from Tom Gulitti of Fire & Ice,

Lou Lamoriello claims he never pays attention to the media’s or the odds makers’ predictions. So, the Devils president and general manager doesn’t care if some are picking his team to finish in last place in the new, eight-team Metropolitan Division in 2013-14.

He’s excited about his squad as it readies for the opening of training camp next week – rookies and minor league players report for physicals on Monday and veterans report a week from today.

“I don’t ever look at anything as far as what people think or don’t think and I’m not using that as a cliché,” Lamoriello said at the team’s alumni golf tournament today at Upper Montclair Country Club. “I like our hockey team. We’ve always built our team from the goaltender out. I like our goaltending situation. Our defense is mature, stable and yet has some outstanding young players who could push for jobs. Our forwards lines are going to be back the way we were several years ago.

“It’s going to be a solid lineup. It’s going to be a lineup that on any given night it could be somebody doing this or somebody doing that. I’ve seen the word interchangeable parts. I love that word.”

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