New Jersey Devils: An Early Look At Line Combinations

The New Jersey Devils still have plenty of time to make decisions and prepare for next season. With no deal in place between the NHL and NHLPA, an early January start looks less and less likely. The Devils will need to come out firing on all cylinders to have a chance this year. Which lines are best should players be healthy?

Forwards

Line One

Andreas Johnsson–Nico Hischier–Kyle Palmieri

The two best forwards on this team are Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri by far. With the chemistry they have, it is a very good bet and a smart choice to keep them together. So who will be on the wing? The choices seem to be Johnsson, Jesper Bratt, and Jesper Boqvist.

It should be Johnsson to start. Assuming they have chemistry, it will likely remain that way. This would be a very solid two-way line that can play against whoever the Devils need and add some physicality. Palmieri loves to get in player’s faces and Johnsson can throw his body around. They should be able to play the bigger minutes needed and not get worn out as fast as the other higher skilled players.

Line Two

Jesper Bratt-Pavel Zacha–Nikita Gusev

This line proved they could work well together last season, and they should be given every opportunity to build on that. Both wingers are fast, shifty, and high skilled while Zacha is a good defender. They complimented each other well and can play a fair bit better in the defensive end than some may think. Bratt and Gusev should be able to get the most out of Zacha. The Devils need him to score closer to a 0.5 point a game.

Line Three

Jesper Boqvist-Jack Hughes-Nick Merkley

This line here will be a big wild card and need to be given favorable starts. This would be a great time to try building some chemistry with Jesper Boqvist. Merkley was fantastic in his short stint in the NHL and his time in Binghamton last season. It is time for him to prove it can be with consistency, something Jack needs to work on as well. If this line or at least a pair of them could get it going the future will be looking fantastic, especially with snipers Nolan Foote and Alexander Holtz coming in a year or two.

Line Four

Miles Wood-Travis Zajac-Nathan Bastian

This line would probably be relied on to play against bigger opposition lines and would fit that role well. Zajac is a diminishing value for the Devils, but he is still a bottom-six center and responsible in his own end. Wood, while driving some fans crazy, is one of the best straight-line skaters in the league. Zajac has the skill to send him on breaks while covering for him in the defensive zone which could synergize well. Bastian is a player some may have forgotten about and is probably a long shot to be here but when he was up was a force. He has the size, skill, and a willingness to use both. He would probably be better off here than one of the more top prospects as well because his future is as a bottom-six player.

Extra

Michael McCleod

–Michael McLeod will at some point be slotting into the lineup probably on the fourth line. He just does not show the jam he did in juniors and his shot is the worst on the team. He should not be on a line with Wood and Zajac as having three players who can’t find the net consistently would be a black hole for an offense that the Devils.

Special Teams

Power Play 1

Bratt-Hischier-Johnsson

Palmieri-Butcher

This will be a strong unit for cycling the puck with crisp passing from all of them and Palmieri hovering at the top of the circle waiting for a one-timer. All the players up front have shots that the other team must respect or they will make them pay.

Power Play 2

Gusev-Zacha-Hughes

Subban-Smith

Zacha will be out there to win the faceoff and get to the net. His big body will be key in screening and keeping a defender occupied while Hughes, Goose, and Smith work magic on the boards and moving the puck around. If any of those players are chased with the slick hands they all have the Devils will open up the ice for a cross-ice one timer and get a big scoring chance. Subban will do what he can and sit there waiting for that instead of trying to QB it this time. Last season it did not work for him and the younger players are far better passers and quicker with the edgework needed. If he does not play well the spot will be open right away and Severson could slot in with ease.

Penalty Kill

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Zajac-Bastian(or McCleod if in the line up)

-This will be a solid pairing and this has been a big job for Zajac his whole career. Bastian has shown to be responsible and who better to learn from than Zajac? If he wants to solidify a spot for the long haul it will be doing the small things and playing on the penalty kill would give him a real NHL career. This season is short and with a building team now is the time to find out what we can about players.

Zacha-Bratt

-Both have proved they work well together and in this situation before.

Hischier-Palmieri

-Much like the last pair they have proven what they can do. Nico is a premier two-way center the league does not talk enough about the only reason his time should be limited here a little bit is that he needs to be playing so much 5v5 and on the powerplay.