Jesper Boqvist – Grade: D
The Devils knew that depth scoring would be one of their keys to success in the playoffs, but they only got contributions from a few guys in that department. Jesper Boqvist was not one of them. Despite that, he was given multiple opportunities to prove different.
There was at least a reason for the opportunity. Boqvist ended the regular season playing relatively well, scoring half of his 10 goals in the last month of the year. The playoffs were a rude awakening for the Swede, who finished with no points in six playoff appearances.
Boqvist was neither a positive nor a negative, and his shifts were largely non-descript. The only time he was noticed on the ice was getting sent to the floor trying to compete with bigger Ranger and Hurricane forwards along the boards. No harm, no foul, but Boqvist was really just taking opportunities from other players, like Yegor Sharangovich.
With more players expected to graduate from Utica and compete for a roster spot next year, it is hard to foresee a place for Boqvist in New Jersey in 2023-24. Time will tell, but his playoff performance left a ton to be desired.