The New Jersey Devils have announced their roster and it is their best roster in many years, but there were some bittersweet decisions made.
The New Jersey Devils had a tremendous offseason. This good offseason forced the Devils to make some really difficult decisions. The roster is a good one, but there are some decisions that are bittersweet. They were always going to have a competitive roster regardless of which bubble guys made it. It took a little longer than usual for the Devils to release this roster. That caused there to be some speculation as to why, but it just ended being this rather uneventful reveal later in the night.
The good news is that Jesper Boqvist made it. He had an outstanding preseason and has earned the right to be here. Not only did he make the team, but he is also likely going to be an impact player upon his arrival. It is still a question of whether or not he will have an expanded role at any point this season, but there is no denying his talent. It is good to see him make it and hopefully he is as good as he was in the exhibition season.
The big thing that has everyone a little upset is that the New Jersey Devils have sent Ty Smith to play for his WHL Spokane Chiefs team this season. He didn’t do enough in training camp or the preseason to justify bringing him to the NHL in his final teenage season. He is a better player than Mirco Mueller and Connor Carrick, but the Devils see his development as more important than this season. They are going to be a good team regardless, so bringing him in when the time is right might end up being the smart move.
Kevin Rooney and John Hayden are the other forwards that made the team that are considered bubble guys. As far as the rest of the roster, all of the usual suspects like Nico Hischier, Taylor Hall, P.K. Subban, Jack Hughes, etc are on the roster. The two goaltenders are of course Cory Schneider and MacKenzie Blackwood.
All in all, it should be a pretty decent roster for New Jersey. The National Hockey League begins it’s season tonight and the Devils are in action for the first time on Friday night. Even though the lack of Smith this year is disappointing, this is still a very good roster and all fans should be very excited.