5 New Jersey Devils Players Who Could Steal A Playoff Roster Spot
The New Jersey Devils are basically committed to a playoff spot this season. They are 19 points up on the Pittsburgh Penguins with 12 games remaining in the season. If the Devils lose 80 percent of their games for the rest of the season, they still make the playoffs. They are pretty much set to face the New York Rangers in the first round of the postseason. They are trying to figure out who’s getting home-ice advantage, with the Devils holding a five-point lead.
The Devils are focusing solely on the playoffs. There are few goals when a playoff spot is basically locked. On top of it all, the Devils need to pinpoint its roster. Things seem pretty secure for most of the team. We covered the daily players who are still fighting to play in the postseason. Now, let’s take a look at players that can play spoiler.
During the 2012 run to the Stanley Cup Final, the Devils fourth line gained a ton of headlines. Stephen Gionta was a huge contributor to the line. What most Devils fans don’t remember is Gionta played one NHL regular season game before making the playoff roster. That can happen again to the Devils this year. Let’s start with the one that is making his case on the NHL roster right now.
Nolan Foote
Nolan Foote is front of mind after scoring the ever-important insurance goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night. The Devils needed to get out of a three-game losing streak, and they had a third-period lead against one of the scariest teams in the league.
Foote’s always been known for his incredible shot. For some reason, he’s struggled to translate it to the NHL and AHL. Since he was traded to the Devils organization in the Blake Coleman trade, Foote has 44 goals in 145 games. In the NHL, he only has four goals in 17 games.
However, if Foote shows he’s clicking with the fourth line, Lindy Ruff might give him a chance. Foote has value in a certain role, and the Devils have that role open if Nathan Bastian and Miles Wood struggle to return to the lineup.
Graeme Clarke
Graeme Clarke and Nolan Foote are very similar in their argument to make the roster. Foote has one thing over Clarke. He has been in the NHL for spurts over the past three seasons. Clarke was called up this season, but he’s yet to play in his first NHL game.
However, Clarke is having a better season in the NHL than Foote. Clarke has 48 points in 57 games. Foote has 30 points in 49 games. Clarke could do this similar to how Gionta did it in 2012. He might only need one game to impress Lindy Ruff to the point that he makes the playoff roster.
This is a long shot, but Clarke has been doing so well for the Utica Comets that he deserves at least a shot to prove himself at the NHL level. The Comets are pushing for the playoffs, but it’s been a rough season overall. The magic of last season seems a little lost, but the talent could still go far. If they don’t, Clarke will be on the NHL roster sooner rather than later.
This is an interesting look at a potential future contributor. Clarke does a lot right, especially when it comes to what the Devils look for in players. Surprisingly, he hasn’t had an NHL look this season, but it could only take one to prove he’s ready for the biggest stage.
Brian Halonen
The Devils took a few chances on highly-touted prospects that would eventually play in the AHL. Tom Fitzgerald signed Jack Dugan in the offseason, and he grew into a decent player. Then, the Devils traded him for defenseman Zack Hayes. The Devils needed a 6’3″, 224-pound defenseman after losing Nikita Okhotyuk in the Timo Meier trade.
Another player the Devils signed with a high upside is Brian Halonen. The former Michigan Tech star has been much better as of late. He has 10 points in his last 11 games. This includes a two-goal performance against the Belleville Senators. His shooting percentage is way up this season (17.2%), but it has shown no signs of slowing down.
Halonen is another player who’s yet to spend any time in the NHL. In fact, he actually spent more time in the ECHL this season than he did in the NHL. He was sent down when he was struggling earlier in the year. It clearly sent a message.
Halonen has been playing well, as we said. It’s all about recency bias when it comes to a playoff roster. It doesn’t matter about name value or a player’s season stats. Look at the Devils in 2018. Jesper Bratt was really good all year, but he was ice cold going into the postseason. So, the Devils started without him. Halonen could take the place of someone else.
Simon Nemec
Simon Nemec has been one of the best players on the Utica roster all season. He was also one of the best players in the World Junior Championship. Nemec, the Devils second-overall pick in this past NHL Draft, came right over to North America despite not making the NHL roster right off the bat. The Devils did give him an extended look, but he hasn’t sniffed an NHL game since the preseason.
Nemec will go right to the NHL roster when the AHL season ends. Then, he will likely stay there for the next 20 years. Nemec has plenty of tools that look NHL-ready.
The Devils could seriously use someone like Nemec on the roster. He’s an offensive dynamo that isn’t a complete mess in his own zone. He has nine goals and 15 assists. He also has six points in his last six games. Nemec is heating up at the right time.
Obviously, Nemec could be a game changer. He has the talent to swing a series. He has to make sure he isn’t going to play like a 19-year-old defensemen when it matters most. He has to be special if he’s going to make the postseason roster. He might get a chance to prove that at the end of the season.
Luke Hughes
This is the one everyone is waiting for. Luke Hughes could come out of the University of Michigan on fire and make the Devils roster right away. We’ve seen it happen before. Chris Kreider joined the New York Rangers in 2012 and played exactly zero NHL regular season games. Coming out of Boston College, he was a superstar. So, they added him to the postseason roster sight unseen.
Kreider ended up being a huge contributor for them, scoring five goals on their run to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. (Remind me, what happened in that series?) Luke Hughes could do something similar.
The Devils have not been committed to anyone on the bottom pairing left side all season. For the most part, they’ve tried to make it work with Brendan Smith or Kevin Bahl. However, Lindy Ruff is not terribly committed to either of them. If Luke Hughes comes up after a stellar run in the NCAA Frozen Four, he could be an NHL player right away.
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However, the issues are the same as Nemec. Hughes is just 19 years old. He’s prone to mistakes despite his immense offensive upside. Still, the Devils would be foolish to not at least test the waters with Hughes. Unlike Kreider, the Devils should have a chance to give Hughes regular season games prior to a postseason run. That could be huge in helping him prove to Ruff and Co. that he’s playoff ready.