How New Jersey Devils can make the Playoffs THIS YEAR

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.

FANTASY HOCKEY WAIVER WIRE PLAYERS TO PICKUP

C Sean Couturier -After missing 2+ years, Sean Couturier is back and it seems like he hasn't missed a beat. Believe it or not, Couturier has been one of the top centers in the league so far with his all-around play, putting up 2 goals, 3 assists, 2 PPP, 63 FW, 24 SOG, and 1 SHP. Despite showing that he is still an elite center, Couturier is only owned in 20% of fantasy leagues. Pick him up now, while you still can. Ryan Johansen - Serves as the Avalanche's 2nd line center and plays on their all-world 1st pp unit. Despite not being the player he used to be, Johansen is still a valuable fantasy asset because of the players he plays with. Johansen has 4 goals and 4 PPPs along with 63 FW so far this season. He is owned in 29% of fantasy leagues. Sean Monahan - Someone must have gotten a time machine and put Sean Monahan in it because he is playing like he was back when he was in his prime. Monahan has been arguably the best player on Montreal this year, with 3 goals, 6 points, 2 PP

FANTASY HOCKEY WAIVER WIRE PLAYERS TO PICKUP

Here are some players you should pickup in Fantasy Hockey, sorted by position. Center Colton Sissons Colton Sissons is one of the best 4th line centers in the league, but in fantasy hockey, he could be even more valuable than he actually is in real life because of what he provides in the peripheral categories. So far this season Sissions has 5 goals, 1 PPP, 1 SHP, 12 PIM, 20 SOG, 89 FW, 15 hits, and 9 blocks. This is a terrific stat line and although you can't count on Sissons scoring a ton, he will fill out the FW, Hits, and blocks usually. Sissons is owned in 6% of fantasy leagues, snag him up while you can. Nick Bjugstad Nick Bjugstad is having an excellent year so far with the Arizona Coyotes, in fact he has played so well that he earned himself a promotion to play on the 2nd line along with Mattias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse. Bjugstad also gets time on Arizona's 2nd PP unit and 2nd PK unit. Bjugstad may not be a name who stands out to casuals, but his fantasy stat line is

Fantasy Hockey Forwards to Trade For

Here is a list of Players who you should consider trading for in Fantasy Hockey. Tage Thompson Tage Thompson had very high expectations of him heading into this season but has been a massive disappointment to this point in the season with only 7 goals, 8 assists, 4 PPP, 60 SOG, and 99 FW. Thompson has been better after coming back from injury and you would think that he is going to eventually start putting points in bunches. Because of how bad Thompson's statline is this season. it would be a good idea to trade for him because you may not have to give up a lot in return. Elias Lindholm Elias Lindholm is another player who has had a slow start to the season with only 7 goals, 10 assists, 3 PPP, 68 SOG, and 297 FW so far this season. Lindholm is definitely going to want to play better if he wants to increase his value for his next contract and also showcase himself for a trade at the deadline. If Lindholm gets dealt to a contending team, his fantasy value would drastically improve b

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