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.