The preseason has concluded, and the regular season is around the corner. The New Jersey Devils get the 2022-23 campaign underway on Thursday with a visit to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers. But before then, they’ll have to cut their roster to 23 players by tomorrow’s 5 PM deadline. Let’s break down who remains with the team and project what their 23-man roster will look like when the puck drops on Thursday.
Locks for Devils Roster: Forwards
- Left Wing: Ondrej Palát, Yegor Sharangovich, Tomáš Tatar, Miles Wood
- Center: Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Erik Haula
- Right Wing: Dawson Mercer, Jesper Bratt
Though the Devils have a few prospects fighting for spots up front, most of the roster is locked into place when it comes to their forwards. We’ll start with the obvious: Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. All three players produced at 70-plus-point paces a season ago and will return as the core that head coach Lindy Ruff will use to drive the team offensively.
But unlike the last couple of seasons, Hughes, Bratt and Hischier should have reliable complementary players around them. Yegor Sharangovich has more or less proven he’s capable of producing 25 goals and 50 points per season. The Devils also signed Ondrej Palát to a five-year contract in free agency. He averaged 20 goals and 55 points per 82 games over the last three years with the Tampa Bay Lightning and will bring much-needed winning pedigree to a young team.
Further down the lineup, a healthy Miles Wood should provide scoring depth in a bottom-six role. He’s looked healthy during the preseason after undergoing hip surgery almost a year ago and will be a valuable player for Ruff. Tomáš Tatar has excelled in the preseason and looks primed for a bounce-back season after a tough first year in New Jersey. He could prove to be a key winger in the Devils’ middle-six if he plays the way he has in the preseason.
Rounding out the locks on the wing is Dawson Mercer. Though he could start the season at center if Hischier isn’t ready to return from a strained hamstring, he’ll move to the wing once Hischier returns to action. Mercer should be in line for a relatively noticeable jump in production this season. He had a strong preseason and posted impressive numbers at five-on-five that suggest that jump in production may be coming.
Lastly, the Devils’ center depth should be quite a bit better than it was a season ago. The Devils acquired Erik Haula in the trade that sent Pavel Zacha to the Boston Bruins this offseason. Haula has been a reliable middle-six center over the last three years and showed during the preseason that he could operate the second or third lines for the Devils this season. A top-nine consisting of Hughes, Hischier and Haula down the middle is an ideal scenario heading into the regular season.
Locks for Devils Roster: Defensemen
- Right-handed defenseman: Dougie Hamilton, Damon Severson, John Marino
- Left-handed defenseman: Jonas Siegenthaler, Ryan Graves, Brendan Smith
The locks for the Devils’ defense are pretty straightforward. Dougie Hamilton is under contract for six more seasons at a cap hit of $9 million, while Jonas Siegenthaler signed a five-year extension this summer. By the looks of it, they’ll at least begin the season as the team’s first defense pair, and there isn’t any question about their place on the roster.
Behind them are Ryan Graves and Damon Severson, and while they’re entering the final years of their contracts, they’re still going to begin the season as the team’s second defense pair. Severson has had a strong preseason and looks poised for another productive year with the Devils, while Graves posted an impressive Corsi for percentage (CF%) of 57.84 percent and an expected goals percentage (xG%) of 59.99 percent in four exhibition games. Like Hamilton and Siegenthaler, there isn’t any question about their roster spots.
Rounding out the locks on defense are Brendan Smith and John Marino, two players the Devils added this offseason. The team acquired Marino in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Smith signed a two-year contract as a free agent.
Though Marino is a capable top-four defender, he’ll at least start the season on the third pair behind Hamilton and Severson. But given his defensive prowess, he’ll likely get difficult defensive assignments when Ruff feels necessary. He should also play a significant role as a penalty killer alongside Smith, who will be a steady defensive presence as a No. 5-7 defenseman. Both players performed well during the preseason, specifically Marino, who showed high-end puck-moving capabilities and a staunch ability to defend the rush.
Bubble Players
- Stock up: Alexander Holtz, Fabian Zetterlund, Kevin Bahl
- Treading water: Jesper Boqvist, Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian
- Trending down: Andreas Johnsson, Mason Geertsen
Stock up
Let’s start this section with players trending up, with Alexander Holtz first. He pretty much cemented his place on the opening night roster with a two-point performance (1 goal, 1 assist) against the Boston Bruins last night. The seventh overall pick in the 2020 draft had a solid preseason, finishing with a 50 CF% and 52.04 xG%.
Holtz was third on the team in shot attempts (15), second in scoring chances (10), and second in high-danger chances (5) in exhibition games. Those numbers are much-improved from last preseason, and he looks like a player ready to take a step forward. He looks quicker, his board play has been better, and his play in transition is miles ahead of where he was a season ago. The process has been there, and it’s time he gets his chance in the NHL.
Also trending up are Kevin Bahl and Fabian Zetterlund. Bahl was one of the Devils’ best defenders during the preseason, totaling a 72.45 xG%. The Devils won the scoring chance battle 35-15 with him on the ice and the high-danger chance battle 21-3. At this point, it’d be a surprise if he doesn’t survive the final round of cuts.
While I was expecting a bit more from Zetterlund during the preseason, he was still solid. He showed well in the NHL last season and was one of the Utica Comets’ (AHL) best players, totaling 24 goals and 52 points in 58 games. If the Devils placed him on waivers, which he’s eligible for, he’d almost certainly get claimed, so it’s highly likely he makes the team.
Treading Water
Michael McLeod should round out the Devils’ pivots as the fourth-line center. He finished the preseason with a 49.25 CF% and 54.3 xG% and plays how the Devils want their fourth-line center to play. With that said, his status with the team could change at any time with the ongoing investigation into Team Canada’s 2018 World Junior team, which McLeod was a part of. For the time being, I’d expect him to make the team until there’s a resolution to the investigation, but his status is tenuous.
Related: Devils Prospects Preview: Casey, Hughes, Salminen & More
Also treading water is Nathan Bastian. It’s not that he’s had a bad preseason, but someone could get caught up in a numbers game. Jesper Boqvist played well against the Bruins last night, this time on the wing rather than at center. He had a couple of shots on goal and had a play that’ll get you noticed by the coaching staff early in the game when he knocked the puck off Mike Reilly’s stick and used his speed to create a quality chance off the rush. Meanwhile, Bastian finished with no shots on goal or shot attempts last night.
What’s hurting Bastian is his limited ceiling. He’s a fourth-liner who can provide a bit of physicality and forecheck while potting the occasional goal. Meanwhile, Boqvist can play center or wing, and he has more upside than Bastian. If an injury strikes in the top-nine, Boqvist can fill that slot, whereas Bastian can’t. He has more versatility than Bastian, which could factor into the Devils’ decision-making when finalizing their roster.
Who May Be on the Way Out
Trending down are Andreas Johnsson and Mason Geertsen. With so many players competing for spots on the wing, Johnsson needed to stand out and distinguish himself from the competition. He did that, but not to his benefit. He didn’t generate enough chances and wasn’t noticeable when he played, hence why the Devils placed him on waivers on Friday.
As for Mason Geersten, there isn’t much to be said. With the depth the Devils have accumulated over the last few months, there isn’t a place for him on the roster. They have enough of a physical presence with players like Wood, Zetterlund, Bahl, Smith and Siegenthaler. Haula and Palát had over 120 hits last season, so they’ll throw their bodies around too. That should mean Geertsen gets placed on waivers today ahead of the Monday deadline.
Projecting the Devils’ Final Roster
So what does the Devils’ final roster look like by 5 PM Monday? Here’s an educated guess:
- Palát – Hughes – Holtz
- Sharangovich – Hischier – Bratt
- Tatar – Haula – Mercer
- Wood – McLeod – Zetterlund
- Boqvist – Bastian
- Siegenthaler – Hamilton
- Graves – Severson
- Bahl – Marino
- Smith
- Mackenzie Blackwood
- Vitek Vanecek
LTIR: Jonathan Bernier
Defense and goaltending are the most straightforward position groups for the Devils. Bahl outplayed his competition by a mile, and there isn’t a blueliner who had a good enough preseason to be the eighth defenseman. Jonathan Bernier will likely begin the season on long-term injured reserve as he works his way back from hip surgery he underwent in December.
The toughest decisions will be up front in the bottom-six. With the Devils waiving Johnsson and having cap space available by placing Bernier on LTIR to start the season, I’d expect them to keep 14 forwards for the time being, with Bastian and Boqvist making the final cuts. With Bahl, Blackwood and Vanecek, that puts the Devils at 23 players for the start of the regular season.
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Advanced stats from Natural Stat Trick
