5 New Jersey Devils Who Could Win Awards This Season
By Nick Villano
2. John Quenneville For Calder Trophy
This one is a long shot. However, John Quenneville looks like he has amazing chemistry with Miles Wood and Travis Zajac. In the preseason, something about this connection is clicking very well. Quenneville looks like he is actually making this team, after years of fighting for his spot on the roster.
Quenneville has a wicked shot that works perfectly with Zajac’s current skill set. Zajac is not a finisher any more, but he’s still a playmaker.
The fact that the first overall pick in the NHL Draft was a defenseman also helps. He will get some numbers, but as we saw with Charlie McAvoy last year, it takes a lot for a defenseman to win rookie of the year. Since 1990, only four defensemen won the award.
There are other players probably more qualified than Quenneville like Elias Pettersson and Casey Middlestadt, but if Quenneville becomes the finisher on what could be the Devils second line, he may get some buzz.