2010–11 New Jersey Devils season

On April 26, 2010, Jacques Lemaire announced that he would retire from coaching.[3] On June 17, the New Jersey Devils announced that John MacLean would become the 19th head coach in the franchise's history.[4] On June 29, the Devils announced that former NHL player Adam Oates will be the assistant coach for the team for the 2010–11 season.[5]

On July 19, Ilya Kovalchuk re-signed with the Devils to a 17-year, $102 million contract. The contract was front-loaded with minimal payments in the last few seasons, when Kovalchuk would be in his 40s and unlikely to play. The deal was subsequently rejected by the NHL as a circumvention of the NHL collective bargaining agreement. The Devils stated after the NHL rejection that they would appeal the decision under the "collective bargaining agreement" process.[6] On August 8, arbitrator Richard Bloch upheld the NHL's rejection of the contract, rendering Kovalchuk an unrestricted free agent again.[7] On September 4, the Devils re-submitted another contract to the NHL worth $100 million to be paid over 15 years. The deal was approved by the NHL the following week as part of an NHL–National Hockey League Players' Association agreement concerning contracts over five years in length.[8]

An injury to Bryce Salvador allowed the Devils to avoid a major trade before the start of the regular season. They opened their regular season at home on October 8 with a 4–3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars with only 20 players on the roster. Subsequent injuries to Anton Volchenkov and Brian Rolston, as well as a one-game suspension of Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond after a 7–2 loss to the Washington Capitals, dropped the roster size to 17. The team and management have been under scrutiny for the decision to dress as few as 15 men (and two goaltenders) as a result of having too few funds for an average-sized roster.

After an NHL-worst 9–22–2 start to the season, John MacLean was fired as head coach, and Jacques Lemaire, who had retired as the Devils' head coach in the off-season, was hired as interim head coach.[9]

Following the trade of captain Jamie Langenbrunner, the Devils managed an astonishing turnaround. After the start of the second half of the season, the Devils saw a dramatic increase in offensive production, in addition to the outstanding performance by backup goaltender Johan Hedberg. The Devils turned their record around from 10–29–2 on January 9 to 32–32–4 by March 12, with a point percentage of over 80% during their 22–3–2 stretch. Following a win against New York Islanders on March 12, the Devils found themselves six points out of the final playoff berth with a game in hand on the eighth-placed New York Rangers, and a hope of making the playoffs for a 14th consecutive season had been renewed among the fans. The team faded, however, finishing 12 points behind the Rangers.

With the injured Zach Parise missing 69 of the Devils' 82 regular season games, the team struggled offensively, finishing 30th overall in goals scored with just 171 (excluding three shootout-winning goals). They also finished 30th overall in power-play goals scored, with 34, and power-play opportunities, with 237. However, the Devils were the most disciplined team in the league once again, with only 241 power-play opportunities against, and they tied the Los Angeles Kings for the fewest power-play goals allowed with 40.[10][11]

At the conclusion of the season, head coach Jacques Lemaire announced that he would not return to coach the Devils in the 2011–12 season.[12]

Following a 3–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on April 2, the Devils were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 1996.

This season was Mike Emrick's final season as the television play-by-play announcer for the New Jersey Devils since he moved to NBC Sports. Steve Cangialosi would replace Emrick the following year. However, Chico Resch continued to be a TV color commentator. Radio coverage was still on WFAN with Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross.

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2010–11 season.

Trades Date Details June 19, 2010[17] To Nashville Predators Matthew Halischuk 2nd-round pick in 2011 To New Jersey Devils Jason Arnott January 7, 2011[18] To Dallas Stars Jamie Langenbrunner To New Jersey Devils Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2011[lower-alpha 1] February 9, 2011[19] To San Jose Sharks Patrick Davis Michael Swift To New Jersey Devils Jay Leach Steven Zalewski February 28, 2011[20] To Washington Capitals Jason Arnott To New Jersey Devils Dave Steckel 2nd-round pick in 2012

Condition satisfied. Free agents acquired Player Former team Contract terms Dan Kelly[21] Kitchener Rangers 3 years, $1.75 million entry-level contract Henrik Tallinder[22] Buffalo Sabres 4 years, $13.5 million Anton Volchenkov[22] Ottawa Senators 6 years, $25.5 million Johan Hedberg[23] Atlanta Thrashers 1 year, $1.5 million Mark Fayne[24] Providence College 2 years, $1.085 million entry-level contract Stephen Gionta[24] Lowell Devils 2 years, $1.025 million Chad Wiseman[24] Springfield Falcons 1 year, $500,000 Adam Mair[25] Buffalo Sabres 1 year, $515,000 Joe Sova[26] University of Alaska Fairbanks 2 years, $1.13 million entry-level contract Keith Kinkaid[27] Union College 2 years, $1.28 million entry-level contract

Free agents lost Player New team Contract terms Cory Murphy[28] ZSC Lions 2 years Ilkka Pikkarainen[29] Timra IK 2 years Paul Martin[30] Pittsburgh Penguins 5 years, $25 million Martin Skoula[31] Avangard Omsk 1 year Rob Niedermayer[32] Buffalo Sabres 1 year, $1.15 million Ben Walter[33] Colorado Avalanche 1 year, $500,000 Andrew Peters[34] Florida Panthers 1 year, $500,000 Yann Danis[35] Amur Khabarovsk undisclosed Mike Mottau[36] New York Islanders 2 years, $1.6 million

Lost via waivers Player New team Date claimed off waivers Jay Pandolfo None N/A Player signings Player Contract terms Mattias Tedenby[37] 3 years, $2.625 million entry-level contract Jacob Josefson[37] 3 years, $2.7 million entry-level contract Eric Gelinas[21] 3 years, $2.07 million entry-level contract David Clarkson[38] 3 years, $8 million Mark Fraser[39] 1 year, $500,000 Tyler Eckford[24] 1 year, $550,000 Olivier Magnan[24] 1 year, $500,000 Harry Young[24] 3 years, $1.61 million entry-level contract Jean-Sebastien Berube[24] 3 years, $1.595 million entry-level contract Patrick Davis[24] 1 year, $500,000 Tim Sestito[24] 1 year, $500,000 Ilya Kovalchuk[40] 15 years, $100 million Mike Hoeffel[26] 2 years, $1.325 million entry-level contract Draft picks New Jersey's picks at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles, California. Round Pick Player Position Nationality Club Team 2 38 (from Atlanta) Jon Merrill D  United States U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) 3 84 Scott Wedgewood G  Canada Plymouth Whalers (OHL) 4 114 Joe Faust D  United States Bloomington Jefferson High School (USHS-MN) 6 174 Maxime Clermont G  Canada Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) 7 204 Mauro Jorg RW   Switzerland HC Lugano (NLA) Final roster Updated April 10, 2011.[41] # Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace 30 Martin Brodeur G L 48 1990 Montreal, Quebec 23 David Clarkson RW R 36 2005 Toronto, Ontario — Matt Corrente  D R 32 2006 Mississauga, Ontario 26 Patrik Elias (A) LW L 44 1994 Třebíč, Czechoslovakia 34 Mark Fayne D R 33 2005 Nashua, New Hampshire 2 Mark Fraser D L 34 2005 Ottawa, Ontario 6 Andy Greene D L 38 2006 Trenton, Michigan 1 Johan Hedberg G L 47 2010 Leksand, Sweden 14 Adam Henrique C L 30 2008 Brantford, Ontario 16 Jacob Josefson C L 29 2009 Stockholm, Sweden 17 Ilya Kovalchuk (A) LW R 37 2010 Kalinin, Soviet Union 33 Jay Leach D L 41 2011 Syracuse, New York 11 Adam Mair C R 41 2010 Hamilton, Ontario 32 Nick Palmieri RW R 31 2007 Utica, New York 9 Zach Parise (A) LW L 36 2003 Minneapolis, Minnesota 10 Rod Pelley C L 36 2007 Kitimat, British Columbia 12 Brian Rolston LW L 47 2008 Flint, Michigan 29 Anssi Salmela D L 36 2010 Nokia, Finland 24 Bryce Salvador  D L 44 2008 Brandon, Manitoba 25 Dave Steckel C L 38 2011 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 7 Henrik Tallinder D L 42 2010 Stockholm, Sweden 20 Matt Taormina  D L 34 2010 Washington Township, Michigan 21 Mattias Tedenby LW L 30 2008 Vetlanda, Sweden 22 Alexander Urbom D L 30 2009 Stockholm, Sweden 28 Anton Volchenkov D L 38 2010 Moscow, Soviet Union 5 Colin White D L 43 1996 New Glasgow, Nova Scotia 19 Travis Zajac C R 35 2004 Winnipeg, Manitoba 18 Vladimir Zharkov RW L 33 2006 Elektrostal, Soviet Union 8 Dainius Zubrus C L 42 2007 Elektrėnai, Soviet Union See also 2010–11 NHL season Farm teams The Albany Devils (relocated from Lowell) of the American Hockey League and the Trenton Devils of the ECHL remain the New Jersey Devils' minor league affiliates for the 2010–11 season. References 2010-11 New Jersey Devils Regular Season Attendance Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-60078-422-4. Jacques Lemaire Retires http://devils.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=531957 Adam Oates named Assistant Coach "Lamoriello statement on Kovalchuk signing" (Press release). New Jersey Devils. July 22, 2010. Kovalchuk a free agent after arbitrator ruling Devils, Kovalchuk finally seal the deal, [Miami Herald] "DEVILS FIRE HEAD COACH MACLEAN, LEMAIRE BACK BEHIND THE BENCH". Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2017-12-07. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2011.html https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2011_games.html Lemaire won't return as Devils coach "2010–11 Standings by Division". National Hockey League. Thomas tops NHL's 'Three Stars of the Week' Antti Niemi tops NHL's 'Three Stars of the Week' Toews tops February's 'Three Stars of the Month' Arnott is Back! Langenbrunner traded to Dallas Devils acquire Jay Leach & Steve Zalewski C David Steckel acquired from Washington Devils sign prospect Eric Gelinas, add D Dan Kelly Devils sign D Tallinder and Volchenkov Devils sign G Johan Hedberg New Jersey Signs Nine Players Devils sign Mair, assign Leblond to AHL Devils sign F Mike Hoeffel, D Joe Sova Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine Devils ink G Keith Kinkaid to entry-level deal Commitments Cory Murphy Joachim Sandström (May 27, 2010). "NHL-meriterade Pikkarainen valde Timrå" [NHL-merited Pikkarainen chose Timrå]. timraik.se (in Swedish). Timrå IK. Archived from the original on 2010-08-18. Retrieved September 19, 2010. Penguins Sign Defenseman Martin After ten seasons Skoula farewells the NHL, heads to Omsk joining Jagr Archived July 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine SABRES AGREE TO TERMS WITH ROB NIEDERMAYER Avalanche Signs Yip Panthers Ink LW Andrew Peters When Will Mike Mottau Get Signed by a NHL Team? ISLANDERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH MIKE MOTTAU Devils sign top picks Tedenby, Josefson Devils re-sign David Clarkson Devils, Fraser avoid arbitration Signed, sealed, delivered "New Jersey Devils - Team - Roster". New Jersey Devils. Archived from the original on 2009-02-21. Retrieved 2011-03-26. External links 2010–11 New Jersey Devils season at ESPN 2010–11 New Jersey Devils season at Hockey Reference