The bottom of the New Jersey Devils’ roster is an interesting place right now. The Devils invested a lot into their bottom six, which is good because it was a big reason they had trouble scoring. Adding pieces like Connor Brown, Arseniy Gritsyuk, Evgenii Dadonov, and re-signing Cody Glass is an improvement on what was being trotted out there last year.
We all knew it was going to be an overhaul of the bottom six this offseason. Tomas Tatar, Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Spring, and Justin Dowling were all free agents. Plus, the Devils were likely to move on from Shane Bowers and Nolan Foote, who both had a cup of coffee in the NHL this season.
With so much turnover, the Devils needed to be smart with their investments. They didn’t really overspend, although some would argue Brown’s contract is a slight overpay. However, with the status of the Devils’ salary cap and the fact that they still need to re-sign Luke Hughes, someone likely pegged as a bottom-six forward will have to play in the top six. Whether that’s Ondrej Palat (again), Dawson Mercer, Dadonov, or Gritsyuk, Sheldon Keefe will be playing guys higher in the lineup than originally expected.
That will provide an opportunity at the bottom of the Devils’ roster, and the competition could be fierce. Right now, the Devils have a roster that looks close to set, but there are moves that can be made to open opportunities for young players.
The bottom six will be some combination of Glass, Dadonov, Gritsyuk, Brown, Stefan Noesen, and Paul Cotter. Barring injury, we imagine the Devils will go into the season with those six (assuming Palat and Mercer take up the top-six openings).
That still opens one roster spot. The Devils have an opening for an extra forward who could earn time in the lineup. Right now, the leader in the pack because of his contract is Kurtis MacDermid, but we don’t think he gets an automatic pass to a roster spot this season. His contract can be completely buried, and the Devils might want to save the cap space instead of using it on a bruiser who only plays once in a blue moon.
We see the last spot on the roster, if it doesn’t go to MacDermid, being a fight between Thomas Bordeleau, Shane Lachance, Juho Lammikko, and Brian Halonen. There’s an outside chance they give an extra look to players like Angus Crookshank, Lenni Hameenaho, Marc McLaughlin, and Xavier Parent, but it’s unlikely any of them can separate from the pack, at least this season.
Of all those names, which there are nine fighting for one or two spots, Halonen is the most interesting. The former Michigan Tech star was really good for the Utica Comets last season. It was to the point where fans were confused why Halonen wasn’t getting a chance.
Halonen scored 27 goals for the Comets last season. He was only given a two-game stint in the NHL for his efforts. This year, he should get a bigger look. Even with more bottom-six competition, Halonen one more older and wiser on the ice is great for his game.
He brings the scoring upside and the impactful two-way game the Devils want in Sheldon Keefe’s system. He doesn’t have the greatest skill set, but he has plenty to be an effective NHL player. Then, when someone gets hurt, Halonen will be ready to jump into the lineup. He’s a much better fit than MacDermid, who is basically a one-trick pony at this stage of his career.