New Jersey Devils: Top 5 Prospects On Roster Bubble This Offseason

Josh Jacobs

This is the only one the Devils have pure control over. Josh Jacobs is a former 2nd-round pick. However, that was so long ago that Jacobs was drafted by Lou Lamoriello. Next season will be the sixth since Jacobs joined the Devils franchise.

Jacobs is 24 years old, so calling him a prospect is starting to become a stretch. There’s also the major problem that we haven’t seem much from him in the AHL. He was given a couple games in the NHL this season, and he was fine. However, it’s not like he showed up he was NHL ready.

Jacobs contract is up, and now the Devils have to decide whether they want to continue their journey with Jacobs. He was a former 2nd-round pick, so somebody thought highly of him. There has to be talent there, but nobody on the Devils has been able to unlock it.

So, should the Devils just count their losses and let him sign somewhere else? Last year, they put Steve Santini in the P.K. Subban trade, another failed Lou Lamoriello defenseman. Losing Jacobs wouldn’t hurt the Devils, even if Tom Fitzgerald gets the GM job. There were times this season where Jacobs was put on the Binghamton Devils third line.

However, playing him in the NHL at all shows they at least want to see what he can do before he becomes a restricted free agent. If he couldn’t prove to be anything, then they could move on without conviction. Instead, the season went on pause, and now they have nothing to go with on tape in the NHL. They have to make the decision based on what they have, and we predict that Jacobs played his last game with the Devils.