New Jersey Devils: Final Forward Grades For 2021 Season
This season was obviously terrible for the New Jersey Devils. Just about everything went wrong, there is likely more doubt about the future than optimism, the team went through an outbreak of sickness that knocked them off a positive trajectory, their most important players were either hurt, unlucky, or ineffective, and the team was forced to trade or give away any veteran than wasn’t bolted down to the floor.
This isn’t going to be the best season for grading, but there were a lot of positives that came out of the season. Despite its ups and downs, there is at least something to take out of this season. This could bear out in the grades. Some players deserve good grades based on the expectations, and there are absolutely players who deserve bad grades.
There will be players who deserve bad grades who are currently on other teams. Nikita Gusev would get an F, for sure. No offense to him, but the Devils felt like it would be better to cut bait from him entirely than to keep him on the roster. Kyle Palmieri wouldn’t have done too much better. He wasn’t as bad as Gusev, but he fell way below expectations. Dmitry Kulikov is the only “former Devil” that would actually do well in the grading.
For now, let’s focus on who is still in New Jersey. Who deserved an A, who deserved a B, and who failed for this season? We will grade every player who’s played at least ten games this season. All advanced stars come from Natural Stat Trick.
Jack Hughes
Jack Hughes came into this season with a lot of questions. He was not a good player last season. Hughes had 21 points in 61 games. He only scored a goal seven times. It was a massive disappointment. This season was anything but. Hughes was the best player on the Devils. Other Devils had better stats, and other Devils had more goals, but nobody impacted the game as Jack Hughes did. Just look at the comparison between his 5v5 numbers from his rookie to sophomore years. His CF% went from 45.78% to 55.09%. His xG% went from 47.27% to 55.58%. In 2019-20, Hughes was on the ice for nine high-danger goals and watched as the other team scored 21 high-danger goals against him. This season, he saw an equal 14 and 14 in high-danger goals. He was very good this season, and he’s going to be great moving forward.
Grade: B+
Miles Wood
Miles Wood came into this season as the most likely option to go to the Seattle Kraken. The season hadn’t even started yet, but some fans were finding ways to get rid of Wood. His schtick just seemed to grow old, and he wasn’t able to really take advantage of his speed and skill. This season, Wood really put it all together. He scored 17 goals and put up 25 points. He finally found a way to be a scoring threat. He led the Devils in goals, and he stayed out of the penalty box for the most part. He is now an integral part of the team, and there’s almost no chance the Devils leave him exposed in the expansion draft.
Grade: B+
Yegor Sharangovich
Yegor Sharangovich is the most exciting player on the Devils. After dominating the KHL on the score sheet, the 22-year-old forward was looking to make the NHL roster. He was undoubtedly one of the better forwards in training camp. The Devils gave him a chance right off the top. He had a couple of hiccups in the middle of the season, but overall he was awesome. He had 16 goals and 30 points in 54 games. In a traditional 82-game season, that would equate to 45 points. That’s great for a rookie, and the Devils have a new building block for the future.
Grade: A
Michael McLeod
This is where expectations come into play. Michael McLeod was a fine player this season. Not many people would expect McLeod to have more games than players like Nico Hischier, Pavel Zacha, or even someone like Andreas Johnsson. McLeod deserved to be an everyday player. He was good. He scored his first NHL goal this season, and then he added eight more. Nine goals in 51 games aren’t exactly something one would celebrate from a former 1st-round pick, but it’s definitely something that many are happy about after the start of his career. He’s not an “A” player, but he showed he can be a part of this team’s future.
Grade: B+
Pavel Zacha
Pavel Zacha is still the most controversial player on the roster. People will look at his counting stats and say he’s the best player on the team this season. Others will look at his advanced stats and say this is all fool’s gold. He’s probably somewhere in between. He did lead the team in scoring this season. His 35 points in 50 games would be roughly 58 points over an 82-game season. Zacha could be on the way to a good career since he’s still only 24 years old.
Grade: B
Janne Kuokkanen
The Devils traded Sami Vatanen for Janne Kuokkanen and what ended up being a 3rd-round pick. It was a great trade at the time, and it looks even better this year. Kuokkanen scored 25 points in 50 games, and he’s been a legitimate winger next to Hughes and Sharangovich. The Youths Line has been driving play in most games, and they usually draw the hardest matchups. Kuokkanen hasn’t had the seasons Hughes and Sharangovich have had, but he definitely has exceeded expectations.
Grade: B
Andreas Johnsson
In the offseason, Devils fans were hoping newly minted general manager Tom Fitzgerald would be able to win more trades like he did at last year’s trade deadline. It seemed like it was coming to fruition when he added Andreas Johnsson for Joey Anderson. The Maple Leafs asked for one prospect in return for an NHL player in Johnsson. It never worked, and Johnsson has been the biggest disappointment on the Devils. He had five goals and six assists this season. The Devils will beg the Kraken to take him.
Grade: D
Jesper Bratt
Jesper Bratt had the looks of a really good player this season, but he didn’t get the stats of one. That’s because his instincts are still a little off. There were times he clearly needed to shoot and tried to make one perfect pass. That led to 30 points in 46 games. It probably had a lot to do with his contract dispute at the beginning of the season. He missed training camp and didn’t learn the Lindy Ruff system until the regular season already started. Bratt didn’t have a bad season, and he has the makings of a really good player, but he didn’t take the step up Devils fans would have wanted.
Grade: B-
Nathan Bastian
Nathan Bastian had a fine season. He provided something good on the offensive end and he provided a certain snarl on the defensive end. His size makes a difference, and he has undeniable chemistry with McLeod. His 10 points left a ton to be desired, and he still needs more to take another step in the right direction
Grade: C+
Mikhail Maltsev
Mikhail Maltsev had a really good start to the season, but he’s really fallen off over the past two months. Since April 1st, he has five points. He missed most of May with an injury, so his season ended prematurely. Maltsev was decisively average in most advanced stats. He scored six goals, which was nice, but two of them came with an empty net. It was a fine season, but he needs time to prove he’s a decisive part of the future.
Grade: C
Nicholas Merkley
The Devils were always going to use a lot of young players this season, and Nick Merkley was one of the players that got Devils fans excited. He was supposed to take a regular role on the offense, but until some of the veterans got traded or cut, he never really had a spot. He played six games total through February. Once he finally got into the lineup, he had some pretty insane assist metrics. His season was fine, but he spent most of the time on the taxi squad.
Grade: B
Jesper Boqvist
The Devils hoped Jesper Boqvist would really thrive in Lindy Ruff’s system, but he spent most of this season on the bench, in the press box, on the taxi squad, and even sometimes playing for the Binghamton Devils. After the trade deadline, he was a fixture in the lineup, but that was because of the pure need for NHL bodies. He hasn’t been good, and he’s actually worrisome about how he fits for the next few years. His star is not as bright as it was, and that hurts.
Grade: D
Next. Devils Expansion Draft Decisions. dark
Nico Hischier
We end this off with Nico Hischier. How do you grade Nico Hischier this year? He broke his leg, tested positive for COVID-19, and tried to stop a deflected slapshot with his face. It was a very, very rough year for the newly-appointed captain. He did get 11 points in 21 games despite dealing with SO MUCH. His grade will always be an incomplete, but for this exercise we’ll give him a letter. He was well above average on the ice, but the Devils needed more.
Grade: C+