New Jersey Devils: Three Players Who Need To Improve After Time Off
The New Jersey Devils are not a good team. With so many players struggling, these three players especially need to be better if any of that is going to change.
The New Jersey Devils are not very good. This season has been a major disappointment. They had so many significant additions over the summer, which made them a hot pick to make the playoffs. They have not even come close to living up to it so there has to be a look in the mirror by management. They need to make some changes again in order to turn this thing around so they have to figure out what those moves are.
They fired the head coach John Hynes back in December and then followed that up with the firing of general manager Ray Shero a few weeks later. They also traded Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes during that tough stretch. It has been a miserable year to be a fan of this team and some people have paid the price for it already. The search is on for permanent replacements to the lost pieces but the show still goes on, on the ice.
You can only blame the coach and GM for so long. They need to start evaluating the players and holding some of them responsible for not carrying their own weight. This final stretch down the season is going to be very telling to those currently running the team. There are some people who have played well despite the horrible season and there are some that have not. These three players need to be better in the post-All-Star portion of the schedule:
85. . D. New Jersey Devils. P.K. Subban. 1. player
The New Jersey Devils expected a lot when they made a big trade to acquire P.K. Subban from the Nashville Predators. He has been somewhat below expectations this season. We can only hope that it’s because he’s playing on a new team that he is still getting used to. He has progressively gotten better after a horrendous start. The fact, however, remains that he needs to be better down the stretch.
He may never be that same player that he was in Montreal, but he should still be able to be a good player on defense. He is clearly trying to do too much instead of just playing. If he can get back to the level we know he can play at, this team will be so much better off. He still has the ability to create offense from the back-end so more of that would be nice too.
One thing about Subban that is telling is that he owns up to his bad play. He would be the first to tell you that he hasn’t been that good this season. That could be good if the Devils hang onto him going into next year. If he has a good summer he will be used to being a Devil by that point. The new team thing will be gone and the Devils very well could just be a better team around him. It isn’t fair to be completely out on Subban but he does need to be better down the stretch.
Damon Severson. 2. player. 85. . D. New Jersey Devils
One of the biggest scapegoats on the current New Jersey Devils team is Damon Severson. He is a good player that is not having a really good year. In the summer there were a lot of Devils fans that came to the defense of Severson when the national media didn’t recognize him as a good player but they have completely turned their backs. Well, Severson has a chance down the stretch to prove himself. He can’t get back the own goal that he scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs or any of the other bad moments from the season so it is time to move on.
Hopefully, this break will be good for him. The name of Severson’s game is the offense. He has produced offense better than any defenseman on the Devils over the past few seasons. Right now, he only has five goals and 11 assists which is way off the pace of the 11 goals and 28 assists he had last season. It gets to think about when you remember that last year the Devils were riddled with injuries and had much less talent in front of him.
The stretch of the season is an opportunity for him to get back on track. It would be awesome for the future of this team if he can get back to the level he was at last year. He just needs to be a little better in his own zone as well, and then he should be on his way. The Devils would be well suited if he was their third-best defenseman if they ever turn the corner.
New Jersey Devils. Jesper Bratt. 3. player. 85. . LW/RW
Jesper Bratt was a pleasant surprise when he burst onto the scene in his rookie year. He has been an overall great player for the New Jersey Devils for being a sixth-round draft pick. He had 35 points in his rookie season and 33 in his second season with much fewer games played. It looked like this could be the year that Bratt really turns into a solid middle-six winger but that just hasn’t happened yet. There is still time as he is such a young player but playing well in the second half would be really good for the team and the player.
Bratt has eight goals and eight assists in 40 games. Those are not the numbers we were expecting from him. Unfortunately, he has dealt with injuries and inconsistent linemates all season long, which has clearly affected his numbers. Hopefully, the Devils are able to get Bratt comfortable on a line with consistent linemates going forward. He would be very well suited with Nico Hischier full time as they have shown chemistry with each other in the past.
Related Story. The New Jersey Devils players having a great season. light
It is well documented how bad this season has been for a team with such high expectations. If Subban, Severson, and Bratt all play to their potential in 2020-21 then this team could get right back on track. Obviously the development of Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes is pivotal to this group having sustained success but there always needs to be a good supporting cast. The second half of the season is going to be huge for these guys’ future.