
There isn’t any doubt that Martin Brodeur will carry the majority of the load for the Devils this season. Brodeur still has a ton to offer fantasy owners and is still very much a keeper goaltender for the next couple of years. The Devils have a serious lack in goaltending depth, so one would assume that they will probably ride Marty into the ground. Kevin Weekes will see some starts here and there this season, probably a few more than last season, just to give Brodie a breather once and a while. This team relies heavily on their goaltender, and he’s come through for them now for many years. Use him as your number one this upcoming season and leave Weekes alone; there won’t be any platooning going on here.
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