5 New Jersey Devils Who Could Have 30-goal seasons next season

Nov 26, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; The New Jersey Devils celebrate a goal by New Jersey Devils center Kyle Palmieri (21) during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2019; Newark, NJ, USA; The New Jersey Devils celebrate a goal by New Jersey Devils center Kyle Palmieri (21) during the second period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
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New Jersey Devils
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Andreas Johnsson (18): (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Andreas Johnsson

Andreas Johnsson is coming to the Devils through trade after his own team devalued him for one reason or another. Devils fans have seen this happen literally dozens of times. Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, Bryce Salvador, and Jeff Friesen are just a few that came to the Devils at a depleted value and turned into really good players or even stars.

The Toronto Maple Leafs traded Johnsson to the Devils for prospect Joey Anderson. Anderson is a nice player. He probably would have made the top ten in our Top 25 Prospects list. However, to get a former 20-goal scorer simply for a player who could make the roster but isn’t guaranteed is a steal. The ceiling for Johnsson is clear much higher than it is for Anderson.

Johnsson could have a first year with the Devils that mimics what Kyle Palmieri did. Palmieri was clearly motivated after the trade to prove himself. He played all 82 games and scored 30 goals alongside Adam Henrique. Johnsson absolutely can do the same thing, especially if he finds himself to the left of Jack Hughes.

Johnsson is another player on this list that totally depends on where he finds himself in the lineup. If he ends up on the third line with Zajac, that’ll likely hurt his chances at 30 goals. If he’s in the top six, a 30 goal pace is absolutely attainable.