5 New Jersey Devils Players With Biggest Question Marks Heading Into Next Season
The New Jersey Devils were a surprise to all last season. Not only did they finally make the playoffs for the first time in five years, but they had the third-best record in the NHL and they beat the New York Rangers in the playoffs. It honestly could not have gone better.
So many players answered questions in 2022-23. Jack Hughes showed he was a true superstar and one of the best players in the league. Nico Hischier was a Selke Trophy candidate who hit 80 points for the first time in his career. Dawson Mercer avoided the sophomore slump, Jesper Bratt answered the bell, and the Devils added grit along with scoring in Timo Meier. None of these players have any question marks heading into 2023-24.
There are plenty of players on this team that aren’t in the same position. There are huge question marks surrounding this roster as they try to find the most trustworthy lineup. We know about the stars. Let’s take a look at some of the players who we aren’t so sure about.
Alexander Holtz
As always, let’s start with the obvious. Alex Holtz isn’t even a lock to make the NHL. The former seventh-overall pick isn’t a bust yet, but he has to prove something this season to show he’s part of this team’s future.
Here’s the thing, the Devils could absolutely use a huge Holtz year. With Bratt and Meier playing on their next contracts and the addition of Tyler Toffoli, the wingers have become expensive. So, if Holtz can be a legit top-six winger, the Devils would be getting a player who can contribute on the cheap.
Holtz appeared to be an NHL forward at the start of last season. He was incredible in the preseason. He had two goals and two assists in three preseason games. His pairing with Hughes and Ondrej Palat looked like a match made in Heaven. Then, he just didn’t click in the regular season. It didn’t help that Lindy Ruff gave him a short leash.
The leash won’t be long this season, and the Devils front office wants something out of him to move forward. Not only is the team trying to find who will be their core, but the team needs to figure out the salary cap table for the next five or six years. Should they save money for Holtz, or is he going to be a player close to the minimum if he even sticks around?
Ondrej Palat
The other half of the Hughes preseason wingers didn’t have a good season, either. However, unlike Holtz, Ondrej Palat isn’t ever going to be taken out of the lineup. He’s making $5 million and was brought in to be the veteran presence (along with Erik Haula).
Last season, Palat had a rough first season away from Tampa Bay. He finished the season with 23 points, a career-low (outside of his 14 games in the lockout-shortened 2013). There was a major groin injury that really derailed his season.
Palat played six games before the injury, and he had three goals. He was proving his worth before the injury, and something just wasn’t the same after he returned in January.
This was probably a result of the injury, but he has to prove that. Palat didn’t deserve to be a top-six forward last season. He doesn’t deserve a spot in the top six this season to start off. If he scores another three goals in the first six games and continues that scoring, then he will force his way into the top six. For now, there are a million questions about what Palat will be for the remaining four years of his contract.
Vitek Vanecek
Obviously, the Devils are steeped hard in the goaltender trade market. There were directly tied to Connor Hellebuyck, but that sounds like it’s not going anywhere for now. At this point, the Devils are going into next season with Vitek Vanecek as its starter. And why wouldn’t they? He’s the only goaltender not named Martin Brodeur to win 30 games in a season. He took over for Mackenzie Blackwood pretty quickly, and he has two more years at a very reasonable contract.
Well, the main reason people lost faith in Vanecek was his awful playoff performance. He was literally the second-worst goalie in the playoffs. On any team. According to Natural Stat Trick, only Jake Oettinger had a worse goals saved above average than Vanecek’s -6.43.
It wasn’t just the analytics. Vanecek looked awful in net. He was frantic, lost, and couldn’t make the easy or the hard save. Everything went wrong for him, and the Devils might have been swept in the first round if he stayed in net. He was frankly bailed out by Akira Schmid.
Vanecek has to show that the playoffs were an outlier. To be honest, he won’t be able to prove anything until the playoffs start. His confidence in the postseason has never been great. In his career playoff starts, he has more below .800 save percentages than he has above .900. That needs to change.
Michael McLeod
We won’t address the elephant in the room. That will make itself known in due time. Let’s assume Michael McLeod is going into this season as a full participant. He still has a laundry list of question marks surrounding his on-ice play.
McLeod was incredible in the playoffs. He had six points in 12 games, was a physical presence on every shift, and he was one of the only players that didn’t wilt in the Carolina Hurricanes series. In the Devils one win against the Canes, McLeod scored a momentum-changing shorthanded goal. He also scored the first goal, the game winner, in Game 7 of the New York Rangers series.
However, that was the playoffs. McLeod was good at what he was good at (faceoffs and hits) during the regular seasons. That does have a limited impact, but it’s an impact Coach Ruff prioritizes. The negotiation process told a very interesting story, with the Devils giving McLeod just one year before they have to negotiate again.
Clearly, the Devils are asking playoff McLeod to show up on a more consistent basis. He had 26 points in 80 games last season. That breaks down to one point every three to four games. He needs to do more offensively to keep up.
Kevin Bahl
Kevin Bahl is still not signed to a contract. He was the one restricted free agent still waiting for his final number. Bratt and Meier were priorities, and their contracts were done before the calendar hit July. Meanwhile, the one negotiation still happening is the one with Bahl.
He had his best season last year. He showed he’s a full-time NHL defenseman. There’s a difference between being a full-time NHL defenseman and a full-time NHL defenseman on a Stanley Cup contender. Bahl is looking to replace the minutes Ryan Graves once held, but Luke Hughes is also joining the lineup full-time.
Bahl is trying to show where he fits into the long-term vision. This is a 23-year-old defenseman. He isn’t even close to the final product. It takes most defensemen until they are in their mid-20s to know exactly what they are.
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There’s one reason that isn’t the case for Bahl. The Devils are stacked with defensive prospects. Just on the left side, the Devils have Bahl, Hughes, Daniil Orlov, Topias Vilen, Ethan Edwards, Case McCarthy, and Daniil Misyul. That’s incredible competition. Can Bahl stand out? He has to at this point.