New Jersey Devils Will Rely on Young Defensemen this Season

With Adam Larsson and David Schlemko leaving the team this summer, the New Jersey Devils will have to rely on their young defensemen this upcoming season.

Lou Lamoriello was a conservative guy in many ways, including his process in developing prospects.  The New Jersey Devils were an organization that took it’s time to groom young players before calling them up to the NHL level.  Times have changed.  With Ray Shero now in charge, the Devils will start taking chances playing young players at the NHL level earlier in their careers.

Shero and head coach John Hynes already started that trend last season.  Two players in particular come to mind, those being Reid Boucher and Joseph Blandisi.  Boucher appeared in 39 games and finished the season with 8 goals and 11 assists.  Blandisi stuck around for 41 games and put up 5 goals and 12 assists. There were good times and bad times for each, but if one thing is for sure, it’s that the coaching staff has confidence in both of them at the pro level.  They still have a ways to go, both are only 22, but are primed to build on what they started last year.

Besides those two, the Devils gave a slew of forwards from Albany a chance on the big stage, but none could stick.  That’s just how it goes, not every player called up will make an impact at the NHL level.  But, it doesn’t hurt to try guys out. When you’re rebuilding a team, you can afford to take these chances with younger players.

The youth movement charges on this season, most notably on defense.  Last season, the Devils were one of five teams in the league to have just two defensemen average more than 20 minutes per game.  After trading Adam Larsson to Edmonton for forward Taylor Hall and losing David Schlemko via free agency, there are big holes to fill.  Larsson’s game improved leaps and bounds last season playing on the top pairing with Andy Greene, and he is well on his way to becoming a very successful player in the league. Schlemko was a steal of a deal last summer.  He’s really an underrated player overall, with creative passing skills and offensive ability, especially on the power play.  Both will be missed, but the train rolls on.

In free agency, Shero went out and signed former Penguin Ben Lovejoy to plug up one of those holes. Besides that, the defensive corps is unchanged and will be a much younger group heading into the 2016-17 season.  I thought Shero would go out and sign at least one more veteran defenseman this summer, but he confirmed a few weeks ago that the Devils will “sit tight” with the players they have, as per Tom Gulitti at NHL.com.

It makes sense.  Why overspend on older players when you can develop your own?  That’s how bad contracts come back to bite you years later. The Devils aren’t in “win-now” mode yet.  Shero seems comfortable with the veterans he already has and the pool of intriguing prospects that has only grown since he’s joined New Jersey’s front office.  On defense, Andy Greene is the anchor and graybeard.  He’ll play the most minutes and keep the young players focused as the captain of the team.  Next in line is Damon Severson, who I predict will have a breakout season.  The Devils are betting big on him this year, and he’ll likely move into the top pairing with Greene now that Larsson is gone.  It will be a big step up and he’ll be playing more minutes than he ever has, against opponents’ top offensive lines no less, but I think he’s ready.

The aforementioned Ben Lovejoy should fit nicely on the second pairing, but will probably be playing over his head and asked to play a bigger role than he did in Pittsburgh.  While he’s not exactly a high level player, he has plenty of NHL experience and just won a Stanley Cup.  That alone will be beneficial, especially considering he’ll be surrounded by younger, inexperienced players.

After those three, it’s really a toss-up.  John Moore has his moments, but really isn’t anything special.  There’s no “wow” factor that makes me confident in his game as a Devils fan.  He seems to disappear some games, only to reappear when he makes a glaring mistake.  Disappointment is a word that comes to mind when describing his first year with the team.  He’s still only 25 though, so let’s hope his second year in New Jersey is better than the first.  I’ll leave it at that.

Next up, Jon Merrill. **shakes head**

Devils fans are still trying to figure out what Merrill can contribute after three years with the team.  He looked shaky at times this past season and his pucks skills weren’t sharp. He was inconsistent and injuries limited him to 47 games. That’s been a common theme in his young career, and still is, given that he had shoulder surgery a few months back and is still rehabbing it. He hasn’t earned a bigger role on this team even though he’s been given the chance to do so the past two seasons.  Because of that, don’t be surprised if some of these young guys leapfrog Merrill this year and push him down the depth chart.

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With that said, some of these young guys are going to have to step up and chew up valuable minutes on the blue line. Who will that be?

Definitely Steve Santini.  The 2013 second round pick is next in line to secure a regular spot on the Devils NHL roster.  It’s a combination of circumstance, as well as ability. Although he only has one NHL game under his belt, he played for powerhouse Boston College in the Hockey East and should be ready to make the jump (hard to say that BC is a powerhouse as a Northeastern alumni, but it’s true).  A strong, stay at home defenseman, Santini has the talent to play in a top-4 spot in his rookie season.  He’ll be asked to play big minutes for a rookie, and I for one can’t wait to see how he performs.

After Santini, you have Seth Helgeson, who has the most NHL experience of anyone remaining. That’s not saying much, as he only appeared in 19 games last year on an interim basis and only has 41 career NHL games under his belt. He’s yet to show enough for me to be confident in him being a full-time NHLer, but he’ll get a chance come training camp. Beyond that, the Devils have a bunch of prospects with little to no NHL experience. Those players include Vojtech Mozic, who appeared in 7 games last year, 2014 2nd round pick Josh Jacobs, recently resigned Reece Scarlett, and newcomer from France, Yohann Auvitu.  Each of these players will get a shot to show Ray Shero and John Hynes what they can do.  The question is, are they ready?

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A lot is up in the air right now and the lineup is still very fluid all the way through training camp.  Can any of these guys break through and show they can stick in the NHL?  We’ll see.  Just expect growing pains, and again, trust in this rebuilding process.  It doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t happen in one season.  It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Competition between players is a good thing, and the Devils will be relying on their youth to take that next step.  I’m looking forward to seeing these young guys compete for a spot on the team in training camp.

Which young player do you think will step up on defense this year?