With the start of preseason it’s time to finish up my New Jersey Devils lineup projection for this year. We’ve done the 4th line, 3rd line, 3rd defensive pair, and 2nd defensive pair.
Marcus Johansson-Adam Henrique-Michael Mcleod
Marcus Johansson: 19 goals, 32 assists
Coming off a career year with 24 goals and 34 assists I assume the last thing Marcus Johansson expected was to find himself on a new team this year. Johansson had an outstanding year for the Washington Capitals last year, where he established himself as a net-front presence. 19 of his 24 goals came on even strength. Fortunately for the Devils, he became a casualty of the salary cap.
Johansson played all 82 games for the Capitals last year, and only took a total of 10 penalty minutes. He’s an extremely underrated veteran that should provide a huge boost to the Devils top six. I originally thought he would find himself playing on the off wing but I think the Devils best lineup option has him as a left wing.
While he’s said he’s comfortable playing any forward position, he’s traditionally been a left wing with a little time at center. It’s best to let him adjust to playing with new players where he’s most comfortable.
John Hynes said there are 3 players at this stage who could be in the running as his top line center -- Henrique, Johansson, Zacha.
— Mike Morreale (@mikemorrealeNHL) September 14, 2017
Johansson is an intriguing option for the first line center role. I think he’s a much better fit on the wing though. With a career faceoff percentage of 41.8, the Devils have better options down the middle.
Adam Henrique: 24 goals, 21 assists
Before the injury to Travis Zajac I really thought we would finally see Adam Henrique as a full time winger. Unfortunately, he’ll have to continue in the role of a top-six center. Ideally, Henrique would slide out to the wing where he could generate more shots and put that 15% career shooting percentage to better use. As it is he’ll likely find himself in a familiar two-way center role to start the year.
Henrique has never been an outstanding playmaker, posting over 30 assists just once in his career (When he was fortunate enough to play with Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise). Placing him with Marcus Johansson should allow him to still generate plenty of shots. That should help him produce more goals in the process.
Adam Henrique will likely find himself as one of the biggest keys to success for New Jersey next year. If he can return to the player we all know and love, then the Devils will have the best top six they’ve had in years.
Michael McLeod: 14 goals, 20 assists
More from Pucks and Pitchforks
- Should New Jersey Devils Try Load Management With Vitek Vanecek?
- New Jersey Devils Will Prove That Last Year Wasn’t A Fluke
- New Jersey Devils: Luke Hughes’ Playmaking Will Outshine His Mistakes
- New Jersey Devils: Chase Stillman’s Performance Causes Concern
- Can Devils Fans Separate Zach Parise Heartbreak From Achievements?
Michael McLeod is a center. McLeod will likely be an NHL center for the Devils at some point in the very near future. That time should not be now. It’s much easier for a younger player to transition to the NHL on a wing. With a shortage of right wing depth, the Devils can use a strength (young center depth) to address a weakness (right wing depth). The addition of Drew Stafford helps, but playing McLeod as a top-six wing allows for a more balanced lineup.
McLeod has shown he has the speed to play at the NHL level and slotting him on the wing takes a lot of the rookie-year pressure off. On the wing he’ll be able to focus more on his offensive game while he adjusts to the overall NHL game.
Not to mention, playing with Adam Henrique and Marcus Johansson will provide some nice support. While I expect Mcleod to play center within the next couple years, using him to address a position of need now won’t hurt his overall development.
Mcleod as a 2nd line wing goes back to what I talked about when addressing the 3rd line. Balance is one of the biggest keys in a lineup. The Devils could stack the top-six and have a bottom six with Brian Boyle and a ton of youth, but it’s likely the younger players would seriously struggle.
Placing younger players in significant roles where they’re surrounded by talented veterans should help them see earlier success.
Summary
I initially had Pavel Zacha as the 2nd line center. However, in my opinion the best overall lineup for the Devils is a balanced one. With Zacha on the 3rd line, there isn’t too much youth on any line. Playing Nico Hischier, Michael Mcleod, and John Quenneville with veterans should help their development and help them adjust to the NHL game.