Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 7
Next
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

Stefan Noesen: D

Stefan Noesen just hasn’t done anything so far this season. He has one goal and one assist, but he should have so much more. On the offensive side, he’s made many mistakes and bad decisions. He’s missed wide open players who would get easy goals while he had the puck. He’s passed when he should have taken a shot. Noesen was given a chance on the second line when Bratt got hurt, but he had no business being there after the way he played.

Noesen scored a goal in the first game, an assist in the second game, then nothing after that. We expected Noesen, who’s a first-round pick, to do much more. We hoped he would even take a step forward. Instead, he took a step back.

Kevin Rooney: D

Kevin Rooney didn’t have to do much to have at least a decent grade. We literally expected nothing from him. He gave even less. When he is on the ice, the play literally takes a nosedive. He is worthless on the offensive end, and he can’t keep the puck out of the net on the penalty kill.

For some reason, Hynes keeps putting Rooney into the lineup. Rooney just isn’t an NHL-worthy player at this point in his career. I get that he’s signed to a one-way deal next year, but that doesn’t matter. That fourth line spot would be better used with Joey Anderson, Quenneville or Nick Lappin. It seems like he would be the odd-man out when Jesper Bratt returns, but we could be wrong. Either way, he’s given us no reason to give him a better grade.

Pavel Zacha: F

I tried really hard not to do this. Trust me, I did. I did not want to jump on the bandwagon to dumping Pavel Zacha. Well, here we are.

Next. New Jersey Devils Top Line Deserves Some Respect. dark

Pavel Zacha has been a terrible hockey player. Sure, he’s been fine on the penalty kill, and he’s been alright in certain possession numbers, but he is tanking the Devils second line, especially offensively. He made Marcus Johansson look miscast on the second line. He can’t set up anyone for anything. He should have had three goals and was robbed in the first few games. He hasn’t even sniffed a goal since then. He has zero points. Zero. After looking like he was on the verge of breaking through, now all his shots hit a goalie straight in the chest of aren’t even close to the net. What more would you like to hear? Zacha needs to get set straight or make major changes.

Home/Editorials