FanSided 2030: 5 New Jersey Devils Predictions 10 Years In The Future
By Nick Villano
Alexander Holtz Is A Perrenial 30-goal Scorer
Holtz looks like the real deal already. He is excelling in the men’s league in Sweden, and he’ll likely make the Devils in 2021-22. It will take him a full year to really get acclimated to the NHL game, scoring just nine goals in his rookie season. The mixture of the North American game with the speed of the NHL and fourth line minutes has him struggling to put the puck in the net. However, it’s literally the smallest blip on the radar.
His sophomore season sees him explode, scoring 25 goals in 68 games (he spends two weeks on the shelf with an ankle injury, and then an upper-body injury, but it always feels like the Devils playing it safe with a young player). This has Devils fans doing the calculation that he would score exactly 30 goals in an 82-game season.
He hits that mark in his third season, and then he continues to hit that mark with consistency for the next five seasons barring injury. He’s on the first line left wing with Hughes and Sasha Pastujov on the right (2021 draft eligible, Devils will select him in the 2nd round). It puts together one of the most lethal first lines in the NHL. On the second line, Hischier, Mercer, and Jesper Boqvist are still on the team and playing at a very high level. Since teams can’t just put their best unit on Holtz every time, this gives him more opportunity to score. Also, he becomes one of the best power play options, as they pair his insane shot with the insane shot of Nolan Foote, who is now a third-line regular.