Dalton Prout A Bigger Disappointed Than Expected For New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils’ defenseman Dalton Prout has been bad since the team acquired him at the Trade Deadline. His game against his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, was about as bad as one could think.
The New Jersey Devils were done in by Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in their game on Sunday. He was able to stop 35 of the Devils 36 shots.
Another thing that did the Devils in was two penalty shots in one game. The Blue Jackets scored on both attempts. According to Andrew Gross of The Record, this only happened twice before in NHL history.
One of those penalty shots came after Dalton Prout swiped his stick at Josh Anderson on his way to the net, tripping him. The play was a point of contention, after Anderson appeared injured and Brandon Dubinsky took it for him. It was another hiccup in a growing list of things Prout has done wrong since he joined the Devils.
General Manager Ray Shero said he wanted Prout instead of a draft pick in a trade for Kyle Quincey to give the team depth. At this point, it looks like the team acquired a liability. Some fans would rather have Shero himself suit up on the blue line instead of Prout.
Obviously that’s in jest, but what’s serious is Prout’s lack of success in a new jersey.
In his seven games with the Devils, he has eight penalty minutes. Prout has a -6 plus/minus as a Devil.
Prior to his time with the Devils, he wasn’t having the best season. While obviously still a fan favorite in Ohio, he continued to fall down John Tortorella’s depth chart. Thus why he became dispensable after five years with the team.
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According to Sportrac, Prout has another year left on his contract at $1.9 million next year. Obviously, Prout will be one of the players opened up during the Las Vegas expansion draft, but the way he’s currently playing there is little doubt he will be back on the Devils next season (not by choice).
The rest of this season is about seeing what the Devils have in its system. Prout could be having trouble adapting to a new system. This is the first time he isn’t with the Blue Jackets. He was drafted by them, and then unceremoniously dumped to get a rental player. His psyche may not be in the best place, but he needs to fix that and fast.