‘96 was rough because in addition to coming off a Cup win, all the Devils had to do was beat the Senators AT HOME and they were in. They even had a 2-1 lead in that game before losing 5-2.
Given the expectations, this season is a rotten one, but at least this team has been dead for weeks. That ‘96 team led us on right through being up 2-1 in that final game.
re: trading this year’s first-round pick, I’m obviously not opposed to it, but at the same time, Devils are absolutely going to need some cheap ELC players in the near future. Something to keep in mind.