With the Devils actively searching for a new coach, The Devils’ Den’s favorite beat reporter, Tom Gulliti, spoke to Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello about the team’s coaching vacancy. While several names have been linked to the Devils, Lamoriello made an important statement to Gulliti. When speaking about what they’re looking for in a coach, Lamoriello insisted the Devils’ philosophy would remain unchanged.

“Philosophically everything will stay together and we certainly will not put anybody in a position that doesn’t have the same continuity that we’ve had for years.”

While this quote doesn’t point to any candidate in particular, it shows an important facet of the coaching search. Lamoriello doesn’t want to radically change the Devils system. But how much change should a new coach be allowed to instill?

The Devils need a shakeup. It doesn’t have to be a radical one, but the team seemed to be playing stale and uninspired hockey in their first round loss to the Flyers this spring. The lines didn’t show much creativity, and the power play looked atrocious. Many of those themes began during the second part of the season. A new coach should be allowed to tinker with the offense, which I feel is always an area of untapped potential for the Devils. They have so many skill players, but both Brent Sutter and Jacques Lemaire couldn’t find the right combination to deliver the best lines, especially on the powerplay. It’s a waste of talent, and I believe a new coach needs to shake up the Devils offensively. And even operating under a defensive philosophy, the team can still improve it’s offensive output.

I believe the Devils could become one of the best counter-attacking teams in the league. Both Sutter and Lemaire rarely tapped into this potential when behind the bench. We’ve seen flashes in the past few years, when the Devils would forecheck well for a game or two and turn those chances into goals. But the team could never sustain that effort for a majority of a season. This type of play would be tough and grinding, and the Devils would need to improve their team speed. But a counter-attacking style would still fit under the team’s defense-first mentality and allow for some offensive potency. It wouldn’t be a radical change, but it could be the shift the team needs to finally infuse great defensive play with the potential for a solid offensive team.

So, what candidate could put this on the ice? That responsibility may rest on the unproven shoulders of Mike Haviland. The assistant coach of the Chicago Blackhawks has worked with this system before, helping to coach a team ready to make plays on the forecheck. Watching Chicago in the Stanley Cup Finals showed just how good this counter-attacking system can be. The team always pressed and constantly took advantage of Flyers mistakes. Ultimately, they made plays happen. That’s been missing for the Devils over the past three years, and Haviland may be the coach to instill this style.

Offensive change is a must, but so is a better locker room environment. Read after the jump for my take on how the locker room dynamic needs to change with a new coach.

What was your favorite moment from the 2009/2010 Season? For me, it was the game on February 5th against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Devils scored 3 goals in the final 3 minutes to get the 4-3 victory over the Leafs. It was also Kovalchuk's first game as a Devil and after the comeback was complete, I remember feeling that maybe he was exactly what this team needed to get ourselves another Stanley Cup. Kovalchuk's story this season could have ended a lot better but it certainly couldn't have started any more dramatic than it did that night.

The city of Albany will once again host the Devils AHL affiliate.

The Devils will officially move their AHL affiliate to Albany, beginning in the 2010-2011 season.

The team will be named the Albany Devils and will play their home games at the Times Union Center. The move has been expected since the team submitted a letter of intent to lease the Times Union Center for five years in late April. On May 10, the Albany County Legislature voted to approve a $1.6 million bond to improve the arena as part of the movement plan.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello shared his excitement over the move with Tom Gulliti of the Bergen Record.

“We are all looking forward to bringing our AHL team back to the Capital District area,” Lamoriello said. “The support we previously received from the fans in Albany was tremendous.”

Albany hosted the Devils AHL affiliate for 13 years before the team moved to Lowell in 2006-2007. The team won the Calder Cup as the Albany River Rats in 1995.

The team’s lease with the Times Union Center is for five years.

As free agency quickly approaches, the Devils face a significant question – which big-name free agent do they pursue, Paul Martin or Ilya Kovalchuk? Both are impact players, and both are a huge asset to the team. While the Devils have almost $16 million to spend, both will command big money. Facing this decision, I’ll debate the pros and cons of deciding to sign either Martin or Kovalchuk. Today’s post focuses on Martin, a homegrown talent who's shown he can produce at the NHL level.

When Martin came into the league in 2003-2004, the defenseman was expected to become one of the team’s better defenders. Ex-Devil David Hale and Martin were tagged as the next Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer, respectively. Martin enjoyed a successful rookie campaign, playing in 70 games and recording 24 points (six goals, 18 assists). After returning from the lockout in 2005-2006, Martin increased his total games, skating in 80 games. He upped his point total to 37, with five goals and 32 assists, his highest point total in his career. Since then, he’s been a consistent producer, totaling 25+ points until last season, when he missed significant time with injury.

Martin has continually improved not only his own play, but the team’s play as well. Some advanced hockey statistics, such as Corsi %, tag Martin as one of the better unrestricted free agents of the summer. He’s been a workhorse for this team in his career, playing significant time even strength and skating on both the power play and penalty kill. As his stats show, Martin has offensive potential, and he shows a knack for setting up teammates. A look further at his stats can give more depth to Martin’s skills.

Martin At Even Strength

One of the first areas I’ll discuss is Martin’s play during 5-on-5 situations. Since last year provided such a small sample size, I’ll refer to 2008-2009 as my basis for analysis. In his own zone, Martin played sound hockey. As you can read at Behind the Net, when Martin was on the ice, shots against and goals against both went down. Only Mike Mottau had better goals against statistics than Martin. Clearly, Martin is a responsible defenseman in his own zone. But what about his offensive zone play?

Martin’s 2008-2009 offensive zone play was subpar at best. His 14 even-strength points ranked third on the team behind ex-Devil Johnny Oduya (23) and White (15). Martin’s 14 even-strength points tied him for 81st in the league. His shots on goal weren’t impressive either. His 107 shots ranked one behind team leader Johnny Oduya and 59th in the league. By looking at these stats, you could figure that Martin didn’t contribute much to the team’s goals for per 60 minutes. And he didn’t, only providing a -0.3 differential. But he did improve the shots for per 60 minutes, giving them an average of 2.5 shots when he was on the ice.

Martin’s offensive numbers don’t overwhelm you, and that’s one of the main drawbacks for the defenseman. We’ve all expected Martin to become a Niedermayer-like player, leading the offensive charge on the blue line. But the only stat he’s really improved is the team’s overall shots. During even strength play, Martin hasn’t had an immense impact offensively. But maybe the powerplay will show some different statistics.

Continue reading after the jump for Martin’s powerplay and penalty killing statistics!

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3, in tonight’s game six of the Stanley Cup finals to win their first Cup in 49 years.

Patrick Kane netted the winning goal at 4:10 of the overtime period. Kane skated the puck down the side boards and released a shot from the goal line. The puck snuck through the pads of Flyers’ goalie Michael Leighton and into the side of the net.

There was some confusion on whether or not the goal counted, but eventually replays confirmed the goal.

Jonathan Toews, captain of the Blackhawks, received the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP. Toews finished with 29 points, which ranked second among all skaters this postseason. Ex-Devil John Madden won his third Stanley Cup ring.

Madden's Comments

So apparently John Madden is getting some press in the great state of NJ over the last couple of days because he mentioned that his Blackhawks team that he is currently a member of and currently one win away from the Stanley Cup is the best team in which he has ever been associated with.

I'll admit, over the last 10 years, John Madden was certainly one of my favorites that played for the Devils. I'm not sure I entirely agree with his statements but I also do not entirely disagree with his statements. As for disagreeing, the 2000 cup winner was a very deep and talented team with 2 Hall of Famers and 1 future Hall of Famer and overcame a lot that spring to win the cup. As for agreeing with what he said, the Blackhawks are a quick and speedy team with a lot of talented scorers up front. I'm not going to be too hard on Madden's comments because the Blackhawks sign his checks and as a member of that team you can't make comments like "Yes, we are good, just not as good as other teams I've been on." If Chicago wins the cup this year, ask Madden in 20 years which was the best team and we shall find out the real answer in his heart.

Coaching Rumors

Rumors are circulating that the Devils have offered Michel Therrien a 3 year contract, and rumor that Lou Lamoriello has denied this morning. "There has been no decision on anything yet. There are reasons for that." It is thought the reason might be that Lou would like to talk to Blackhawks assistant, Mike Haviland.

At this point, this seems to be the list of candidates that Lou is probably looking at.

1. Therrien - Lou wants experience and Therrien has it.
2. Johnny Mac - But one has to wonder if he was the guy, wouldn't he be the guy already?
3. Mike Haviland - It has come up during the Finals that the Devils want to talk with him.
4. Kirk Muller - It is know he wants the job in NJ but has never held a head coaching job in the NHL or AHL which is a big negative.
5. Ken Hitchcock - The longshot for the job.

More on Mottau

After I wrote on this site last week that a rumor about Mottau and the Devils was hitting the airways, that rumor was shot down by Mottau himself by saying any claim that he is close to signing a new deal with the Devils is pure fiction. Like I said, I hate reporting rumors but Devils news at this point is a little slow so rumors are all we have.

A Few Devils things floating around the news wires this morning. I don't usually like reporting rumors because they can always come back and haunt you but the Cup hasn't been skated yet and it has already been a long off-season in my opinion.

Mottau and Devils close to a deal.

According to columnist Mark Everson it appears that the Devils and Mr. Hoby Baker winner Mike Mottau are close to signing a deal that would keep Mottau in a Devils uniform. Of course numbers aren't really being talked about in this story but Mottau made $775K with the Devils last season and really doesn't warrant anything more than that. With the injury to Ansi Salmela, I don't see this story being untrue. I also wonder what kind of player Mottau could be if we could get him away from Colin White. Yup, you read that right, I blame someone else for Mottau's shortcomings.

Paul Martin Just Waiting

Paul Martin has informed Lou Lamoriello, to which Lou agreed, that he would like to wait until the Devils have hired their new coach to discuss a possible contract with the Devils. This certainly makes a fan worry a bit because the Devils entered the Free Agency period last summer without a head coach. Paul Martin is going to be a wanted commodity by many teams. Jaques Lemaire signed on as the Devils coach last summer on July 13, well after a number of top free agents were off the market.

Kovalchuk News

No shocker here that Ilya Kovalchuk has informed the Devils that he is going to test the open market on July 1st. Kovy is going to find big money from some team and my gut tells me that team isn't the one this blog follows.

Parise Goal

I'm a little late to the party on this but the NHL is running a bracket-style competition for the 16 best goals of the year and Zack Parise was pegged as having one of the 16 best this season. His shorthanded goal against the Flyers in the Playoffs was nominated but beat out in Round 1 of the competition.

Please view it on the NHL site here:

http://goalsoftheyear.nhl.com/

Devils’ general manager Lou Lamoriello confirmed that Devils’ defenseman Anssi Salmela will miss 12-16 weeks after undergoing surgery Friday to repair a torn ACL.

Salmela injured his knee while playing for Finland in the LG Games earlier this month. At the time, Salmela’s agent, Jay Grossman, tweeted the defenseman would head back to New Jersey for tests on the knee.

Grossman first broke the news about the surgery on Wednesday, when he tweeted that Salmela would have surgery Friday. Lamoriello said the organization will not rush the defenseman back from the injury.

Salmela did not play in the Devils’ first-round loss against the Philadelphia Flyers. The defenseman, acquired in the Ilya Kovalchuk trade, only played in nine games for the Devils this season. He recorded one goal and two assists, but had a +/- rating of -5.

After the Devils loss to the Flyers this postseason, the team searched for answers to explain yet another first round exit. Jamie Langenbrunner came out to the media, criticizing former coach Jacques Lemaire for his decisions throughout the season. Even Brian Gionta, a former Devil, weighed in with his opinion.

In an article by Star-Ledger beat reporter Rich Chere, Lemaire defended his decisions during the regular season and playoffs this season. There were many things the coach addressed, but I’d like to take a look at a few quotes relating to several posts I’ve wrote about on the blog the past few weeks.

Issue 1: Line Juggling

One of the criticisms leveled at Lemaire this past season was his constant line-juggling. I addressed the coach’s decision to break up the ZZ Pops line, but Lemaire juggled more lines than the ZZ Pops line. Lemaire moved several players around, working for the optimal lineup against a given team. As Lemaire said in the article

“I look at the teams still in the playoffs right now. They match lines. I don’t see why we would be so special that we don’t have to match lines,” Lemaire said.

“As far as switching the players on lines, Scotty Bowman has been known as a great coach and he moved players around a lot. There are a lot of coaches who move players around when things aren’t going well or playing against certain teams. I’ve done it my whole career. I don’t think it’s an issue. It could be an issue if you’re not good enough and you need to play with certain guys to get better. Then, for that particular guy, it would be an issue.”

Hockey coaches have to switch lines. In year’s past, Brent Sutter would use the Devils’ third line to match against the team’s first line. If a coach doesn’t change lines and match up with the other team, they don’t give themselves the optimal lineup out on the ice. But I don’t agree with the constant line-juggling this season. The coach had a dynamite first line, one that could easily lead the team in scoring. They also brought energy and talent to the ice. By breaking them up, Lemaire eliminated one of better scoring lines in the entire league.

When asked about the decision to break up the ZZ Pops line, Lemaire said

“I try to get the best out of players. Sometimes, yes, I did put guys with certain other guys so they play better,” Lemaire said, “but I have to think about the team and what is good for the team. I’m happy with the way I’ve done things. No regrets. I’ve always done this and the success was there.”

I understand Lemaire’s idea here – spread the scoring, maybe allow for some other players to get going. But when the team needed offense or a spark, the ZZ Pops line should have played together. There was no need to continually switch those players around. We all know they played well together, and I believe the line should have been kept together, giving the Devils their best offensive line (and one of the better defensive lines as well).

For the rest of my reaction to the article, continue reading after the jump!

Ilya Kovalchuk is not heading to Russia to play for the KHL, at least not yet. According to various hockey sources, the KHL will be an option for Kovalchuk, but there is nothing imminent. Sovsports, a Russian sports website, is reporting that SKA St Petersburg made an offer to Kovalchuk that would see the sniper make $30 million over a three-year span. His desire is to reportedly play in the NHL and he won't consider the KHL until all of his options are on the table as an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Until then, New Jersey owns his rights and may utilize it to re-sign him.