New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac Injury Paves Way For Young Players
Travis Zajac was an instrumental part of the New Jersey Devils first line’s success last year. While he is out until at least December, there aren’t many external options to fill his role. Instead, the Devils will have to look towards their youth to fill the gap.
Who Slides in as the first line center?
The first solution to replace Travis Zajac is Nico Hischier. The New Jersey Devils already said that Hischier will play center and the expectation before Zajac’s injury was that he would get top-six minutes. This is clearly a rebuilding year so giving him top line minutes would be beneficial for his growth and the Devils future.
Beyond Hischier there is the possibility that Adam Henrique or as Nick Villano suggested Marcus Johansson could slide into that role. However, Henrique had a rough year playing with Taylor Hall last year and Johansson’s career taking face offs doesn’t look much better.
If Hischier slides into the first line role it’s likely the 2nd line would be any combination of Adam Henrique, Pavel Zacha, and Marcus Johansson. Either Henrique or Zacha could fill the center role with Johansson playing right wing.
What Happens with the bottom 6?
The loss of Zajac not only hurts the top 6 but is really a hit on the Devils depth. The signing of Brian Boyle looks even better now as he could possibly slide into the 3rd center role if need be and his role in penalty kills will certainly be increased. With that being said, it’s much more likely John Quenneville, Blake Speers and Michael McLeod all make the opening day lineup now.
A third line of Quenneville, McLeod, and Speers could provide a ton of speed, but would definitely have some growing pains. This is the year to get that out of the way. At best, with Zajac the Devils looked like a 9th or 10th place team. Without him this year should really focus on development and growth.
It’s likely that Boyle will stay on the 4th line with Stefan Noesen and Miles Wood floating between the 3rd and 4th. As nice as it would be to see three rookies playing together on the 3rd line its really not likely.
Alex Kerfoot and Blaine Byron
Lead suitors for NCAA Maine's Blaine Byron are New Jersey, Ottawa, Buffalo and Vegas. Talented center was originally a Penguins pick
— Ryan Kennedy (@THNRyanKennedy) August 16, 2017
There is always the potential for an outside addition as well. Both Alex Kerfoot and Blaine Byron are college free agents. We all know Alex Kerfoot’s story. However, Zajac’s injury may tempt either of them to sign with the increased chance at NHL playing time.
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PTO’s
Finally, the Devils will likely bring in a couple players on PTO’s for camp. Someone like Jiri Hudler, Thomas Vanek, or maybe even PA Parenteau or Jaromir Jagr. Ideally they could bring them in for the year and flip them at the deadline. I really don’t see a major benefit in making a move like that though.
While Zajac’s injury really hurts the Devils in the short term it really gives their youth a chance to shine. It looks likely that they’ll go into the year with at least nine players under 25 years old. Even more impressive is the fact that only 4 players will be over 30. Brian Boyle, Ben Lovejoy, Andy Greene, and Cory Schneider.
Like Ray Shero said, rebuilding is a slow process. This year could get ugly but it could be a really nice glimpse into how bright this teams future can be.