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The New Jersey Devils are one step closer to finalizing their 23-man roster. Well, two steps.
Today they announced forwards Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian have been assigned to Binghamton of the AHL.
They both entered camp as longshots to make the team. Not necessarily because they appeared miles away from being NHL-ready, but rather due to all the competition for spots this year. There was a lot more talent and depth to push through. Ultimately, they weren’t able to do so.
To their credit, though, they at least made things interesting. Probably more than many – myself included – anticipated.
McLeod played in four games, potted a pair of 5v5 goals, and was one of the team’s leaders in shot contributions on a nightly basis.
Unfortunately, his on-ice numbers were poor – the Devils controlled ~39% of the attempts and ~40% of the chances with McLeod out there – which is probably a big reason the Devils elected to send him down rather than waiving somebody to make room. He’s closer to ready but there is still real room for improvement.
While Bastian was not as noticeable as McLeod offensively, he was very physical on a nightly basis and his underlying numbers were a little better.
I think he made a decent case for himself but, like McLeod, not enough for the Devils to waive somebody like John Hayden, who they really like, to make room on the 4th line. They undoubtedly feel it’s better to start with Hayden in that role and go to Bastian if necessary, rather than starting with the latter, risking him not being ready, and potentially losing Hayden on waivers in the meantime.
Barring any surprise cuts, there are two spots remaining for Hayden (likely to make it), Kevin Rooney, Ty Smith, and Matt Tennyson to fight for.
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