If this were a full season, some Devils would be OK, others, not so OK

Let’s presume the NHL lockout never happened — and we actually had an 82-game hockey season. Here’s a look at three Devils you’d consider decent offensively — and how they’d project over a full season rather than a 48-game season. 

It’s striking, actually — and it’s an indication of how two are having OK years … and how one is having an abysmal year.

Presuming this were a full season, David Clarkson is on a “pace” to score 27 goals. Not bad … just three short of his 30 from last year. It apparently just seems like he’s having an awful year because he started off so hot — and is now so, let’s say, not-so-hot.

Adam Henrique would be on pace to score 25 and Patrik Elias 22. 

But this is the one that’s frustrating the most.

Travis Zajac, who just signed a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal to remain here eight more years (including this one) would on pace to score 11 goals in an 82-game season. He has just five right now in 37 games, with a meager nine assists.

Clarkson's numbers aren't all that
bad spread over a full, 82-game
season, but this isn't an 82-game
season, and he's been absent since
somewhere near the beginning
of March.

By no means am I suggesting all the blame for this team’s woes belong on the shoulders of Zajac, but let’s be realistic — his numbers are just awful — short or long season. And it’s perhaps even more frustrating because now that he has a contract — a long and fat one — I’m worried. 

Was he over-paid?

Did Lou make a mistake signing him to the longest-possible deal? 

Right now, it surely seems so. 

And unfortunately, there’s no reason to believe Zajac — or for that matter — any of these guys, will break out of their extremely long slumps anytime soon.

These are the same guys who were incredibly fun to watch last year. 

They’re not, at all, now.

Which leads to the next question. And it’s one I’ve asked over and over, and can’t get answers to: What the hell is wrong here? 

This team has so many talented guys on it who we know can score. We saw it all last regular season. And we saw it, prolifically, in the post-season. But for the life of me — and many — there’s nothing to point to why this has happened, why the drop-off is more significant than anything imaginable.

Henrique is in a major sophomore
slump to say the very least. But his
offense, projected over an 82-game
season, wouldn't be all that bad.

As I write this, our team is down, 1-0, to Toronto, and both the Islanders and Rangers — two teams ahead of the Devils in the standings — are winning.

If something doesn’t give, they’ll both be ahead of the Devils for the rest of the regular season.

And then, we’ll never get a chance to know whether they’d be able to pull off anything close to what they did last post-season.

If something doesn’t give — like now — there will be playoff games in two arenas in the metropolitan area, one on Long Island, the other in Manhattan.

That, alone, should be enough to get this team motivated. 

But as with everything else since the end of February, nothing has worked.

Including the players.

And that, my friends, spells doom.