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After bringing in the likes of Taylor Hall, Beau Bennett and Vern Fiddler the New Jersey Devils appear set up front; at least for now.
The defense is another story.
There was room for improvement heading into the off-season. That holds even more true when you factor in the Devils traded Adam Larsson while their only blue line acquisition was Ben Lovejoy.
Despite having only five locks on the back end (Andy Greene, Damon Severson, John Moore, Jon Merrill, and Lovejoy) GM Ray Shero seems content with where they are at.
I understand not wanting to add up front. There are a few young guys who could be ready for full time action (Pavel Zacha, Joseph Blandisi, Reid Boucher, etc.) and there's also the possibility of Patrik Elias returning.
I really don't get standing pat on the blue line, though.
Andy Greene is very good. Damon Severson could be very good. John Moore has his moments but isn't anything special, Ben Lovejoy will be playing over his head and Jon Merrill has been a disaster for two years.
Surrounding that core with Steve Santini, who is promising but has played one game as a professional, Seth Helgeson and Yohann Auvitu doesn't instil much confidence in me.
With the likes of James Wisniewski and Barret Jackman, among others, on the market I think the Devils would be best off signing another established blue liner.
It doesn't seem like they'll go that route, though, and I think that may end up biting them down the road.
Recent Posts
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On Vern Fiddler and Ben Lovejoy
On the Taylor Hall trade
On the Beau Bennett trade
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