New Jersey Devils Roster: An early look

Opening night for the 2015 New Jersey Devils season is still a little over a month and a half away, but it is never too early to take a look at the potential opening night roster. There is still a lot to be done, as there is still training camp, and a lot can happen between now and then but this will be the first look as we get set for October 9th against the Winnipeg Jets.

Center

May 27, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Anaheim Ducks right wing Kyle Palmieri (21) is defended by Chicago Blackhawks center Brad Richards (91) in the second period of game six of the Western Conference Final of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Up the middle the Devils will have returning forwards Travis Zajac and Jacob Josefson. I think we’re going to continue to see more of the same for Zajac unfortunately. I think he tops out at 25 points max, however he is a strong defender. You would love this guy to be your third-line center instead of your highest paid forward. Jacob Josefson, another returning guy, is a player I expect to begin to breakout this season. Josefson really caught my eye last season. He has pretty good speed and decent hands, so I expect him to play a prominent role up the middle for this Devils team. Next, the Devils have two new incoming players, both acquired at the time of the draft. First, you have the first overall pick Pavel Zacha. It seems like the Devils front office wants to get this guy into the line up as soon as they can. Personally, I think that he will crack the opening day line-up, but only time can tell how long he will stay with the big club. And finally, Montvale, NJ native Kyle Palmieri. One thing is for sure, he will be an exciting guy to see on this team. I think he brings something that the Devils haven’t seen in a long time. He’s a very nice young talent that can help potentially bring this team more goals.

More from Devils News

Left Wing

With the ways things have been looking under new management, I think that the Devils are going to go relatively young on the left side. Obviously, Cammalleri and Ruutu return, but I also see Stefan Matteau and Reid Boucher being in Newark on opening night. You basically know what you’re going to get out of Cammalleri and Ruutu. Cammalleri should easily post goals north of 20, and Ruutu is more of a defensive fourth line guy who could average about 10 minutes a night. The other two wings, I think will be Matteau and Boucher because it appears that Shero wants his younger players to develop at the NHL level.

Right Wing

In order for Zacha to play with the big club this season I think that both Adam Henrique and Patrik Elias will both play on the right side. You basically know exactly what you’ll get out of three of the four right wingers that the Devils have. Obviously, Elias is a year older, so you don’t know if his production will continue to diminish. Adam Henrique should just continue to get better. Hopefully he can step up and play a major role for this team. Then you have Gionta and Tootoo. I think that Gionta will play the same as he does every single year, because it seems like his numbers never change, and it would be awesome for the Devils if Jordin Tootoo can have 10 goals again.

Defense

Jan 3, 2015; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils defenseman Adam Larsson (5) celebrates a goal by center Scott Gomez (21) (not shown) during the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

We now get to one of the strong points for the Devils this season. On the back end, you have Veteran Andy Greene, who is always solid. Then you have Adam Larsson. I firmly believe that Adam Larsson will take the step this season and become at least a top-15 NHL defenseman. I think that he’s a top two guy on basically any team and will be the far and away number one. Next we have John Merrill and Damon Severson. I think that this will be a defensive pairing for years to come. I think that their game’s compliment each other very nicely. Damon is a little more offensive while Merrill is more of a stay at home defender. Hopefully, both can stay healthy and make the jump and have prominent roles on the team for seasons to come. Then the final pairing will most likely be Eric Gelinas and John Moore. Gelinas is more of an offensive threat and it will be interesting to see what the Devils can get out of John Moore.

Live Feed

Alexander Holtz must dominate New Jersey Devils training camp /

Puck Prose

3 bold predictions for the New Jersey Devils in 2023-24FanSided

NHL 24: Predicting the highest rated players at every positionApp Trigger

The Top 5 under 25 goaltenders entering the 2023-24 NHL seasonPuck Prose

The 2024 NHL Stadium Series will make history this upcoming seasonPuck Prose

How the Blue Jackets Stack Up Against the Rest of the MetroUnion and Blue

Goaltending

The obvious number one here is Cory Schneider. This is the only position that the Devils will not have a question mark at. The other goalie will obviously be Kieth Kinkaid who made a big jump for the Devils last season.

This is what I think the Devils will look like on opening night. What do you guys think? Is there a different line up you expect to see?

More from Pucks and Pitchforks

Home/Devils News