Devils’ quiet offseason set them up for this no-win situation

In a league that is defined by parity — now defined as a few elite teams then everyone else — only a small number of clubs can be considered really out of the playoff picture. Unfortunately for those on the other side of the Hudson, that includes the Devils.

It has been a brutal season in New Jersey, where general manager Ray Shero and head coach John Hynes were hoping to build on the franchise’s first postseason berth five years. But after a conspicuously quiet offseason from Shero, the young team has imploded and will enter the Christmas break trying to figure out a way out of the basement of the Eastern Conference. That, or keep sending their scouts to watch Jack Hughes.

Of the bottom six teams in the league standings — the Blues, Flyers, Coyotes, Devils, Blackhawks and Kings — only the Devils and Coyotes have not fired their coach. Once Todd Bowles is fired by the Jets, Hynes will be the longest-tenured coach in New York area sports, going all the way back to the ancient times of the 2015-16 season.

“Wow,” Hynes told NJ.com when that fact was brought up to him.

But Shero reiterated this franchise is dedicated to the long-term plan. Maybe the outside expectations changed a little this past season when they got an MVP campaign from Taylor Hall and made the playoffs by a point — before getting hammered by the Lightning in a five-game first-round whooping, a series dominance rarely seen in this league anymore. But this kind of drudgery has been shocking after the club won its first four games of the season, all in regulation — and were then 7-15-7 following Thursday night’s 2-1 loss in Columbus, the second straight game in front of call-up goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.

When Lou Lamoriello left the organization in summer 2015, the organization seemed in good hands. Lamoriello had pulled off a masterful trade in getting Cory Schneider from the Canucks for the No. 9-overall selection (eventually used by Vancouver on Bo Horvat) and then signing the heir apparent to Marty Brodeur for what was considered at the time a club-friendly deal — seven years, $42 million. But that $6 million annual salary-cap hit has been nothing but a burden over the past two-plus seasons as Schneider’s game has been pulled to the bottom of the ocean via injuries.

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Devils are on the clock to show Taylor Hall theyre serious

So here’s the question, the Devils’ rather stunning 5-4 overtime…

He finally had a much-needed hip surgery in May, which delayed his start to this season. Now, the 32-year-old Bostonian is back on IR with an abdominal strain. Maybe that explains his seven starts this season, going 0-5-1 with a 4.66 goals-against average and a .852 save percentage — those last two stats far and away the worst in the league for goalies who have started at least five games.

Yet Long Island’s Keith Kinkaid hasn’t been much better after his breakthrough season last year, putting up a 3.00 goals-against average and .902 save percentage. Overall, the Devils’ team 5-on-5 save percentage of .9025 is the third-worst in the league.

Knowing goaltending might be an issue, Shero still didn’t bolster a defense that was also suspect this past season — and one that hardly has any big-time prospects knocking down the door. So some of the Devils’ 3.63 goals against per game, good for fourth-worst in the league, is on the front office.

“In the words of the great Mike Tyson, everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the face,” Shero told reporters in an accountable and commendable hour-long sit-down Tuesday. “And yeah, we got punched in the face a little bit this year. It’s a speed bump. We’ve got a plan here and we’ll stick with it.”

Looking up and down the roster, can they even make significant moves at the trade deadline to get something back for assets like the expiring contracts of Marcus Johansson or Ben Lovejoy? (Go ahead and trade Brian Boyle, on the last year of his current deal, and then Shero will feel the ire of a fan base that is a lot more loyal and passionate than most give them credit for.)

The biggest decision, of course, is whether Hall decides he wants to stay beyond next year, when his contract runs out — addressed by colleague Larry Brooks here. If the indication is Hall is going to leave instead of signing an extension this summer, then Shero is going to have a whole other problem on his hands.

For now, this season is enough to deal with.

Hart-ening

The Flyers are in utter disarray, now under the stewardship of new general manager Chuck Fletcher (with the omnipresence of team president Paul Holmgren) and with old Islanders pal Scott Gordon behind the bench. (Go to the bottom of this column to see a much-watch Gordon video.) So the club finally made one of the most anticipated call-ups of the season when 20-year-old netminder Carter Hart was brought up earlier in the week.

Hart was drafted high for a goalie, a second-round pick (48th overall) in 2016. He showed some flashes of his talent in the previous two training camps, which gave promise the Flyers might have their first real goaltender since … Ron Hextall? (Sorry, Garth Snow doesn’t count.) Hart then won his first two games, including an impressive 31-save performance against the high-flying Predators on Thursday.

Of course there is going to be a bump in competitiveness from the whole team when things change this much, but the most promising aspect for the organization is that Hart is off to a good start.

Placey’s Podcast

There are a couple fun hockey podcasts out there, but Deb Placey — formerly the host on Devils broadcasts on MSG and now with NHL Network — is getting the ball rolling down the right path with her “NHL Executive Suite.”

Of course, when you work for the league, it’s not exactly controversial stuff — and the first guest being Gary Bettman didn’t hurt. But she does get personal with her guests, which have now included Stan Bowman, David Poile and, the latest, Islanders president Lou Lamoriello — whom she has known for a long time. Give it a listen.

Sid ’n Ovie

Kind of wish Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin really did hate each other. But at least we got this exchange during their highly touted “rivalry game” on NBCSN Wednesday.

Stay tuned … (to the Sabres)

Our faithful look at the northern brethren leads us to another let-down game, which has become an alarming trend with the Sabres. After a sturdy shootout loss to the Capitals in Washington on Saturday, they went up to Boston and were impressive in beating the Bruins 4-2. Then they played host to the stinky Panthers on Tuesday and gave up three goals in the opening 4:42 of the third period, turning a 2-1 lead into a 4-2 deficit and an eventual 5-2 defeat. Ugly. Odds are they’ll get up for a Friday-Saturday back-to-back, in Washington again then home against the Ducks before their Christmas break starts a day early.

Currently 20-10-5, third place in the Atlantic Division.

Parting Shot

We’ll take any excuse to watch this gem from the 1986 Boston College hockey team, which included goalie Scott Gordon. “My name is Gordon, they call me The Flash / Quick the glove, always on the dash.” Yessssssss.