New Jersey Devils End Of Season Forward Grades

New Jersey Devils left wing Jesper Bratt (63): Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
New Jersey Devils left wing Jesper Bratt (63): Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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New Jersey Devils
Nico Hischier #13 of the New Jersey Devils. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The New Jersey Devils finished the very disappointing season with a dreadful 27-46-9 which is good for a 38.4 winning percentage which is down from last season’s 40.2. This was supposed to be the season that the team was in the very least competitive and in the playoff hunt for the final month but they managed to get even worse. This is also a team that made the biggest offseason moves with proven scorer Tatar and an entire top pairing to defend with Hamilton and Graves. It was a disaster for the team but let’s go ahead and take a look at players on an individual level and compare them to the preseason predictions.

We will start with the forwards and like always the ratings are based on expectations.

Nico Hischier

GP:70 G:21 A:39 PTS:60

Pre-Season Prediction: GP:70 G:22 A:37 PTS:59

The captain was once again a solid player on both sides of the rink this season. While he might not be a superstar, he is one of the best second-line centers in the league and a man you can have out at any point of the game and feel comfortable. He ended up positive on the +/- side of things on a dreadful team and this was playing the hardest matchups night in and night out. He might not be flashy, but Nico Hischier is the kind of guy who wins you cups and is a big part of this core.

Rating: A

Jesper Bratt

GP: 76 G: 26 A: 47 PTS: 73

Pre-Season Prediction: GP: 75 G: 15 A: 30 PTS: 45

Jesper Bratt made the big stride he looked capable of this season and is going to be up for a huge raise this offseason. He looks a whole new level of confidence with the puck and was one of two players who would drive the play every night making him beyond valuable for this team. He has always had a phenomenal shot but this season he finally decided to use it and getting away from the always pass mentality this team has was what shot him up the points chart and into being a star.

Rating: A+

Tomas Tatar

GP:76 G:15 A:15 PTS:30

Pre-Season Prediction: GP:78 G:25 A:35 PTS: 60

Tomas Tatar never found his stride. He was moved around the lineup, but he did spend significant time in the top six with two players making things happen which made his season more disappointing. His shot looked mediocre and like most of the middle of this roster tended to disappear for periods at a time and even for entire stretches of games. His two-way play was lacking and he looked pretty disinterested in some games. Physicality was never his game but it would have been nice to see a few hits the Devils might have one year left with him but they will be making changes and he could be on his way out if he doesn’t slide down to the third line.

Rating: C-