New Jersey Devils: 5 Prospects Who Can Surprisingly Make Team Next Season

The New Jersey Devils season is likely over after the response to COVID-19. When looking ahead to next season, these five prospects could come out of nowhere and make the team.

This New Jersey Devils season was the worst season in the history of the franchise. That may be a controversial statement, but what season could actually even compare? The Devils came into the season with a boatload of expectations, then immediately lost the first six games of the season.

This led to the eventual firing of Ray Shero and John Hynes, the trades of superstar Taylor Hall in December, then a complete sell job by moving Andy Greene, Wayne Simmonds, Louis Domingue and of course moving the heart of this team in Blake Coleman. That leaves a lot of opportunities for younger players.

Michael McLeod has been trying to finally get his first goal on the fourth line. Joey Anderson has basically solidified a spot on the roster for the foreseeable future. We’re getting actual looks at Dakota Mermis, Colton White and Josh Jacobs. If the season continued, we’d expect to get more looks at the likes of Jesper Boqvist and Janne Kuokkanen.

Next season, there are a couple of prospects we at least mostly expect to become NHLers, or close to it. Ty Smith is all but a lock to jump into the NHL after another insane season in Spokane and playing for Team Canada. Reilly Walsh is an interesting prospect coming out of Harvard, that they have to sign or he becomes a free agent next year. Nick Merkley could make the team after coming over from the Taylor Hall trade. Kevin Bahl is big, so many think he could make the team.

However, there are always players like Jesper Bratt who come out of training camp and earn themselves a spot seemingly out of nowhere. Next season, there could be quite a few prospects who are fighting for spots. There are as many open positions as ever, and there’s talent in the system to fill it. These five are the most likely to surprise you.