Devils need overhaul during the summer

When the Devils were in the midst of a 31-10-1 start to the season, it appeared that the Jersey boys were simply not built for the long haul.

Their 17-17-6 finish to the season, followed by a third straight first-round playoff exit, bore that out. Marty Brodeur played 77 games and looked average against the Flyers; president Lou Lamoriello gambled with Ilya Kovalchuk and lost, sending away a promising young scorer in Niclas Bergfors and Johnny Oduya, whose loss a weak defense could not overcome.

Now the Devils need another new coach. Lamoriello has built a remarkably resilient, consistent franchise over the last two decades, but the Devils are at a serious crossroads. If they let Paul Martin walk in free agency and don't find at least a decent goaltending prospect in the draft, things could be ugly next season.

Of course, people say that every year about the Devils.