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How can a team improve upon a Stanley Cup title? The only way to have a better season is to win it again -- but at home this time. ESPN.com takes a Closer Look at the Devils and what's in store for the 2000-01 season.

Season Review: Peaking at right time

	Lemieux

When the Flyers caught New Jersey from behind late in the season to capture the Atlantic Division title and the No. 1 East seed, it simply resembled a typical Devils collapse -- just a few weeks early.

But instead, the Devils scratched, clawed and skated their way to another Cup title -- the previous one was in 1995. How did they do it, despite critics' low expectations and a late-season coaching switch?

It would be easy to begin by discussing goalie Martin Brodeur, who in many ways, is the team's most consistent performer. But truly, a name (Lou Lamoriello) and a word (youth) best characterize New Jersey's success. At the base level -- like him or hate him -- Lamoriello built this team. But when looking at the season, he took some major personnel risks that might not have worked out in spades but certainly made a positive impact. He acquired Claude Lemieux, Alexander Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov in trades. The former is a proven winner who helped the Devils win in '95, but Mogilny's production had dropped off faster than a Joe Sakic snapper, and Malakhov was caught recreational skiing while on the IR in Montreal.

But somehow, they all found -- and accepted -- their roles in New Jersey. Lemieux mentored the young'uns, and set a tone of intensity with the forwards that Scott Stevens did with the defensemen. Mogilny didn't score that much, but his speed caused problems for the opposition while opening up ice for his teammates. And Malakhov steadily performed on the No. 3 defensive pair. Without those three acquisitions, it's doubtful the Devils win it.

Obviously, Stevens -- along with partner Brian Rafalski -- did a superb job containing other teams' top units all year, but it was the young talent on the Devils that made the most waves. Before the season, few might have known Patrik Elias. But after a contract holdout, the young Czech star scored 35 goals in 72 games and honed an all-around solid game. He makes well under a million per year and might be the league's most underpaid player. Elias played on a line with Jason Arnott (22 goals) and Petr Sykora (25) -- all 25-years-old or younger.

And then there was rookie Scott Gomez, 20, who notched 70 points en route to the Calder Trophy. For the first time in the post-'95 era, the Devils didn't rely on Bobby Holik (23-23-46) for scoring, and that's the best indication of the team's depth up front.

Looking back, no one should be too surprised that this team won.

The Open Market: To sign Arnott
It's doubtful Lemieux will return -- too much money, too many years -- and Malakhov definitely won't return because he's with the Rangers now. But none of that's suprising. What could be newsworthy is Arnott. Here's a guy with pretty good regular-season numbers (22-34-56), who absolutely flourished in the playoffs. Arnott had 19 points in 23 playoff games, and might have won the Conn Smythe had it not been for Scott Stevens. His playoff performance shot his stock up, and history clearly states that getting hefty raises isn't easy with Lamoriello.

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: Jason Arnott, Scott Niedermayer, Colin White. Signings/offseason acquisitions: Sergei Nemchinov, Jim McKenzie, Jay Pandolfo, Turner Stevenson, Chris Terreri, Mike Commodore.

Scott Niedermayer is another who could miss training camp. The smooth-skating defenseman has played his whole career with the Devils. And despite a 10-game suspension for whacking Peter Worrell on the head, Niedermayer was a solid plus-19 with 31 assists. From a value standpoint, it's a tough call, and he might have less leverage than Arnott. Niedermayer's overall (38 points) and power-play production (nine) were down significantly from past seasons. It all depends on how much Niedermayer thinks he's worth because it's unlikely Lamoriello wants to break the bank for someone who might be on the downside of his career.

Colin White is the only other regular roster guy still unsigned, but he isn't a concern. Although White isn't officially signed yet, he's expected to be in camp on time. White is an interesting story, though; he actually played more playoff games (23) than he did regular season games (21). He's got great upside, but don't expect him to have an over-inflated sense of value -- he played like a veteran in the playoffs, but he's barely a rookie.

The Devils picked up veterans Turner Stevenson and Jim McKenzie -- and re-signed Chris Terreri to back up Brodeur -- but other than that, it's doubtful the Devils will make more moves.

How to improve: Is it possible to be better?
The Devils overcame Elias' holdout and won the Cup, but a protracted Arnott holdout could be difficult to overcome. In the playoffs, Arnott became a leader of this team and really seemed to grow into his own. If he's not there, the spirit of this team is different.

But if he's in camp on time, and the young players continue to perform and improve, the Devils will be difficult to defeat. A solid run through the holidays would set Lamoriello up to make more late-season moves because no successful team these days finishes the year without adding some key players for the playoff push.

It will be interesting to see how coach Larry Robinson does for a full season. He has the unconditional backing of vets like Stevens, Brodeur and Ken Daneyko, so the Devils will police themselves and not force Robinson to be a constant disciplinarian; he won't hesitate to blow a gasket every now and then, but he clearly doesn't want to do it often.

In 1995, the Devils' Cup win altered the way top teams approached the game. The neutral-zone trap had been around, but New Jersey built a template for success with it. Will the fleet-footed, two-way Devils force other teams to go with quicker players up front, now that the Devils skated circles around the aging and more conservative Dallas Stars?

We shall see.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL editor for ESPN.com.