New Jersey Devils Q&A - August 20, 2022

I answered your questions re: Hischier's ceiling, expectations for Mercer, Nemec's debut season in North America, and much more.

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With off-season movement at a stand still – at least outside of Calgary – and training camp still several weeks away, I thought it’d be a good time to do a Q&A post.

Let’s get right into it.

Q: Which player are you most excited to watch this year beyond the obvious choice of Jack Hughes?

Jesper Bratt would certainly be high on the list. He has emerged as one of the better two-way wingers in the league. He’s extremely dynamic with the puck on his stick and is a legitimate threat as a passer and a shooter.

After another painful contract negotiation, which again resulted in a short-term deal, I think he’ll have all the motivation in the world to come out and put together a monster campaign.

He wants to prove he’s worth a big, long-term investment and he wants to play playoff hockey. If he can put together another ~point per game campaign, perhaps he can nail two birds with one stone.

I’m also really looking forward to seeing Alexander Holtz. The season he put together in Utica last year was very encouraging and there’s a lot of talk about him being stronger, and a little more agile, on the puck. If he can just hold his own in most areas, having his one-shot scoring ability in the lineup would be a big plus (and fun to watch).

Q: How does current form Nico compare to your expectations of him when drafted? And are there any areas you think he can take another step in?

I thought Nico would be a ~point per game two-way center and it looks as if he’s slowly getting there.

He put up 60 points in 70 games last year despite a useless power play and, at times, a wide array of linemates who had no business playing with someone of Nico’s caliber.

From January 1st onwards, Nico put up 42 points in 43 games without skipping a beat off puck.

I think that kind of production could become the norm – or close to it – in the coming years.

While it feels like Nico’s been around forever, he is still only 23. He’s just entering his peak and I think that’s reflective of what we’re seeing on the ice.

With regards to where he could take a step, I’d like to see some improvement on the power play. The Devils have put together a good cast of weapons and they now have a competent PP coach. There’s no reason he can’t up his production there.

Q: What’s your realistic expectation for Mercer this year in terms of points? His microstats last year were really good, and still only finished at around .5ppg. I think he’s a prime candidate to break out massively next year