6 New Jersey Devils Who May Not Have A Roster Spot Next Season
It seems most New Jersey Devils fans have convinced themselves that if the team had league-average goaltending or league-average coaching, they would’ve had a lot more wins, and that’s fair. According to JFresh, the seven Devils goaltenders surrendered 46 more goals than expected.
As for the coaching staff, the team would have been better off with anyone running the powerplay unit other than Mark Recchi. It also would have been helpful to have a head coach who could make in-game adjustments. Instead, coach Ruff can’t even call mid-game timeouts.
Both issues are to blame, but the roster itself still isn’t good enough to compete for the playoffs. It’s close, and with some veteran additions this offseason, we may be approaching the light at the end of the tunnel for this decade-long rebuild.
In his exit interview, Jack Hughes had a few things to say about the team:
“The team right now isn’t the team we’re going to be successful with,” Hughes said. “We’re building something right now with our pieces.”
This team needs more pieces, and their superstar is making quite the plea for more help. Getting more pieces means there are guys who’re going to be the odd men out who will likely be traded, released, or healthy scratched next season. It all starts with the forwards, where there seems to be a logjam of players who feel similar in production.
Pavel Zacha, Andreas Johnsson, and Tomas Tatar:
For starters, don’t be shocked if Pavel Zacha is a member of the Devils come training camp. All season long, his name continued to pop up during trade talks. Whether it was him going to Vancouver or Washington or whoever, the noise was there.
As for his play, you can argue that he doesn’t even deserve a roster spot. If you’re life relied on Zacha working hard and winning a puck battle, then you should start planning your funeral (still better odds than Tomas Tatar hitting the net on a point-blank chance).
There are multiple young wingers who can bring as much offense as both of them while giving more effort. Alexander Holtz is right around the corner. Nolan Foote and Fabian Zetterlund showed some promise during their short stint with the big club. There’s always the possibility the team grabs a veteran or two in free agency.
Tatar and Andreas Johnsson are in the same boat as Zacha. They’re under contract for another year after underperforming all season long. While both showed a lot more intensity than Zacha, they contributed less. These three were large reasons as to why the Devils had basically no scoring come from their third line or anyone besides Hughes, Bratt, or Hischier.
However, if there is one positive for all of them to take away, their magic act really improved because, in most games, they were invisible.
As for their futures, I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnsson or Tatar come back, but a Johnsson trade and Tatar dump are possibilities too. It was rumored that the Coyotes had an interest in Johnsson. As for Tatar, who is owed $4.5 million next season, a buyout could be on the table. According to CapFriendly, if they were to buy him out this summer, they’d save $2.16 million in cash next season and $2.33 million on the cap. Then, they’d have to pay just over $1 million in cap hit in 2023-24.
What I’d do: Trade Zacha and Johnsson, release Tatar. Zacha has value and can be packaged in a big player deal, while Johnsson can net a late-round pick. As for Tatar, nobody is taking that contract, and considering all the times he’s been scratched on other teams, he may not be what the Devils need to build a winning culture.
Ty Smith
There are sophomore slumps, and there’s what Ty Smith just had this season. After a promising rookie season, many expected him to take a step back and struggle a little defensively, but he was arguably the worst player on the ice every time he stepped out there.
Don’t write off Smith just yet, but this year couldn’t have gone worse for him. He was scratched multiple times and finished with fewer points this season compared to his rookie year despite playing 18 more games.
It seemed like everything that had gone right for him last year wanted no business with him this year. He had no confidence moving the puck and making outlet passes, and he struggled to get the puck to the net, which is supposed to be a skill for him.
As for the defensive side of his game, he was a complete liability on the left side of the ice, especially in front of the net.
Ty Smith should not assume he has a job next year. pic.twitter.com/3FtLrqlFoN
— CJ Turtoro (@CJTDevil) April 27, 2022
Take your pick on the embarrassing highlight; there’s Drake Batherson walking Smith and scoring in overtime, Smith’s outlet pass in Los Angeles getting picked off, or every time he would get manhandled by the opposition in the front of the net.
The talent is there, but he doesn’t have much more NHL time to prove himself. There are some young defensemen in Utica or free agents who could be making their way to the Garden State.
What I’d do: Do not trade him. His value is the lowest it’ll ever be. Have him start in Utica if he doesn’t have a good camp.
Michael McLeod
Michael McLeod is another New Jersey Devils player who had a good campaign during the COVID year but failed to take that next step in this 82-game season. His faceoff percentage was still great, actually one of the best in the NHL, but a mix of over-utilization and lack of Miles Wood may have been the reason for his struggles. He was also missing Nathan Bastian at the beginning of the season.
If McLeod is returning next season, and his penalty killing alone likely warrants that, give him a taste with Wood again on his line because fans should remember how successful that BMW line was during the 2020 season. They deserve a chance to play together again after Miles Wood missed the entire season with a hip injury.
Janne Kuokkanen
The theme of this list seems to be highlighting guys who had great 2020 campaigns but poor 2021 seasons. Janne Kuokkanen looked destined to be a top-nine forward in this lineup for a very long time. However, between injuries and poor play, he struggled mightily.
Next. Has Nico Hischier Reached Elite Status?. dark
After returning from injury at the start of April, he put up six points in 14 games. Kuokkanen has flashed potential, and what he accomplished with Hughes and Sharangovich shouldn’t be overlooked. He deserves a spot on this team next season.