Predicting Points For Every New Jersey Devils Player (Except Dawson Mercer)
Predictions are always fun to make at the beginning of the season and this season there is a lot of change to the New Jersey Devils roster. The team has a lot of young players who could go in numerous directions on the stat sheet. That being said it is time to make some bold and likely some odd predictions for the Devils and their roster going into the upcoming season.
Nico Hischier
GP:80 G:22 A:37 PTS: 59
Former first-overall pick Nico Hischier missed a big chunk of last season with different injuries. It really hurt his output, only managing 11 points in 21 games. He has a lot to prove offensively. As Devils fans know, he is a solid two-way player, but this is the year the league will take a little more notice as the Devils become a better team and their captain will be a big part of that. This will be the year he reaches 20 goals for the second time and Hischier will set a career-high for goals, assists, and points.
Jesper Bratt
GP:75 G:15 A:30 PTS: 45
Jesper Bratt has been a 30-point player through his short four-year career, though many seasons have been shortened through no fault of his own. He has always had the skills and drive to get a little more, so now that the Devils have some depth and teams won’t be focusing on his line with Hischier. It is a good bet that he gets a couple more points.
Tomas Tatar
GP:78 G:25 A:35 PTS: 60
New Devils forward Tomas Tatar has always been a solid player in the regular season, and this year will be no different. He will be fighting for the top goal scorer on the team no matter what line he ends up playing on. He should get close to his career-high set in Montreal.
Jack Hughes
GP:82 G:20 A:40 PTS: 60
This is the year Jack Hughes takes his big step and proves worthy of being the #1 pick to the rest of the league. His low shooting percentages of 5.7 and 7.7 percent for his first two seasons will be a thing of the past and his good shot will put him at least to a bit above league average letting him hit 20 goals for the first time. With more targets to find on the ice and more time in the offensive zone thanks to an improved team, he will thrive as the puck carrying, playmaking machine he was in junior as his ascent to NHL star begins.
Yegor Sharangovich
GP:82 G:26 A:20 PTS: 46
With a pair of goals in a pair of preseason games, Yegor Sharangovich looks to be the same as he was last year and ready to go from day one. Last season, he was on pace for 24 goals and there is no reason to think he will take any steps back. Next to Hughes, the pair will solidify the long-term chemistry that was shown last season. He will prove himself as a legitimate middle-six guy if not a pure top 6 scorer and a guy who will push 30 sooner rather than later.
Alexander Holtz
GP:60 G:13 A:20 PTS: 33
This may be the boldest one here as he could perhaps spend the whole season in the AHL but after three preseason games in which he got four points and was a +3, there is a chance he sticks it out this year. He obviously didn’t make the final roster, but that doesn’t mean he won’t make it in November or December after a stint in Utica. His post-draft season was a little disappointing, but the last few weeks he did manage to show the reason the Devils were excited to take him after his time in Sweden. His shot is dangerous even in the NHL. My prediction is he spends most of the year up in the NHL and the coaching staff will play him with Hughes and Sharangovich for a good amount of time. This could be the perfect spot for him since Jack is such a good playmaker and he is not the only threat on the ice. Defenders will be watching Sharangovich and this could perhaps give him some more open space to release the shot. If this is how things play out his confidence will go up in a big way and the franchise will be looking strong moving into the future.