What I'd like to see from each Devils forward in 2023-24: Part 2

From Curtis Lazar to Tyler Toffoli, I shared my hopes – and expectations – for seven different players.

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Training camps (mercifully) open in just a few weeks and competitive games will quickly follow.

With that in mind, it’s time to go player-by-player – as I do every year – and share what I’d like to see from them in the upcoming season.

I started the mini-series earlier this week, taking a closer look at half of the forward core. In this post I’m going to go through the rest.

Curtis Lazar: lots of scratches

Lazar is one of the nicest people I’ve met in the hockey world. He is a super friendly guy and easy to root for. That said, let’s call a spade a spade: he is limited in what he can do on NHL ice.

His play away from the puck is fine but he doesn’t possess any offensive ability and his lack of speed sticks out on a team that plays with as much pace as the Devils.

I think Lazar has a place on an NHL roster but he is not somebody who should dress regularly on a good team – such as the Devils.

The hope is that Nolan Foote is ready to take the next step and become a regular on the 4th line, forcing Lazar to look in from the outside on many nights.

If Lazar is dressing once every couple of weeks to give someone rest, and keep the rust off, I will be happy. I don’t want to see him playing regularly in front of Foote (so long as he has a decent camp) or an underrated – and much better – 4th liner like Nathan Bastian.

Michael McLeod: Become a PK ace

For the purpose of this article I’m going to operate is if McLeod will be available to play because, as of right now, he is available to play.

McLeod was awesome on the penalty kill last season. He led all Devils position players in PK GAR and posted the best underlying numbers across the board.

McLeod was an absolute monster in the faceoff circle. Couple that with his speed and non-stop motor and it’s certainly no surprise he fared so well.

I’d like to see McLeod post strong outputs once again while taking on a bigger role as a key forward on the penalty kill.

Last year he logged less than 100 PK minutes and ranked 5th among forwards in time on ice. Let’s ramp it up a notch.

Timo Meier: Find a home