New Jersey Devils: Forward Report Cards At The Halfway Point
By Nick Natale
Michael McLeod (10G - 9A - 19Pts)
What a season it's been for Michael McLeod. Nobody has taken a bigger and more surprising jump this season than him. The undisputed best face-off taker in the league has also begun to find an offensive touch. McLeod has used his speed and size to push the pace on offense and is finding ways to put the puck into the back of the net. The pending RFA is playing himself into a substantial raise next year and has become an integral part of the Devils now.
Grade: A-
Erik Haula (10G - 12A - 22Pts)
Erik Haula has had a bit of a strange year so far. He started the season well with several multi-point games but has gone on long stretches of no production. However, since the turn of the calendar, Haula has been one of the Devils' better forwards. He has six points in six games and has been playing nearly 20 minutes a night.
Grade: C+
Ondrej Palat (5G - 9A - 14Pts)
There's been a bit of animosity towards Palat ever since he signed that big contract, but yeah, he's not been good this year. He's been sidelined the past few weeks with an injury, but even before then, he'd been playing poorly. So far this season, he hasn't found much offense, and similar to Toffoli, he doesn't have the foot-speed to match how the team is trying to play. If he can get healthy and help the team make a playoff push then it's a moot point. So far the return has been less than ideal.