The New Jersey Devils started the preseason with a bunch of talented prospects, but Jesper Boqvist was one we were especially excited about. Devils fans have a really good situation with this Swedish magician of a forward. He always seems to be a faster, smoother moving version of Marcus Johansson.
Boqvist is a player that has a lot of upside, and he could prove to have more upside than fellow Swede Jesper Bratt. There is so much skill and depth from the four lines the Devils have now before the final cuts that Boqvist seems to already have made the team due to his pre-season showings.
The line of Jesper Boqvist- Travis Zajac– Wayne Simmonds can certainly compliment one another and can add grit along with more scoring. This will help the top-six players like Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier and NIkita Gusev knowing they aren’t relied upon fully to score all the goals.
If, for some reason, Boqvist does get sent back to Sweden for the season, he can develop more muscle mass. Boqvist doesn’t seem like he really needs more roasting. He has a nice blend to his game and honestly he seem too good to be sent back home. John Hynes needs to add him into the lineup ASAP.
What fans should be looking forward to this season is Boqvist has really done an excellent job blending in with his teammates. There’s already a great connection with him and Bratt on and off the ice. It makes a lot of sense with both Jesper’s relating to one another sharing their experiences. Bratt will likely mentor Boqvist. This situation would take a lot of pressure off of management and allowing the team to play their game.
Going into the 2019-2020 season, it would be a huge benefit to have Jesper Boqvist help alleviate the load on the 3rd line and help work his way up. Boqvist would help bring a balance, versatility, and the skill that would help the team produce offensively. If Boqvist can join or lead that offense then the defense, and goaltending should do their part to win all the way to the playoffs and more.
However Jesper Boqvist has proved himself to a lot of people that he’s capable of playing NHL minutes, and possibly creating a good mix of offense and maybe bringing a really good two-way game. The expectations for Boqvist should be 25-35 points as a rookie winger. He has a lot of untapped potential, and he can make a guy lose their spot for being under productive. No one this season should be slacking on this Devils roster, nor should Boqvist.