It isn’t really much of a secret, this has been a bad season for the New Jersey Devils. In the 2016-17 season, the season that they came in last place in the conference, they had 70 points. This season so far, they are on pace for a very underwhelming 78 points. They are 13 points off the pace of where they were last season.
Why? There are many reasons why. They do not have a consistent second line to compliment a very consistent top line (when healthy). Marcus Johansson is dealing with injuries again and there is just no consistency in anyone put on the second line’s game.
The usual top line of Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri with Nico Hischier in the middle has been great. Taylor Hall is injured currently, but he has a solid 37 points in 33 games played. The same point per game pace that won him the Hart Trophy a year ago. It is the lack of secondary scoring that has been a problem this season.
At many points this season, the Devils have gotten sub par goaltending. That continues now, even though it looked like Mackenzie Blackwood was going to save the day. He has been awesome, but he got hurt just a few games ago. They won the game he came out of, but have yet to win since then. Keith Kinkaid started off very good, but has come crashing down to earth. Cory Schneider hasn’t played well in the regular season in over a calendar year.
It is fair to say that the fans expected too much this season, and management stayed stag over the summer knowing that the team wasn’t where we thought it was. That may be why they make the big bucks, but I’m not mad that this current roster isn’t married to James van Riemsdyk’s big contract. Maybe in two or three years will be a more ideal time to go for a guy like that, when it is the final piece.
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Are there some positives from the first 42 games? Of course there are. Nico Hischier is developing in front of our eyes and it’s a glorious sight. It has been a long time since a home-grown talent has bloomed into a superstar, and that is happening. He is showing signs of an ability to play a two-way game that only a few players in the NHL can play. He isn’t in the Selkie Trophy conversation yet, but if he keeps this up and continues to grow both offensively and defensively, he certainly will be with little doubt.
Blake Coleman has been the one of few players to provide some consistent scoring depth. His 13 goals are second on the team. He can really be a huge part of this team, even in the future when it’s expected to win a little more. If he were to do this on a third line a few years from now when more help has arrived, he will be a very useful guy and a fan favorite type player.
All in all, this tough season for the Devils can lead to a very good player landing in their lap in the 2019 NHL Entry draft. There’s a great group of players at the top led by American Jack Hughes and Finland’s Kaapo Kakko. If the Devils were able to land one of those two, that would be another huge boost to the organization’s infrastructure as Nico Hischier did in 2017.
Things do not get easier for New Jersey after the tough 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, as Auston Matthews, John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs come to Newark to take on the Devils at home. The Leafs bring in their 56 points and third best record in the entire NHL to the table, so you know this one will not be easy. Goaltending matchups are still in doubt as we don’t know what to expect for the Devils, and Leafs starter Frederik Andersen is on injured reserve and their back up Garret Sparks has been fighting injury as well. Taylor Hall’s status is also TBD.