4 New Jersey Devils Players Who Benefit From Long Layoff

The New Jersey Devils will likely go nine to ten months between games. Which players would this actually help?

It’s been 253 days since March 10, the night the New Jersey Devils fell in a pretty hapless effort to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Miles Wood was playing on the top line, and he actually scored a goal. Nikita Gusev tied the game in the first period, but two late third period goals made this very out of reach. Since then, the Devils have played zero games. Very few of the roster players have been able to get playing time overseas.

When the Devils finally do get back on the ice, there is going to be significant rust to shake off. None of these players have ever taken this much time in between competitive hockey games, let alone even being allowed to play the game in most places. These players are used to eating, sleeping, and breathing hockey for the first 40 years of their life. Now, right in the middle, they went on pause out of nowhere.

Some of the players are not going to look very good for the first few times on the ice. The preseason might look like a mess. Veterans like Travis Zajac and Corey Crawford have been doing the same routine for literally decades, and now that routine is completely thrown off.

However, for some players, the layoff is exactly what they needed. For one, it will get some of these players away from a truly tumultuous season. The Devils were the biggest tire fire in hockey last season. Even if they weren’t Detroit Red Wings bad, they had to fire the coach, the general manager, trade away the captain, the star player, the heart and soul, and a couple of extra players on top of it. Getting away from this mess for a few months can only help. These players will likely hit the ground running once the Devils are finally able to play again.