Friday Five: The Devils' underrated issue, Nemec's outlook, and the path to contention
Breaking down depth concerns, Simon Nemec’s future, how quickly the Devils can truly contend, and more.
Follow along on Twitter @ToddCordell | @InfernalAccess
Welcome to the first edition of Friday Five, a blog I’ll be running indefinitely.
The concept is simple. Every Friday, I choose five questions from Infernal Access readers and do my best to answer them.
Before I begin, some quick housekeeping.
These questions came from discord. If you’re not in there – or don’t use discord – feel free to submit questions in the comments throughout the week.
If your question wasn’t used this time, it may be revisited next time if it’s still topical.
Let’s get into it.
Q: What is the least talked about issue with the Devils that you hope GM Sunny tackles quickly?
I think the Devils badly need another play driver up front to play lower in their lineup.
The Hurricanes are an extreme example, but they’re loaded with depth guys who excel in that regard.
Mark Jankowski – who I thought the Devils should have pursued a year ago – won his minutes by 0.93 xG per 60 minutes at 5v5 this season. William Carrier won his by 0.76. Eric Robinson won his by 0.56. Those were the 3rd, 5th, and 8th best xG differentials among Carolina forwards.
They didn’t pile up the points – Jankowski led the trio with 21 – but they were consistently tilting the ice, spending time in the offensive zone, and leaving the Hurricanes in a good spot for the next unit over the boards.
I don’t see the Devils getting that from their depth personnel.
Paul Cotter, god love him, has been caved in at 5v5 during his tenure with the team.
Maxim Tsyplakov is similar to Ondrej Palat but cheaper. Unfortunately, a $2.25 million Palat isn’t very good, either.
Nick Bjugstad is a clear upgrade over Luke Glendening but his impacts aren’t great and he doesn’t have the skating to drive play through the middle of the ice.
And who knows what to expect from Stefan Noesen after knee surgery?
Point being, a lot of 4th line candidates struggle to tilt the ice or contribute in the neutral zone. I’d love to see that addressed.
Q: How fast can the Devils become legitimate contenders like the Avalanche/Golden Knights/Hurricanes? Since there have been many mistakes in our window is it still realistic to be a top 5~ team next year?
