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New Jersey Devils Player Grades For October

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 27: New Jersey Devils left wing Taylor Hall (9) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the Florida Panthers on October 27, 2018 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - OCTOBER 27: New Jersey Devils left wing Taylor Hall (9) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League Game between the New Jersey Devils and the Florida Panthers on October 27, 2018 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Foster Snell/NHLI via Getty Images)
(Photo by Foster Snell/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Kyle Palmieri: A+

Kyle Palmieri will get the only A+ on the Devils to start the season, and he’s really the only one who deserves it. Palmieri has been out of his mind as far as scoring. He scored two goals in each of the first three games of the season, then scored again in the fourth games.

Through nine games, Palmieri has 14 points. He leads the Devils early, and now that he’s starting to get assists he could stay near the top of the leaderboard all season long. We were all hoping for Palmieri to score early and often, and he’s been the best player in the first few weeks of the year.

Taylor Hall: A

Not to be outdone, Taylor Hall has been great to start the season. He’s picking up right where he left off in his MVP season. He has 12 points, but hasn’t had the most luck with lighting the lamp. Of those dozen points, only two are goals. Still, he’s made some of the best passes of the season to record ten assists.

Hall has had an issue here and there with handling the puck and losing possession in the offensive zone, but it’s not an issue that happens often. Either way, Hall deserves his A grade, even when he’s grading on the largest scale on the team.

Damon Severson: A

Damon Severson has been a pleasant surprise to start the season. After a disappointing 2017-18 campaign, it seems his pairing with Andy Greene is perfect for him. The captain seems to compliment the four-year pro. Severson is doing much better on both the defensive and offensive side of the ice. He’s scored seven points, best on the team outside the top line. Any time you get a defenseman who’s fourth on the team in points, it’s a good thing.

This is the Severson that earned his six-year deal prior to last season. He’s still a very good second-pairing guy. He will be a part of the Devils defense for years, only being 23 years old. This is the start we really needed from Severson.

Travis Zajac: A-

If you compare Travis Zajac’s to his contract, he does not deserve an A-. He’s making way too much money for what he provides to this team. However, let’s ignore that. Grading Zajac based on what you expect from him, he definitely deserves this grade. His chemistry with Miles Wood has been off the charts. In fact, he’s been so good that the Devils upgraded him to the second line after a really bad start from Pavel Zacha (we’ll get to that later).

Zajac is paid like a first or second line center, depending on the team. He’s finally playing like a second-line center. He has three goals and three assists, and his and Wood’s chemistry will help Marcus Johansson, who’s been a playmaker with players who can’t score.

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