How Important Is John Marino To New Jersey Devils Success?

When the New Jersey Devils traded Ty Smith to the Pittsburgh Penguins, many were left wondering why the Devils would give up on a guy who seemingly had a lot of untapped potential. When the acquisition was announced as John Marino, there was some hesitancy. “Is Marino good?” is a question that popped up on Twitter. Not only was Marino a bonafide top-four defenseman for the Penguins, but he also had the potential to be a lot more.  We are seeing that now in the early looks we are getting from training camp and the preseason.

Marino was a 6th-round pick out of the USPHL by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2015 NHL Draft (side note, the original 2015 draft for the Oilers could have been amazing if they took Barzal and kept Marino). He committed to Harvard University and played there until his junior year. Much like his superstar teammate Adam Fox, Marino’s rights would be traded to a Metropolitan team in the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 5th-round pick due to the player’s unwillingness to play for the parent club.

When Marino arrived in Pittsburgh, he was a revelation, posting some of the best defensive numbers in the NHL as a rookie. While his play has regressed particularly offensively in recent years, he remains a steady, reliable RHD that has the puck skills to be more offensively-minded. This is hopefully what he’ll be for the Devils.

Through the first days of camp, it was evident that Marino would be a huge boost to the defensive core. The electric and borderline elite skating was on full display as Marino defended against Jack Hughes on the rush. On New Jersey’s tying goal against the Islanders, Marino made a nice play on the blueline and shoveled a pass through to Yegor Sharangovich in the slot, which he buried past Ilya Sorokin.

He made a couple of other plays rotating in the offensive zone with the forwards and making passes from the left hash mark. It’s this dynamic quality of Marino, particularly through his skating, that makes him a much more intriguing player than maybe meets the eye. The surprising offensive play did not hinder his defensive game, as he was dominant in defending the rush and along the boards in the D-Zone. He ended the game as the third-best defenseman by way of GameScore, but the eye test arguably showed that he was the best defenseman on the ice.

Why is all of this important? After all, it’s only a preseason game. This strong showing from Marino highlights the almost embarrassment of riches the Devils have on the blueline. The defensive depth really has come a long way and should be the reason why the Devils improve in the standings.

Think back to last year for a moment. The Devils started opening night with Christain Jaros and Colin White playing significant minutes. No offense to them, but Marino, Brendan Smith, and the Utica rookies are a league above. The other reason why Marino’s game is so important is that it allows for less dangerous shots being thrown at the goalies, which in theory should help out the goaltending issues the team has had in recent years.

We have seen how good defense can propel a team without goaltending. The Avalanche took a struggling (albeit injured) Darcy Kuemper to a Stanley Cup win. The theoretical less dangerous shots coupled with some rebounding numbers for Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek should make the goaltending situation this year a lot more bearable.

John Marino helps the New Jersey Devils future as well.

This does not just affect this year either. With Luke Hughes coming up next year, he is going to need a reliable right-handed defenseman next to him. Luke Hughes is an adventurous, risk-taking defenseman who will get caught out of position a few times in his early years with the team. He will be an offensive dynamo that will be deep in the offensive zone and be extremely aggressive in pinching the blue line. He will need a guy who can do the heavy lifting defensively. Think the Siegenthaler to Luke’s Hamilton. During the World Juniors, it was Brock Faber that provided the cover for Luke. Who better than Marino in New Jersey to be that veteran, calming presence?