New Jersey Devils: 5 Predictions Coming Out Of Training Camp
The New Jersey Devils will start training camp this week.
It’s been more than nine months since the New Jersey Devils took the ice as a team. Since then, Lindy Ruff took over for Alain Nasreddine on the bench, Tom Fitzgerald took over as GM, Joey Anderson was traded for Andreas Johnsson, Cory Schneider was bought out and Corey Crawford took his place, Ryan Murray was brought in to establish this defense, and the Devils are going into training camp with at least four spots open. That last point makes things interesting.
The Devils are only allowed to bring 36 forwards and defensemen to training camp this year due to the pandemic. Last year, the Devils invited 51 players (plus six goalies). That takes a lot of the major surprises off the table. It appears that long-shot players like Marian Studenic and Fabian Zetterlund aren’t even coming for training camp. This takes away some of the truly bold predictions for training camp, but with a new coach, new franchise philosophy, and this many open positions, it’s going to be a lot of fun to follow.
With no preseason games, there isn’t going to be much to evaluate. Add to that limited access to training camp for beat reporters (the ones that are left), there might not be a lot of information coming out of the next two weeks before the season at all. It takes away a lot of the fun that is training camp, but there is still a lot that could happen over the next few weeks.
The Devils are going into this season with a new division, a very strange schedule (eight games against the seven divisional opponents only), and very few expectations outside this fanbase. It all starts with the opening lineup on January 14th. What might happen once we get there?
McLeod, Kuokkanen, and Boqvist will be in the opening night lineup
When it comes to a strange year for training camp, it’s hard for players to stand out. The Devils will be taking long looks at certain players. The Devils players fighting for a spot include a lot of players with NHL experience. Michael McLeod, Janne Kuokkanen, Jesper Boqvist, Nathan Bastian, Brett Seney, Ben Street, Nick Merkley, and Brandon Gignac (among the forwards). Add to that Nolan Foote, Mikhail Maltsev, and Yegor Sharangovich who are all going to be well into the fight for a spot.
The Devils are more than likely going with a player they have expectations for over a surprise this season. Based on the shortened season and the way the schedule bears out, the Devils might be using this season to evaluate the future. Of the players the Devils will be evaluating, the three who have NHL aspirations with them being very up in the air are Boqvist, Kuokkanen, and McLeod.
Boqvist was given a chance to be a full-time NHL player last season, but he didn’t do much to prove he earned it. So, the Devils put him in the owner’s box until the rules with his SHL contract ran out and he could go to the AHL. After a rough start in the minors, by the end of the season, he looked like the best player on the ice. He feels like a lock to make the roster.
McLeod is a much different situation. He’s been given two chances to become an NHL regular, and he has yet to score a goal in 33 games. In the AHL, he’s had 23 points in 47 games. Under a half-point per game in the minors does not spell good news for his future. The Devils need to know once and for all what they are doing with him after this year. His contract is up, and the Devils could move on from the former 1st-round pick if he can’t hang. They will want him to play in the NHL at least until the AHL season starts just to see what they have.
Kuokkanen is a different case. The Devils could have him spend the entire season in the AHL, but he’d still have some upside to be a permanent part of the roster. He’s only 22 years old. The Devils only got a limited look at him after he came over in the Sami Vatanen trade. He had 48 points between the Binghamton Devils and Charlotte Checkers last season. Still, the Devils want a good look at their asset, and at least at first, that will be in the NHL.
Nick Merkley or Nathan Bastian ends up as an extra
The Devils will be very strategic with their lineup this season. It’s a strange season, and waivers will be prevalent. With only 23 spots on the opening-night roster, the Devils need to find space for all of their players that are no longer waiver exempt. The important prospects on the roster who no longer have waiver eligibility are Nick Merkley and Nathan Bastian.
All of McLeod, Kuokkanen, and Boqvist can be sent down without getting claimed by another team. Still, the Devils will want them in the lineup. They won’t want to lose Bastian or Merkley based on their investment in the two, but certain moves might force their hand. One will be watching the game from the owner’s box.
Merkley came over in the Taylor Hall trade, and he ended up being a forgotten piece at first. While everyone focused on the Devils’ new draft picks and defenseman Kevin Bahl, Merkley was a former 1st-round pick with a bungled development. He was once one of the Arizona Coyotes’ top prospects, but something got lost. He played well after the trade, scoring 19 points in 28 games with Binghamton and putting up two points in four games with New Jersey. He’s been decent with Assat, putting up 13 points in 19 games in the Finnish league.
Bastian was supposed to be a lock to make the roster at this point. The big-bodied winger made a huge splash on the NHL roster two seasons ago. However, last season he didn’t even get a call up. Now, he’s 23 years old and his NHL future is in doubt. The former 2nd-round pick had a better season in the AHL thanks to much better assist numbers, but he’s still at about a half of a point per game.
The Devils could probably keep them both on the 23-man roster. That is unless…
Devils will add another forward that will make the roster
The Devils need another forward. Going into the season with these 12 spots filled with who’s currently on the roster is asking too much from the young players. The Devils need one more veteran. Whether that’s a free agent or a professional tryout, more names will be coming to Newark this week.
Andreas Athanasiou is probably the most obvious name that comes to mind, but other players would be willing to come on a PTO contract that the Devils should assess.
The Devils have done well with PTO contracts in the past. Drew Stafford is the most recent example of a player coming on a PTO and actually contributing. He did so well, the Devils signed him twice. Unfortunately, he eventually had to play too much because of injuries and his tenure is not looked at so great.
P.A. Parenteau and Lee Stempniak are two examples of players who signed PTOs and the Devils eventually traded them for draft picks. The Devils might not be very good this season, so this could be an attractive option for Fitzgerald. He will look at the veterans who might just need an opportunity and give it to them.
Ty Smith gets a top-four role
Ty Smith was the biggest disappointment for the Devils in training camp last season. He was a virtual lock to make the Devils roster, but he had such a bad camp and preseason, he was sent back to Spokane to play in the WHL. He ended up dominating again and won his second WHL Defenseman of the Year award.
Now, he’s coming into camp as someone with expectations. He is not eligible for juniors anymore, and he either has to play in the AHL or NHL. The way the Devils defense is built, it seems like the Devils are at least expecting him to make the team. Maybe Reilly Walsh or Kevin Bahl can push the envelope, but Smith is the guy with the most talent and expectations, so that should win out in training camp.
The way the Devils defense looks, it appears that it would make the most sense for Smith to start the season on the second line with Damon Severson. If you pair Ryan Murray with P.K. Subban, then the Devils can get a little creative with their second line. Severson is a virtual lock to take the right defense position, but the left can go to other players. It will come down to Smith and Will Butcher. Butcher has been a disappointment after a monster rookie season, so starting him slowly to rebuild his confidence makes sense. Put Smith on that second line to show what he can do.
Miles Wood ends up on the third line
This one is going to make some fans mad. To certain Devils fans, there are two good places for Miles Wood in the Devils lineup. They are on the bench, or in the owner’s box. To even talk about Wood going anywhere besides the fourth line is blasphemy.
Think about the priorities of the Devils this season. They want to figure out what they have on this roster while assessing how the team will look for the next five seasons. Miles Wood is 25 years old, has two more years on his deal that pay him $2.75 million per season, and has been unable to turn his skills into production.
Lindy Ruff will do everything he can early in the season to unlock Miles Wood. His speed has people’s eyes bulging. Ruff will believe he can turn him into something on offense. Which Devils player has been the best at getting the best out of his linemates? Travis Zajac is the answer.
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Zajac is going into the final year of his contract with the Devils. It would be mean to post him with Miles Wood in what could be his last year in New Jersey, but the Devils have to figure out what to do here. They want to promote Wood before this year’s expansion draft in hopes the Seattle Kraken take him. There’s a lot of reasons the Devils will want to keep Wood on this line, possibly paired with Johnsson or Jesper Bratt.