New Jersey Devils: Jesper Boqvist Needs More Ice Time In NHL
The New Jersey Devils need to get Jesper Boqvist some quality ice time.
The New Jersey Devils gave Jesper Boqvist some time in the NHL last season, but it wasn’t quality time. He made the roster out of camp but was a healthy scratch for a good portion to start the season. He only ended up playing in 35 NHL games where he scored just four goals. They put him in the AHL which was much more helpful for his development. Playing for the Binghamton Devils, he had eight goals and three assists in 19 games.
Scoring goals and making plays on an AHL top line was better than sitting in an NHL press box or playing on the fourth line with Kevin Rooney and John Hayden. It was a smart move to send him down and let him play well with some talented forwards down in Binghamton.
Where is Boqvist going into what will be a strange 2020-21 season? The answer is unknown. He will certainly get a good long look at Devils training camp. If he impresses, he will make the team. If they see that he has some holes in his game, they will use him in the AHL again. It also depends on the rest of the team as well. This is a kid who should be playing in the middle six instead of the fourth line.
Boqvist has shown more of an ability to shoot than pass in his North American pro career, but his assist numbers were abundant in Sweden. Right now, during the current NHL offseason, Boqvist has been loaned to a club team in Sweden where he has three goals and seven assists for 10 points in 13 games. The Devils loaning him out to them should help him show up to camp sharp and ready to go.
It would be nice to see Boqvist play with one of the two franchise centers that the Devils hope to have. He is listed as a center but it feels like if he makes it in the NHL it will be as a winger. Playing alongside one of Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier might be a big help for him as he tries to become a good pro. There are a lot of things to work on with his game but he is on a good track.
Hot. Reilly Walsh should be a great New Jersey Devils player. light
The offense is the key to his game, obviously. With Lindy Ruff coming in as the new head coach, Boqvist might be able to take advantage of any system that he implements. Turning him into a productive player would go a long way in the Devils turning the corner as a team. They need a lot of these young kids to be great, and Boqvist is a big part of that.