New Jersey Devils' GM, Tom Fitzgerald has said that the Devils want to take that next step this season, and possibly vie for a playoff spot. In this blog, I explore how the Devils can turn their team into a playoff-caliber team this season.
Here is a quick look at the roster right now, and the prospects they have that could potentially crack the lineup.
The current lineup looks like this:
J.Kuokkanen-J.Hughes-Y.Sharangovich
P.Zacha-N.Hischier-J.Bratt
M.Wood-M.McLeod-A.Johnsson
N.Foote-J.Boqvist-M.Studenic
R.Graves-D.Hamilton
T.Smith-D.Severson
J.Siegenthaler-PK.Subban
M.Blackwood
J.Bernier
Prospects who could potentially crack the lineup are Alexander Holtz, Dawson Mercer, Tyce Thompson, Kevin Bahl
The Biggest weakness of the Devils at the current moment is goal scoring; if Holtz and Mercer aren't NHL ready yet, then they need to go out and trade for one.
The Devils have been one of the teams that have been linked to Vladimir Tarasenko; Tarasenko is exactly what this team needs, a goal-scoring winger to play alongside Jack Hughes.
New Jersey Devils trade Jesper Boqvist, Reilly Walsh, and a conditional 2023 2nd round pick to the St.Louis Blues for Vladimir Tarasenko. If Tarasenko scores 25+ goals in both of the next two seasons, the 2nd round pick becomes a 1st round pick.
Vladimir Tarasenko will immediately become the Devils' top-line Right-winger, and for the Blues, they gain 6.5 million in cap space.
Since the Devils had to trade away Jesper Boqvist in the Vladimir Tarasenko trade, they need to go out and add a 4th line center.
The player that they should try to target is Derrick Brassard, a veteran player who has a good amount of playoff experience.
New Jersey Devils sign Derrick Brassard to a 1 yr deal worth 1.5 million
In addition to Brassard, the Devils also sign Alex Chiasson to a 2yrs deal worth 2.5 million per season.
At the start of the season, this is how the lineup looks like:
J.Kuokkonen-J.Hughes-V.Tarasenko
P.Zacha-N.Hischier-J.Bratt
M.Wood-M.McLeod-Y.Sharangovich
A.Johnsson-D.Brassard-A.Chiasson
R.Graves-D.Hamilton
T.Smith-D.Severson
J.Siegenthaler-PK.Subban
M.Blackwood
J.Bernier
At the Deadline, the New Jersey Devils are a borderline playoff team, so they make a blockbuster trade
New Jersey Devils trade Damon Severson, Janne Kuokkanen to the Anaheim Ducks for Josh Manson, Isac Lundestrom.
The Devils get a stud defensive defenseman in Josh Manson and a steady two-way forward in Isac Lundestrom, while the Ducks get a good offensive defenseman in Severson and a solid top 9 forward in Janne Kuokkanen.
Thanks to the change made at the deadline, the Devils make the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
By the start of the playoffs, this is how the lineup looks like:
I.Lundestrom-J.Hughes-V.Tarasenko
P.Zacha-N.Hischier-J.Bratt
M.Wood-M.McLeod-Y.Sharangovich
A.Johnsson-D.Brassard-A.Chiasson
R.Graves-D.Hamilton
T.Smith-J.Manson
K.Bahl-PK.Subban
M.Blackwood
J.Bernier
This team is built to make some noise in the playoffs because of the changes made in the offseason and at the deadline.
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