Pucks and Pitchforks
Fansided

New Jersey Devils: 5 Players Who Can Solidify Their Spot For Next Season

By Nick Villano

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 21: Jesper Boqvist #90 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his second goal of the game which became the game winner at 15:57 of the third period on the powerplay against the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center on September 21, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Islanders 4-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 21: Jesper Boqvist #90 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his second goal of the game which became the game winner at 15:57 of the third period on the powerplay against the New York Islanders at the Prudential Center on September 21, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Islanders 4-3. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The New Jersey Devils don’t have a lot to look forward to this season, but with some young players in the lineup, they have the chance to give themselves a spot on next year’s team.

The New Jersey Devils are going to look a lot different next season. There’s no two ways around it. They traded away five NHL roster players at or near the NHL Trade Deadline, and didn’t really get anyone of note back to replace them immediately. After sending away Andy Greene, Sami Vatanen, Blake Coleman, Wayne Simmonds and Louis Domingue, they only got Freddie Claesson who can actually slot into the NHL roster. Heck, add in the Taylor Hall trade from December and it’s the same position.

This opens a ton of spots for players who spent most of the season in Binghamton. Right now, we count eight forward positions, three defensemen and one goalie as locks to see the starting lineup based on current contract. Of course, trades could change that, but even without that we count four wide open forward spots and three wide open defensemen spots.

There are already some players pushing for those spots on the NHL roster right now. The Devils already called up multiple players across the board, and sent others down. They are clearly working out who they think is better suited to show their skills in the NHL, and which ones need to build confidence in the AHL. There’s also the aspect of a playoff race. The Devils NHL team is not fighting for the playoffs. The AHL absolutely is.

Either way, the Devils are going to go into next season with major decisions to make on these young players. What they do over the last dozen-or-so games will help whoever ends up in charge next season decide where they slot. So, who really needs to prove themselves over this stretch?

Home/Editorials