Todd Cordell: The New Jersey Devils are giving Joey Anderson another (deserved) look

All that 20 year celebration did was to remind me of how woefully inept we are. Damn you 2000 team!

Nico looks great. Truly a bright spot in a dismal season. Same can be said of Coleman, and Palms. I'll even given Goose an honorable mention as a guy slowly figuring out this league. Beyond that, there really isn't much to be excited about.

Hughes has hit the wall, and you can tell. He gets worse every shift. The kid can skate, but all of his other skill sets are still a year or two away from arriving. I don't regret taking him first overall, and I'm sure he'll grow into the player we are all hoping, but right now, he is just not an NHL caliber player on most teams.

Bratt, Wood, Zacha, Severson, and Butcher are the model for inconsistency. A few great shifts followed by periods of ineptitude or invisibility.

Simmonds - we knew the risk. He'll be a foot note in our history.

Subban - just awful. Whether you look at it from a points-to-pay persepctive, or from a shift to shift play perspective. He has just underwhelmed in every possible way.

Blackwood, I'm just not sold on. His numbers are pretty damn good on a very bad team, but he just doesn't scream franchise #1. Very ugly style. He fights off every puck.

Don't even get me started on the complete lack of blue chip prospects in the system.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just being pissy. I miss our days in the sun.

He is one of the guys who needs to play the rest of the way out...hopefully they will pair him with Hughes to see how that would work. We need to find a line for 86!

you're on point with every point

All that 20 year celebration did was to remind me of how woefully inept we are. Damn you 2000 team!

Nico looks great. Truly a bright spot in a dismal season. Same can be said of Coleman, and Palms. I'll even given Goose an honorable mention as a guy slowly figuring out this league. Beyond that, there really isn't much to be excited about.

Hughes has hit the wall, and you can tell. He gets worse every shift. The kid can skate, but all of his other skill sets are still a year or two away from arriving. I don't regret taking him first overall, and I'm sure he'll grow into the player we are all hoping, but right now, he is just not an NHL caliber player on most teams.

Bratt, Wood, Zacha, Severson, and Butcher are the model for inconsistency. A few great shifts followed by periods of ineptitude or invisibility.

Simmonds - we knew the risk. He'll be a foot note in our history.

Subban - just awful. Whether you look at it from a points-to-pay persepctive, or from a shift to shift play perspective. He has just underwhelmed in every possible way.

Blackwood, I'm just not sold on. His numbers are pretty damn good on a very bad team, but he just doesn't scream franchise #1. Very ugly style. He fights off every puck.

Don't even get me started on the complete lack of blue chip prospects in the system.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just being pissy. I miss our days in the sun.


- WayneZ

Agree on every point.

Gallant

Completely agree with Wayne Z. Good points.

As for Anderson, completely agree with Todd. He won't be an NHL impact player but could be a quality bottom six winger. I say bring him up and I'd be fine if they tried again with McLeod. Honestly wouldn't mind any moves to give someone a look. Hell, I'd even bring up Schneider if I needed to decide on buying him out or what not.

All that 20 year celebration did was to remind me of how woefully inept we are. Damn you 2000 team!

Nico looks great. Truly a bright spot in a dismal season. Same can be said of Coleman, and Palms. I'll even given Goose an honorable mention as a guy slowly figuring out this league. Beyond that, there really isn't much to be excited about.

Hughes has hit the wall, and you can tell. He gets worse every shift. The kid can skate, but all of his other skill sets are still a year or two away from arriving. I don't regret taking him first overall, and I'm sure he'll grow into the player we are all hoping, but right now, he is just not an NHL caliber player on most teams.

Bratt, Wood, Zacha, Severson, and Butcher are the model for inconsistency. A few great shifts followed by periods of ineptitude or invisibility.

Simmonds - we knew the risk. He'll be a foot note in our history.

Subban - just awful. Whether you look at it from a points-to-pay persepctive, or from a shift to shift play perspective. He has just underwhelmed in every possible way.

Blackwood, I'm just not sold on. His numbers are pretty damn good on a very bad team, but he just doesn't scream franchise #1. Very ugly style. He fights off every puck.

Don't even get me started on the complete lack of blue chip prospects in the system.

I don't know. Maybe I'm just being pissy. I miss our days in the sun.


- WayneZ

Hughes is RNH all over again, without the benefit of having a bit better team surrounding him. In time, he'll be a real good player. Maybe not elite, but certainly valuable.

Hughes is RNH all over again, without the benefit of having a bit better team surrounding him. In time, he'll be a real good player. Maybe not elite, but certainly valuable.
- BINGO!

My reaction to reading this:

"oh (frank), Bingo might have a really good comparison there!"

Hughes is RNH all over again, without the benefit of having a bit better team surrounding him. In time, he'll be a real good player. Maybe not elite, but certainly valuable.
- BINGO!

Hughes is not the problem on this team......the players playing with him are. No way should Simmons and Wood got anywhere near the top 9 on any team. I wish they would just let him play his "style" and not force this "checking" role on him.

Line should be

Palms, Nico, Bratt

Guzev, Hughes, Coleman

McLeod*, Zacha, Boqvist

Simmons, Zajac, Wood

Hayden, Rooney and Street should all sit!!

*I rather play McLeod over Anderson because he's bigger, faster and his ceiling seems a little higher.

Give Joey a real shot, please. Give him some actual minutes and let's see what he's got.

And speaking on Hughes, maybe give him some line mates that help open him up offensively. Playing with Simmonds/Wood/Zacha doesn't let him develop his creativity.

Hughes is not the problem on this team......the players playing with him are. No way should Simmons and Wood got anywhere near the top 9 on any team. I wish they would just let him play his "style" and not force this "checking" role on him.

Line should be

Palms, Nico, Bratt

Guzev, Hughes, Coleman

McLeod*, Zacha, Boqvist

Simmons, Zajac, Wood

Hayden, Rooney and Street should all sit!!

*I rather play McLeod over Anderson because he's bigger, faster and his ceiling seems a little higher.
- Gambi99

Hopefully they move Simmmonds at the trade deadline and we can get a look at Anderson and McLeod. But there seems to be little point in playing Hayden Rooney or Street.

My reaction to reading this:

"oh (frank), Bingo might have a really good comparison there!"
- Queenie_5_hole

sorry.

Still, I think he'll be fine. not his fault half the team isn't NHL caliber.

Give Joey a real shot, please. Give him some actual minutes and let's see what he's got.

And speaking on Hughes, maybe give him some line mates that help open him up offensively. Playing with Simmonds/Wood/Zacha doesn't let him develop his creativity.
- Pomegrant

I agree 100%...they have not helped Hughes out at all this year

I don't know what is up with Hughes. He was playing well for a large part of the season but the last few games I've caught he seemed to have no confidence. Would like to see Elias work with him since I don't think we have a single guy behind the bench who could have been confused with a talented forward during their career. And Gusev looked like a different player after working with Patty.

Hughes is RNH all over again, without the benefit of having a bit better team surrounding him. In time, he'll be a real good player. Maybe not elite, but certainly valuable.
- BINGO!

Rnh sucks

Hughes is RNH all over again, without the benefit of having a bit better team surrounding him. In time, he'll be a real good player. Maybe not elite, but certainly valuable.
- BINGO!

People said the same about Nico. Nico looks like he'll be a much better player. Hughes is too young and his game is much different to even compare him to RNH. Other fans just love to hope other teams first overalls underwhelm or bust. Which I think is what you're doing whether it's conscious or not.

People said the same about Nico. Nico looks like he'll be a much better player. Hughes is too young and his game is much different to even compare him to RNH. Other fans just love to hope other teams first overalls underwhelm or bust. Which I think is what you're doing whether it's conscious or not.
- devilspep

I saw a lot of people laughing at how much Nico is making in his extension and it's clear they don't follow him at all.

Hughes is having a rough first year but who cares, this team stinks. He's going to be a very good player for us too and we'll have a great 1-2 combo down the middle for years to come.

Happy for Joey I think he's underated.. he probably won't be a huge scorer but I think he will be a consistent bottom six forward that can play all situations..not bad for a 3rd round pick at least he puts up numbers in ahl

I'd actually like to see Zacha skate on the left side with Hischier and Bratt for the rest of the season. See if his career as a Devil is salvageable.

Put Gusev, Hughes, and Palmeri together to see what we have in that. At this point, see if Gusev and Hughes can co-exist on the same line.

Go with Coleman, McLeod, Anderson (or Bastian).

Finally just have Wood, Zajac, Simmonds. Eventually for next season you can place Bastian or Anderson with Zajac. At this point just throw Zajac with anyone and they'll be fine for the most part.

If we luck out with Lafreniere or Byfield next season then that gives the Devils options. Toss in Boqvist in the mix of forwards and it'll get interesting. Not good, but interesting.

I'm sure it's been said already, but can someone provide a general consensus of the top 5 picks, and how much better one is projected to be over the other? I'm understanding Lafrenenefdfsdifh to be head and shoulders above Byfield? .. who is a tier above the next guy.. who's a little better than #4 and 5?

I'm from New Jersey and know nothing about hockey prospects.

There is a clear number one and then a second tier of 4-5. Within that there is a lot of different debate, but usually the came names. Askarov the goalie typically shows up around #10. Stutzle has been rising all year. Devils should be happy with any of them. Some will argue Byfield as a big dynamic center projects better, but is not there yet, and might not get there, which is why he is not number one.

1) Alexis Lafreniere (LW, Canada, Rimouski QMJHL)

2) Lucas Raymond (RW, Sweden, Frolunda SHL)

3) Tim Stutzle (LC/LW, Germany, Adler Mannheim DEL)

4) Quinton Byfield (LC, Canada, Sudbury OHL)

5) Jamie Drysdale (RD, Canada, Erie OHL)