Young Guns: Josefson, Palmeri And Tedenby

While any Devils fan would love to restart last year in hopes of avoiding a putrid first half, one of the very bright spots in the second half was the play of the team’s youngsters amongst elder forwards.  Much of the eventual success of Ilya Kovalchuk is thanks to the energetic play of these former prospects; Kovy scored 22 of his 31 goals after the first three months of the season.  And we can thank these guys for their energy in envigorating a humongous second half run towards a playoff spot, in which the team was exciting to watch and played like one that could make a deep run in the playoffs; unfortunately, the run came too late.

Although he only played in 28 games, center Jacob Josefson showed much promise as a future top-6 forward (potentially as soon as next year).  The 20-year-old put up a modest three goals and seven assists in his shortened rookie season, to go along with an impressive +5 in a year that many of the Devils’ best skaters were well into the negative in plus/minus.  This year, we can expect to see a full season of Josefson, as he is arguably the second-best center on the team.  It would be tough to predict exactly where Josefson is placed (although it should definitely be amongst the first three lines), as we are not sure if Dainius Zubrus or Patrik Elias will be used as centers this season.  However, there is a possibility that Josefson could center the second line and play alongside Kovy, which is certainly exciting to consider for the 2009 first rounder.

The young Devil with perhaps the best scoring touch is Nick Palmieri, who might find himself on the top line this year.  The 22-year-old right wing played in just over half of last season (43 games), netting nine goals and eight assists to go along with a +9 rating.  What I really like about Palmieri, besides his ability to light the lamp, is his 6-3, 220 frame, which should enable him to be aggressive in the offensive zone throughout his career.  Thus, he shouldn’t need to worry about being overwhelmed by a larger defenseman, as many younger players in this league might have to.  Palmieri should be a top-6 forward come opening night, very possibly playing alongside Parise and Zajac, who could use a large body on the right wing to compliment their speed and puckmoving ability.  Two years ago, the ZZ-Pops line was perhaps the best in the sport; while it would be hard to expect such great production with a youngster like Palmieri instead of Langenbrunner, he seems to be a perfect fit to pair with Parise and Zajac, and that line could put up a lot of points next year and in the future.

The Devil that I am most excited to watch of this entire team, however, is right wing Mattias Tedenby.  The 2008 24th overall pick, who is just 21 years old, played in 58 games last year, including many on the top two lines.  Tedenby put up eight goals and 14 assists in this time, to go along with a +3 rating (he did make his debut while the Devils were going through their putrid first half).  Why am I more excited to watch him than any player on the team, you may ask?  Well, while I would hate to overanalyze anything, Tedenby reminded me of a young Parise last year; he is perhaps the fastest skater on the team, and uses his overwhelming speed to his advantage despite his smaller figure.  In this way, the two forwards are very similar; hopefully Tedenby’s scoring touch can develop to nearly the level that Parise’s has.  In terms of placing the Swede on a line, however, it is highly doubtful that these two would play together, as their styles are too similar to possibly compliment each other as Palmieri could do for Parise (and Zajac).  Tedenby should find himself on the second or third line (assuming Parise and Zajac’s unit is the declared the “first” line), where he could provide a huge, energetic boost to the forwards he plays amongst.

With these three youngsters among the Devils’ top nine forwards, the team should be really exciting to watch this year, as Josefson, Palmieri and Tedenby’s development will be closely monitored by the organization and fans alike.  Perhaps what is most exciting about the three is just how young they really are; all of them will be 22 or under throughout next season.  Thus, they still have plenty of years to develop to their primes, and already all three provide a great boost to the team.  Add Mark Fayne and Adam Larsson (assuming he plays next season) to the roster (these two will be discussed plenty in the coming months; I wanted to stick to forwards today), and that’s one-fourth of the roster made up of great young talent (at 24, Fayne might seem like a seasoned veteran compared to the other four).  I don’t believe I am alone in counting the days until opening night; I can’t wait much longer for the 2011-2012 season, especially with skaters like these to watch for (what should be) a full season.

Be sure to voice your opinion on these five youngsters, as well as any line predictions involving them (especially the forwards) in the comments.  I will be sure to discuss these throughout camp and the preseason, as we should begin to see some combinations tested out by the coaching staff by this time.

-Drew