The preseason is officially underway, and through two games, there is definitely some things we can take away from a Devils perspective.
Keep in mind, I think this should all be looked at through the lens of “its preseason” and “the Devils have yet to face a lineup comprised of mostly NHL players”. And even if the Devils had faced lineups comprised of NHL players, different players have different approaches to the preseason. Some veteran players are content to simply get through the games healthy and get a sweat in, while players on the roster bubble might be more incentivized to show something and make an impression as they try to win an NHL job.
With those disclaimers out of the way, I wanted to highlight a few things that I have noticed through two contests.
There Might Be Something to the Palat-Brown combo in the Bottom Six
One of my biggest concerns with playing Ondrej Palat in the bottom six in the past had been the fact that when we saw it last year, he didn’t appear to have any chemistry with anybody. It’s not a coincidence that he looked better when he played in on a line with Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes. Players who know what to do with the puck on their stick and can even drag along players to success. The Devils didn’t have any of that last year in their bottom six.
So let’s just say that I was pleased that the pairing with newcomer Connor Brown showed promise. They had a chemistry that looked like they’ve played with each other for years even though they’ve only been together a handful of practices, and Palat’s tape-to-tape pass to Brown set up what was ultimately the game winning goal against the Islanders last night. I don’t know if Luke Glendening will stick centering them (more on him in a bit) but I can see the Palat-Brown combo sticking together for awhile.
One more aside on Palat, who has been a notorious punching bag of the Devils fanbase since he signed here. Obviously, he’s not worth his $6M AAV cap hit and I’m not going to suggest that he is. But last night was another example of his hockey smarts, and its another example of how the hate on Palat has shifted too far in that direction. Palat going to the front of the net and screening the goaltender helped lead to Evgenii Dadonov tapping in the PPG that made it 6-1. It’s the type of play that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet but helps create a goal that he’s made a career of. Again, stuff like that alone doesn’t make up for the fact his cap hit is too high or that that $6M could be better spent elsewhere, but you can see why he still has a role on this team and why he’s better than your run of the mill, AHL, flavor of the week option.
Luke Glendening Probably Has the Early Edge For 4C
I wrote last week about the roster crunch, and I’ll dive more into it next week when I write about the forwards in our series of season preview articles in greater depth, but my big takeaway from last week is that the Devils probably have, at best, one spot up for grabs amongst forwards.
Since I wrote that, Shane LaChance and Lenni Hameenaho have both dealt with some sort of nagging injury since the prospects challenge, and while I wouldn’t say that eliminates them from the conversation of breaking camp with the big club, it probably does put them behind the eight ball in terms of winning a job out of camp. So knowing that, I think its probably worth shifting our attention to the potential center options.
With the Devils playing Dawson Mercer at wing last night, as well as the PTO signings the Devils previously made with Kevin Rooney and Luke Glendening, this is probably as strong an indicator as any that the Devils plan on Cody Glass being the 3C and going with either one of the PTO options or Juho Lammikko as the 4C. And I think between the three of them, Glendening has probably made the strongest case for a contract thus far.
This is a situation where I think having a player who can fill a specific role the best matters. Whoever wins this job is going to be tasked with playing on the penalty kill. Whoever wins this job is probably going to be on the ice in late game, defense-first situations. Whoever wins this job will likely be tasked with getting a critical faceoff win, and while faceoffs by and large don’t matter, they can matter situationally. Having another good option in the dot aside from Nico Hischier doesn’t hurt. Even though all of these players can theoretically do that, this is where I think Glendening’s reputation and track record at the NHL level sets him apart from Rooney and Lammikko.
There’s a lot of preseason left so there’s still time for both Rooney and/or Lammikko to make their case. But if it were up to me and I had to make a decision today, I’d probably lean Glendening.
I’m Not Sure Where Gritsyuk Fits In At The Moment, But I Want to See More
The one drawback with the top nine wingers seemingly being set is I’m not sure how Arseni Gritsyuk fits into the equation.
I don’t see the Devils putting Gritsyuk with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt for now. The combination of Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer seems like a line they’ll likely use a ton this season. And if the Palat-Connor Brown connection is indeed real, the last thing I want to do is mess with that. Which leaves being on the fourth line with whoever is left, likely Paul Cotter and either Cody Glass or whoever the 4C winds up being.
Now, some might frown upon Gritsyuk, with his offensive instincts, skating ability, and quick release being “wasted” in a 4th line role. But I do want to harken back to a theme from last year that I noted with this team on how this team didn’t have an identity in the bottom six. It was a mish-mosh of parts that didn’t fit together, which is why none of it worked.
It’s too early to say that the Devils identity in their bottom six this year is “what if we just build four lines that can skate, push the pace of play, and score” but it does seem like they have pieces up and down the lineup that could potentially do that. Dadonov, who is currently in a top six role, brings skill and hockey IQ to the table. Brown is a good two-way player who skates well and can play in all situations. Cotter skates hard, plays hard, and has to be accounted for in potential breakaway opportunities. Gritsyuk skates well and has more offensive skill than a typical bottom six winger. I don’t say this to be disrespectful of the players who are no longer here, but its a better mix than “last season in the NHL” Tomas Tatar, Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, and Justin Dowling, among others.
As we all know, lines don’t stick together forever. There will be games where what the Devils are running out there doesn’t work, they’re trailing, and they pull out the line blender to try to create a spark. This is where I think having a guy like Gritsyuk who can theoretically move up into a more featured role on a scoring line with more talented players can play. This is where I think having better players overall give Keefe more options with which to work.
Either way, Gritsyuk has an intriguing toolkit at his disposal and I want to see more from him. I don’t think its the end of the world if he starts out in a fourth line role considering he is still adjusting to playing on North American ice, and if the Devils do suffer an injury somewhere in the Top Nine, he’ll be a natural candidate to move up the lineup to try to create offense.
Should Ethan Edwards Be the 7th Defenseman?
There wasn’t a lot of newsworthy stuff to come out of the Sheldon Keefe and Tom Fitzgerald season opening press conference last week, but the one thing that I did take note of was their praise for defenseman Ethan Edwards.
I don’t know if there’s anything about Edwards’ game that jumps out as above average or even elite. But he’s a good skater, plays with poise, is positionally sound, and after watching him in two preseason contests, I can see why the decision makers like him.
I don’t know if Edwards is necessarily NHL-ready right this second but I don’t know that he’s too far off either, which raises the question whether or not he might be best suited as the 7th defenseman for as long as Johnathan Kovacevic is on the shelf. He’s young enough that he probably should be playing regularly somewhere, but that would also have to be weighed against practicing against NHL-caliber players everyday, which is something he wouldn’t get if he were to start the season in Utica. At the very least, I’d like to see Edwards get the call if the Devils need a defenseman in a pinch rather than turning to the Dennis Cholowskis or Colton Whites of the world.
Edwards plays a solid “meat and potatoes” sort of game that works against AHL caliber lineups like what the Rangers and Islanders have dressed this past week. Let’s see if it plays against better competition.