Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils and Its Fans Must Remain Patient

By Nicholas Breitenstine

Mar 19, 2017; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes watches the action during the third period at Prudential Center. The Blue Jackets defeated the Devils 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 19, 2017; Newark, NJ, USA; New Jersey Devils head coach John Hynes watches the action during the third period at Prudential Center. The Blue Jackets defeated the Devils 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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This hasn’t been an easy year for the New Jersey Devils.  The team flirted with the playoffs for a bit, but that wasn’t realistic.  The Devils have been a bottom five team for the last portion of the season.  Ray Shero became general manager in 2015, and has been in rebuild mode since.  It’s not an easy thing to go through for the front office, players, and fans, but Shero and the New Jersey Devils have to be patient if they want to do it right.

The New Jersey Devils have some very solid young pieces to build with.  The youth movement is upon us, and it will continue for a few years.  They have guys in the AHL who are still growing as players, and prospects such as Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian in juniors still growing.  The future looks bright, but it can’t be rushed. Here’s why:

A Younger Core

It seems like ages since the New Jersey Devils had a legitimate young core.  Now, the Devils have a core of solid players who are producing.

Taylor Hall is 25 and might be better than I expected.  He doesn’t have the gaudiest point totals, but he is easily their best possession player.  Hall drives play, and the Devils are consistently out shooting their opponents when he is on the ice.

Kyle Palmieri is 26 and could reach 30 goals for the second straight season.  All things considered, that’s a very impressive feat.  Palmieri is second on the Devils in GF60 (goals for per 60 minutes) during 5v5 play, and has the highest GF% (goals for percentage) on the team.  Shero hit a homerun when he traded for Palmieri, and he should continue to be a solid goal scorer for the Devils.

Damon Severson is having a 30 point season as a 22 year old defenseman. Some people might see his +/- and say he’s been a bad player this year, but it isn’t true. He’s the first Devils defenseman to hit 30 points since 2013-14, and has 13 more points than the next defenseman (John Moore with 17). Out of Devils defenders with at least 400 minutes played, Severson leads in Corsi For (shots taken by a team or player) Percentage with a 49.22%. He’s still growing as a defenseman, and will help lead this team in the future.

A Bright Future

The New Jersey Devils have a great crop of prospects, both in juniors and pro hockey. Pavel Zacha has been playing great lately, with 14 points in his last 23 games. Zacha is also riding a 5 game point streak. Zacha, coupled with guys like Miles Wood and John Quenneville, make the future exciting.

Recent draft picks have been playing promising hockey as well. McLeod has been tearing it up in the OHL. Same with Blake Speers. Brandon Gignac was very solid for the Shawinigan Cataractes this year, finishing 3rd on the team in scoring. The CHL players are producing and playing well, and you have to be encouraged by that.

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Guys like Joey Anderson and Jeremy Davies were great in the NCAA. Anderson was 4th in scoring for the UMD Bulldogs, putting up 30 points as a true freshmen. He also won gold with USA at the World Junior Championships. Davies had a very surprising season, putting up 23 points in 38 games. That was good for 2nd among Northeastern defenders.

Patience Is Key

The New Jersey Devils have a bright future, but everyone has to be patient. It’s somewhat cliche, but patience is key for this organization. Let the young guys develop properly and don’t panic. Rebuilds aren’t easy, and Ray Shero knows that. If the Devils are patient, their fortunes will turn around.

(Advanced statistics via Corsica.hockey)

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