New Jersey Devils: What Are The Options Moving Forward?
The New Jersey Devils are once again failing. The loss to the Arizona Coyotes is fresh in the minds of the team’s fans. They came out fast which was a huge issue early in the season but something they have improved upon since mid-December which is great and all but they still can’t put up a 60-minute performance.
This was a team that got back everyone that has played this season save Dougie Hamilton, and an AHL team still beat them. A team who is straight-up trying to rebuild by tanking for Shane Wright and Connor Bedard the next two seasons went into the Prudential Center and not only won, but they sent the Devils to the woodshed. As it stands now, the Devils are right in the conversation for joke franchises with the Coyotes and Sabres. It is painful to say but with no success since 2012 is just a fact.
So what can they do for now?
1. Goaltending change
Well, when it comes to goaltending, they are straight-up terrible. They have been since a pre-injured Cory Schneider and Johan Hedberg played on this team. The team is still saying that Blackwood is hurt and trying to play through his nagging heel but they need to sit him down till it is 100% ready even if it means he is done for the season. an 894 save percentage is not NHL quality and is so far from a starting guy. In his last ten starts he has been above a .901 save percentage one time and this has given the team no chance to win.
Sign any goalie who can put up slightly subpar numbers and run him for the season. While no one wants to hear it, this team is draft lotto bound and probably going to be around pick number 5-7 again. It doesn’t matter who is in net, but it would be better moving forward to drop a few spots. They can’t afford to take any confidence from future goalies like Daws who need to be far from this dumpster fire.
As it stands now, the Devils also need to at least consider a future without Blackwood in the net. For two seasons, he hasn’t shown he can be a starter and the future star talks about him are close to gone. His only chance is to heal up and fans need to hope that this was the problem.
2. Split up Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes.
These two are the only line drivers and the most skilled players on the team and while stacking one super line can work out great it isn’t for this team. They need to move them on different lines because no one else can push the play and even if they are better together the team is far worse overall.
Keep Hughes with Sharangovich and put whoever is playing well on the wing while Bratt goes back to his Johnsson, Mercer line to get them going again. This seems like an easy call but here we are again wondering what another Devils coach is doing.
Moving Forward
This team has two ways they can do this now and it is very unclear what way they will be going.
Option 1: Continue trying to improve around a few players.
The team needs to make some moves that help now and in the future. Target teams who are equally desperate or need to make moves. The Coyotes are in a full-on tank so what would it take to get Chycrhrun and or Crouse. They already have 3 first-round picks and 5 second-rounders with more probably on the way from players like these and older veterans like Kessel and Stralman.
This is a risky proposition but with Fitzgerald in charge, I still have faith in him as of right now. He got a proven backup two years straight and it is not his fault they got injured when it comes to defense he is the only guy I can recall getting a legit first pairing in one year.
Right now they need a defensive defenseman who can play in the bottom four a goaltender and a middle-six player who can score and drive the play. It is a lot but the team has added a lot under him already so it is not out of the question he will get it done.
Option 2: Blow it up and rebuild again
This would sit poorly with most fans but quite frankly if this team is in the basement 20 games into next season this is probably the best option. Next season’s draft has the best prospects available since McDavid and the difference between getting Bedard or Michkov and being 6-10th is franchise-changing. If they can’t make the playoffs with this group by then it probably won’t happen so going all in for another group is the best play.
Hughes and Bratt should be virtually untouchable upfront but anyone else not on an ELC would be up for grabs and I do mean anyone. This is not suggesting they dump good players like Nico but for the right price, they absolutely should listen. They need to build a strong defensive core again and get some players that defend first and foremost in front of a new goalie that is going to sit at a .915 save percentage instead of sitting at the bottom of the league.
Next. Looking Back At 2019-20 Disaster Season. dark
Hopefully, it won’t come to this but the future is not looking good.