Looking at 2022-23
Which wing do the Devils really want Bratt to play going forward with everyone healthy? LW/RW
Is Mercer seen as a top 6 RW or a #3 C?
Is Holtz expected to at least start the season as a top 6 RW or do Mercer and Holtz start as out as #3 C/RW?
I assume Nico and Jack 1/2 at C
Sharangovich top 6 LW and top 6 Bratt RW
Most seem to see Zacha gone leaving a real good top 6 LW missing. Most seem to feel Mercer is best suited as a top 6 RW
Sharangovich/Hughes/Mercer
?/Hischier/Bratt
Wood/?/Holtz (Or do you move Bratt to LW and use Holtz on the right to make the top 6?)
Zetterland/?Mcleod/Bastian
Tatar (31, small at 5'10'/185, projected 34 points this season, another year at $4.5mil)
and
Johnsson (27, smallish at 5'10"/but 194, projected 37 points this season, another year at $3.4mil)
Are these 2 still penciled in as day to day regulars? Aren't there more physical, hard playing 30 point forwards available in the NHL to fill those spots in the lineup?
Do they believe Zetterlund is ready? I would think he gets a shot. Question is what line. He is not a stellar defensive forward and neither is Holtz. Both are much better than the beginning of this season, but neither, as I said, is stellar. So placing either on a line you are looking to provide defense isn't a good move.
Boqvist could be used to center the 3rd line, but I think they would want someone more physical on the 3rd line. He would project to somewhere around 30 points for 82 GP.
That's it for the current Devils forwards except Kuokkanen (projected 17 points in 58 games. What's that about 23 for a full season?
Remaining off the Comets roster would be Thompson, Foote, and Greer.
I get the feeling Fitz will take a flyer on Holtz out of the gate.
The definite forwards therefore appear to be:
C:
Hughes
Hischier
Mercer?
Boqvist?
Mcleod
LW
Sharangovich
Zacha?
Tatar? - MOVE?
Wood
Kuokkanen
RW:
Bratt
Mercer?
Holtz
Johnsson - MOVE?
Bastian
Which leaves:
Zetterlund RW
Thompson RW
Foote LW
Greer LW
The following I see no real reason to keep on board:
Vesey
Geersten
There are some very good UFAs that would be huge for the Devils up front if Fitz can pry them away from their current teams or get those eager to move from their current team to come to New Jersey. .Johnny Hockey, Nino Niederreiter, Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, Filip Forsberg, Andre Burakovsky, Vincent Trocheck, Andrew Copp, Valeri Nichushkin are just examples. There are many more. There are also guys that their teams may be interested to move based on the salary cap like JT Miller and Brock Boeser.
The Devils have lived with their draft selections long enough. It's time to make a few moves to surround the best of those draft selections and start making a move to be taken seriously in the NHL. Many players around the NHL that have been interviewed about various things point to the Devils being ready to break out. This belief could make NJ a good choice for putting down new roots.
On Defense the Devils seem very comfortable with:
Hamilton
Graves
Siegenthaler
Severson
Smith and
Bahl
have been playing. Many seem ready to deal Smith. With a year remaining on his ELC, I think the Devils will give him a chance to see if this season was a sophomore slump.
Bahl appears to some to be an adequate fit and to others not so much.
My thoughts are PK will be gone, but if they can't readily replace him, he will get another smaller contract if he is willing. This has to happen before free agency because they could lose him while looking to replace him before they sign him as an afterthought.
The real physical guy in the system is Okhotyuk, but he is not ready to be the main man on any duo. He needs to be paired with a solid partner.
Walsh's numbers say he is ready for a look, but he must stay consistent defensively and avoid the offensive line turnovers and the defensive zone giveaways. 6'0"/185 could be another drawback.
The following I see no real reason to keep on board:
Vesey
Geersten
A major stumbling block for the Devils moving forward is between the pipes! Anybody who remotely follows the NHL at all knows that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Interested to see what you guys see as next season's opening day roster.
