Line 3
Jonas Siegenthaler - Simon Nemec
Jonas Siegenthaler’s contract says he has a pretty long leash, but the actual composition of this defense does not. The Devils put commitment into their defensive roster. They locked into eight NHL slots for defensemen, and that doesn’t include Kurtis MacDermid who could play defense. With that said, Siegenthaler’s NHL spot is not guaranteed. We don’t think he’ll go to the AHL, but there’s a chance that another player could steal his spot. If that happens, the Devils could either play Pesce on his off hand to get Kovacevic into the lineup or to call up Hatakka.
That won’t happen to start. Siegenthaler is going to get a chance to show that last year was a blip on his career or that it was due to injuries. And he gets to play with a phenom to boot.
Nemec looked amazing last season. He was focusing on the two-way game because that’s what the Devils needed, but he could take a few more chances and really let his offensive game shine tied to Siegenthaler.
On top of everything, Nemec’s pure skill would make up for any mistakes Siegenthaler makes in positioning. Nemec has great recovery speed. We don’t expect Siegenthaler to be as bad with it as last season, but Nemec has everything to play well no matter the situation. If Siegenthaler is what he was two years ago, this could be the best third pairing in the league. Even if he isn’t, this will still be a very good line for 15 minutes a game.