Three experiments the New Jersey Devils should test during preseason

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The great thing about training camp, and preseason play, is that it gives coaches wiggle room for trial and error without any sort of repercussions.

Lindy Ruff is free to get creative and try different combinations, set plays, etc. knowing there’s no risk involved.

If something doesn’t work, the team doesn’t get punished for it. But if Ruff does stumble into something, he has more tricks up his sleeve moving forward.

With all that said, here are three experiments I’d like to see the New Jersey Devils try in the coming weeks:

Alexander Holtz with Jack Hughes

These two really do seem like a match made in heaven. They might not play together this year – at least to start – but it does seem like only a matter of time before they’re in it for the long haul.

Holtz is a one-shot shooter with truly dynamic offensive capabilities. Hughes not only brings the elite playmaking you like to pair with a finisher such as Holtz, but the neutral zone prowess and above average defensive abilities to help mask some of Holtz’ shortcomings as his game continues to grow.

As I’ve said multiple times, it’s possible Holtz is not quite ready to be a full-time NHL player. But he sure doesn’t seem far off.

It makes sense to get him some reps with Hughes, even if the expectation is that Holtz won’t be coming up until later in the season.

For one, they’re almost certainly going to play together the second Holtz steps into the league. You want them to familiarize for that reason.

There’s also the fact the Devils still lack pure finishers.

Depending how things go, they might need to push the emergency button at some point this season and add Holtz’ scoring to the lineup.

And, when they do that, they’ll want him to hit the ground running. Give Holtz some time with Hughes and plant the seeds for that to happen.

Dawson Mercer with Nico Hischier

It’s possible – perhaps even likely – Dawson Mercer forces his way onto the team in training camp; at least for a nine game trial.

While most are pegging Mercer in as an obvious fit for the 3C spot, playing in the top-6 as a winger might be ideal. Hear me out.

For one, there’s less responsibility for Mercer as an individual. He doesn’t need to drive a line, do the heavy lifting through the neutral zone, or be as positionally sound if he’s not playing center.

He’d still be involved, of course, but he has a little less weight on his shoulders. That could be a good thing.

I also think he’d be a fantastic compliment for Nico. He’s a very slick player with the puck who can help get it into dangerous areas. And he could help Nico do some of the heavy lifting defensively.

Nico’s even-strength defensive game was worth just +0.1 GAR in 2019-20 and he missed a lot of last year due to injuries, COVID, etc. His defensive game isn’t as good as it was in the past (+1.6 GAR in 2018-19), or is capable of being. Mercer’s ability to neuter possessions before they really get going could help get Nico back at the level where he needs to be.

On top of that, there’s enough center depth on the roster – Mark Jankowski, Pavel Zacha, Michael McLeod and even Jesper Boqvist would still be available to take the bottom-6 slots – that the Devils could be fine if they deem Mercer a better fit for the wing.

Now, I don’t want to get carried away here. It is definitely possible Mercer isn’t ready for NHL duties just yet, let alone for 16+ minutes a night or a spot on a top-6 line. And that’s completely fine; but the Devils might as well use this time to try and find out.

Jonas Siegenthaler on the top pairing

Siegenthaler is a very good defensive defender. His ESD was worth more than +4 GAR in 2018-19 and in 2019-20. He provided positive value last season as well, albeit over only 15 games.

I would like to see him get at least a little bit of time alongside Dougie Hamilton. No, not because I think he’s better than Ryan Graves. No, not because I think he’d be a better partner for Dougie. No, not because I want him in a top-4 role opening night.

It’s more about the Devils protecting themselves, and having a good fallback option, than anything else.

Graves, as we know, plays a taxing brand of hockey. He logs a lot of difficult minutes. He battles for every inch along the wall. And he’ll dive in front of every puck he can.

That’s all well and good but you’re bound to get injured – even if minor – at some point if you consistently play the way Graves does.

If that happens, the Devils’ 2D on the left side is Ty Smith. Call me crazy but I don’t want a player still working out his defensive warts to that extent on the top pairing.

So, it’d be Jonas Siegenthaler by default. Considering Siegenthaler is a plus-defender, who excels in a lot of the same areas as Graves, using him alongside Dougie might not be such a bad idea.

Even if only in scrimmages, or for a ~period in a real game, I’d like to see Siegenthaler get some reps with Hamilton so that they’re not going in blind when needed; because, at some point, they almost certainly will be.

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numbers via Evolving-Hockey.com and Architecte-Hockey.com