On today’s New Jersey Devils Daily, general manager Ray Shero gets candid about the offseason, why Michael McLeod thinks he can go straight to the NHL this season and Taylor Hall’s quiet offseason will help him develop into a better player.
Andrew Gross with Northjersey.com sat spoke with Devils GM Ray Shero, and he was extremely blunt about everything this offseason. He talked about the mess that was the Ilya Kovalchuk situation. He said he wasn’t surprised with the outcome and said the Devils would not pursue him (thank goodness) if he decides to become a free agent next season. The most interesting part of the conversation came from his discussions about Alex Kerfoot. The former Harvard star will look to join the NHL next season, but he is Devils property until August 15th. Shero says he wants him to sign and had a really good conversation with him, but surprisingly said if the August 15th deadline passes he doesn’t foresee Kerfoot as a Devils. Really good quotes given by Gross here.
Ray Shero: The rest of the story
Pucks and Pitchforks takes a look at Taylor Hall’s first season with the Devils, a season filled with huge expectations. While Hall’s counting numbers weren’t great, no fan will say he was bad. Still, a season to reflect and fall below the radar will be great for him. He can go back to just being a hockey player instead of a rolling storyline all season. Nico Hischier’s arrival really helps him fall back and become the star winger the Devils traded for in the first place.
New Jersey Devils: Taylor Hall Will Do More With Less Expectations
Chris Ryan with NJ.com spoke with Devils prospect Michael McLeod about his expectations for this season. He wants to be in the NHL, and lose his last season of Juniors eligibility. He says he is willing to do anything coach (John Hynes) tells him. He’s doing everything you can ask of a prospect. McLeod is refining his skating, adding weight to his frame and working on all positions to be able to help the Devils in any way he can. He may not make the team as a center, but a glaring hole at right wing may be filled by McLeod this season.
Why Devils’ Michael McLeod wants to make jump to NHL this season
Brian Franken with All About the Jersey looked at some of the lesser known defensive prospects in the Devils system. He had an interesting take on a lot of them, and gets you excited about their possibility. One defenseman that’s an extremely interesting case is Yegor Rykov. He was an integral part of SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL last season at just 19 years old. He’s shown he can be a very good two-way defender as his team made a deep playoff run. He should get much more time on the ice this season and display his bigger frame. Obviously, Russians have left a bad taste in Devils fans mouths before, but Rykov could help fix that in the future.
A Look Ahead at the Devils Junior, College, and European Defensemen Prospects
Fluto Shinzawa made a few notes from around the NHL, but made one about the Devils that seems farfetched. He tied them with the Nashville Predators as possible trade partners. The blurb mentions the Preds need to sign multiple restricted free agents, including a big contract for Ryan Johansen, but the team has more cap space than you would think. The Devils would obviously love one of their good defensemen, but the ones that are available are probably too old for Shero and the ones he’d want are probably untouchable. (Note: you have to scroll down to get to Devils section).
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s bargaining power has a trickle-down effect in Washington