New Jersey Devils With Best Chance To Take Final Roster Spot

The New Jersey Devils have a major camp battle right now for the last spot on the roster. Through four preseason games, we’ve seen a lot of movement in the fight for the last spot.

This New Jersey Devils team is unlike many in the past. The top six is pretty much set. We know who’s playing on the third line. The eight defensemen that will make the team is pretty much set, as long as Ty Smith figures out his issues. The one spot that’s still up in the air is one spot on the fourth line (as long as Pavel Zacha gets his visa issues figured out).

Right now, we’ve had four preseason games from the Devils. Some players have really stepped up their game, and others have John Hynes calling them out. It’s been a really fun preseason for most of the time, but some players really show they are fighting hard for the final spot on the roster.

So, where does everyone stand right now? It’s getting pretty intense with only two games left in the preseason. This is how things play out right now.

7. Nathan Bastian

Nathan Bastian was one of the players who we thought had a really good chance to make this team. He had this intangible that the other players on this list don’t have; size. He stands 6’04 and is over 200 lbs. Bastian hasn’t really done anything of note. He doesn’t play power play or penalty kill, and he’s a -2 after two games. He just hasn’t impressed, and it’s likely that he might not make the next round of cuts unfortunately.

6. Brett Seney

Brett Seney actually scored a goal this preseason, and even posted an assist, but we just can’t see him being in the conversation for the last spot on the Devils. That probably means that he never really had a chance at the spot, since he did more than we expected and now he’s no closer to the final spot on the Devils roster. He will be one of the first call ups in case of injury, especially after playing 51 games in the NHL last season, but with the roster stacked like it is, Seney is going to start in the AHL.

5. Joey Anderson

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Joey Anderson is another really talented, young player that spent a majority of last year on the NHL roster, but we just don’t see him being the first choice to make it this season, at least not right off the bat. Anderson led the team in penalty kill time on Friday night, so he has some outside value besides just scoring. He took four shots, and was seen all over the ice. He’s going to be another great call up, but he’ll start the season in Binghamton.

4. Kevin Rooney

This is where things get complicated. One of the few moves Ray Shero made last offseason was re-signed Kevin Rooney to a two-year deal that gives him a one-way contract this season. That takes away Shero’s and John Hynes’ ability to send him down to the AHL. Because of that, he comes in at number four. Another thing that complicates Rooney’s chances of making the team is Pavel Zacha’s visa issues. If they wanted to move him to wing to make room for Rooney, they’d want to try and start working on that in the preseason. Now, it’s looking like Zacha’s visa issue could last longer than we expected. Rooney got into a fight, which at this point was his major contribution to the club. He’s also avoided making the bad play. It will be interesting to see what they do with him.

3. John Hayden

John Hayden has actually played well this preseason at what he’s good at. At the end of the Devils win against the Rangers on Wednesday, he blocked multiple shots to seal the win. Those are the types of plays that John Hynes absolutely loves. He hasn’t perfected the shutdown role like Travis Zajac or Blake Coleman have, but there’s definitely talent there. He’ll likely end up being the Devils forward extra.

2. Jesper Boqvist

As a reference point, Jesper Boqvist was head and shoulders the front runner to take the Devils final spot on the roster. The Swedish dynamo looked good in all the prospect-only aspects of the preseason. However, in two preseason games he has been mostly invisible. He took a bad penalty, scored zero points and didn’t stand out when he was on a line with other standouts. Boqvist will get all the chances in the world to prove he belongs, because if he doesn’t he’s going back to Sweden. There’s no AHL for him. He’s either on the Devils, or we don’t see him until next preseason.

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1. Michael McLeod

Here we are. It’s been quite the roller coaster ride to get us here. Michael McLeod was one of those prospects that you couldn’t wait to see, until he wasn’t. Last year, things hit rock bottom. From rumors about video games to a 20-game NHL run without a goal, this kid has been through everything. Then, he came into this offseason with a mission. From the jump, he’s been saying he’s going to make this team. It felt like a long shot. At the beginning of this offseason, he might have been last on this list. Now, he’s on top. He really needed to work on his scoring, and he’s scored in two of his three games. His latest goal showed him use his size and his speed to power the puck past the goalie. If things ended today, we don’t know how Hynes could keep McLeod off the Devils roster.

Wild Card: Mikhail Maltsev

We think that Mikhail Maltsev is bound for the AHL. He’s 21 years old, and he’s coming straight over from Russia despite being offered a five-year KHL contract. Maltsev signed an entry-level deal this offseason, and the race was on. He scored one of the more ridiculous goals of the preseason when he split two Rangers, got tripped, held onto the puck, then slipped it past the Rangers goalie. If he plays like that on Saturday, it will be very hard to ignore, but he still feels like a player that was never in this race.

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