3 reasons why Noah Hanifin to the NJ Devils would make sense
Hanifin would give New Jersey legitimate help in the defensive zone
As of February 12th, the Devils rank eighth in the NHL in scoring with 172 goals, and if Jack Hughes was able to stay healthy all season, that number would be even higher. Although Hughes has only played in 35 games as of the 12th, New Jersey also has legitimate scorers like Tyler Toffoli (22 goals) and Jesper Bratt (20 goals).
There are also players like Dawson Mercer and Nico Hischier who have found the net often when they take shots. That said, the Devils are one of the best teams in the game offensively, so they don’t need much help when they have the puck in the offensive zone.
While Hanifin would logically help New Jersey score even more, given his two-way game that keeps getting more productive, he would also give them much-needed assistance in the defensive zone. With 178 goals allowed this season (28th in the league), it’s clear the Devils have struggled without possession of the puck, and Hanifin will help change that.
At 5-on-5, Calgary’s on-ice save percentage is 91.7 when Hanifin is out there, which is currently second to a career-best of the 91.8 he logged in 2018-19. He would also be another asset on the penalty-kill, and he’s also shown a tendency to invade scoring lanes, recording 208 blocked shots in his last 134 games.
feed
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of February 12th)