10 Questions New Jersey Devils Must Answer This Season
By Nick Villano
9. Will Sami Vatanen Be Able To Carry Defense?
The defense will be a point of contention for Devils fans until a solution is found. Right now, the best solution the team has is let Sami Vatanen do everything. He’s the best defenseman the team has right now, and it’s not remotely close.
Damon Severson is coming off a very bad season. Will Butcher must prove he can play in the defensive zone. Andy Greene is just plain old and Ty Smith is too young. It’s Vatanen’s defense.
Will Vatanen be able to carry the blue line all season long? He was great at times last season, and was the consistent presence the Devils need. However, he missed the team’s final game after a concussion. Hopefully, he is fully healed from the hit that put him on the shelf.
On top of that, Vatanen never went into a season as the man to carry the unit. With the Anaheim Ducks, he always had Cam Fowler or Hamphus Lindholm or François Beauchemin to help take the load off. Well, the load is squarely on the shoulders of Vatanen to carry the defense, at least this year.