2010–11 New Jersey Devils season

New Jersey Devils

Industry	Professional ice hockey
Founded	1982 (moved from Colorado)
Headquarters	Newark, New Jersey , United States
Products	Ice hockey team

The 2010–11 season for the New Jersey Devils represented the franchise's 37th campaign in the NHL and its 29th since moving from Colorado in 1982. The team concluded the year with a 38–39–5 record, accumulating 81 points, and failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since the 1995–96 season, thus ending a streak of 13 consecutive playoff appearances. This marked their first losing record since the 1990–91 season. Offensively, the Devils managed only 174 goals, the fewest scored in any non-lockout year.

Off-season

On April 26, 2010, veteran coach Jacques Lemaire declared his retirement. Subsequently, on June 17, John MacLean was named head coach, becoming the franchise’s 19th individual to hold that position. Additionally, former NHL standout Adam Oates was brought on board as an assistant coach on June 29.

A major development occurred on July 19 when star forward Ilya Kovalchuk inked a highly debated 17-year contract worth $102 million with the Devils. The agreement was structured with significant front-loading and minimal compensation in later years, prompting concerns about potential violations of the NHL collective bargaining agreement. The league rejected the contract, and after arbitration upheld this ruling on August 8, Kovalchuk re-entered unrestricted free agency. The Devils then presented a revised offer—a $100 million deal over 15 years—on September 4, which received approval following an accord between the NHL and the Players' Association regarding long-term contracts.

Regular season

An injury to Bryce Salvador played a role in preventing a major trade before the season began. The Devils started their campaign at home on October 8 with a narrow 4–3 overtime defeat against the Dallas Stars, fielding only 20 players. Subsequent injuries to Anton Volchenkov and Brian Rolston, coupled with a one-game suspension for Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond after a heavy 7–2 loss to the Washington Capitals, further depleted the roster down to just 17 players. Management faced scrutiny for dressing as few as 15 skaters alongside two goaltenders, which was attributed to financial constraints limiting roster depth.

After an NHL-worst start of 9–22–2, head coach John MacLean was dismissed and replaced by Jacques Lemaire, who had retired during the off-season, taking over as interim coach.

Following captain Jamie Langenbrunner’s trade, the team experienced a significant revival. Offensive output increased markedly while backup goaltender Johan Hedberg delivered strong performances. Between January 9 and March 12, their record improved dramatically from 10–29–2 to an even 32–32–4, achieving over an 80% point percentage during a stretch of 22–3–2. After beating the New York Islanders on March 12, the Devils found themselves six points behind the eighth-place New York Rangers, holding a game in hand and rekindling hopes for their 14th straight playoff berth. Nevertheless, they faltered late in the season and ultimately finished twelve points behind New York.

With key forward Zach Parise sidelined for 69 games due to injury, New Jersey’s offense struggled significantly. They ranked last in total goals (171) and power-play goals scored (34) despite having 237 opportunities. On a positive note, they were among the most disciplined teams league-wide, allowing just 241 power-play chances against and tying with the Los Angeles Kings for fewest power-play goals conceded (40).

At season’s conclusion, Jacques Lemaire announced he would not continue as head coach for the following 2011–12 season.

Playoffs

Following a 3–1 defeat against the Montreal Canadiens on April 2, the Devils failed to qualify for the playoffs, marking their first absence since 1996.

Media

This campaign was notable as Mike Emrick completed his final season as the Devils' television play-by-play announcer before transitioning to NBC Sports. His role was taken over by Steve Cangialosi in the subsequent season. Meanwhile, Chico Resch continued serving as the TV color commentator. On the radio side, broadcasts remained on WFAN with commentators Matt Loughlin and Sherry Ross.

Pre-season

|- align="center" bgcolor="BBBBBB" | 1 || September 21 || Philadelphia Flyers || 3-4 (SO) || Wells Fargo Center || 19,288 || 0–0–1 |- align="center" bgcolor="BBBBBB" | 2 || September 23 || New York Rangers || 3-4 (OT) || Madison Square Garden || 14,987 || 0–0–2 |- align="center" bgcolor="BBBBBB" | 3 || September 25 || New York Rangers || 4-5 (OT) || Prudential Center || 13,821 || 0–0–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="CCFFCC" | 4 || September 28 || Philadelphia Flyers || 3-2 || Prudential Center || 10,124 || 1–0–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="CCFFCC" | 5 || October 1 || New York Islanders || 4-3 || Prudential Center || 13,596 || 2–0–3 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" | 6 || October 2 || New York Islanders || 1-2 || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 7,783 || 2–1–3 |-

Regular season

|- align="center" bgcolor="BBBBBB" | 1 || 8 || Dallas Stars || 3-4 (OT) || Prudential Center||17,625 || 0–0–1 || 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" | 2 || 9 || @ Washington Capitals || 2-7 || Verizon Center||18,398 || 0–1–1 || 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" | 3 || 11 || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1-3 || Prudential Center||12,880 || 0–2–1 || 1 |- align="center" bgcolor="CCFFCC" | 4 || 13 || @ Buffalo Sabres || 1-0 (OT) || HSBC Arena||18,690 || 1–2–1 || 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" | 5 || 15 || Colorado Avalanche || 2-3 || Prudential Center||12,221 || 1–3–1 || 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" | 6 || 16 || Boston Bruins || 1-4 || Prudential Center||13,056 || 1–4–1 || 3 |- align="center" bgcolor="CCFFCC" | 7 || 21|| @ Montreal Canadiens||3-0||Bell Centre||21,273||2–4–1||5 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" |8||23||Buffalo Sabres||1-6||Prudential Center||14,228||2–5–1||5 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" |9||24||@ New York Rangers||1-3||Madison Square Garden||18,200||2–6–1||5 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" |10||27||@ San Jose Sharks||2-5||HP Pavilion||17,562||2–7–1||5 |- align="center" bgcolor="CCFFCC" |11||29||@ Anaheim Ducks||2-1||Honda Center||14,724||3–7–1||7 |- align="center" bgcolor="FFBBBB" |12||30||@ Los Angeles Kings||1-3||Staples Center||18,118||3–8–1||7

|- align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB |13 |1 |@ Vancouver Canucks |0-3 |Rogers Arena |18,860 |3–9–1 |7 |- align=center bgcolor=CCFFCC |14 |3 |@ Chicago Blackhawks |5-3 |United Center |21,044 |4–9–1 |9 |- align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB |15 |5 |New York Rangers |0-3 |Prudential Center |17,625 |4–10–1 |9 |- align=center bgcolor=BBBBBB |16 |10 |Buffalo Sabres |4-5 (SO) |Prudential Center |14,566 |4–10–2 |10 |- align=center bgcolor=CCFFCC |17 |12 |Edmonton Oilers |4-3 (OT) |Prudential Center |14,650 |5–10–2 |12 |- align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB |18 |15 |@ Boston Bruins |0-3 |TD Garden |17,565 |5–11–2 |12 |- align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB |19 |18 |@ Toronto Maple Leafs |1-3 |Air Canada Centre |19,271 |5–12–2 |12 |- align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB |20 |20 |@ St. Louis Blues |2-3 |Scottrade Center |19,150 |5–13–2 |12 |- align=center bgcolor=CCFFCC |21 |22 |Washington Capitals |5-0 |Prudential Center |14,107 |6–13–2 |14 |- align=center bgcolor=CCFFCC |22 |24 |Calgary Flames |2-1 (SO) |Prudential Center |13,202 |7–13–2 |16 |- align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB |23 |26 |@ New York Islanders |0-2 |Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum |10,897 |7–14–2 |16 |- align=center bgcolor=CCFFCC |24 |27 |Philadelphia Flyers |2-1 (SO) |Prudential Center |17,625 |8–14–2 |18

|-align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB 25 December Montreal Canadiens Prudential Center 11,434 8−15−2 18 Loss 26 December @ Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center 19,657 8−16−2 18 Loss 27 December @ Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center 18,185 8−17−2 18 Loss 28 December @ Ottawa Senators Scotiabank Place 16,471 8−18−2 18 Loss 29 December Detroit Red Wings Prudential Center 17,625 8−19−2 18 Loss 30 December Phoenix Coyotes Prudential Center 13,208 9−19−2 20 Win 31 December Nashville Predators Prudential Center 14,137 9−20−2 20 Loss 32 December @ Atlanta Thrashers Philips Arena 17,024 9−21−2 20 Loss 33 December @ Washington Capitals Verizon Center 18,398 9−22−2 20 Loss 34 December New York Islanders Prudential Center 13,312 9−23−2 20 Loss 35 December Toronto Maple Leafs Prudential Center 5,329 9−24−2 20 Loss 36 December New York Rangers Prudential Center 17,625 9−25−2 20 Loss 37 December Atlanta Thrashers Prudential Center 13,492 10−25−2 22 Win

|-align=center bgcolor=FFBBBB 38 January @ Carolina Hurricanes RBC Center16,10710−26−222 Loss 39 January Minnesota Wild Prudential Center13,25710−27−222 Loss 40 January Philadelphia Flyers Prudential Center15,09810−28−222 Loss 41 January @ Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center19,85910−29−222 Loss 42 January Tampa Bay Lightning Prudential Center16,19411−29−224 Win 43 January @ Tampa Bay Lightning St. Pete Times Forum18,73612−29−226 Win 44 January @ Florida Panthers BankAtlantic Center17,82512−29−327 Overtime Loss 45 January @ New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum13,11913−29−329 Win 46 January Pittsburgh Penguins Prudential Center14,89014−29−331 Win 47 January @ Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center19,84715−29−333 Win 48 January Florida Panthers Prudential Center15,10916−29−335 Win 49 January @ Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena20,06616−30−335 Loss

|-align=center bgcolor=CCFFCC 50 February Ottawa Senators Prudential Center 7 ,218 17 −30 −337 Win 51 February @ New York Rangers Madison Square Garden 18 ,200 18 −30 −339 Win 52 February Florida Panthers Prudential Center 13 ,577 18 −30 −440 Overtime Loss 53 February @ Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre 21 ,273 19 −30 −442 Win 54 February Carolina Hurricanes Prudential Center 12 ,126 20 −30 −444 Win 55 February @ Toronto Maple Leafs Air Canada Centre 19 ,260 21 −30 −446 Win 56 February San Jose Sharks Prudential Center 17 ,102 22 −30 −448 Win 57 February Carolina Hurricanes Prudential Center 14 ,445 23 −30 −450 Win 58 February New York Rangers Prudential Center 17 ,625 24 −30 −452 Win 59 February @ Carolina Hurricanes RBC Center 17 ,890 25 −30 −454 Win 60 February @ Dallas Stars American Airlines Center 13 ,652 26 −30 −456 Win 61 February @ Tampa Bay Lightning St. Pete Times Forum 19 ,563 26 −31 −456 Loss 62 February @ Florida Panthers BankAtlantic Center 16 ,592 27 −31 −458 Win

|-align=center bgcolor = CCFFCC 	

63 March Tampa Bay Lightning Prudential Center 12 ,857 28 –31 –460 Win 64 March Pittsburgh Penguins Prudential Center 17 ,625 29 –31 –462 Win 65 March @ New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 15 ,893 30 –31 –464 Win 66 March Ottawa Senators Prudential Center 15 ,978 30 –32 –464 Loss

67 March @ Atlanta Thrashers Philips Arena16 ,07331 –32 –466 Win

68 March New York Islanders PrudentialCenter17 ,62532 –32 –468 Win

69 March Atlanta Thrashers PrudentialCenter16 ,18833 –32 –470 Win

70 March @ Ottawa Senators ScotiabankPlace17 ,75833 –33 –470 Loss

71 March Washington Capitals PrudentialCenter17 ,62533 –34 –470 Loss

72 March @ Columbus Blue Jackets NationwideArena13 ,04334 –34 –472 Win

73 March @ Boston Bruins TDGarden17 ,56534 –35 –472 Loss

74 March @ Pittsburgh Penguins ConsolEnergyCenter18 ,32934 –35 –573 OvertimeLoss

75 March @ Buffalo Sabres HSBC Arena18 ,69034 –36 –573 Loss

76 March New York Islanders PrudentialCenter16 ,25235 –36 –575 Win

|-align=center bgcolor = CCFFCC 

77 April Philadelphia Flyers PrudentialCenter17 ,62536 –36 –577 Win

78 April Montreal Canadiens PrudentialCenter17 ,62536 –37 –577 Loss

79 April @ Pittsburgh Penguins ConsolEnergyCenter18 ,33136 –38 –577 Loss

80 April Toronto Maple Leafs PrudentialCenter14 ,20737 –38 –579 Win

81 April @ New York Rangers MadisonSquareGarden18 ,20037 –39 –579 Loss

82 April Boston Bruins PrudentialCenter17 ,62538 –39 –581 Win

Skaters

Note: GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/− = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Regular season

Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Template:Sortname 81 21 41 62 -4 16 Template:Sortname 81 31 29 60 -26 28 Template:Sortname 82 13 31 43 -6 24 Template:Sortname 65 14 20 34 -6 34 Template:Sortname 79 13 17 30 -11 53 Template:Sortname‡ 62 13 11 24 -9 32 Template:Sortname 82 4 19 23 -23 22 Template:Sortname 58 8 14 22 3 14 Template:Sortname 82 12 6 18 -20 116 Template:Sortname 43 9 8 17 9 6 Template:Sortname 82 5 11 16 -6 40 Template:Sortname 57 4 10 14 10 27 Template:Sortname‡ 31 4 10 14 -15 16 Template:Sortname 74 3 7 10 -9 27 Template:Sortname 28 3 7 10 5 6 Template:Sortname 56 0 8 8 3 34 Template:Sortname 48 1 6 7 -11 14 Template:Sortname 69 0 6 6 -2 48 Template:Sortname 13 3 3 6 -1 6 Template:Sortname 22 0 6 6 -5 44 Template:Sortname 18 1 4 5 0 0 Template:Sortname 17 3 2 5 -2 2 Template:Sortname 65 1 3 4 -16 45 Template:Sortname 38 2 2 4 3 2 Goaltenders Player GP Min W L OT GA GAA SA Sv% SO G A PIM Template:Sortname 56 3116 23 26 3 127 2.45 1313 .903 6 0 2 Template:Sortname 34 1717 15 12 2 68 2.38 777 .912 3 0 4 Template:Sortname 2 118 0 1 0 6 3.05 56 .893 0 0 0 †Indicates player joined from a different team earlier in the season. Statistics shown are only for time with Devils. ‡Represents players traded during the season. Stats reflect only their tenure with Devils. Honors Regular Season Player Honor Date Awarded Martin Brodeur NHL Third Star of the Week January 24, 2011 Johan Hedberg NHL Second Star of the Week February 21, 2011 Johan Hedberg NHL Third Star of the Month February 2011 Records Player Record (Quantity) Date Set Milestones Regular Season Player Achievement Date Achieved Jason Arnott 1,100th NHL Game Played October 8, 2010 Matt Taormina First NHL Game, Assist, Point, and Goal (Oct–Nov) October–November, 2010 Alexander Urbom First NHL Appearance, Goal, and Point (Oct–Apr) October, April 2010–11 Matthew Corrente First NHL Assist and Point October 15, 2010 Jacob Josefson NHL Debut plus first Assist, Point, and Goal October–March, 2010–11 Olivier Magnan First NHL Game Played October 21, 2010 Alexander Vasyunov Debut with first Assist, Point, and Goal October–November, 2010 Bradley Mills Debut with first Goal and Point October–November, 2010 Stephen Gionta First NHL Appearance November 5, 2010 Mattias Tedenby Debut with first Assist, Point, and Goal November, 2010 Henrik Tallinder 500th NHL Game Played November 18, 2010 Patrik Eliáš 900th NHL Game / 800th Point Achieved November 20, 2010 / February 19, 2011 Mark Fayne First NHL Game plus initial Goal, Point, and Assist November–December, 2010 Johan Hedberg 300th NHL Game Played November 22, 2010 Colin White 100th Assist / 700th Game Played December 4 & 6, 2010 Nick Palmieri First Career NHL Goal Scored January 9, 2011 Vladimir Zharkov First Career NHL Goal Scored January 17, 2011 Dainius Zubrus Achieved 300th NHL Assist February 3, 2011 Jacques Lemaire Recorded 600th NHL Win as Coach February 10, 2011 Anton Volchenkov Reached 100th NHL Career Point February 19, 2011 Adam Mair Played in his 600th NHL Game March 6, 2011 Anssi Salmela Completed his 100th NHL Game March 17, 2011 Dave Steckel Marked his 300th NHL Game March 20, 2011 Travis Zajac Participated in his 400th NHL Game March 25, 2011 Rod Pelley Played his 200th NHL Game March 30, 2011 Brian Rolston Reached his 400th Career NHL Assist April 1, 2011 Ilya Kovalchuk Attained both his 700th NHL Game and Point April 6, 2011 Adam Henrique Made his First Career NHL Appearance April 10, 2011 David Clarkson Achieved his milestone of the Hundredth Career Point in the NHL April10,2011 Transactions Throughout the course of the 2010–11 campaign, the Devils completed several significant roster moves. Trades Date Transaction Details June 19, 2010 To Nashville Predators Matthew Halischuk Second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft To New Jersey Devils Jason Arnott January7,2011 To Dallas Stars Jamie Langenbrunner To New Jersey Devils Conditional third-round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft February9,2011 To San Jose Sharks Patrick Davis (ice hockey) Michael Swift (ice hockey) To New Jersey Devils Jay Leach (ice hockey, born1979) Steven Zalewski February28,2011 To Washington Capitals Jason Arnott To New Jersey Devils Dave Steckel Second-round pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft Acquisitions through free agency Player Previous team Contract details Dan Kelly Kitchener Rangers 3-year entry-level deal worth $1.75 million Henrik Tallinder Buffalo Sabres 4 years, $13.5 million total Anton Volchenkov Ottawa Senators 6-year contract valued at $25.5 million Johan Hedberg Atlanta Thrashers 1 year, $1.5 million agreement Mark Fayne Providence College Entry-level contract for 2 years at $1.085 million Stephen Gionta Lowell Devils Two-year deal worth $1.025 million Chad Wiseman Springfield Falcons One-year contract for $500,000 Adam Mair Buffalo Sabres 1 year at $515,000 Joe Sova University of Alaska Fairbanks 2-year entry-level contract totaling $1.13 million Keith Kinkaid Union College Entry-level deal over 2 years valued at $1.28 million Departures via free agency Player Destination team Contract specifics Cory Murphy ZSC Lions 2-year contract Ilkka Pikkarainen Timra IK Agreement for 2 years Paul Martin Pittsburgh Penguins Five-year deal worth $25 million Martin Skoula Avangard Omsk One-year contract Rob Niedermayer Buffalo Sabres One year, $1.15 million contract Ben Walter Colorado Avalanche One-year agreement for $500,000 Andrew Peters Florida Panthers Contract for one year at $500,000 Yann Danis Amur Khabarovsk Terms undisclosed Mike Mottau New York Islanders Two-year deal totaling $1.6 million Waiver departures Player New team Date claimed off waivers Jay Pandolfo None N/A Contract signings Player Contract details Mattias Tedenby Three years, entry-level contract worth $2.625 million Jacob Josefson Three-year entry-level contract valued at $2.7 million Eric Gelinas Entry-level deal spanning three years for $2.07 million David Clarkson Three-year contract totaling $8 million Mark Fraser One year at $500,000 Tyler Eckford One-year agreement for $550,000 Olivier Magnan One year, $500,000 contract Harry Young Three-year entry-level contract worth $1.61 million Jean-Sebastien Berube Three-year entry-level deal totaling $1.595 million Patrick Davis One year at $500,000 Tim Sestito One-year contract for $500,000 Ilya Kovalchuk Fifteen-year contract valued at $100 million Mike Hoeffel Two-year entry-level agreement worth $1.325 million Draft selections Below are New Jersey's picks from the 2010 NHL entry draft, held in Los Angeles: Round Pick number Player name Position Nationality Affiliated club team 2nd round 38 (acquired from Atlanta) Jon Merrill Defenseman United States U.S. National Team Development Program (USHL) 3rd round 84th overall Scott Wedgewood Goaltender Canada Plymouth Whalers (OHL) 4th round 114th overall Joe Faust Defenseman United States Bloomington Jefferson High School (USHS-MN) 6th round 174th overall Maxime Clermont Goaltender Canada Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) 7th round 204th overall Mauro Jorg Right wing Switzerland HC Lugano (NLA) Farm teams For the 2010–11 campaign, the New Jersey Devils maintained their minor league partnerships with the Albany Devils—who had relocated from Lowell—and the Trenton Devils competing in the ECHL. See also 2010–11 NHL season External links 2010–11 New Jersey Devils schedule on ESPN 2010–11 New Jersey Devils season details at Hockey Reference