The New Jersey Devils needed to make a move this past week to get Dougie Hamilton on the roster. They chose to put Marian Studenic on waivers, and he was claimed by the Dallas Stars. The Devils lost a player who was lacking finishing ability, but someone with pretty good analytics. We know some people roll their eyes at that, but Studenic had some really good stats going for him.
Studenic scored one goal and one assist in eight games this season. Just by looking at him, he added a little speed to the fourth line that was missing with the season-long injury to Miles Wood. The Devils played well with Studenic on the ice. While he was usually in a position to stop the other team from scoring, he only say three 5v5 goals against him in those eight games.
Studenic spent 71 minutes with Michael McLeod, by far the most of anyone on the Devils. While they have given up their fair share of chances at even strength, most of them are medium to low danger chances. Meanwhile, they are able to put high-danger chances on net while they are together. Their CF% (basically checking total chances for and total chances against) was at around 40% this season. But, their HDCF% was around 56 percent. They had 12 high-danger chances together and faced 10 high-danger chances.
There was clearly something that drew the Stars to Studenic. His age was probably the main reason the Stars wanted him. It’s hard to get a 23-year-old player with a motor like his for absolutely free. Studenic finished 14th on our Top 25 Prospects List. He brings something to the table, and he might grow into a full-time NHL player.
There are a lot of “what ifs” with Studenic right now. The Stars are getting some bottom-sixth depth while giving someone a free audition for the future. He could slot into the lineup with so many Stars players seeing unrestricted free agency this offseason.
The question here is what else the Devils could have done. Mason Geertsen is the common player who could have gone on waivers instead. That’s a popular choice, but the Devils and Lindy Ruff clearly enjoy having on the roster. It’s really the only other choice besides sending Colton White down or sending Ty Smith down. The Devils had a decision to make, and it was clear they were okay with losing Studenic for nothing. It doesn’t seem like the smartest decision, but it was the decision the team decided to make.