Count to eighty.

It does not take a lot of time.

It is an almost insignificant amount of time.

For the Devils, it was the difference between a second-round series against the Capitals and a long summer.

In their 4-3 Game 7 loss to Carolina in the first round, the Devils had a one-goal lead with 1:20 remaining before Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal combined to tie, and then, win the game.

The loss may have been one of the most devastating in franchise history. It was also the precursor to an off-season that saw respected five veteran leaders and a head coach leave Newark. Lou Lamoriello’s response was to make cosmetic changes, only adding defenseman Cory Murphy, goaltender Yann Danis and going back to the future to hire head coach Jacques Lemaire.

For most organizations, standing pat in the summer would equal moving backwards during the season. However, the Devils should still be competitive. The question is whether or not they are still a legitimate Cup contender. Here is how each position breaks down:

Goaltender: He’s 37 years old and only played in 31 games last season, yet Martin Brodeur is still the standard bearer for all goaltenders. He finished the regular season 19-9-3 with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage for a Devils team that took more offensive chances than it had in many years. With Lemaire re-implementing his defensive system, looking for Brodeur’s GAA to fall to the 2.00 range and his save percentage to be in the .940s. Danis, who was 10-17-3 in 31 games with the Islanders, should only play in a handful of games.

Defensemen: It is not the Stevens-Daneyko-Niedermayer back end era, but the 2009-10 Devils defense corps is better than average. Paul Martin (5-28-33) and Johnny Oduya (7-22-29) are solid in all three zones; expect both to play for Team USA and Sweden, respectively, in the Olympics. Bryce Salvador and Colin White are a physical second pair. Mike Mottau and Andy Greene are an offensive-minded third pair. Both should see time on the power play. Murphy, who split time between Florida and Tampa Bay, totaled five goals and 16 points in 32 games. He should be the seventh defenseman.

Forwards: Here is where Lemaire’s system could play havoc with the Devils’ personnel. Under former coach and current Calgary head man Brent Sutter, the Devils played a puck possession game while maintaining defensive-conscious. Lemaire prefers to counterattack, to have his trapping defensive system force turnovers. This might hamstring intriguing young scoring stars Zach Parise and Travis Zajac. While a member of Lemaire’s Minnesota Wild, current Rangers wing Marian Gaborik often chafed at the defense-first system. It will be interesting to observe Parise’s and Zajac’s adjustment. The second line of Brian Rolston-Patrik Elias-David Clarkson has a nice mix of skill, size, experience and youth. Look for Clarkson to have a breakout year (20 goals, 100 PIMs). Jay Pandolfo, Dainius Zubrus, Brendan Shanahan and Jamie Langenbrunner provide are responsible in all three ends and scoring along with veteran voices on and off-the-ice.

Prediction: The Devils are still among the better teams in the Eastern Conference. They are not, though, in the league’s elite. Expect the Devils to be a playoff team and to win a round, but a Cup is not in the offing.

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