Vote in the new poll feature on the left side of your screen on how long you think Brent Sutter lasts in Jersey.

My feelings on the subject are mixed. I’d love to see Johnny Mac or Pat Burns take over this team. But frankly, I don’t want to worry about Burnsy’s health all the time, and while Sutter has no NHL experience, Johnny Mac doesn’t have any head coaching experience. Besides, look at some of the NHL talent he’s developed:

-Colby Armstrong
-Martin Erat
-Cam Ward
-Jim Vandermeer

and a little guy named “Phaneuf”. I think he’s perfect for what looks like a disjointed Devils team that finally has shed some age off. This is a much younger team than it was lat year with the departure of Rafalski, Lukowich, Dowd and likely Rasmussen, and frankly, I think Sutter’s the guy to handle this club.

It’s a slow week. The Islanders made news on Monday and after that press conference there isn’t much noteworthy news to report on the Island. The schedule for 2007-’08 came out and it’s not like the NFL schedule where only 16 games are played and you can break all of the games down. It is nice to see the Isles will face the new look Rangers on the 10th of October. The new guys on the Island will get their first taste of the bitter battle of these rival franchises and hopefully that will be a good way to set the tone for the rest of the year.

And then there is the always ridiculous trade rumors being floated around. Some “experts” and their “reliable sources” say the Isles are in the market to acquire a defensemen, whether it be Ed Jovonaski, Pavel Kubina, or Bryan McCabe, all of which will never happen. Personally, I think that for the next couple of weeks Islanders fans can kind of sit back and relax. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the summer, maybe take a few shots at the Rangers and their growing salary cap problems or wonder why in the world Brent Sutter would ever leave western Canada to coach for Crazy Lou in the swamp. It’s nice to see the other two local teams with problems of their own, makes us Islander fans kind of feel normal. You know, as normal as you a fan can feel when the team owner is insane and our former backup goalie is GM.

That’s right, TSN is reporting that tomorrow Sutter will step down from his post as Coach and GM of the Western Hockey League’s Red Deer Rebels.

They’re saying it’s because he’s been named the new coach of our boys from Jersey.

I like this hire. Hopefully his reputation will continue here, he will have some task.

Make Sid the Kid “Who’s Now” at ESPN

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsnation/whosnow

Here’s when all the teams shall meet.

10/10/07 - NYR vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
10/20/07 - NJD vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
10/25/07 - NJD vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
11/03/07 - NJD vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
11/06/07 - NYR vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
11/10/07 - NJD vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
11/14/07 - NYR vs. NJD, 7:00 PM
11/16/07 - NYI vs. NJD, 7:00 PM
11/19/07 - NYI vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
11/29/07 - NYI vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
12/09/07 - NJD vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
12/29/07 - NJD vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
01/16/08 - NYI vs. NJD, 7:00 PM
02/01/08 - NYR vs. NJD, 7:00 PM
02/23/08 - NYI vs. NJD, 7:00 PM
03/04/08 - NYI vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
03/06/08 - NYR vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
03/19/08 - NYR vs. NJD, 7:00 PM
03/21/08 - NYI vs. NJD, 7:00 PM
03/27/08 - NJD vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
04/01/08 - NJD vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
04/03/08 - NYR vs. NYI, 7:00 PM
04/04/08 - NYI vs. NYR, 7:00 PM
04/06/08 - NYR vs. NJD, 3:00 PM

The 82 Games that will comprise the New Jersey Devils 26th season of play in the National League of Hockey since moving to the Garden State from Denver, Colorado will be an interesting one. It will start off with a team-record nine game road-trip, featuring six of nine against 2007 playoff teams, and three more against the rebuilt and ready-to-contend Philadelphia Flyers and Florida Panthers.

It would do the Devils a favor to be over .500 when this trip ends. That is when they will officially move in to their new digs, the 17,625-seated for hockey Prudential Center - also known as “The Rock” - in the Brick City known as Newark, New Jersey. They open their 2007-2008 home schedule against last year’s playoff nemesis, and the team that eliminated them from the Quest For the Cup in five games of a second round series, the Ottawa Senators.

Following that likely sold out opener, the Devils will play host to four more of their next five games. The Penguins and Flyers will make their first trips to The Rock during this stand. After two more on the road, the Devils welcome Jaromir Jagr, Chris Drury, Henrik Lundqvist, Brendan Shanahan, and some dude named “Gomez” and the New York Rangers to Broad St. for the first time on November 14th. The atmosphere will likely be unmatched of any Devil-Ranger regular season game ever played in the Garden State.

Two days after, the Devils welcome their division rival New York Islanders to The Rock for the first time, and go on a four-game road trip. Their first Western Conference opponent visits them following that swing, as the Dallas Stars visit the New Jersey for the first time since 2002. This will open up a five-game home state for the red-and-black, capped off with Alexander Ovechkin’s Capitals’ first visit on December 7. After a three-game road-trip, the Devils will play their first matinee at The Rock on December 15, as Wayne Gretzky’s Phoenix Coyotes visit for the first time since 2002. A Sunday-evening game with the Flyers follows.

Then, the Devils make their first trip out west of the season, as they face the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames in the span of five days, leading up to the NHL’s Christmas sabattical and roster freeze. They return to action December 28th against Ryan Miller’s Buffalo Sabres.

Dates of note in the new year include a stretch in January and February where the Devils will play a ridiculous 16 of 21 games on home ice. Other Western Conference visitors will include the LA Kings (Feb. 2), the San Jose Sharks (Feb. 20) and Scott Niedermayer’s Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks for their first trip on February 8th.

In March, the Devils make a brief, two-game trip to the rest of the Northwest Divsion, taking on Jacques Lemaire’s Minnesota Wild (Mar. 13) and Joe Sakic’s Colorado Avalanche (Mar. 15). This will be the Devils last trip away from the Atlantic Division’s three states (NY, NJ, PA).

The Devils close out the season with seven out of eight against their four rivals, with the team’s home finale on Sunday, April 6th against the Rangers, which will be in contention to be chosen by NBC for their “Game of the Week” program, or will otherwise be moved to another time of the day.

It will be a long year, but in the end, these players and we as fans will probably find it to be one of the more entertaining years in the history of New Jersey Devils Hockey.

Here’s the flex schedule for 2008.

They’ll pick one game each week

NBC Flex Schedule
Jan. 1
1:00 Penguins vs. Sabres

Jan. 20
1:30 Ducks vs. Stars
1:30 Bruins vs. Rangers

Feb. 10
1:00 Flyers vs. Penguins
1:00 Rangers vs. Capitals
1:00 Ducks vs. Red Wings
Feb. 17
1:00 Avalanche vs. Blackhawks
1:00 Red Wings vs. Stars
1:00 Penguins vs. Sabres
1:00 Sharks vs. Rangers

Mar. 2
3:00 Panthers vs. Islanders
3:00 Red Wings vs. Sabres
3:00 Flyers vs. Rangers
3:00 Thrashers vs. Penguins

Mar. 9
3:00 Bruins vs. Rangers
3:00 Penguins vs. Capitals
3:00 Predators vs. Red Wings
3:00 Lightning vs. Blue Jackets

Mar. 16
3:00 Flyers vs. Penguins
3:00 Bruins vs. Capitals
3:00 Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets

Mar. 30
3:00 Bruins vs. Sabres
3:00 Rangers vs. Penguins
3:00 Predators vs. Red Wings

Apr. 6
3:00 Wild vs. Avalanche
3:00 Sharks vs. Stars
3:00 Rangers vs. Devils
3:00 Penguins vs. Flyers
3:00 Blackhawks vs. Red Wings3:00 Blues vs. Blue Jackets

Oct. 4 at Lightning, 7:30 PM
Oct. 6 at Panthers, 7:00 PM
Oct. 8 at Senators, 2:00 PM
Oct. 11 at Panthers, 7:30 PM
Oct. 13 at Thrashers, 7:00 PM
Oct. 17 at Penguins, 7:30 PM
Oct. 18 at Flyers, 7:00 PM
Oct. 20 at Islanders, 7:00 PM
Oct. 25 at Rangers, 7:00 PM
Oct. 27 HOME OPENER vs. Senators, 7:00 PM
Oct. 31 vs. Lightning, 7:00 PM
Nov. 2 vs. Maple Leafs, 7:00 PM
Nov. 3 at Rangers, 7:00 PM
Nov. 5 vs. Penguins, 7:00 PM
Nov. 8 vs. Flyers, 7:00 PM
Nov. 10 at Islanders, 7:00 PM
Nov. 12 at Penguins, 7:30 PM
Nov. 14 VS. RANGERS, 7:00 PM
Nov. 16 VS. Islanders, 7:00 PM
Nov. 17 at Flyers, 7:00 PM
Nov. 21 at Penguins, 7:30 PM
Nov. 23 at Thrashers, 7:30 PM
Nov. 24 at Lightning, 7:30 PM
Nov. 28 vs. Stars, 7:00 PM
Nov. 30 vs. Canadiens, 7:00 PM
Dec. 2 vs. Thrashers, 5:00 PM
Dec. 5 vs. Bruins, 7:00 PM
Dec. 7 vs. Capitals, 7:00 PM
Dec. 9 at Rangers, 5:00 PM
Dec. 10 at Capitals, 7:00 PM
Dec. 13 at Bruins, 7:00 PM
Dec. 15 vs. Coyotes, 1:00 PM
Dec. 16 vs. Flyers, 5:00 PM
Dec. 18 at Canucks, 10:00 PM
Dec. 21 at Oilers, 9:00 PM
Dec. 23 at Flames, 8:00 PM
Dec. 28 vs. Sabres, 7:00 PM
Dec. 29 at Islanders, 7:00 PM
Jan. 2 vs. Panthers, 7:00 PM
Jan. 4 vs. Flyers, 7:00 PM
Jan. 5 at Bruins, 7:00 PM
Jan. 8 vs. Sabres, 7:00 PM
Jan. 10 at Hurricanes, 7:00 PM
Jan. 12 at Sabres, 7:00 PM
Jan. 16 vs. Islanders, 7:00 PM
Jan. 18 vs. Panthers, 7:00 PM
Jan. 20 vs. Maple Leafs, 5:00 PM
Jan. 22 at Flyers, 7:00 PM
Jan. 24 vs. Canadiens, 7:00 PM
Jan. 29 vs. Penguins, 7:00 PM
Feb. 1 vs. Rangers, 7:00 PM
Feb. 2 vs. Kings, 7:00 PM
Feb. 4 vs. Penguins, 7:00 PM
Feb. 6 at Sabres, 7:00 PM
Feb. 8 VS. DUCKS, 7:00 PM
Feb. 9 vs. Hurricanes, 7:00 PM
Feb. 13 vs. Senators, 7:00 PM
Feb. 15 vs. Thrashers, 7:00 PM
Feb. 16 at Senators, 7:00 PM
Feb. 18 vs. Hurricanes, 1:00 PM (HOLIDAY)
Feb. 20 vs. Sharks, 7:00 PM
Feb. 23 vs. Islanders, 1:00 PM
Feb. 24 at Capitals, 3:00 PM
Feb. 26 at Hurricanes, 7:00 PM
Feb. 29 vs. Capitals, 7:00 PM
Mar. 1 at Canadiens, 7:00 PM
Mar. 4 at Maple Leafs, 7:30 PM
Mar. 7 vs. Lightning, 7:00 PM
Mar. 8 at Maple Leafs, 7:00 PM
Mar. 11 at Canadiens, 7:30 PM
Mar. 14 at Wild, 8:00 PM
Mar. 15 at Avalanche, 3:00 PM
Mar. 19 vs. Rangers, 7:00 PM
Mar. 21 vs. Islanders, 7:00 PM
Mar. 22 at Penguins, 7:30 PM
Mar. 25 vs. Penguins, 7:00 PM
Mar. 27 at Rangers, 7:00 PM
Mar. 28 vs. Flyers, 7:00 PM
Apr. 1 at Islanders, 7:00 PM
Apr. 2 vs. Bruins, 7:00 PM
Apr. 4 at Flyers, 7:00 PM
Apr. 6 vs. Rangers, 3:00 PM (Possible NBC Game)