The New Jersey Devils have changed everything, yet almost nothing

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Today’s post was written by C.J. TURTORO. You can find C.J. on Twitter @CJTDevil.

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This is what the projected lineup for the New Jersey Devils would’ve looked like at the end of the season as opposed to what it looks like now.

The Devils lost bottom-sixer, Nathan Bastian to Seattle, replacing him with next-man-up, Tyce Thompson (or whoever wins out in camp). Otherwise we return the exact same forward group. 

On defense, they return the majority of the starters from last year, but have manufactured a top pairing by using their superfluous assets (a young forward, a draft pick, and cap space) to acquire Ryan Graves and the top UFA, Dougie Hamilton.

And in net, the top goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood, is still the top goalie. But his backup has been significantly upgraded.

In total, it currently looks like the opening night lineup will feature the same goalie and 15 of the same 18 skaters we had expected at the end of last year.

So, if we’re returning 83% of the roster, why does it feel like absolutely everything is different? 

Well, before we get to the obvious one, let’s point out that the impact of a good backup goaltender can hardly be overstated.

Mackenzie Blackwood’s NHL record is 46-41-12 with a 0.911 Sv%. That translates to an 86-point pace over 82 games. Certainly not good, but far better from what you’ve felt the Devils have been the last three years.

All other goalies have a 0.882 Sv% and a 32-59-17 record (62-point pace). That is a 24-point(!) gap between the team’s standings points from our starter to our backup.

Jonathan Bernier not only provides a safety valve if Blackwood goes on another one of his cold streaks, but he also allows the team to maintain momentum during streaks that have so often been broken by win-precluding goaltender ineptitude.

That’s certainly a big deal. But goaltending often feels like something “else” to the game. In a minute-to-minute game-watching experience, the big change is, of course, the addition of Dougie Hamilton. The reason he changes everything is because he impacts every player on the ice.

When the Hughes line is on, Jack may handle the transition, but he excels when he has a point presence to maintain the zone and orchestrate effective possessions, managing the space for Hughes to navigate -- that’s why he and Ty Smith played so well together. 

With the Hischier line, Dougie can help contribute in transition both offensively and defensively to ensure that the trio spends as much time in the offensive zone as possible where they can work their magic.

The Wood line thrives on mayhem -- last year Wood and Bastian were among the two most prolific players in the NHL when it came to generating shots off rebounds. Any Wood-McLeod line will continue to bring the hustle plays, so it is highly beneficial for them to have a defender that can fire away from the point. 

And the bottom line will benefit because they will finally get to play with good defenders -- even if it’s not Dougie. Last year, Smith-Severson was the Devils best pair, but they were also used disproportionately in the offensive zone -- a situation in which the bottom line would seldom be deployed.

Now, in the absolute worst case scenario, the bottom line will have former Norris-winner P.K. Subban to buoy the shift and limit disastrous shifts.

Speaking of Smith-Severson, that pairing should’ve been together all year! But we couldn’t afford to do that because Smith’s defensive game wasn’t ready for the top pair, and we needed Severson to play top pair minutes.

Graves-Hamilton will now, presumably, draw the top assignments, allowing Smith-Severson to stay together and be deployed in the situations most advantageous to the team.

And P.K. Subban is finally allowed to rest. We don’t need him to fire away. We don’t need him to handle transition. We don’t need him on PP1.

P.K. will, for the first time in his career, be in a situation that allows him to attack bottom sixes the same way he used to attack top sixes. He will be able to feast for the 17-18 minutes a game we need him.

Every line and every pairing will feel the impact of adding a player of Dougie’s caliber. This is the benefit of adding someone to the top of your lineup.

The impact of giving an elite player 23 minutes a game, trickles down throughout the entire lineup and changes everything, while changing almost nothing.