Lemaire says he will "probably" look at Patrik Elias as second-line center in camp

Devils coach Jacques Lemaire said today that he has been in New Jersey the last three days looking at videotape and getting ready for the start of training camp -- his first with the team since 1997.

Lemaire was hired to replace Brent Sutter as head coach on July 13..

The Devils' rookies report for training camp Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. The veterans report on Saturday.

Among the biggest questions heading into camp is who will center the Devils' second line. Lemaire said he does not have an answer yet.

"That, we're not there, yet," Lemaire said before the team's alumni golf outing at Upper Montclair Country Club. "I want to see what's on the ice first. I want to give the chance to the guys that are here and I'm sure Lou will look at that too and see who does well and then we're go from there, It's a little different when you're going to an organization that you don't know the players, most of them. So I have to see them. I have to see them play and talk with them and see what they can do and see their talent and then after that you find out we need this, we need that,we have to improve this position or that position."

Lemaire said he thinks it is difficult for a wing to shift to center.

"If they are capable of doing it , I have no problem (with it)," he said. ""But you don't see too many of those. I didn't see in my career too many guys that were wingers and turned out to be a good center. It's so different. You can ask any center. It's a totally different game. Wingers are going. You want them to go on offense as much as possible. The center, they have to be a little more responsible."

That said, Lemaire believes that left wing Patrik Elias, who played center in 2007-08, is capable of making the move.from left wing to the middle.

"Elias is a guy that could play center," he said. "He's good enough for that."

In fact, Lemaire said, he "probably" will look at Elias at center during training camp.,

Elias was not among the players participating in today's golf outing.

Lemaire said that the coaching staff -- assistants Mario Tremblay and Tommy Albelin, special assignment coach Scott Stevens and general manager Lou Lamoriello have already begun discussing the possible line combinations.

Lemaire touched on several other subjects today. Among them were.

**On being excited to be back with the Devils and the start of training camp: "We were talking about this on our way here, Mario and I. It's a good, a change. It gives you energy. You need a change. It's like players at a certain time. It's fun. We've got a good start. All of our planning at the start and how we want the game to be played, it's good. Scotty's there. He tells me what the team was doing good, like the power-play breakout as an example. We don't want to change that because it was good last year. So, we'll keep the same thing. The penalty kill, he says we could be a little better, so we're going to work on that, try to find maybe another system you want to put in. It will be a little different, but maybe we'll get more success out of it. Little things like that. Defensemen around the net. I know myself I noticed that some defensemen could be better there, so we'll work on that. Little stuff like that.

"Let's face it, this team had a great season last year so they must have done something good. So I want to keep this, I don't want to change what was done and they had success with." 

**Brendan Shanhan and Brian Rolston are the only players Lemaire has had a chance to talk to so far. He plans to talk with captain Jamie Langenbrunner before the start of the season.

**Lemaire on what's he's been doing since arriving in New Jersey: "Work on the camp. Looking at tapes and getting all the preparation. We'll show the guys what they did well last year, which we don't want to change, and look where they can improve."

**Former Devils defenseman and special assignment coach Scott Stevens will be on the ice with the players during training camp. "After that we'll talk again, but I asked him already that I'd like to have him (on the ice) as much as possible,"  Lemaire said.

Lemaire also plans to be on the ice from the start of camp. "I don't have good knees, but to go on the ice, I think I can."

**Veterans and rookies will be mixed together in the three groups during training camp. "We'll have three teams," Lemaire said. "We'll have one practice first and then we'll have a scrimmage with the other two teams. And then everyone will have one practice and then everyone will have two scrimmages before the first (preseason) game (on Sept, 16 vs. the Rangers)."

**On whether Brendan Shanahan is capable of being more than a fourth-line player: "I hope more, definitely"

**The Devils have changed back and forth between the center going behind the net to get the puck in the defensive zone and not. Lemaire believes in letting the defensemen get the puck behind the net.

"Defense today are good enough to carry the puck," Lemaire said. "They're good enough skaters. Why are you going to have the center go there? In the old days you had this frequently. Every team was doing it. The center goes automatically behind. In our days, we'd go and get it because the defensemen were not as mobile. They were not as good with the puck to make plays. But, now you look at the defensemen and any of them could play forward. Not center, but they could play forward."

**Lemaire had hoped to speak with Sutter when he was is in Calgary for the Canadian Olympic camp two weeks ago, but Sutter was not there.

***

Here's the full list of those participating in today's alumni golf tournament.

Current players: Travis Zajac, Jamie Langenbrunner, Brendan Shanahan, Dainius Zubrus, Zach Parise, Jay Pandolfo, David Clarkson, Colin White, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Brian Rolston, Yann Danis, Jay Leach, Mike Mottau, Andy Greene, Rod Pelley.,

Alumi/coaches: Jacques Lemaire, Mario Tremblay, Scott Stevens, Tommy Albelin, Chris Terreri, Kevin Dean, John MacLean, Aaron Broten, Laurie Boschman, Tom Chorske, Grant Marshall, Ken Daneyko, Troy Crowder, Jim Dowd, Bob Hoffmeyer, Shawn Chambers, Bruce Driver, Rob Skrlac. 

I hope to have some of the results from the outing later.

****

**Zajac said he got back from his honeymoon to Maui on Aug. 29. He was married on Aug. 15 in Winnipeg.

**Parise on participating in the U.S. Olympic orientation camp three weeks ago: "It was good. It wasn't too strenuous. It was more just meeting everybody. We didn't scrimmage. Just drills and conditioning."

Comments

[Tom]

TG, is any of camp open to the public? I'm sure I know the answer......No
We'll get one lame scrimmage.

[Mhowitzer]

great job TG...thanks for the update...

sounds like any move (Marleau) is going to wait till after camp to see what we look like?

[Rusty]

Shanahan as more than a fourth line player? On the powerplay he'll be sure to do his thing, but at his age will he be able to contribute the same with more icetime?

[BishopQ]

Didn't Elias shift to Center for a half season a few years ago? If recall correctly it limited his production significantly, thus prompting the switch back.

[Mhowitzer]

if shanny sits when he needs to i can see him playing third line for a good majority of the games...is he going to play 82 games on the third line, hell no...he wont make 82 on the fourth line, but i think if he sits regularly he can easily log some third line time

[NJromano]

training camp preview

http://www.nj.com/devils/index.ssf/2009/09/nj_devils_training_camp_previe.html

POSSIBLE EARLY LINES

POSSIBLE EARLY DEFENSE PAIRS

[NJromano]

that link i just posted is by Rich Chere.. Im kinda questioning his hockey sense.... .. his predicted lines have Clarkson on the 2nd line with elias/rolston.
on the 3rd line he has pando an pelley with zubs, which personally i think would be an absolutly horrible idea.. no where in his line prediction is there any word of Bergfors... but instead he has walters in the line up..

[Number6]

Right... and on a team that's looking for centers, why play Zubrus on wing with Pelley? If he's not 2nd line center, he's definitely going to be 3rd line center. Pelley would be better off starting on the 4th line, or on wing.

[Pat]

of course anything can happen but it sounds like...

ZZPops
Rolston - Elias - Bergfors
Shanny - Zubrus - Clarkson
Pando/PL3 - Pelley - Pikka

[ThePolice]

Patrik Elias
not
Patrick Elias

[Damian]

Yes, everyone should know there is no "C" in Patrik lol

[TG]

Sorry. Typo. That's what happens when you write in your car and can't see the screen that well because of the sun.

[TG]

By the way, although Patrik's numbers weren't great that year (no one's were.), he played very well at center -- other than trouble on draws.

Remember, the Devils had basically no second line that year with Zajac having a terrible year. Elias played really well, but few give him credit for it.

[pando20rules]

TG,

Few people ever give Elias the respect he deserves. I don't know why that is, but its always been that way. He is a top talent who is also clutch and definitely deserves more accolades. When his time is fully up in a few years, only then will people then realize what they are now missing. Its sad really, but few recognize Elias as the bonafide superstar he is.

[TG]

Elias was decent at center. Is he a better left wing? Probably. It's difficult to argue against that.

Will the Devils be better off if he stays at left wing and they get someone else to center the second line? It depends on who that center is.

At this point, he's probably their best option. But camp hasn't even started yet.

[MikeR]

I'm not at all surprised that Lemaire is saying he'll give a look to Elias at center. Outside of trading for a 2nd line center, he's the only player currently on the roster that makes sense at the position. He can handle the puck, passes well, and has the endurance and skating ability to play center. He's pretty good defensively as well. I'm sure that he will be a good citizen, but I thought I saw some remarks in the past that he wasn't thrilled about playing center. Maybe it's a short-term fix.

[TG]

Elias admitted that he initially wasn't thrilled when Sutter moved him to center. That lasted like one period. (I think he scored in his first game at center, but don't remember for sure. I'd have to look it up). Anyway, Elias actually liked it and said so last season on more than one occasion when I asked him about it.

In fact, a few times last season when Sutter put Rolston with Elias and Gionta, Sutter kind of left it up to Rolston and Elias and Elias chose to play center and Rolston played left wing. Later in the season, however, Sutter didn't give them the choice and Rolston played center. That lasted only a few games, though.

[Alz]

Glad to hear he's taking the team in new and exciting directions.

Or at least back to 2006.

[AGIV]

What, Brodeur missed an opportunity to golf?

[TG]

I believe he had other obligations. Also, his wife is expecting, so that might take up some of his time.

[TG]

I just finished updating this post with all of the quotes from Lemaire today and the list of players participating in the golf outing. Lemaire talked about some of the things the team can improve on and things they did well last year and he doesn't want to change.

[MikeR]

TG

Given what you are saying (Elias changing his initial opinion and liking center), it certainly makes the most sense to try him there at camp and during the pre-season.

[NJromano]

http://twitter.com/nhldevils

check out all the new pics of the devils golf outing... my last post didnt show up so heres a link to view the pics

[NJromano]

the clarkson an zajak pic are pretty funny looking

[TG]

Elias thought that he had the puck more as a the center and liked that. (I'm paraphrasing).

Elias has always been a very good playmaker, even at left wing. He was probably the best playmaker on that A Line, though Arnott was the center.

That said, if he does play center, he needs to be better on draws, especially with Madden no longer on the team.

Zajac had a pretty good season on faceoffs last season, but I don't know if he would start taking all of the key draws with Madden gone. It will probably be more of a committee thing and you can't take Elias off the ice for draws late in the game. I guess Elias could line up at wing for the faceoff and then move to center as play continues.