New Jersey Devils End Of Season Player Grades Part 1
The New Jersey Devils finished the season in a rather disappointing position. However, there are plenty of positives to look at. The Devils have the fourth spot in the NHL Draft Lottery thanks to the inclusion of the Seattle Kraken. Obviously, though important, the draft is something the fans would like to stop caring about so much and the playoffs are something that needs to be a goal for next season. The team is still young and developing, but bigger steps must come soon or the fans will revolt.
One of the biggest things the team needs to figure out is why they couldn’t win at home this season. Finishing with seven wins in 28 games is ridiculous and as all fans know your home record should almost always be better. However, how this team prepared for home games versus the road games must be addressed as having nearly double the road wins is a problem.
Another stat that stands out is losing all five shootouts. While not the biggest sample size the only other teams that didn’t manage a win in the skills contest had two or fewer chances. With all the skill on the bench, there should not be so many points left on the board, and in a full season where the Devils will likely be in a shootout around 10 times, finding a few guys who excel in the area should be adding another 5-7 points which could make a huge difference in a playoff run.
With the season going so bad, the grades probably shouldn’t be great, but that’s not necessarily the case. There are a lot of players who aren’t here anymore, so they won’t get a grade, but here’s the grades for who’s left.
Nico Hischier
GP:21 G:6 A:5 PTS:11
The shortened season for the new captain had some ups and downs, but once he got up to speed, Nico Hischier was looking as good as ever on the offensive side of the puck. It was really nice to see him utilize his shot a bit more than normal. He has only managed to break 20 goals once, which is a little disappointing (ignoring that two of his seasons were shortened by the coronavirus pandemic), but if he could maintain the pace from this year he would have hit a career-high easily. Add that to his stellar two-way game, and Hischier could quietly move into the conversation as a top defensive forward in the league and a Selke candidate real quick.
Final season grade: B+
Jesper Bratt
GP:46 G:7 A:23 PTS:30
Bratt had a pretty typical season for himself and was just quietly good. His Corsi and Fenwick were among the best on the team and his chemistry with Nico is just unquestionable at this point. He also was utilizing his shot way more which was something he needed to do and actually had the same number of shots as last season in 14 fewer games. His shot percentage was a career-low so one should also expect a good amount more goals next season and a push to his first 20 goal season.
Final season grade: B+
Pavel Zacha
GP:50 G:17 A:18 PTS:35
The Devils leading goal scorer this season had a very interesting year, to say the least. Visually, he made huge strides in his offensive game. With a career-high in goals and points in the least number of games, one would expect Zacha to be a huge breakout candidate, but some cracks really showed in his play at times.
Zacha was looked at, for the most part, as a third-line center who would be solid enough defensively, but his defensive numbers were not good at all. Despite his time with good players who drove the play for him, he was still a negative player in almost every way and there have been some very vocal calls to trade high on Zacha. Whatever the Devils decide, it will be something to keep an eye on because they are in desperate need of goals but if your letting in a ton it is worth nothing. Another thing more obvious to look at is his 16.5 shooting percentage, which is rather insane. Unless we believe he has a shot the caliber of Connor McDavid, Mark Scheifele, and Sebastian Aho, his goal totals are in the prime spot for a massive tumble.
Final season grade: B
Jack Hughes
GP:56 G:11 A:20 PTS:31
The growth in Jack Hughes’ game has been astounding. He might not have burst out of the gate like some generational superstars, but he is well on his way to being a top player in the league. In fewer games, he got more goals and assists by a rather big margin compared to his rookie season. He moved from the egregious -26 to almost dead even on a bottom team in his +/-. On top of this, he led the team in Corsi and Fenwick, controlling the play a pretty ridiculous amount of time on a line with two rookies for a good part of the season. He also hit such a high number of posts and while there is no luck/60 stat, he could very easily have had another 5 goals and hit 40 points. His shot percentage was only 7.7 and visually he improved a lot in this area so next season expect Hughes’ numbers to skyrocket.
Final season grade: A
Yegor Sharangovich
GP:54 G:16 A:14 PTS:30
After his hot start in the KHL, Yegor Sharangovich came over and impressed right away showing chemistry with Zajac and Kuokkanen before Jack Hughes was made their new center. His shot lived up to the hype. His shooting percentage sits at a high number for the NHL at 14%, there is absolutely nothing that makes one think it will drop in a big way. His release is crisp and his shot is so hard that his spot is secure for next season. This line should be together for a long time. With a full season next to an improving Jack Hughes, get ready for Yegor to push 25 goals sooner rather than later.
Final season grade: A
Janne Kuokkanen
GP:50 G:8 A:17 PTS:25
The unexpectedly good member of this line did exactly what he needed to do to not just stay in the lineup but to be the complementary piece on a big line. Kuokkanen’s puck retrieval skills add so much to the Devils’ future and just having the determination to do whatever is needed to make the play really stands out. Despite not being the most obvious one on the line on a shift-by-shift basis he was on a very strong pace points-wise that would have had him at 41 points on a regular-season exceeding all expectations and he should maintain his spot on this line next season.
Final season grade: A
Micheal McLeod
GP:52 G:9 A:6 PTS:15
Michael McLeod’s hype had fallen off before this season. He was starting to look like a career AHL player. Now, he’s a guy who looks to have figured it out. He might never be a top-six guy, but centering an exciting fourth line that can move and hit is something the Devils really need. His shot and hockey IQ looked a lot closer to being at the level he had in Mississauga. With a good offseason and a small step forward, they will become a dominant 4th line and a terror in the playoffs. What the Devils need to avoid here is not pushing them up the lineup and expecting too much when they are what they are.
Final season grade: B+
Nathan Bastian
GP:41 G:3 A:7 PTS:10
The big physical force led all Devils in hits this season with 136 and had nearly a 40 hit difference between him and the number two guy on the team, fellow linemate Mcleod. These are the intangibles Nathan Bastian needs to bring night in and night out because this team has so many small players who don’t lay out the body too often. His point totals tailed off at the end despite solid play but all the skills are there and his value will only increase as the Devils become more competitive and games get more physical later in the season and playoffs.
Final season grade: B
Miles Wood
GP:55 G:17 A:8 PTS:25
Usually, the team’s hit and fight leader, Miles Wood’s game changed this season. He still kept his edge, but he found a way to also be the team’s scoring leader. Despite the hit numbers which show he did not use the body as often, anyone who watched Devils games knows he was a force on the ice making sure people came out of the game at least a little banged up. His speed is top-notch and was still used but the control he showed with it was a real game-changer as he stopped taking bad penalties running the goalie and putting the team behind. His growth as a player and leader was easy to see and while it would be nice to see him drop the gloves a bit more staying out of the box is important. Miles always has been an intriguing player and hopefully, the Devils know what he is and how much he is worthwhile not pushing him up the lineup and expecting him to become a 40-50 point player. Keep him in the bottom 6 and let him be the best at his role in the league which he may be capable of doing.
Final season grade: A
Andreas Johnsson
GP:50 G:5 A:6 PTS:11
Big things were expected of Andreas Johnsson this season as he had proven he could play with talent in Toronto. When healthy, he put up respectable numbers. He was even decent in the physical department. What the Devils got was a fraction of the player who looked lost in all ends of the ice was rather soft and gave so little he brought down anyone on the line with him. He is a prime candidate for the expansion draft and should not be protected while hoping Seattle thinks he will bounce back.
Final season grade: F
Nick Merkley
GP:27 G:2 A:8 PTS:10
Merkley came in looking rather good but it trailed off quickly as did his ice time which was averaging at a too low 11:30. It is hard to do much with low ice time but he will be in a tough battle for a few spots next season and without a big training camp will likely be in the AHL. His physical play is great for a small player and his shot is rather underrated but at 23 years old another step needs to be taken if he wants a full-time role.
Final season grade: C+
Mikhail Maltsev
GP:33 G:6 A:3 PTS:9
Maltsev had a mediocre season much like Merkley and his underlying numbers were not bad but the Devils need more from him and can not afford to have a line that would only be doing anything in a quarter of the games. At times he could be invisible and one could be forgiven if they did not notice him for an entire stretch of games. To push a spot on the roster he will need to use his big 6’3 frame more and show some determination with and without the puck because this team still needs a stronger physical role apart from just one line.
Final season grade: D
Next. 5 Devils Players Who Could Help Playoff Teams. dark
Jesper Boqvist
GP:28 G:4 A:3 PTS:7
After the draft hype, Boqvist has failed to develop and his time to make the NHL is hitting a make-or-break point. With the worst Corsi and Fenwick of forwards who played 10+ games, he has a lot of room to improve and he needs to go hard in the offseason as more and more prospects pass him in the fans and franchises eyes. He still looks worse than average at all things and while nothing in his game looks awful he doesn’t have what it takes currently to play in the NHL.
Final season grade: D-