Devils at a glance
	Camp schedule: Sept. 11: South Mountain Arena (West Orange, N.J.) Coach: Larry Robinson (3rd season, 52-23-12-3) General manager: Lou Lamoriello (15th season)

The expectation is that the Devils can't repeat last year's second-straight run for the Cup, if for no other reason than the odds are against them.

They are still talented enough to come out of the East. From top to bottom there might be no better lineup. But New Jersey's primary paper problem is one of money.

Lou Lamoriello isn't about to change his shrewd ways when it comes to running this team, no matter what baseball/megamedia giant owns it. And so Alexander Mogilny was let go and Bobby Holik (loss) and Petr Sykora (win) were forced to go to arbitration to win raises. Sure, it's all part of the process, but Holik was so upset he's vowing to not re-sign with the club next summer, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Are the NHL's trickle-down economics woes finally washing ashore in Jersey?

On the cheap: The Devils must find a way to ignore the behind-the-scenes problems surrounding Holik's future status and the growing feeling of other players that Lamoriello's corporate culture has more to do with being cheap than it does responsible. Can't wait 'til next year, when Holik is ready to flee and Scott Stevens and Martin Brodeur are also ready to renegotiate.

He shoots, he scores ? who is he?: Without Mogilny, whose 43 goals last season bought him a new lease on his career, where are those crucial third-line goals going to come from? The Devils claim they can be provided by Pierre Dagenais, a top prospect who scored 34 for Albany, the Devils' AHL affiliate, last season. But to expect a rookie to gain as hot a hand as Mogilny's isn't reasonable.

Goalie gone cold: Did anyone notice Martin Brodeur was more-than mortal against the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup finals? At 29, he should be in his prime, and there's nothing to suggest beyond a few moments in that playoff loss to Colorado that Brodeur's game has slipped. He's still a master at handling the puck and is as mentally strong as any goalie in the league. Maybe he was just trying too hard. Or perhaps he isn't accustomed to his team's defensive brilliance of the past finally showing signs of age and attrition. This year, Marty will have to adjust to that.

Devils 2001-02 preseason schedule
Date	Opponent	Time
Sun., Sept. 16	vs. Pittsburgh at First Union Arena, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.	Canceled
Wed., Sept. 19	at N.Y. Rangers	7 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 20	N.Y. Islanders	7:30 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 22	at Philadelphia	3 p.m.
Mon., Sept. 24	at N.Y. Islanders	7 p.m.
Tue., Sept. 25	N.Y. Rangers	7:30 p.m.
Thu., Sept. 27	vs. Pittsburgh at Pepsi Arena, Albany, N.Y.	7 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 28	vs. Boston at Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.	7 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 29	Philadelphia	1 p.m.