New Jersey Devils Midseason Progress Report

Players Not Meeting Expectations

Erik Haula: The often-criticized centerman acquired via trade from Boston this summer has had a rocky start in New Jersey from a production standpoint. Haula does the little things well, such as winnings faceoffs and killing penalties but has appeared snake-bitten when it comes to finishing. Haula has appeared on a line with Jack Hughes for a good stretch now and only has two goals to his 41-game total, a number we would all like to see increase. Haula has shown the offensive ability in past years to contribute somewhere in the 10-15 goal range. Look for his finishing to kick up a notch in the second half of the season. Haula finding the back of the net a couple more times in the second half of the season can go a long way in New Jersey finding secondary scoring.

Miles Wood: As mentioned in a previous article, Miles Wood has seemingly disappeared from an offensive contribution standpoint. Wood has just seven goals in 40 games and is mired in a 12-game goal drought, with just one goal in his last 26 games…. yikes. Wood has shown in past years that he can contribute much more offensively, showcased by a 19-goal total in the 2017-2018 season. It seems as if Wood needs some puck luck or a wake-up call for him to find his game. Perhaps the impending return of Nathan Bastian could positively impact Wood. Whatever it may be that can get him going needs to be done. He has entirely disappeared and has been a huge disappointment since his quick start to the season.

Yegor Sharangovich: Maybe the 24-year-old Belarusian is going through some growing pains in year three, but the Devils sorely need him to find some consistency in his offensive game. With just 10 goals in 41 games, the streaky nature of Sharangovich’s game is far too apparent and quite concerning. Whether it’s finding him some play-driving linemates to spoon-feed him opportunities or a wake-up call, Sharangovich needs it soon. The Devils need some of these secondary scorers to step up for the first-half success to carry over. Sharangovich is at the top of the list of players who need to step up in the second half.