The New Jersey Devils kicked off the month of September with a stunner. They added Luke Evangelista to an already potent offense, at least on paper. Adding a rising player like Evangelista to a crop of talent that includes Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, and Anthony Mantha is the exact type of move that makes Devils fans excited about Sunny Mehta and the future of the franchise.
However, there is something that might be considered an issue. The Devils have too many forwards. Even prior to the Evangelista trade, which sent a first- and second-round pick in 2028 to the Nashville Predators, the Devils seemingly had more players than they had spots on the roster.
With their impending training camp, the Devils have to decide how to handle many of their ideals and line combinations, but one thing in particular stands out.
Last season, Connor Brown played more than 100 minutes on the power play. Stefan Noesen played more than 60 minutes despite playing just 38 games. Ondrej Palat had 41 minutes of power-play time. Even Paul Cotter and Evgenii Dadonov got looks with the man advantage.
It didn’t really hurt too much, as the Devils had one of the better power-play units in the league, but they seemed to score in spurts. The Devils scored on 22 percent of its power plays, good for 12th in the league. One big issue with that is the first line was trusted way more than the second unit.
It’s not a crazy concept. The Devils stack the first unit with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier on the same line. If Sheldon Keefe continues to do that, it makes sense to stack it even further with Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt. From there, the Devils just need a net-front presence to finish off some chances.
However, with the addition of Evangelista, it makes sense to put him as the second “defenseman” on the first unit. That leaves an interesting decision for Keefe and Co.
The Devils second power-play unit will be a focus in training camp
The Devils now have Meier, Dawson Mercer, Anthony Mantha, Brown, Arseny Gritsyuk, and Cody Glass who could play on that second power-play unit along with Luke Hughes (or Hamilton if the team decides to go in that direction). While it is a good thing to have a lot of skill on the offensive end, Keefe, barring an injury, has a really hard decision to make.
Essentially, it comes down to this. They will want a good center, so Glass seems to be the right choice, and he showed last year that he has at least some scoring chops. Gristyuk seems like a lock for a position on the second unit, as does Meier. That leaves one spot left.
Mercer was a mainstay on the second power play for years, but he hasn’t done enough to guarantee a spot on the second unit. He only has 18 career power-play goals. Meanwhile, Mantha is the Devils’ best finisher, possibly short of Jack Hughes. He had 33 goals last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. There is no world he’s not on the power play.
The Devils should be even better on the PP this year, and the strength of their second unit might be a major reason why.
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