New Jersey Devils: How Likely Will These Players Make This Team?

Taylor Hall 85%

This one probably seemed like the elephant in the room of the last slide. What’s going to happen with Taylor Hall this offseason? That’s the biggest storyline by far. Will Hall re-sign an extension? Both Hall and Shero say they look forward to working out a deal, but anything can happen when money is involved. If a deal doesn’t happen, there’s still a chance the Devils try to keep Hall during the season. It’s still slightly a chance they trade him to get assets for him before he leaves.

Cory Schneider 85%

Two months ago, Schneider might be 50 or 60 percent. Finally showing he could be an NHL caliber goaltender means the world to this team. He was a legitimate buyout candidate this offseason if he couldn’t get it together. He got it together, and rocketed up this list. He still might be bought out, but that’s much more likely to happen in the 2020 offseason where the cap hit will last two years less. For now, it’s more than likely he will be in a 50/50 split with Blackwood.

Pavel Zacha 85%

Pavel Zacha is in a contract year, and he wasn’t great. He was much better in the second half of the season. He’s had 11 points since January 1st. That’s not anything to go home about. Zacha needs to be much better, but he’s a restricted free agent. Shero isn’t letting him go for free, and he’s also no trading him when his value is still low and he’s finally finding a somewhat scoring touch. He needs to do more, but he’s still just 21 years old.

Damon Severson 85%

Damon Severson has been a baller this season. He’s put himself in the Sami Vatanen conversation as best defenseman on the team. He took his game to another level, and is a great two-way player. He took over Will Butcher‘s spot on the top powerplay unit. He’s scored as many goals as Taylor Hall (in twice as many games, but still), and he’s been remarkably healthy. He was a trade candidate last season, but this year he would cost a fortune.

Will Butcher 80%

Speaking of Butcher, he’s slightly further down on this list than Severson. That extra five percent is due to his contract expiring and Severson being signed for four more seasons. Still, Butcher has been playing better as of late, and his woes this year were probably just the dreaded sophomore slump. He’s still a future second-pairing defenseman on a team that’s starting to turn around this unit. With Ty Smith coming next season, his spot is slightly in question, but this team wants as much talent as possible, especially on D.

Miles Wood 75%

Miles Wood seemed to take a long time to get into the groove of things after missing most of training camp in a contract negotiation. Who knows the taste that put into Shero’s mouth. It’s probably fine, but there’s a slight chance he could use Wood as a trade chip this offseason. Wood is an intriguing player to other teams because of his speed and tenacity. A team might be willing to pay more than the Devils think he’s worth. He’s still more likely to be on the Opening Night lineup than not.

Steve Santini 75%

This one may surprise you. Steve Santini has been okay at best since slotting into the lineup, but the Devils always love carrying at least seven defensemen, sometimes eight, with them at all times. Santini seems like the right guy to make that extra defenseman. He’s young enough that he provides a jolt to the lineup, but has enough experience to know where he needs to be. He doesn’t always get to that spot, but he knows where it is. The Devils will likely keep him on the roster, especially since he’s on a one-way deal next season.

Sami Vatanen 75%

Last season, people were putting the Sami Vatanen and Taylor Hall negotiations in the same breath. Fans believed Vatanen was in for a big payday, but his play this season regressed a little bit, and now some fans quit on him. He’s still a very good defenseman, and can be on a top line with a player in the right situation. He’s not a number-one defenseman in this league, but when called upon last season he stepped up. Who knows what he’s looking for in a contract, but if negotiations don’t go Shero’s way, he could look to offload him before the season.