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With absolutely nothing happening in the hockey world right now, and for the foreseeable future, I’ve decided to take the plunge and write player profiles for each member of the New Jersey Devils.
As was the case when I did them last summer, we’ll be looking at the season they just put together and expectations moving forward.
I’ve written up 14 players thus far, with Damon Severson being the most recent.
Today we’re going with Kyle Palmieri.
Counting stats: 65 games played, 45 points (25 goals, 20 assist), 17:07 average time on ice
5v5 underlyings: 1.80 points/60, +2.01 CF% Rel, +11.82 GF% Rel, +6.73 xGF% Rel, 97.8 PDO
2019-20 review: Death, taxes, and Kyle Palmieri scoring between 24 and 27 goals. Palmieri netted 25 prior to the regular season (very likely) reaching its end, marking the fourth consecutive season he has finished with a goal output in that range. Considering how much of a tire fire the Devils were, I think scoring at a 31-goal pace is rather impressive.
Beyond the consistent goal scoring, Palmieri contributed in essentially every other way imaginable.
His relative impact was remarkably strong as a whole. I think everyone realizes the offensive talent he has but, in my opinion, his defensive acumen continues to be underrated league-wide. He once again did an excellent job of helping the Devils suppress shots, chances, and goals when he was on the ice at 5v5.
On top of all that, Palmieri was one of the team’s more physically engaged players. He never hesitated to mix it up with opponents, stand up for a teammate, or block a big shot to erase a dangerous situation.
I honestly believe Palmieri is one of those guys who brings a lot to the table beyond the counting numbers, and it just so happens his counting numbers tend to be very good.
Fun fact(s): Palmieri was one of the NHL’s deadliest goal scorers on the man advantage. He potted 11 on the power play, tying him with the likes of Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel for 10th in the league.
2020-21 outlook: Barring a borderline absurd offer coming in around the draft, I fully expect Kyle Palmieri to remain with the Devils to start next season. He is very clearly the best pure goal scorer on the roster, he is awesome defensively, and he’s one of the key leaders on the team. The Devils want to take a step forward next season and subtracting Palmieri before the year wouldn’t exactly help matters.
I expect a lot to change around Palmieri, but I don’t think much will be different for him. No. 21 will almost certainly continue to serve as RW1, be spoon fed one-timers on PP1, and take on a key leadership role.
If the Devils have another failure of a season, and/or are miles apart in contract negotiations, they can sell him as a high-end rental at the deadline.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com and hockey-reference.com
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