What might the Devils' top-6 look like this season?

David Mudrak examined a few of the many possibilities Sheldon Keefe has at his disposal.

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By David Mudrak (@MuddyOpinions)

The New Jersey Devils have a clear group of four elite forwards – Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier – who will all fit within the top two lines in some way.

The questions around the lineup begin to come when considering the two open spots and who will be given the honor of playing among these four players. 

There are plenty of possible combinations that Sheldon Keefe can deploy once the new season gets underway.

It’s not realistic for me to investigate every single option – nor would it make for a good read. Instead, I am going to highlight four possible options and briefly consider some of the benefits and perhaps drawbacks of each.

I hope this is a starting point for discussions, and I look forward to hearing about what combinations I have overlooked or what lines you all feel will work for the team. 

Option #1 - Balanced and Proven: 

If I had to bet on what is most likely, this top-6 unit would be my guess. Overall, it has the most proven benefits from previous seasons and keeps a balanced lineup while limiting potential problems. 

While it is unclear what Tatar will bring to the table once the season begins, he performed extremely well two seasons ago when paired with Nico Hischier.

In over 600 minutes together, they posted a 58.46 CF% and an astonishing 64.20 xGF%. When Nico was not with Tatar, he saw a drop off in his statistics, earning a 50.59 CF% and a 52.85 xGF%. Those are not poor numbers, but it is clear that Tatar has the ability to add to Hischier’s game. 

The big unknown with that top line is how Tatar will play with Meier. The two have never played together and it is not known if their styles will work well together. However, Hischier played well with Meier last season, and Meier put up positive numbers when he was paired with the captain. Betting on positive results from over the past two seasons could result in a solid line. 

This combination also allows Keefe to keep the peanut butter and jelly together, with Bratt staying on Hughes’ side. The two put up fantastic numbers last season, and Bratt has shown that he helps maximize Hughes’ impact.

When playing with Jesper Bratt, Jack Hughes posted a 60 CF% and an xGF% of ~57. Hughes was at his best in the over 300 minutes that he played with Bratt.

Without him, Hughes earned a 53.67 CF% and a 52.29 xGF%. Similar to Hischier’s situation, Hughes is not bad without Bratt, but he is even better when paired with him. 

The last benefit of this group comes in giving Dawson Mercer a bump. Mercer has benefitted from his time with Hughes in the past. After a poor showing last year, it will be important for the team to try to get his development and production back on track.

Although is possible that he drags down Bratt and Hughes a bit, it is worth the risk to possibly spark him back into what he demonstrated during his sophomore season. 

Option #2 - Shutdown Line: