Pete DeBoer, who is in his fourth season as Devils coach, spoke to NJ Advance Media on a wide variety of topics including the team's 6-3-2 start, dealing with his young defensemen and fans who criticize his coaching.

The one-on-one interview took place Monday afternoon at Prudential Center.

Rich Chere: What are your thoughts on where the team is at this early juncture of the season?

Pete DeBoer: A work in progress. We're like probably 95 percent of the teams in the NHL. The good news is we've brought enough game to the rink to win. And even the games we've lost, we've had opportunities to win. Or it felt like we had opportunities to win. But I think we all know we have a lot to improve on, a lot of areas to improve.

Is the style and system you've implemented with this team the same as it was during the 2012 run to the Stanley Cup Final?

DeBoer: The foundation of it is identical. How we want to play in all three zones, how we want to move around the ice. All that is identical. We tweak some things year to year depending on personnel and lines, but for the most part that foundation is exactly the same. Some nights we're better at it than others. The goal is to get it where it's seamless, and we're not there yet.

Are you concerned about a failure to hold leads?

DeBoer: No, not 10 or 11 games in. Look around the league. We've come back in the third period on two or three teams already. That's early-season hockey. The key is to learn to lock that down as the season goes on.

Is this team still feeling the effects of losing Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk?

DeBoer: I don't think so. I think we've moved past that. If you'd asked me that in the past two years I might have had a different answer, but I really believe that is in the rearview mirror now and it's not an issue.

It took some time to recover from those losses, didn't it?

DeBoer: Sure. There was definitely some transition there and obviously we didn't handle it well enough because we missed the playoffs.

This team has Mike Cammalleri, Ryane Clowe, Martin Havlat and Bryce Salvador. These are players who've been injury-prone throughout their careers. Is that reason for concern?

DeBoer: I don't know about the words injury-prone. They've definitely dealt with injuries. Is it a concern? Absolutely injuries are a concern because for the team that stays the healthiest it's usually a big factor at the end of the year. It's not as much of a concern for me this year as in other years because I really feel we have depth. We've got two or three guys in Albany, like Peter Harrold and Seth Helgeson, who can come in and play games. Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau are in Albany and there are more guys there. We have the depth in this organization this year so that it's not something I lose sleep over.

How do you respond to people who suggest you don't like Adam Larsson and Eric Gelinas? Other players make the same mistakes and get away with them, but you are tougher on Larsson and Gelinas than anyone else. Are you tougher on the kids?

DeBoer: No, I don't think so. You establish yourself in the league and then every coach gives established guys a little more rope. The suggestion that we don't like young players is ridiculous. We've got no problem playing Damon Severson. We had no problem playing Adam Henrique as a young guy. That's just ridiculous.

Is Patrik Elias at this point in his career still the same player he was?

DeBoer: I think he is. His body isn't his age (38). He doesn't show his age. That's the thing about most of our older guys like Jagr, Sal, Elias. They're in phenomenal shape. But Elias is working his way into the season. I don't think we've seen the best of Patrik Elias yet.

Do you see, at any point, Adam Henrique being the No. 1 center on this team as opposed to Travis Zajac?

DeBoer: I'm not sure they aren't 1a and 1b now. On any given night, whether it's Zajac's line or whether it's Henrique's line or whether it's Elias's line when those three were in the middle, all those guys are capable of being No. 1 centers.

Martin Brodeur's NHL career may be over. Are there any great goaltenders in this league right now?

DeBoer: Oh, sure. I don't think anyone is on Marty's level, but absolutely there are great goalies. When you look at the L.A. Kings and Jonathan Quick, how do you not use the word great? Two Stanley Cups in the last three years and the type of things he's done. I don't think he's alone, but he's the guy that comes to mind when I think about great goaltending.

The standings in the Eastern Conference now are so close, teams are so similar, is that mediocrity? Other than one or two teams in the East, everyone else can finish anywhere from third to 16th.

DeBoer: I think it's great. If you're a fan, that's fantastic. I think all the teams know that and there is a real push to separate yourself from that group. I wouldn't call it mediocrity. There are only so many teams in the league with Malkin and Crosby. Everyone else has to try and separate themselves other ways.

Bryce Salvador has endured a lot of criticism. Is it unfair?

DeBoer: To be honest, all I care about and all Sal cares about is what the people in the dressing room think of him. And he has the respect of the entire dressing room, both as a person and leader and as a player and what he's done in his career. That's unwavering. That's all we care about.

You've dealt with a lot of criticism yourself. How much does it bother you?

DeBoer: It's human nature. Everyone wants to feel good about themselves, but that's not the reality of this job. You learn that very quickly. Unless you're winning Stanley Cups every year, there are people out there who don't feel you're doing a good enough job. So you have to be comfortable enough in how hard you work and what you do behind the scenes. What people don't realize, especially with the players unless you're around them every day, is how hard they work and what they say between periods. You don't get a read of a guy's true value just watching him play a game on a Friday night. There is a lot more there, and I think it's the same with coaches. All we can do is work as hard as we possibly can and prepare the team. It will either be good enough or it won't. When you sign up for this job, you're comfortable with the consequences.

Do you hear the criticism?

DeBoer: I don't go out and read that stuff, but you hear criticism. Sure you do. It's impossible not to. We dress the lineup we think we can win with that night and every night. That's the only thing that goes across our thought pattern.

What about those who say, 'This guy doesn't know what he's doing?'

DeBoer: That will be proven on the ice with our record. And, you know what? If we don't win, then it is what it is.

Rich Chere may be reached at rchere@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ledger_NJDevils. Find NJ.com on Facebook.