In this edition of the hotstove, we share our choices for most underrated player on the New Jersey Devils.
Todd Cordell
Jesper Bratt.
The 21-year-old Swedish winger quietly put together a strong campaign on a horrendous New Jersey Devils squad.
He produced at a 44 point pace, with the vast majority of his damage being done at 5v5. Bratt equaled superstars like Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron in scoring during that gamestate.
Good things continually happened when he was on the ice – and not just relative to the team he played for. The Devils actually beat their opponents on the scoreboard, and in terms of expected goals, with Bratt on the ice. Kyle Palmieri is the only other player on the Devils who can say that.
It’s fun to think about what Bratt could have done if he didn’t a) spend ~40% of his 5v5 ice with Pavel Zacha; b) rank 9th on the team in power play ice and; c) have to sit out a couple times due to ‘inconsistent’ play.
Sean Maloughney
The New Jersey Devils were among the worst in the league in terms of goals and shots against. Cory Schneider and Louis Dominigue both appeared in 13 and 16 games respectively to mediocre results. The only reason that the Devils were not a bottom 5 team was because of Mackenzie Blackwood.
Blackwood appeared in 47 games for the Devils this season, posting 22 wins through 47 games. He faced the 6th most shots in the league at 5 on 5 (1217) and the five goalies who faced more shots all played at least 400 more minutes. His 0.926SV% at 5 on 5 was also good for 12th in the entire league.
This season was nothing short of a disappointment for the Devils but Blackwood's performance and emergence as a starter was a bright spot.
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