LOS ANGELES -- The Kings were built with the classic hockey blueprint. Start from the back end and move forward. Develop a franchise goalie, then support him with a versatile defense that has a mix of high-end offensive talent with stay-at-home steadiness.
Construct a group of forwards by starting with a franchise center in Anze Kopitar, then build right down the middle with others like Mike Richards and Jarret Stoll. The final piece is the wing. In the case of the Kings, that piece was Jeff Carter.
The plan was well-drawn-up and flawlessly executed by Kings GM Dean Lombardi.
Then there are the Devils.
They didn't have the luxury of such meticulous planning. They have an aging goalie. A no-name defense. A team with two franchise forwards who both grew into stardom as left wingers.
It's anything but the traditional blueprint. But it works because they're the Devils. Because success is now ingrained into the franchise's identity.
To read more about how the Devils were constructed and get notes from the recent NHL draft combine, you must be an ESPN Insider.
- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
Follow Craig on Twitter: @CraigCustance
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