Dobber’s offseason fantasy hockey grades – New Jersey Devils

For the last 17 years (12 with The Hockey News) Dobber has reviewed each team from a fantasy-hockey standpoint and graded them.

The 18th annual review will appear here on DobberHockey throughout the ~~summer~~…er, winter. This is not a review of the likely performance on the ice or in the standings, but in the realm of fantasy hockey both for the season ahead as well as the foreseeable future. Offensively, will the team perform? Are there plenty of depth options worthy of owning in keeper leagues? What about over the next two or three years? These questions are what I take into consideration when looking at the depth chart and the player potential on that depth chart.

Enjoy!

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Gone – Joey Anderson, John Hayden, Kevin Rooney, Mirco Mueller, Cory Schneider

Incoming – Dmitry Kulikov, Scott Wedgewood, Andreas Johnsson, Corey Crawford, Ryan Murray

Impact of changes – As far as the NHL roster is concerned, the Devils lost fringe players and added four NHL players to their lineup for almost nothing. Kulikov shores up the bottom pairing (that is – when the Band-Aid Boy is healthy) and Murray upgrades the second pairing (that is – when the Band-Aid Boy is healthy). Johnsson will fit right in on the top six (that is – when the Band-Aid Boy is healthy) and Crawford provides veteran experience and will take a lot of the workload off of Mackenzie Blackwood's shoulders (that is – when the Band-Aid Boy is healthy).

Yes, the Devils signed a lot of players prone to injury. And sure, Johnsson only has a season to refer to when already assigning him the BAB label so perhaps I am being hasty. In the end, these players were added for very cheap and even if they continue missing the odd game, they will still play three-quarters of the slate which is better than nothing. Johnson gives the team a much-improved top six and he will have a much better chance of thriving with the Devils than he did with the Leafs. Murray gives the team veteran experience and is a huge upgrade to some of the players that PK Subban was paired with last season (Andy Greene and Mirco Mueller, mostly). If he's going to rebound even a little this year, playing alongside Murray should help.

Blackwood had to shoulder too much of the workload last season because Schneider took almost the entire season to find his game – if he ever did. He couldn't be trusted to sub in for Blackwood, and neither could Louis Domingue, who was with the Devils for a stint. Crawford will be better. So look for Blackwood's starts to decrease. He'll probably be a better 53-start goalie than a 60-plus guy (or the 56-game equivalent of those two numbers). Keep that in mind when looking at Blackwood.

Ready for full-time – Nick Merkley is a talented forward with scoring-line upside. Injuries have hampered his development over the years so he'll never be the player he might have been back when he was drafted. Still, the talent is there and now he has to clear waivers in order to be sent down, so he'll get an opportunity, likely on the third line.

The top prospect in the organization is defenseman Ty Smith. The left-shooting rearguard dominated the WHL last season with 59 points in 46 games and a plus-49 rating. He is expected to make the team this time around as a 20-year-old, but he sits low on the pecking order for PP time so the points may not come in his rookie season.

Janne Kuokkanen was New Jersey's return from Carolina in the Sami Vatanen trade. He has been fast rising through the prospect ranks, making a quick offensive impact at the AHL level. He is responsible in his own end and is a safe player for the Devils because of this – he can contribute on any line. Who he clicks with in terms of linemates will determine his rookie impact.

Nathan Bastian offers size and strength from a checking line. At 6-4, 205 pounds he uses his body effectively and could be a fantasy asset this season in leagues that need Hits and PIM. Points-wise, he may not manage more than 10 or 12 in this 56-game campaign.

New Jersey Devils prospect depth chart and fantasy upsides can be found here

Fantasy Outlook – The addition of Jack Hughes last season wasn't as explosive as we had hoped. But he is another year older and from many accounts he is a lot stronger. Rising star Nico Hischier is also a year old, and Russian star Nikita Gusev now has his feet wet in the NHL. Last season the Devils finished 24^th in scoring, but that stands to rise significantly in the year ahead – perhaps into the top 18. Their defense also stands to improve thanks to Murray, Kulikov and Crawford. The prospect pipeline is still a little on the weak side, but drafting Alexander Holtz and Dawson Mercer certainly helps, as well as acquiring Merkley and Kuokkanen in the past year. I was a little too high on the Devils with their rating a year ago, which is the only reason they slip a little with my grade.

Fantasy Grade: B- (last year was B+)

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2020 Offseason Fantasy Hockey Grades

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