The New Jersey Devils are 23 games through the team’s season. This means, by some simple math, the season is just about one fourth of the way over. With the team struggling, why not look at some of the good they have done so far?
The below list was organized based on a few different factors. These being the actual results, the expected results (told by analytics), and overall impact. Despite the recent struggles, the Devils do have several different players who have performed well this season.
Dougie Hamilton
Hamilton has been exactly what the Devils hoped he would be after signing him to a seven-year, $9,000,000 per year contract. Hamilton has 15 points in 19 games which is third best on the team. He is skating 22 minutes per night and is leading the team in shots, fourth in blocked shots, and third among team defenseman in hits. Note, Hamilton’s 77 shots is third in the NHL among defenseman.
Analytically, the picture is even prettier. He is tied for the team lead in expected goals above replacement (xGAR), second in Corsi-for % (CF%), and third in expected goals-for % (xGF%.). When comparing his numbers across the league, his xGAR is 12th, while he also ranks in the top-15 in high-danger Corsi-for % (HDCF%) and CF% (among all defenseman with at least 200 minutes played at five-on-five). To put it simply, Hamilton has been superb this season.
Andreas Johnsson
It is officially revenge tour season for Johnsson. After seemingly being written off by several Devils’ fan, he is turning in a career season (if you want, you can read why that was silly here). He is second on the team in points with 18 in 22 games and he leads the team in goals with nine. Over an 82-game season, he is on pace for 34 goals and 34 assists. Each would shatter his career-highs.
As you can see via the above regularized-adjusted plus minus (RAPM) chart, Johnsson is excelling in the offensive zone. His xGAR of 5.9 puts him 34th in the NHL (476 skaters qualified). This number is better than the likes of Kyle Connor, Kirill Kaprisov, and Brayden Point. This is not to say he is better than these players, but to show just how great of a season Johnsson is having. Hopefully, the now established top-six winger can keep up this torrid pace.
Jesper Bratt
A few weeks back, we called Jesper Bratt the Devils’, “most dynamic offensive player,” at the time (this is when Jack Hughes was hurt). Surprisingly, we caught some slack for this. Most likely because this claim came after his benching incident, so recency bias most likely played a factor. Nonetheless, we digress.
Needless to say, Bratt has shown all the qualities of the claim above. His 19 points leads the team, and he is currently on pace for 71 over the 82-game season, which would blow past his career-high of 35. Analytically, his xGF/60 of 3.4 is fourth in the league, and he leads the league in HDCF/60 among 491 skaters. When Bratt is on the ice, he and his teammates are generating a ton of high quality chances.
Nico Hischier
Yes, Hischier has been one of the Devils’ better players this season whether you like it or not. The team’s captain has been, for whatever reason, taking a lot of heat this season despite playing as one the team’s most complete players. On the season, after a slow start point-wise, he has 14 in 22 games played (tied with Dawson Mercer for fourth-most on the team). He has started to pick it up a tad, with five points in his last seven.
As the above RAPM chart, Hischier’s impact is going much further than his offensive game. His positive defensive impact is described via the last two bars on the chart. Furthermore, his defensive portion of his overall GAR rating is worth 1.3, which is third highest on New Jersey (only behind Jonas Siegenthaler and Damon Severson).
Offensively, the word “snake-bitten” is thrown around a lot. Mainly used as an excuse for players who are struggling, but in Hischier’s case, it would be a correct adjective to use. Hischier only has three goals, but according to Money Puck, has an expected goal total of 6.9 (which is the highest on the team). He has certainly been getting a bit unlucky. Hopefully, the captain can get luck to start going his way.
Ryan Graves
This last spot in the top-five was between defensemen Severson and Graves and rookie forward Mercer, in part to not be verbally attacked, I have decided to include Graves. The new Devil is third on the team in ice time and leads the team in blocks and Devils’ defenseman in hits. He has also been able to chip in 10 points which is second-best on the team in terms of defensemen.
His xGAR of 3.5 is third on the team and second only to Hamilton in terms of defenseman. As the above RAPM chart shows, Graves has also been pretty solid in his own end which is good to see given the Devils’ struggles in that area. Overall, he has settled in as a tremendous compliment to Hamilton.
Honorable Mentions
Severson has turned into ‘ole reliable for this Devils team. His defensive GAR is second-highest on the team and xGAR is fourth-highest. He has done this while spending a majority of the season with the struggling Ty Smith and rookie Colton White. Another solid start for the defenseman Devils’ fans love to hate.
Mercer has had a terrific start to his rookie season. His GAR ranks third on the team, but he may have been a beneficiary of some good luck to begin the season. The reason he is not included in the above is his production has dried up a tad. He is scoreless in his past three games and only has three points in his last eight games. Nonetheless, he has been superb this season and may find himself in the Calder Trophy talks if he picks it back up.
Siegenthaler has been the team’s best defensive-defenseman. He leads the team in defensive GAR with a rating of 2.4 and has done terrific work on the penally kill. He was a steal for general manager Tom Fitzgerald at last year’s trade deadline.