Dancing with the Devils
The New Jersey Devils drop the puck tomorrow, Oct. 8, against the Dallas Stars to kick off the season. And for the first time in many [عزيزي الزائر يتوجب عليك التسجيل لمشاهدة الرابط للتسجيل اضغط هنا] years, the Devils off season moves were highly publicized and hotly debated.
the Kovalchuk Turns made laugh, made cry, made use the phrase of the collective bargaining agreement more than anyone thought humanly possible.
The final result is that Ilya Kovalchuk [عزيزي الزائر يتوجب عليك التسجيل لمشاهدة الرابط للتسجيل اضغط هنا] will be in the Devils opening line up. And oddly enough, despite the Devils signing the most sought after free agent of the year, very few people are calling New Jersey the top team in the Eastern Conference.
Quietly, the additions of Jason Arnott, Johan Hedberg and Anton Volchenkov shored up the Devils in areas of concern, especially on the D Line and the backup goaltender situation.
But we have months to analyze the additions, subtraction and money multiplication of the New Jersey Devils. Let take a look at the NHL as a whole on opening night.
First, the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks will not be the same club that carried Lord Stanley cup off the ice in Philadelphia last spring. More than anything, the Hawks lost the grit and spirit that [عزيزي الزائر يتوجب عليك التسجيل لمشاهدة الرابط للتسجيل اضغط هنا] carried them through the playoffs. Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien, and even former Devil John Madden, provided the work ethic and the toughness to carry Chicago through the games when talent and finesse weren working for them. And Marty Turco is not the same goalie he was three years ago.
Will "Buff" bring [عزيزي الزائر يتوجب عليك التسجيل لمشاهدة الرابط للتسجيل اضغط هنا] a Cup to Atlanta?
And Atlanta adding Byfuglien and fellow Chicago ex pat, Andrew Ladd, could be this year Phoenix. Young, hardworking and under the radar. I expect a strong season out of the Thrashers. Will Ladd and Byfuglien produce like they did in Chicago? Probably not. But their winning mentality and [عزيزي الزائر يتوجب عليك التسجيل لمشاهدة الرابط للتسجيل اضغط هنا] experience from last season will add a dimension to the Thrashers the club has not had in its entire existence.
Speaking of Colorado, Matt Duchene and the Avalanche are my team to watch this season. I think the balance of youth and experience, skill and toughness in addition to the desire to improve on last season success make them the most fun team to watch this year. The Avs were decimated by the lockout and the post lockout changes to the game; this is the first time since 2024 that their squad is built for post lockout style play.
In a perfect world, my ideal Stanley Cup match up for the spring of 2024 would be a re match of 10 years earlier Avalanche vs. Devils. But in all reality, I think the Cup will be between Vancouver and Philadelphia. Washington is the back up Eastern Conference finalist I still don trust the Caps defense come playoff time. Melinda graduated from Butler University, in Indianapolis, Ind., where she went through four years of hockey withdrawal.
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