John Tavares.
Enough said.

If you had Martin Brodeur between the pipes, that would be enough to win many games, if not a couple of rounds in the playoffs.
It’s hard to write him off, but the tables might be turning in New Jersey and it doesn’t appear management is heading in the right direction with personnel moves.
The stingy defense stigma doesn’t hold as much water nowadays with the Devils, and while guys like Zach Parise and Patrick Elias can produce, who’s left?
It’s hard to say a major overhaul is needed when a team made the playoffs the previous season, but the notion is not [...]

The New York Rangers spent most of the 2008-09 season hoping that their goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, stops opposing shooters. Fortunately, more often than not, he was able to; in fact, he continued that trend in the playoffs, but New York’s inept offense bid its season adieu.
When free-agency hit July 1, the Rangers made a splash, signing elite winger Marian Gaborik to a long-term, lucrative extension.
He’s the missing piece, right? Wrong.
Gaborik is injury prone and isn’t enough to get the Rangers to where they’d like to go. Depth prevails, and the Rangers lack that. Sure, they have star names on their [...]