5 New Jersey Devils Prospects Who Need A Shot In NHL Now That Season Is Cooked
The New Jersey Devils have a minute chance to make the playoffs, so they are basically playing for next season. These five players should get a shot in the NHL for the rest of the season.
The New Jersey Devils might be cooked. The Athletic's new predictions came out, and they give the Devils a 2% chance to make the playoffs. While Lloyd Christmas has confidence this season can turn around, being six points out with this little time remaining is not a good spot to be in. The Devils have already made some moves with injuries mounting, but they should focus on some of the youth this season.
The Devils have most of their superstar prospects on the team already. Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes are regulars in the lineup. Alexander Holtz, while not in a position most of us appreciate, is in the lineup every night. Dawson Mercer is trying to find his space, but he's doing it in the NHL lineup.
Which New Jersey Devils prospects deserve a look in the NHL?
However, there are enough prospects coming out in Utica and other places that the Devils should give a shot this season with what's left.
Santeri Hatakka
We'll start with the obvious one. Santeri Hatakka was called up after injuries to Jonas Siegenthaler and John Marino. The Devils are in a desperate position on the defensive front, with pretty much all of their veteran starters gone (Dougie Hamilton, Siegenthaler, and Marino injured, and Miller was traded). So, Hatakka will get another chance.
He really didn't deserve to get sent down to the Utica Comets at all. Only Hamilton, Jesper Bratt, and Ondrej Palat have a better high-danger chance percentage than Hatakka, who at 5v5 had 23 high-danger chances for and 18 high-danger chances against. He should get a full look for the rest of the season. There is a good chance that he could be in the lineup come Prague.
Nolan Foote
The Devils have been waiting all season to get Nolan Foote in the lineup. He was penciled into the lineup to play alongside Nathan Bastian and Michael McLeod. Something happened in preseason that sent him to injured reserve, and he wasn't seen until now. That was almost six months ago.
Foote took a conditioning stint in Utica very seriously, scoring three goals in four games with the Devils AHL affiliate. He's clearly ready to take the next step in his career. The 23-year-old former first-round pick took a different path to the NHL, but if he can be something on the next level, it will have been worth the wait. The Devils could have sorely used Foote this season, being forced to play Chris Tierney in the lineup for 35 games despite scoring just six points. Foote would likely do better if healthy.
Foote is another player who could solidify a spot in next season's lineup this year. The Devils need help in the bottom six, and Foote should be able to fill in those gaps.
This has been a tumultuous year for Nolan Foote. Obviously, the injury is very disheartening. Foote has an NHL lineage and was a first-round pick. He thought he was going to make the NHL way before this, and he was finally on the cusp of being a regular. Then, he gets hurt. On top of that, he sees his brother Cal Foote get arrested due to the 2018 Hockey Canada scandal. It will be good for him to just get on the ice and play hockey.
Brian Halonen
Former Michigan Tech star Brian Halonen played his first NHL game this season. He played just under 10 minutes of 5v5 time, and he was fine. He wasn't anything special as an NHL player, but he was fine. Sometimes, the Devils could use fine. They just need a guy who is going to go out there and not give up a huge chance.
Would the Devils really do better giving someone like Tierney or Tomas Novak minutes over Halonen? He's 25 years old, so he isn't going to grow much more than he is now. That's not a bad thing, either. He has 20 points in 25 games in the AHL. If he can do half of that at the next level, he might have a long-term role in the NHL.
Halonen is playing on the Comets top line, and the Comets are technically still in the playoff race, but like the Devils, they keep losing. The Devils are looking for players who can help them next year, and Halonen has a contract decision coming up. These decisions need to be made with an idea of what he can do in the league. Tom Fitzgerald wants to upgrade this team, but first, he needs to give the people in the system a chance.
Graeme Clarke
Graeme Clarke went from an exciting prospect to a complicated one this season. He was always a scorer, and the biggest problem with Clarke since his draft year was staying healthy. He's been mostly healthy this season, but it just hasn't clicked. Clarke is now playing on the second line at right wing behind Brian Halonen.
Clarke isn't having a bad season by any means. He has 20 goals and 20 assists in 54 games. He's doing this without a true center on the team. Seriously, there are no centers on Utica. Right now, down the middle, they have Kyle Criscuolo on the first line (which, admittedly, I didn't know was on the team until now). Clarke is currently playing with Nolan Stevens, who just a month ago had his contract terminated by Grand Rapids (in the Detroit farm). Comets captain Ryan Schmelzer is also a center, but Kevin Dineen usually plays him on the third or fourth line.
Clarke is another player that is getting older, and the Devils need to see what they have in him. Can he be a scorer on the next level? Is he someone who can translate to the NHL? Will he be able to stay healthy if the Devils rely on him?
He's another player that is in the final year of his entry-level contract. We don't think he'll get much of a raise, but the Devils just have to decide what kind of contract he's getting. An NHL shot would give Tom Fitzgerald and the rest of the front office more clarity.
Seamus Casey
The second Michigan's season ends, the Devils should sign Seamus Casey to a contract and play him in every game until the season is over. While that could have contract implications, but Casey is such an intriguing prospect that could have a million different routes to the NHL.
Casey has been considered a great prospect who played incredibly well in the NCAA. He also had a good World Juniors tournament. He's increased his production a little bit this season, hitting 43 points in 36 games. He also had six points in six gams at the WJC. He's an offensive star, but the Devils do have that in spades. So, what will they do with Casey?
That's what this "test" can be. Should Casey play predominantly on defense? Should he test out playing as a forward? Would it be smart to test that out in the NHL when he spent most of his college days on the blue line?
There are a lot of questions, and the Devils need answers. The rest of the season is pretty much shot, so might as well get something outside a good draft pick out of it.
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