New Jersey Devils: 5 Bold Predictions For 2018-2019
There is a fine line between hopeful and delusional. Especially with our beloved New Jersey Devils, it is easy to be blinded by unrealistic optimism and set delusional expectations. Sometimes, though, if you want to nail against-the-tide picks, you need to be embrace delusion.
It required at least a dose of madness to predict that New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt, barely 19 and a 6th-round pick, would be one of the top Devils scorers in January. Or that Taylor Hall, not even in the top 25 in Hart Trophy odds to start the season, would take home the award. Or that the Golden Knights, deemed 500-1 Stanley Cup longshots, would rule the Western Conference.
Similarly, all of the following picks daringly contradict conventional thinking. Granted, these five predictions may be a little over the top; however, you do not earn the bold moniker by being bland.
Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, And Nico Hischier All Top 30 goals
Every player on a line scoring 30 times is quite rare. Last season, only the Boston Bruins owned a top line (Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–David Pastrnak) with three players who netted 30 goals. The season before that, not a single unit accomplished the feat. In 2018-2019, each member of the Devils fearsome threesome has a plausible path to netting 30 scores.
Taylor Hall, the Devils’ superstar, hammered home 39 goals in just 75 games en route to a Hart Trophy-winning campaign. This was despite some of the Devils best producers, including Kyle Palmieri, Marcus Johansson, and Nico Hischier, being severely hampered by injuries. There is no reason to believe that Hall, surrounded by healthy weapons, cannot eclipse 30 goals again.
The aforementioned Kyle Palmieri tallied 24 goals in 62 games in 2017-2018, good for a 32-goal 82-game pace. In the two preceding campaigns, with a weak forward group around him, Palmieri totaled 56 goals. Armed with a dangerous support group and playing on a top line that boasts a Hart Trophy winner and two No. 1 overall picks, all indicators signal another strong season for the American sniper. 30 goals is more expectation than aspiration.
Flanked by two elite goal-scorers in Kyle Palmieri and Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier should explode in his sophomore season. I have already taken a deep dive into Hischier’s career trajectory, and based on history and plain common sense, Hischier should be a safe bet for a major step forward in his second campaign. The 18-year-old Hischier netted 20 goals and 32 assists despite a nagging hand injury all year. He displayed an extremely solid two-way game and placed fourth on the Devils in Corsi at 50.1% and third in plus/minus at +10 (minimum five games played). Looking ahead, projecting Hischier for anything less than 30 goals feels like an unfair undersell.
Travis And The Texans Dominate Again
The Travis Zajac–Stefan Noesen–Blake Coleman combination was first united on January 30. Still, the line finished as the third-most-used combination for the 2017-2018 Devils.
Essentially a 1985 Bears defense-Dikembe Mutombo hybrid, the line was repeatedly tasked with shutting down the opponent’s premier attackers. Zajac and his two Texan wingers came out alive and thriving, securing a 53.38% Corsi and 58.72% SCF (scoring chances for).
Built with the Devils’ two best penalty-killers, this line is spilling over with two-way talent. It should once again shoulder a heavy load and dominate for the Devils.
Devils place top 10 in save percentage
The Devils’ netminders collectively produced below-average goaltending last season, finishing with a .910% save percentage compared to the league-average .912%. A drastically better goaltending season is on the horizon.
Keith Kinkaid carried the Devils to the playoffs with a .932% save percentage down the stretch, and Cory Schneider returned to dominance by posting a .950% playoff save percentage.
If Schneider is indeed back to his old form, the Devils’ gain an elite goalkeeper who possessed a career .925% save percentage until injuries struck at the end of 2015-2016. Throw Kinkaid into the mix, and the Devils’ are stacked with two elite-upside netminders.
Devils Secure Triple-Digit Points
The Devils have plenty of opportunity for improvement this season. Last year, the Devils dealt with tough injury luck, subpar goaltending, and the development of several youngsters.
This season, the Devils bring back most of the (not so) old band and its 97 points. If we throw in better injury luck and goalkeeping, organic growth from the kids, and the power of continuity, the Devils should muster a 3-point standings jump at the very least.
Devils Hoist The Stanley Cup
If the Devils indeed close with 100 points, they will most assuredly be playing hockey in the big dance, and probably hosting as well. As we all know, anything can happen in the playoffs.
The Devils are a solid team with strong special teams and depth. Showtime Taylor Hall and Cory Schneider already proved themselves in last year’s playoffs with six points and a .950% save percentage, respectively. Why not the Devils? It may seem crazy now, but remember, the recipe for prophecy does call for a pinch of delusion.
All statistics courtesy of Hockey Reference unless otherwise noted.