The struggling New Jersey Devils are headed for Western Canada. This trip might have a little bit of meaning for the team going forward.
The New Jersey Devils are in a bad way right now. Many difference makers at the NHL level are injured and out of the lineup. Almost every player experienced some kind of injury at some point this season, specifically in the last month or so.
They are currently 20 points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and have no chance of even coming close. These are, however, not meaningless games the rest of the way. Some fans are very torn on how to root for these games to pan out.
The answer is simple, you do not actively root for your team to lose. That just doesn’t feel right and teams that try to do that almost never have lottery luck, see the 2016-17 Colorado Avalanche or any team that came in last when the Edmonton Oilers won it.
What you can root for is just for the young guys and the goaltenders to play well. If they win or lose, that is irrelevant. You just want to see guys play well and feel good going into next season. You can also root for teams like the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks to keep winning and collecting points.
Let’s be honest with ourselves, the lower in the standings you finish, the better chance you have at great draft positioning. You can also feel pretty confident that the future of the Devils is just as good if not better than any of those other teams. With some of the injuries to key guys like Taylor Hall and shaky goaltending, there is real hope that this is a fluke year and can be right back in it next season and beyond.
They have Nico Hischier and Hall to build around, the goaltending seems to be coming around and with some help on the blue line on the way, the future looks bright. That is why drafting first or second overall this summer would be really nice for the organization.
So what do we have on the Western Canada road trip? Three teams that are pretty good but two of the three will likely be out of the playoffs. They are all better than the Devils with the rosters iced as they will be. The Devils however, might be a better team than two of the three with a full and healthy lineup. That is how much injuries have killed this team.
First in Calgary, is where you will find one of the elite teams in the NHL. They come into Thursday in 4th place in the entire NHL. If all goes their way tonight, they could find themselves in second. They are very good and are a true threat to win the Stanley Cup out of the Western Conference.
They are led by their three leading scorers Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm. Their captain Mark Giordano, is also in the conversation for the Norris Trophy this year. The Devils were defeated by Calgary a few weeks ago at the Rock by a final score of 2-1.
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Then on Wednesday comes Hall’s old squad the Edmonton Oilers. This is a nationally televised game on NBCSN, so everyone will have a chance to see the red and black on their televisions. The Oilers are having another disappointing year despite having the best player on planet earth in Connor McDavid. He is tied for second in the league in scoring with 98 points.
The Devils defeated McDavid and the Oilers for the season opener in Sweden as part of the NHL Global Series. The Oil aren’t dead just yet, so they will be playing with a lot at stake.
Then on Friday the Devils will play the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver like Edmonton, is in the middle of the pack of the teams on the outside looking in the playoffs, but they are a rebuilding team who has overachieved this season. They like where they sit and they have a nice future and are happy where things are going.
They are led by some young stars named Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. The Devils did defeat Vancouver on New Years Eve, shutting them out by a final score of 4-0 at the Rock. This will be a fun test for both teams.
So to summarize, we need the young guys to play well and be excited for next year to get going. Draft position is important so keep rooting for the other teams mentioned before, and be excited and watch these games with a purpose. The team will always need its fans behind them and supporting them through the tough times.