New Jersey Devils May Be Slumping, But Their Sophomore Players Aren’t

Most New Jersey Devils fans have accepted that this season is a lost cause for their team, who currently sit almost 20 points out of a playoff spot. While the upsides of this team are currently few and far between, many of which have flown under the radar, they still give us reason for optimism beyond this season.

The future of Devils hockey might appear bleak at times, but you can’t overlook the solid young foundation put in place by General Manager Ray Shero. We saw flashes of this team’s competitive capabilities last season, and one of the reasons behind their outstanding performance was the play of their three rookies—Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Will Butcher.

To reiterate, the quality of play among most of the Devils roster is considerably inferior compared to last season. While there were concerns of the three aforementioned rookies suffering the dreaded sophomore slump, this hasn’t been the case. One of the few encouraging takeaways from this otherwise abysmal campaign have been the quality of play maintained by the Devils’ three main sophomore players.

Nico Hischier

Last year, Nico Hischier tallied 20 goals and 52 points in his first full NHL season. The 20-year old former first-overall pick continued where he left off last season. HIschier is currently on pace for 23 goals and 56 points, totals that would surpass last year’s numbers.

In his first 15 games, Nico scored just three goals, but tallied 12 points in total. Despite currently being on a three-game point drought, Hischier posted 10 goals and 20 points in the next 26 games after his first 15 contests.

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While his average points-per-game didn’t change drastically between those two timespans (.80 in first 15 games, .769 in next 26), his uptick in goal-scoring stands out. What’s most encouraging is how his play was not interrupted in the wake of Taylor Hall’s sidelining, whose last game was on December 23. In the 13 contests since Hall’s injury, Hischier has accumulated totals of 4 goals and 9 points.

Jesper Bratt

The speedy all-situation player was a pleasant surprise when he made the team out of training camp last year. Bratt posted modest numbers in his rookie season with 13 goals and 35 points, while being utilized by the coaching staff in five-on-five, shorthanded and power play situations, along with shootouts.

The resourceful winger currently has four goals and 20 points through 34 games and is proving his outstanding rookie campaign wasn’t a one-time occurrence. Bratt is currently on pace for eight goals and 40 points, which would set new all-time highs in assists and points for the speedy Swede—who missed the first 14 games of this season.

Will Butcher

After being signed out of college, Butcher went on to post five goals and 44 points in his rookie campaign with the Devils. This year, Butcher has played in all but one game for the Devils and despite not being currently projected to surpass his rookie season totals, the 24-year old has posted two goals and 17 points in 2018-2019.

Although he’s only on pace to finish with about 26 points, a considerable regression from last year’s numbers, Butcher’s overall game has improved in areas like his defensive play. He still gets sheltered by the coaching staff, but his uptick in average ice time is a strong indicator that he is continually earning the trust of New Jersey’s coaching staff. Despite its overall struggles this season, Butcher also remains a mainstay on the Devils’ power play, where he has attained 10 out of his 17 points this year.