With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the New Jersey Devils, trying to translate strong possession numbers into an actual playoff berth. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Button's analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSN's Scott Cullen.

Division: Metropolitan GM: Lou Lamoriello Head Coach: Pete DeBoer

2013-14: 35-29-18 (6th in Metropolitan) Playoffs: Did not qualify

Goals For: 197 (27th) Goals Against: 208 (9th) Powerplay: 19.5% (9th) Penalty Kill: 86.4% (1st)

That Was Then: Defensively, the Devils were the best team in the league in 2013-14. They allowed fewer shots than any other team and boasted the league’s top penalty kill unit. But offensively, the team struggled, posting the third-lowest shot total in the NHL.

Forty-one-year-old Jaromir Jagr led the team in points with 67 and joined Adam Henrique as the only Devils to reach the 20-goal mark, while Patrik Elias was second with 53 points despite missing 17 games due to injury.

After signing him to a five-year, $24.25 million contract, the Devils got disappointing production from forward Ryane Clowe. Signed to help replace David Clarkson, Clowe scored seven goals and tallied 19 points while only appearing in 43 games due to concussions. Fellow free agent signee Michael Ryder fared better in his first season, scoring 18 goals and adding 16 assists while playing in all 82 regular season games.

Cory Schneider joined Martin Brodeur to bolster their goaltending, yet the Devils failed to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season after reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2012.

Acquired from the Vancouver Canucks, Schneider posted a 16-15-12 record with a sparkling 1.97 goals against average and a .921 save percentage in 45 starts. Just as he did in Vancouver, Schneider was forced to split starts with a veteran superstar, this time in Brodeur.

Brodeur posted a 19-14-6 record, though his GAA (2.51) and save percentage (.901) were both worse than Schneider’s. The Devils faced the distraction of splitting goaltender starts for the first time since Brodeur’s 1993-94 rookie season, while the veteran netminder dealt with his name swirling in trade rumours throughout the league.

Ultimately, the Devils kept Brodeur and gave him the final start of the season – and the final start of his career with the Devils. The Devils won the game 3-2 over the Boston Bruins, but finished five points out of a playoff spot, and 20th in the league standings.

The Devils elected not to re-sign Brodeur over the summer.

Scott Cullen's Analytics

Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter

Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.20 2.40 6.7% .916 52.2% .475 21-41 2.62 2.57 9.0% .905 52.6% .548 42-62 2.67 2.43 6.1% .920 55.2% .548 63-82 2.60 2.70 7.4% .917 53.2% .575 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562

Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points.

Analysis:

Games 1-20: Trouble scoring and subpar goaltending overwhelmed good possession stats.

Games 21-41: Goaltending dipped, with Brodeur playing more than Schneider, while Devils finished at much better rate.

Games 42-62: Goaltending recovered, but scoring fell off, limiting possible gains by excellent possession numbers.

Games 63-82: Story of the season -- subpar scoring, subpar goaltending, excellent possession.

Key 2014 Additions: LW Mike Cammalleri, RW Martin Havlat, G Scott Clemmensen

Key 2014 Subtractions: D Mark Fayne, D Anton Volchenkov, G Martin Brodeur

This Is Now:

In free agency, the Devils signed netminder Scott Clemmensen to back up Schneider. Now for the first time in his career, Schneider opens a season with the security of being the undisputed No.1 goaltender. With that title, Schneider is tasked handling the workload of a starter, one year after setting a career-high with 45 games played.

The Devils made a conscious effort to improve their lackluster offence in free agency; signing forwards Mike Cammalleri and Martin Havlat. Cammalleri scored 26 goals and 45 points in 63 games with the Calgary Flames last season, while Havlat scored 12 goals and 22 points in 48 games with the San Jose Sharks. Cammalleri’s career-high in goals came in 2008-09 when he scored 39 with the Flames. Havlat hasn’t had a 20-goal season since 2010-11 with the Minnesota Wild.

Cammalleri figures to join Jagr on the Devils top line with centre Travis Zajac, forming a trio that scored a combined 68 goals last season. The Devils look for improved production from their top line to bolster an offence that scored just 136 goals at even strength in 2013-14.

Coming off his career-high and a team-high 25-goal season, the Devils are hoping Adam Henrique can once again lead the aging offence. The 24-year-old was the only Devils player under 28 to score more than 29 points last season.

Expected to enter the season concussion-free after missing the final seven games of the 2013-14 season with a head injury, the Devils also hope for better production from Clowe. Including the 31-year-old, the Devils enter the season with 10 forwards on the roster who have posted a 20-goal season in their career.

On defence, the Devils bought out veteran Anton Volchenkov and lost stalwart Mark Fayne in the off-season. Opposite to the offence, the Devils look to their younger players to fill bigger roles on defence.

Adam Larsson, 21, Jon Merrill, 22, and Eric Gelinas, 23, are all expected spend this season with the Devils, after the trio all spent time in the AHL last season. The three should benefit from being paired with veterans on the blue line. Andy Greene, Marek Zidlicky and Bryce Salvador complete the Devils defence core and all three have at least seven seasons of NHL experience. The atmosphere could allow each young defender to benefit from playing beside an experienced veteran of the league.

The Devils enter the season with an amount of uncertainty at every position.

Can Schneider bear the load of a full-time starter? Can the aging forwards provide enough offence to win games? And can the young defenders provide the support?

If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then the Devils could find themselves regaining their playoff form after a two-year drought.

DEPTH CHART

Forwards

Left Wing Centre Right Wing Mike Cammalleri Travis Zajac Jaromir Jagr Patrik Elias Adam Henrique Martin Havlat Ryane Clowe Tuomo Ruutu Michael Ryder Stephen Gionta Dainius Zubrus Steve Bernier Reid Boucher Jacob Josefson Damien Brunner Stefan Matteau Tim Sestito Mike Sislo

Defence Left Right Andy Greene Jon Merrill Bryce Salvador Marek Zidlicky Eric Gelinas Adam Larsson Damon Severson Peter Harrold Raman Hrabarenka Reece Scarlett

Goaltenders Cory Schneider Scott Clemmensen Keith Kinkaid

Craig's List

TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button's Top Prospect: Reid Boucher

Like all natural goal-scorers, Reid has the uncanny but necessary cunning to find the holes, openings and seams to get the puck in threatening positions.

Like smaller goal-scorers, he doesn’t physically engage unnecessarily but rather has the patience to arrive at the 'right time' and play on the merits of his strengths rather than to an opponents' strengths.

This trait allows him to be a quick-strike weapon and forces defenders to always be aware of his positioning on the ice.

Very quick hands and he uses a quick release as well as 'shifting' hands to keep goalies off balance and open up the net. The playmaker needs a finisher and the Devils have those, so Reid's abilities seemingly are a fit.

Fantasy - Cullen's Player to Watch - Eric Gelinas

A 6-foot-4 defenceman with a booming shot from the point, Gelinas scored 17 of his 29 points on the power play last season, making his mark in a 60-game rookie season.

His game without the puck needs work, and that is the challenge for keeping a regular spot on the Devils' blue line, but if Gelinas play a full season and maybe earns a little big more ice time, a 40-point season is not out of the question.

When dealing with young defencemen, there is always risk involved, but in Gelinas' case, his upside based on his skills and the competition for minutes in New Jersey makes him appealing in the mid-to-later rounds of your draft.