New Jersey Devils Early Season Report Card – Forwards
By Drew Ruscil
With the first month of the hockey season winding down this week, it’s time for those early season report cards. Today we will concentrate on the forwards while the next installment will be for the defenseman, goaltender and coach John Hynes.
Adam Henrique: A: Henrique has really upped his game so far this season, scoring timely goals and playing on both the penalty kill and power play. Henrique’s line is the only one providing any semi regular scoring threat at even strength. And Henrique has even upped his game on Twitter.
Lee Stempniak: A: With his speed and some clutch goals, Stempniak has given the Devils more than they could have hoped for from a training camp tryout. He has meshed well with Henrique and Camalleri on the Devils top line so far. It will be interesting to see if he can keep it up.
Mike Cammalleri: B+: A B+ might seem harsh for the team’s leading scorer but there have been some uncharacteristic giveaways and a few times where he has not buried his opportunities like you would expect. There is still another level to his game that he has not reached yet and if the Devils truly want to be in a playoff race they will need him to get there.
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Travis Zajac: B+ : Zajac has found his game early on into the season, providing more offense on top of his strong defensive work at even strength and on the penalty kill. Zajac’s importance on the face offs cannot be overstated as the Devils struggled mightily the one game he missed this season against San Jose. For more on Zajac’s turnaround see our earlier article.
Kyle Palmieri: B: Pamieri has shown a great nose for the net and the feistiness that Shero talked about when the Devils acquired him. The Devils need a little more finish on his scoring opportunities (like we saw in Tuesday’s game against Columbus) to provide a consistent second scoring line.
Jiri Tlusty: C+ : Tlusty has not played bad per se but like Palmieri the Devils need more out of him to have a second line scoring threat.
Jacob Josefson: B- : Coming out of training camp it seemed like Josefson earned himself a top-six role but after a couple of games the Swede has found himself centering the third line. That said, Josefson is proving to be a steady and consistent third-line center. He has been strong defensively, strong along the boards and on the penalty kill, all while keeping his shootout success going strong. I am not sure if he will ever be capable of becoming a top-six forward but as a third-line center he has proven to be reliable.
Jordin Tootoo: A-: I think the Devils have to be pretty pleased with what they’re getting out of Jordin Tootoo so far this season. Tootoo’s toughness and willingness to fight helped spark the come back in Ottawa but more than that he has grown more defensively aware in his zone and has been a strong net mouth present on the power play. He has also been excellent at winning board battles and getting the puck back to the point. And who can forget one of our favorite goal celebrations of the year – the Turkey Dance.
Brian O’Neill: C: O’Neill also has not played bad but I don’t think he has done enough to keep himself in the lineup when Elias returns. He has shown offensive awareness but hasn’t provided any finish.
Stephen Gionta: B– : Gionta comes ready to play every game and every shift. His willingness to battle, his tenacity on the forecheck and his penalty kill ability makes him a reliable fourth line player.
I like this picture. Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Sergey Kalinin: B- : Kalinin is just starting to find himself over these last handful of games. While adjusting to a new country, a new league and a new language, he has shown the tenacity to battle hard for pucks, strong defensive zone play and is starting to show willingness to drive the net. Hopefully he continues to improve as he grows more comfortable and confident.
Stefan Matteau: C: Matteau is another one who hasn’t played bad but needs to do more with the time he has on the ice to earn more ice time.
Reid Boucher: C: After a strong preseason it seemed like Boucher had finally earned his way to the Devils top-nine but inconsistent play in a couple of games have already led to his return to Albany, where he promptly scored goals in back-to-back games. I believe he is on the cusp of becoming an everyday NHL player but needs to learn to find that intensity and consistency in each of his shifts. Hopefully another stint in the AHL will help him get going again.
Tuomo Ruutu: Incomplete: Ruutu has been a healthy scratch at times, had limited ice time and now is injured. He hasn’t really done much to make an impact on the team yet this year.
Patrik Elias: Incomplete: Elias has not played a game yet this season. He could be a welcome addition to the Devils’ second line when healthy.
All in all, I do think the Devils forward core has already shown more than I expected this year. While even strength goals have been hard to come by, they have embraced John Hynes style of play and are growing into his system. The forward group at the end of training camp still wasn’t final and most of training camp was spent figuring out who was going to be on the team and not fine tuning lines like other established teams were doing. I think we saw it take a couple of games but are now seeing the Devils forwards start to come together. What are your grades for the forwards this year? Am I being to hard on Cammalleri or to generous to Tootoo? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading.