The New Jersey Devils, as has been the case for many recent seasons, lack any sort of guile or bite in their bottom-six forward group, and particularly so on the fourth line. Eventually, that is going to have to change if the team truly aspires to be a Stanley Cup contender.
Veterans like Ondrej Palat, Stefan Noesen, and Luke Glendening have not gotten the job done often enough for the Devils and account for just three total goals on the season. Glendening, who joined the Devils on a tryout basis, has yet to score a goal in 30 games with New Jersey this season.
In addition to those three, newcomer Juho Lammikko has really not done much of anything and is scoreless in 15 games with the Devils. Paul Cotter has been slightly better with his three goals and seven points, but we aren't setting the bar all that high.
So, how can the Devils better spend their time with the fourth, and at times, third, lines on the ice? The solution is simple, so long as they end up creating the roster spots at some point via trade or otherwise.
Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe had previously remarked during training camp how he would have liked to see more of prospects Shane Lachance and Lenni Hameenaho.
"They’re real good prospects that, quite frankly, I don’t know that we had this time last year," Keefe had said.
Lachance and Hameenaho each bring profiles the Devils don't necessarily have on their roster at the moment, and while the former did play in two NHL games earlier in the season, there wasn't too great an opportunity for Lachance to flash his skillset.
Hameenaho, primarily due to his poor skating, will be reduced to a middle-six support winger in the long term, but that's a valuable player when paired with someone like Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, or Jack Hughes.
Still, getting the Finn into the lineup next to Hischier, with Hughes injured, could allow the Devils to spread the wealth more and move either Bratt or Timo Meier to another line, as well as they have played together.
Or, the Devils could put Hameenaho with the dynamic Arseniy Gritsyuk and consider giving Connor Brown an expanded role to reward a solid start to his career in Newark.
As for Lachance, the path to a lineup spot is a little less straightforward, as he projects to be more of a career bottom-sixer with some power play upside in the right environment.
The 22-year-old recent trade acquisition does have some experience playing center, though having to execute on all of the nuances of the position at the NHL level is a tall and different ask entirely.
At the same time, though, defense and details only go so far when you struggle like the Devils have lately, anyway. It would be unwise of the Devils to make their lineup slower by removing Cotter from the fold, but there are cases to be made for each of Palat, Noesen, Glendening, and Lammikko.
Yes, Lachance and Hameenaho have a combined five goals for the AHL Utica Comets this season, but that is more of a reflection of how bad the Comets are and less a reflection of the players' performances and talents.
For reference, Xavier Parent, who is now under contract with the Devils, is the only Comets forward producing at greater than a 0.5 point-per-game pace with 12 points in 20 contests.
Right now, if the Devils want to revitalize their offense, inject some life into the lineup, and get fresh legs on the ice, the best thing they can do is get two long-term pieces some NHL reps in Lachance and Hameenaho.