New Jersey Devils: Joey Anderson Injury Changes Bottom Six Thought Process
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils announced that Joey Anderson suffered an injury that will sideline him for a little while. Depending how long he’s out, this could make things very hard for the bottom six.
It was a bitter sweet day prior to the New Jersey Devils game against the New York Islanders. The team announced that Brian Boyle would be returning to the lineup in time for Hockey Fights Cancer night. Of course, you know why that was so important. Boyle’s cancer fight has been a motivating factor for this team. However, to make room for Boyle, the Devils placed Joey Anderson on injured reserve.
The additions of Anderson and Brett Seney provided a spark to the team’s bottom six they really needed. Seney came into the lineup at the beginning of the month. He only has one goal and two assists, but it’s clear he’s made an impact in other ways on the ice. Meanwhile, Anderson has been in the lineup for about the same time. He also only has one goal, but he pushes the other teams to the limit when he’s on the ice, which tires them out when Nico Hischier and Taylor Hall hit the ice.
The Devils say that Anderson’s injury is fairly serious. That’s the most we’ve heard about an injury that wasn’t a broken jaw. Every other injury, the Devils kept the details under wraps. We never really learned what caused Boyle to go on IR. Sami Vatanen just returned, but the Devils never let out the details. We didn’t know if he’d be out a week or a month.
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The details are still fleeting here, but at least they exist. We know he will be out at least a week, but if it is a serious as it sounds it will be for much longer.
The Devils will just go with Jean-Sebastien Dea to replace Anderson’s production, but that means he needs to step up. Dea has not been anything to go home about. He’s been out of position, and hasn’t been scoring at all. If he’s going to keep the John Quennevilles and Nick Lappins in Binghamton, then he needs to prove he belongs on the starting NHL squad.
The Devils will miss Anderson, but if Dea can find the chemistry on that line with Boyle and Seney, then things will work out. If not, I expect John Hynes and Ray Shero to pull the trigger on either Quenneville or Lappin to stay in the lineup for good.