New Jersey Devils: 3 Players Who Are Most To Blame For Bad Start
The New Jersey Devils have been very disappointing this season, hitting a fever point on Friday night, losing to the worst team in hockey, the San Jose Sharks. They needed this game. After a mediocre start with quite a few bad teams on the schedule, the Devils are in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division. While there’s a lot of season left, the Devils are in a really bad spot.
There are many reasons for the Devils terrible start. Injuries are probably at the top of the list. Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier missed a few weeks each. Timo Meier just returned after missing some time. Erik Haula, Curtis Lazar, and Colin Miller all missed time, too. Nolan Foote has never been healthy, and Dougie Hamilton might be out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Coaching also has to take its fair share of the blame. There are some decisions that… how do we say this diplomatically… numb the mind.
Yet, it still feels like the execution of the players who are most to blame. Many players are having worse seasons. Timo Meier hasn’t played up to his new contract. Hamilton, before his injury, was making mistakes that cost the Devils games. Ondrej Palat has been up and down. The depth of the team seems incomplete due to the injuries. However, three players are playing so far below the standards that one could argue that their turnaround alone would turn around this season. The first one is pretty obvious.
1. Vitek Vanecek
Goaltending is the Devils biggest problem. Vitek Vanecek looks like a shell of himself this season. His movements are frantic. The rebound control is… not controlled. Vanecek has been one of the worst goalies in the NHL. Actually, some statistics declare him the worst goalie in the NHL. Only Stuart Skinner and Antti Raanta have a worse goals-saved above average than Vanecek’s -9.03 according to Natural Stat Trick. That means, over his 15 games, Vanecek allowed about nine goals more than an average goalie would in the same situation.
If Vanecek was what he was last season, the Devils might have three or four more wins. Legitimately, Vanecek might be why the Devils are near the bottom of the standings instead of the top. The Eastern Conference is incredibly close, and the Devils keep losing on standings points. The goalies are the reason. Akira Schmid has been good and bad, but Vanecek has basically been all bad.
2. Jonas Siegenthaler
When the New Jersey Devils signed Jonas Siegenthaler to a five-year contract extension, it was the Devils commitment to its core. They gave Siegenthaler a slight raise to sign him long-term. Everyone was committing to each other. Nobody thought this would ever look like a bad deal. Siegenthaler did the small things the Devils needed so players like Hamilton and, eventually, Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec could thrive.
Siegenthaler is supposed to be the rock. He’s the glue that holds everything together. The Devils need him so their more offensive-minded players can be more aggressive. He plays back, plays safe, and plays with a mind to keep the puck away from the other team.
Unfortunately, the Devils haven’t gotten that from Siegenthaler this season. He’s officially given the puck away 13 times this season. Ten of those times happened in the defensive zone according to Money Puck. It always seems to happen at the most inopportune time.
Siegenthaler has been on the ice for 17 goals against and only 13 goals at even strength. He provides nothing offensively (36 shot attempts this season and 35 came from low-danger areas). His performance has been pitiful, and the Devils might be stuck with a bad contract if he can’t get his act together.
3. John Marino
Siegenthaler narrowly edges out John Marino as the most disappointing defenseman on the team. Both have been about as bad as they were good last season. Maybe it truly is the loss of Damon Severson and Ryan Graves that is hurting this defense, but it’s not like their replacements are bad (outside of defenseman Brendan Smith). Luke Hughes and Kevin Bahl have been pretty good, and Colin Miller has been serviceable since returning from injury.
It’s something more than just replacing quality players. Marino is in a terrible slump. He can’t play at any level on the ice. He’s been bad in the defensive zone, sloppy in the neutral zone, and made low-IQ plays in the offensive zone. His mistakes often directly lead to goals, and he’s not able to make up for the mistakes of his teammates like he was last season. It’s like he’s regressed terribly.
Where Marino is especially struggling is on the penalty kill. No defenseman in the NHL is giving up more goals on the PK than Marino. In 75 minutes with a man disadvantage, Marino has seen 16 goals scored. Again, that’s a league lead in the worst possible way. It’s not all his fault, as seven goals were not of the high-danger variety, but his nine high-danger goals against are still a league-high.
Timo Meier Doesn't Deserve Hate He Receives. dark. Next
We’ve seen this regression when Marino was on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The good news is this means he’s gotten out of it before. The bad news is it took a trade to the Devils. Is Lindy Ruff’s system taking its toll on this defense, or is this general regression? Can Siegenthaler and Marino bounce back? They need to, or the Devils may never recover.