New Jersey Devils grades at season's quarter mark
The New Jersey Devils have been pretty good in the season's first 21 games. They've overcome a crazy schedule to put forth a playoff-worthy performance. As we break down all the players, who deserves the team's As?
The New Jersey Devils are preparing to take the ice after a well-deserved four-day break. They've run through a torrid pace to start their season. It started in Prague, Czechia, where they took home two wins at the expense of their former head coach Lindy Ruff. That wasn't even 50 days ago.
A lot has happened since then. The Devils had a four-game losing streak that had the fanbase questioning everything. They beat the defending champs in a strange two-game set in South Florida. They've given up eight goals in a game and have been shutout three times, but at the same time, they've shut out three teams and have had on of the best special teams in the NHL.
With all that said, how can you grade the Devils at the season's 21-game mark? One quick note, only players who have played 10 games at skater qualify (both goalies will be graded).
How do you grade the New Jersey Devils at the NHL season's quarter mark?
Forwards: Jesper Bratt: 24 Points
Grade: A+
Jesper Bratt remains one of the most underrated players in the NHL. His 24 points has him tied for 12th in the league with names like Artemi Panarin and Connor McDavid. He's leading the Devils in points, and he's on pace to break the team record in assists. His 62-assist pace would beat Scott Stevens record from 1993-94 by two. He's making incredible plays, contributing on the power play, using his skills to show why he deserves every penny of his contract, and he's been a leader on the ice. The Devils literally couldn't ask for another thing from Bratt.
Stefan Noesen: 16 Points
Grade: A+
Raise your hand if you had Stefan Noesen scoring nine goals this season. Some of you? Well, he has nine goals after 21 games. Noesen has been one of the best free agent signings in the entire NHL, putting up 16 points after the Devls signed him to a three-year deal this offseason. Noesen's career high in goals is 14, which he did last year with the Hurricanes. At this pace, Noesen will have that by Christmas. He's been incredible for the Devils this year, and he's a huge reason the team is where they are in the standings.
Nico Hischier: 20 Points
Grade: A
Nico Hischier has been everything a Devils fan could ask for. He went on an insane scoring streak in the first few weeks of the season, and he even became the first Devils player ever (minimum five goals) to lead the league in scoring. He’s been on a little bit of a cold streak as of late, but it hasn’t really impacted his contributions. While he hasn’t scored in the month of November, he has added five assists to his numbers, and he’s played incredible defense at both 5v5 and on the penalty kill. If this scoreless streak stretches any further, we’ll consider a drop in grade, but for now, he’s an A-player.
Paul Cotter: 12 Points
Grade: A
Paul Cotter is another player who has provided exactly what any Devils fan would want or expect. After the trade that sent Alex Holtz and Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights that had many Devils fans reacting negatively, more research into Cotter’s game found he might be exactly what this team needs. He knows how to play with stars (he spent time with Mark Stone and William Karlsson in Vegas), and he has the skill set to excel on a third line. Cotter was well worth the price the Devils paid.
Jack Hughes: 22 Points
Grade: A-
Jack Hughes could very easily get an A, but he had a slightly slow start to the season that barely hurt his grade. He is still one of the game's most dynamic playmakers, and he can skate and turn on a dime. His speed is incredible, and the fact he can use it at such a high level and still keep the puck on his stick at this volume is great. Now, he's helping Ondrej Palat provide some kind of impact at 5v5. Putting up a point per game average after starting the season zero points in six of the first 11 games is incredibly impressive.
Dawson Mercer: 11 Points
Grade: B
Dawson Mercer has been up and down this season, but for the most part, he has proven he can be an important piece to this Devils core. He has had trouble staying consistent, which has been his MO since he joined the league, but there is this superstar that’s in there somewhere. He only has 11 points in 21 games, but his Ironman streak continues. He’s also playing incredibly well on the penalty kill. There’s a lot here for Mercer; we’d just like to see more consistency on offense.
Erik Haula: 9 Points
Grade: B
Erik Haula has been what the Devils need from him. The team’s third line has been incredible at times, but Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen/Dawson Mercer seem to get all the credit, but Haula is here, too! After an underwhelming second season in New Jersey, Haula seems to be back to his old ways. He’s scoring clutch goals and playing the right way. He’s winning faceoffs and grabbing possession for the team.
Timo Meier: 14 Points
Grade: B-
Timo Meier has been just fine this season. He’s not doing anything worse than anyone would expect, but he just isn’t going above the very basic expectations that have been set for him. He has been known as a slow starter, and this is nothing like what his start looked like last season, but he’s been a B- player this season. That’s not a bad grade, but it’s one where improvement is expected. Meier will be fine if this is what he is all season, but Devils fans, and likely Devils management, think he has another level he can hit. Don’t be surprised if he’s knocking on the door of 40 goals by season’s end.
Tomas Tatar: 5 Points
Grade: B-
We had to grade Tomas Tatar on a massive curve, as he’s been given an unwinnable situation that the Devils can’t really fix without making a move to bring in outside help. Tatar was demoted to the fourth line because the team needed to put Ondrej Palat in the top six to get the most out of the $6 million man. Tatar didn’t deserve the demotion with his play, but he also didn’t blow anyone out of the water, either. Now, he’s stuck with Justin Dowling and Kurtis MacDermid. No offense to them. That’s it, there’s no offense on that bottom line, and it’s impacting Tatar’s numbers. We expect Sheldon Keefe to find something more for Tatar in the future.
Nathan Bastian: 5 Points
Grade: C+
Nathan Bastian has shown some things when he was healthy, but for the most part, the Devils fourth line has been their biggest issue. Even when Curtis Lazar was healthy, there was something that wasn’t clicking with Bastian’s line. He has five points in 12 games, which is not bad for a fourth-liner, but this player contributes what he does. He'll be valuable if he continues to throw his body around. Unfortunately, it seems likely that will only lead to another injury (although he seems close to returning).
Kurtis MacDermid: 0 Points
Grade: C
Kurtis MacDermid is another player we are grading on a curve. There are two reasons for that. For one, he’s likely not supposed to be an everyday player. The Devils brought MacDermid back so he could add punch (quite literally) to the lineup against some of the more dangerous opponents. He’s also not supposed to be a player who scores points or adds anything besides said punching. He has punched people just fine, so that’s something.
Ondrej Palat: 5 Points
Grade: D
We have to call a spade a spade here; Ondrej Palat is having a terrible season. He was moved to Jack Hughes’ line, and many expected him to have a much better time there. It really worked at first, but now Palat is on another scoreless streak. He has two points in all of November. He has four games where he didn’t take a shot. This is unacceptable from a guy who needs to make multiple contributions to the lineup. The Devils need more from Palat, or they should give Tatar his spot back.
Defense: Jonas Siegenthaler: 7 Points
Grade: A
It’s so good to have “shutdown Jonas” back in full swing. Jonas Siegenthaler was one of the many Devils who fell off a cliff last season. Whether it was injury or the system, he was not working. He often found himself in the wrong position or making the wrong decision. Under Keefe, the defensive system has been much better, with fewer options for players to be uncovered in front of the net. He’s also stellar on the PK, and he’s been blocking more shots. He blocked five shots in the Devils 6-2 win against Florida. If he keeps this up, some might consider him the top pairing along with this guy…
Johnathan Kovacevic: 6 Points
Grade: A
Johnathan Kovacevic is the one reason Simon Nemec is not on this list. He played so well, a former second-overall pick who played most of last season was relegated to the bench. Kovacevic and Siegenthaler might be the best shutdown pair in the NHL. Their combined salary is a tick over $4 million. Kovacevic has especially been a value, coming over from the Montreal Canadiens. He’s making less than $800,000 this season. This piece isn’t about contracts, really, but to see Kovacevic destroy expectations despite making this minimal salary is truly a story to behold.
Luke Hughes: 2 Points
Grade: A-
If we told you that Luke Hughes would be getting anything other than an “F” after scoring two points in the first quarter of the season, fans would think we were insane, but the youngest Hughes brother has been nothing short of amazing on the defensive end. The points have not come, but that’s more than okay when he’s providing the level of defense he’s shown so far. His stick check is elite. He’s found a way to utilize his speed for dominance, and his zone exits are exactly what the Devils were missing during their first 10 games. The points will come, but we weren’t sure Hughes would ever look this good on defense.
Brett Pesce: 0 Points
Grade: B
Be honest, did any of you realize that Brett Pesce hasn’t recorded his first point with the Devils yet? It hasn’t come up because of how well he’s played on defense. Pesce, paired with Luke Hughes, have shut down opponents. That’s not something we’re used to seeing from Luke Hughes, so we have to give some credit to Pesce. The offseason free agent signing missed the first nine games recovering from offseason surgery, but he didn’t miss a beat when he joined the lineup. Now he’s hitting his stride, and the Devils defense is starting to look like one of the better units in the league.
Dougie Hamilton: 14 Points
Grade: B-
Dougie Hamilton is still putting up a ton of points. He’s been a major factor on the power play, which has been much better under new assistant coach Jeremy Colliton. He’s impacting the game in a lot of great ways. Unfortunately, there’s been a drop off in defense that is hard to ignore. Hamilton is caught flat-footed on multiple occasions, which has caused odd-man rushes the other way. He’s also out of position more often than we’d like. He’s been on the ice for 24 goals against at 5v5. That has to get better.
Brenden Dillon: 4 Points
Grade: C
It’s been a little overblown how bad Brenden Dillon has been this season, but he’s definitely earned this grade. The Dillon-Hamilton pairing hasn’t worked, but they are stuck together because of how well the other two pairings have been playing. Dillon is second on the team with 21 5v5 goals against, according to Natural Stat Trick. He does bring an incredible element when it comes to clean hits. Dillon has been able to send a message without hurting opponents. That’s not nothing. The Devils have a different mindset on the ice, and Dillon’s physical presence helps.
Goalies: Jake Allen
Grade: A
Jake Allen has only played seven games this season, but he was downright dominant in five of them. He has two shutouts in those seven games. His ratio is crazy, as he has a .916 save percentage and 2.30 goals against average. However, he has one game where the entire crux of Devils goaltending was put into question. He allowed eight goals to the Tampa Bay Lightning, looking like a lost goalie in the pipes. Luckily for the Devils, Allen pretty quickly bounced back, and he’s been able to secure wins for the team single-handedly.
Jacob Markstrom
Grade: B
The Devils have two high-quality goalies in between the pipes. Jacob Markstrom hasn’t been stupendous to start his Devils career, but he hasn’t had to be. His .907 save percentage is enough to get wins on most nights. He has saved quite a few goals he definitely shouldn’t have been able to, but he’s also let in some stinkers. It all evens out for Markstrom to start the season. Yet, there’s a clear confidence the Devils have when Markstrom is playing. They know he’s going to have their backs, and it’s a completely different understanding than the Devils had last season. Having a useful goalie in net on a nightly basis is invaluable to this roster after what they’ve been through in the past however many years it has been since Martin Brodeur became a St. Louis Blues legend.
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