Should The New Jersey Devils Move On From Andy Greene?
Andy Greene is the captain of the New Jersey Devils and has been a mainstay for the franchise for the last 12 years. With his level of play in decline and New Jersey’s desire to improve the team, is it time for the Devils to move on from No. 6?
35-year-old has remained on the New Jersey Devils’ top defensive pairing despite losing a step in his skating ability and becoming turnover prone. It hasn’t been all bad. Greene finished fourth in the NHL in blocked shots with 188. He also kills penalties.
His play hasn’t been terrible, but looking at his linemate Sami Vatanen, and the way the game has changed since Greene came into the league, his play leaves a little to be desired for a top-line defenseman in 2018.
His level of play is only part of it. The other part of the equation is the fact that the Devils have an opportunity to upgrade the position in free agency and possibly from within. The apple of the Devils’ eye this year in free agency will be New Jersey-native John Carlson. Carlson led all NHL defensemen in scoring this year with 68 points (15 G, 53 A). If the Devils strikeout on Carlson, they could look to add Calvin de Haan or Ian Cole via free agency. This doesn’t even include possible trades for Erik Karlsson or Drew Doughty.
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The Devils can also upgrade from within. Binghamton Devils defenseman Jacob MacDonald scored 55 points (20 G, 35 A) in 75 games this season in the AHL. His 55 points led the entire team in scoring. His play definitely earned him a preseason tryout next year at the very least.
Steven Santini will look to be a bigger part of the team next year as he split time between the NHL and AHL this season. Perhaps Michael Kapla, who had a decent season in Binghamton could take the next step and figure into New Jersey’s plans if all else falls through.
With Vatanen, Damon Severson, Will Butcher, and Mirco Mueller already in place, and if the Devils capitalize on one or more of these offseason acquisitions, it could be time for them to move on from their captain. As well as his penalty kill linemate Ben Lovejoy.