NHL Season Preview 2016-17: New Jersey Devils

Are the New Jersey Devils ready to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2016-17?

The New Jersey Devils are changing their identity under general manager Ray Shero. Their transformation began when Shero traded for Anaheim Ducks forward Kyle Palmieri at the 2015 NHL Draft. This began a shift as the Devils went from being a defensive team to a more offensive team. Change takes a while, but a huge trade this offseason should expedite the process.

It has been a while since the Devils have had a team with as much skill as this one. With an excellent goaltender in Cory Schneider, the Devils are ready to take on the Metropolitan Division. But do they have enough to make the playoffs?

Offseason Review

Here’s a quick review of what the New Jersey Devils have done this offseason.

Key Additions: F Taylor Hall (Oilers), C Vernon Fiddler (Stars), D Ben Lovejoy (Penguins), F Beau Bennett (Penguins), D Kyle Quincey (Red Wings)

Key Losses: D David Schlemko (Sharks), F Jordin Tootoo (Blackhawks), D Adam Larsson (Oilers)

Retained: F Devante Smith-Pelly, D Jon Merrill, F Kyle Palmieri, C Sergey Kalinin, C Jacob Josefson

Obviously the biggest addition for the Devils this offseason is Taylor Hall. It has been quite some time since the Devils have had a forward as talented as Hall. He has been one of the league’s most productive forwards at even strength over the past five seasons. The Oilers were a much better team whenever Hall was on the ice. Expect Hall to have the same impact on the Devils.

Vernon Fiddler should serve as the Devils’ third line center behind Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique. Fiddler had 22 points last season for the Dallas Stars. More importantly, he provides the Devils with some depth that allows them to be patient with 2015 first round pick Pavel Zacha. Fiddler should also provide some leadership in what could be a relatively young locker room.

Replacing Adam Larsson is going to be difficult. Sure, Hall is the significantly better player. But Larsson played huge minutes for the Devils and was quite good for last season. Look for Ben Lovejoy to replace him on the penalty kill. But it’s going to be up to someone else to step up and replace him in the lineup.

Beau Bennett could be a solid player for the New Jersey Devils if he can stay healthy. The issue? He hasn’t been able to do that so far in his career. Give the Devils credit for keeping Palmieri and Smith-Pelly. The Devils need skilled forwards and the Devils were able to keep two of their best ones while adding another in Hall.

Player Spotlight: Kyle Palmieri

The Devils acquired Kyle Palmieri thinking that he would have a breakout season with more playing time. Boy were the Devils right about him. In 2015-16, Palmieri set career highs with 30 goals, 27 assists, and 57 points. Palmieri signed a five-year extension in July. Now here comes the hard part – proving that he’s worth the $23.5 million that he will be paid over the next five years.

Palmieri took the league by surprise in 2015-16. That won’t be the case in 2016-17. Now teams realize how good he is. The pressure on him is rising because despite adding Hall, the Devils still don’t have much scoring depth. Palmieri will be expected to lead the team’s offense, though having Hall should help.

It shouldn’t be too difficult for Palmier though, as he has the tools necessary to succeed. His career high 13.5 shooting percentage in 2015-16 isn’t that different from his career average, so perhaps Palmieri can sustain an above average shooting percentage. Expect Palmieri to have Travis Zajac as his center and Mike Cammalleri (38 points in 42 games last season) as his left wing.

Palmieri had a season to remember in 2015-16. He’ll be expected to have more seasons like that moving forward as the Devils look to change their identity.

2016-17 Outlook

The question that the Devils must answer to have success moving forward is who will replace Larsson alongside Andy Greene. New Jersey is hoping that the answer to that question is Damon Severson. He is the Devils’ best right-handed option for defenseman with Larsson gone. Severson averaged 18:10 of ice time per game last season. The Devils are putting a lot of faith in him. If he can replace Larsson adequately, that might be enough for the Devils to sneak into the playoffs.

New Jersey will have a better offense than last year thanks to the addition of Hall. They won’t finish last in scoring again. But how good will their defense be without Larsson? They finished ninth in goals allowed in 2015-16, but don’t underestimate the loss of Larsson. The Devils are a better team with Hall than with Larsson, but replacing Larsson is extremely important. Until they replace him, they’ll struggle.