New Jersey Devils: Explaining A Controversial Line Proposal

Nathan Bastian – Michael McLeod – Curtis Lazar

Let’s address the elephant in the room right away. Miles Wood isn’t in the lineup. Wood is one of the most dynamic players in this league, but he also makes constant mistakes and can go weeks without a goal. The Devils can’t afford to deal with mistakes when facing the Rangers, Penguins, or whoever they play in the postseason. The Devils traded for Curtis Lazar to find a defensive-minded forward who makes no mistakes.

Lazar and McLeod were great against the Lightning on Thursday. They allowed no shots on goal against one of the best offensive teams in the league in terms of talent. They shut down everyone they faced.

Right now, Bastian is dealing with another injury. The feeling is he won’t be out long. He has been fighting for a spot in the lineup lately, but his underlying numbers show he should be in the lineup whenever possible. He already has built in chemistry with McLeod and can now build a rapport with Lazar.

This isn’t the BMW line, but that line isn’t doing what it was doing earlier in the season. There’s too much inconsistency since Bastian’s injury, and the Devils need to find as much consistency as possible.