No. 2 man is No. 1 Devils priority

May 15, 2006

I think there's a couple of areas -- other than securing a new head coach and re-signing Patrik Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner -- that the Devils will be front-and-center in addressing this offseason.

Now no matter who joins this club, the Devils are always built around defense, so that's not a cause for concern. But what was a problem for most of the year was that they didn't have a second-line centerman. And every team that has success in the regular season and playoffs for long stretches of time need a second centerman -- not only because he takes pressure off the first-line pivot, but can play on the second power play.

After Scott Gomez, the Devils are offensively thin at center. (AP)

After Scott Gomez, there's no legit No. 2 in the middle. Sergei Brylin stepped in and did all he could for them. He's a terrific player in his own right, but he's more of a two-way John Madden-like third line player who is as effective as anyone in that role. To me, that hole on line 2 was probably the biggest weakness the Devils had. Speaking from my own experience from my days with the Islanders, before we took off, we needed to get that second-line centerman, and when we acquired Butch Goring to line up behind No. 1 man Bryan Trottier, we became a whole new multi-dimensional team because opponents couldn't just focus on one line.

In the playoffs, the power play unit using Elias, Gomez, Brian Gionta and Zach Parise got hot against the Rangers, and in the second round, they were expected to do the same thing. And if they did it in the second round, they'd have to do it in the third round, but you just didn't see that happening where you have one centerman to create all that offense that you need. For me, a second-line center is, without question, a top priority for them.

Here's an ideal scenario: if the Devils keep Elias, they'll definitely go after a second-line pivot. Now I'm not saying a guy like free agent Doug Weight per sé, but -- be it by trade or free agency -- they have to get a playmaker there.

And along with that, the Devils have one spot on defense for either a very skilled offensive player -- who might be a slight liability defensively but can be paired with a stay-at-home -- or one who can do enough offensively that when you see him on the second power play unit, you still were hopeful that good things could happen. I mean Colin White did all he could on the No. 2 unit, but he'll be the first to tell that in most scenarios where a team is contending for the Stanley Cup, a player like him is not going to be on the second power play team.

Those are the immediate holes -- on top of the potential defections of unrestricted free agents Elias and Langenbrunner. Patrik said he is going to entertain offers. Remember, the NHL is going to bump up their salary cap by $7 million, and there are a bunch of quality unrestricted free agents. But among the forwards, Elias is going to be right on top of the list, so you can imagine the long line of teams that are going to chase him.

Now I don't think the Devils are going to spend their money on snaring a big-time free agent defenseman they need like Zdeno Chara, Bryan McCabe or Ed Jovanovski, who will command a ton of dough from many teams willing to throw that at such a premium role. New Jersey will spend on a player in the $2.5 - 3 million range since they'll be spending a lot to try and keep Elias. Langenbrunner's case will be interesting because he could price himself out of the Devils' market. Other teams may be able to offer much more to Jamie.

It might be awhile before first-rounder Nicklas Bergfors gets to New Jersey. (AP)

Now there's always addition from within the farm system, which seems a bit thin. There are forwards like former No. 1 pick Travis Zajac, but he's pretty raw. Then there's Swedish prospect Nicklas Bergfors and Barry Tallackson, but the Devils don't have many prospects that are ready to blossom in the NHL. Parise looks like he might be the last one to do so for awhile. It might another three years or so for those players in the system right now, and that's why I think they'll target people from the outside.

If Elias isn't here, this team will definitely be different -- like they were without Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens this year -- next season. Patrik's one of their top four players. He knows the Devils' system, and teaches to new players that come in what it means to be a Devil. I really believe he'll be wearing the captain's "C" next year if he returns. If he leaves, they'll will certainly have to go our and replace him with a big-impact scorer, and that will change the team considerably.

Otherwise, on defense, there will be White, Brian Rafalski, David Hale, Paul Martin and Brad Lukowich (since there's another year on his contract). Up front, you'll have the Madden-Jay Pandolfo combination intact with either Brylin or Grant Marshall playing the right side. The fourth line of Erik Rasmussen, Cam Janssen and Jason Wiemer should be around, and Gomez, Gionta and Parise will be back.

Bottom line? With Elias, the biggest difference on the Devils next year will be an entirely new second line. Without Elias, you'll have to get back to me on that one!