Introduction
This is the week. The New Jersey Devils will finally return to action Thursday, January 14th at the Prudential Center versus the Boston Bruins. This will be the team’s first live-game action since March 10th, 2020. First time in just north of 10 months ago. In the week or so leading up to this game, there has been a plethora of Devils’-related news. This article will summarize anything you may have missed, and more.
Sami Vatanen Signing
On January 7th, the New Jersey Devils surprisingly signed a former Devil in Sami Vatanen. The right-handed defenseman signed to a one-year deal worth only $2,000,000. Unfortunately, Vatanen will not be able to play opening night due to the need to obtain a travel visa and the mandatory quarantine he will have to undergo once in the United States.
The kicker to this whole situation? The Devils traded Vatanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Fredrik Claesson, forward Janne Kuokkanen, and a draft pick that turned into goaltender Nicolas Daws (2020 third-round pick) just last season. Vatanen would only go on to play seven playoff games for the Hurricanes.
Sami Vatanen has been underwhelming the last three seasons. Above you can see his player card courtesy of Evolving-Hockey.com. His five-on-five contributions on offense and defense are both below the league’s 50th-percentile. Specifically, his defense ranked in the 29th percentile of the league. For reference, the statistics that are being used in this player card are Goals Above Replacement (GAR) which is a very reliable and telling advanced statistic.
Vatanen’s strength in his game lies in his performance on special teams. His GAR on each the penalty kill and power play are both above replacement level (league average). The chart above, specifically the last two groups of bars, shows exactly this.
Now, by no means was this a bad signing. Vatanen signed to an extremely cheap deal and given the past few seasons there’s a real reason to believe he can turn it around. This mainly due to the fact he has been playing top minutes against other team’s top lines. Given he joins a crowded defensive core his role should be sheltered. This would help mightily.
| Pre-Vatanen | Extras: Dmitry Kulikov & Matt Tennyson | Post-Vatanen | Extras: Connor Carrick & Dmitry Kulikov |
| Left-Handed Defenseman (LHD) | Right-Handed Defenseman (RHD) | Left-Handed Defenseman (LHD) | Right-Handed Defenseman (RHD) |
| Ryan Murray | P.K. Subban | Ryan Murray | P.K. Subban |
| Ty Smith | Damon Severson | Ty Smith | Damon Severson |
| Will Butcher | Connor Carrick | Wll Butcher | Sami Vatanen |
How Does the Defensive Core Shape Up?
Despite Vatanen’s recent struggles, he joins a crowded Devils’ defensive core that is now the top strength of the team. Taking into consideration the Devils’ recent lines at scrimmages and other circumstances, the above is how the Devils’ defensive core projects out to be both before Vatanen joins the team, and then after.
As you can see the group is the most talented the Devils have had in years. This is extremely important given the firepower the Devils will face in the league’s toughest, realigned North Division.
Corey Crawford Retires
Like the Sami Vatanen news, there was also more surprising news the past week. This time it was not good news.
The New Jersey Devils announced that prized free-agent signing, goaltender Corey Crawford retired from the NHL. This after Crawford took multiple personal/maintenance days in the days leading up to the announcement. The veteran, two-time Stanley Cup winner struggled in the past with injury issues. Nonetheless, it was a terrific career and we are wishing him all the best in this retirement.
Back-up Goaltending Solution?
The top of the Devils’ priority in the offseason was to address backup goaltending. This is an area the team has struggled in for years now. With the signing of Corey Crawford, it seemed this issue was finally going to be addressed. However, the Devils are now left without a solution.
The Options
The Devils now have four different methods in which the team can address this reborn issue: in-house, free agency, trade, or waivers.
In-House:
The most likely course of addressing is in-house, especially now given how close we are to the season beginning. However, as you will see, this may not be the best one. Ultimately, If the team chooses to go this route, Scott Wedgewood would be the guy.
Wedgewood has not been an NHL-level goalie throughout his career and has even struggled at the AHL-level as of late. The last time Wedgewood appeared in an NHL game was during the 2017-18 season where he posted a meager .893 save percentage in 20 games with the Coyotes.
During the 2019-20 AHL season Wedgewood played 26 games for the Syracuse Crunch posting a 13-8-3 record while compiling an unimpressive .893 save percentage. In the season before that, he played 48 games for the Rochester Americans where he put together a formidable .908 save percentage and a 28-14-3 record. This is much better than last season, but still not numbers worthy of NHL play.
The other in-house options are Gilles Senn and Evan Cormier. Senn is still progressing and only just started to figure it out at the professional level toward the end of Binghamton’s season last year. He still needs more seasoning given his putrid start to last season. Evan Cormier’s ceiling is an AHL back-up, so he should not be regarded as an option.
Free Agency:
The perhaps “driest” option general manager Tom Fitzgerald has to address the back-up goaltender issue is free agency. The only names worth even considering are Jimmy Howard, Craig Anderson, Michael Condon, and Garret Sparks. Even considering any of these guys may be a stretch, but given how dire the need the team should exhaust every possibility.
Of the listed players above, Jimmy Howard is the only one that sticks out. Despite a horrific year last season, Howard is just a year removed from a .909 save percentage, two years removed from a .910 save percentage, and three years removed from a .927 save percentage.
Yes, 2-23-2 and a .882 save percentage last year is horrific. But keep in mind, records mean very little, especially when the team you play for only won 17 games. Additionally, the Red Wings turned in one of the worse seasons of all-time. The Devils’ defensive core he would play behind is light years better.
Trades:
Trades are always a possibility to address a roster need. Given New Jersey’s plethora of cap space, this is something New Jersey can pursue if chosen. It is a bit hard to forecast what netminders around the league may be available this early in the season. Some names that come to mind are James Reimer, Aaron Dell, and Antti Raanta.
Reimer is a strong choice as he has registered save percentages above .913 every year since 2015 besides the 2018-19 season. He also has a young Alex Nedeljkovic who the Hurricanes may value as a backup option to replace, making Reimer a bit expendable. Raanta has been terrific in Arizona with a .924 save percentage in parts of three seasons with the Coyotes.
Lastly, Aaron Dell is someone the Maple Leafs reportedly value, but may not have enough space in the NHL to keep him. So instead of waiving him, a trade may be more fitting. Dell — career .908 save percentage — is the least impressive of the other two on this list, but bring way more value than any waiver, free agent, or in-house option would bring. He would be an ideal, and cheap target.
Waivers:
Waivers are always an option to address any team need. Especially this year where we saw everyone make cuts at once causing a “mega waiver” day. As of now, there have not been many opportunities in terms of goalies on waivers. Michael Hutchinson was, but since passed through. Other waiver options were Charlie Lindgren (MTL), Andrew Hammond (MIN) Dustin Tokarski (BUF), and Louis Domingue (CGY).
So, as you could see, options may arise if the Devils chose to go this route. It just all depends if New Jersey feels whoever it is a better option than Scott Wedgewood.
What Should New Jersey Do?
The Devils may not address this looming issue right away. As it seems Lindy Ruff may have decided Scott Wedgewood will suffice. Almost certainly the Devils will realize this is not realistic and will pursue other options.
Pursuing a trade is the most viable – Aaron Dell is a name that comes to mind, James Reimer and Antti Raanta possibly as well. Signing Jimmy Howard to a one-year minimum contract would not be bad either if the Devils chose free agency. Either way, the Devils will want to do more to address the team’s backup goaltending issues.
Jesper Bratt Re-Signing
Finally, the long wait is over. The New Jersey Devils announced late Sunday night that the team has agreed to terms with restricted free agent Jesper Bratt. The deal is for two-years and a yearly salary of $2,750,000. Most importantly, Bratt will be a restricted free agent at the end of the deal.
A good comparable for this deal is Jake Virtanen who signed a two-year, $2,550,000 contract back in October as a 23-year-old. Also, Luke Kunin and Kevin Fiala each signed a two-year deal, worth $2,300,000 and $3,000,000 yearly, respectively at 22-years-old. In comparison to these three, Bratt compares very favorably to Kunin and Virtanen while Fiala – although a higher output last year – Bratt is more defensively sound while being almost as efficient offensively (see chart above). Overall, a nice deal for the Devils.
New Jersey Devils Cuts and Waiver Moves
The New Jersey Devils made two different types of moves on Monday. The team placed the following on waivers: Nick Merkley, Ben Street, Colton White, Josh Jacobs, and Brandon Gignac. The team also assigned the following to Binghamton (AHL): Nate Schnarr, Brett Seney, Kevin Bahl, Nikita Okhotiuk, Reilly Walsh, and Evan Cormier. Waiver eligible players that were not placed on waivers by the deadline were Nathan Bastian, Matt Tennyson, and Scott Wedgewood.
The players that pass through waivers will be eligible to be placed on the Devils’ six-man taxi squad. Keep in mind, the AHL season does not begin until two weeks after the NHL. Thus, having younger players on the taxi squad will not only be common but acceptable. Once the AHL season rolls around, the Devils should get their younger players time in the AHL. This rather then sitting on the taxi squad idle.
The biggest surprise of all these moves is Nick Merkley. He impressed in a small sample size last season and was very visible whenever he was on the ice in camp scrimmages. Also, the fact that a team could claim him makes the move all that more surprising.
Current State of the Roster
Forwards: Kyle Palmieri, Nikita Gusev, Jack Hughes, Andreas Johnsson, Travis Zajac, Pavel Zacha, Miles Wood, Jesper Boqvist, Yegor Sharangovich, Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, Mikhail Maltsev, Nolan Foote
Defense: P.K. Subban, Ryan Murray, Damon Severson, Ty Smith, Connor Carrick, Dmitry Kulikov, Matt Tennyson
Goalies: Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgwood, Gilles Senn
Takeaways
Keep in mind, the final Devils’ roster will be made up of 23 players and the team will also have a six-man taxi squad. The taxi squad has to be made up of players who have cleared waivers or who are not waiver-eligible. The current roster stands at 24 players, this not including Nico Hiscier (injured), Jesper Bratt (travel, quarantine), and Sami Vatanen (travel, quarantine).
Of the players above the ones who catch my eye are Michael McLeod, Nathan Bastian, Mikhail Maltsev, and Nolan Foote. Of these four, it is likely only one will remain once Hischier, Bratt, and Vatanen return. And that individual will also most likely serve as one of the team’s three healthy scratches. Worth noting, McLeod, Maltsev, and Foote are not waiver eligible, so they can easily be transferred to the taxi squad. Nathan Bastian is waiver eligible.
It also looks almost certain the Devils will go with eight defensemen on opening night. So, once Sami Vatanen reports to North America and completes his quarantine expect Matt Tennyson to be the odd man out. Additionally, look for Gilles Senn to serve as the team’s taxi squad goalie until the AHL season starts. Once that begins, it is imperative they send Senn down to get much needed AHL experience. This would mean the Devils would need to sign an additional goaltender. Waivers makes the most logical sense to address this issue.
Projected Devils’ Opening Night Lineup
Forwards:
| Left Wing – | Center – | Right Wing – |
| Nikita Gusev | Jack Hughes | Kyle Palmieri |
| Andreas Johnsson | Travis Zajac | Pavel Zacha |
| Yegor Sharangovich | JesperBoqvist | Janne Kuokkanen |
| Miles Wood | Michael McLeod | Nathan Bastian |
Defense:
| Left-Handed Defenseman – | Right-Handed Defenseman – |
| Ryan Murray | P.K. Subban |
| Ty Smith | Damon Severson |
| Will Butcher | Connor Carrick |
Goaltenders:
| Starter – | Back-up – |
| Mackenzie Blackwood | Scott Wedgewood |
Conclusion
In the end, it will be interesting to see how the Devils opening night roster shakes out. Even more interesting will be to see who the team elects to make up their six-man taxi squad which is being implemented due to COVID-19.
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