5 New Jersey Devils Prospects Who Fell Below Expectations This Season
By Nick Villano
Nolan Foote
It hurts to put Nolan Foote here because he’s shown some flashes where he could be a really good player, but the consistency hasn’t been there when he’s on the ice. On top of that, he’s had trouble staying on the ice in general. He’s played 51 of the Utica Comets‘ 65 games this season. He missed some after a two-game callup with the Devils and others for an injury. It’s not like he’s been injury-prone, but it’s part of the narrative of his season.
Foote has 30 points in those 51 games. That puts him eighth on the team in points and his 13 goals are tied for seventh (with Nate Schnarr doing it in eight fewer games. Foote is third on the team in +/-. We can’t take too much from +/-, but maybe it shows the type of player Foote is trying to become.
What’s really concerning is Foote on the power play. His ridiculous shot should be an incredible asset on the PP. Instead, he only has two power-play goals this season. Tyce Thompson has played 12 games this season and he has more.
Foote will always have higher expectations than most because a) he was a first-round pick and b) he was the main prospect to come in the Blake Coleman trade. At the time of the trade, it looks like the Devils got themselves a haul for Coleman, but the longer we watch, the more it seems like the Devils might have come short in the deal.