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The New Jersey Devils Should Stay Away From Mikkel Boedker

April 18, 2016, 11:57 AM ET [29 Comments]
Todd Cordell
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To the surprise of many the New Jersey Devils were in contention for a playoff spot for almost the entirety of the season.

They eventually fell short with the biggest reason being the team's inability to score goals with any consistency.

As such the biggest item on GM Ray Shero's to-do list is to add some more scoring to the lineup, whether it be via free agency or trade.

One name that I've frequently been asked about is forward Mikkel Boedker.

On the surface it makes some sense - he scored 19 goals and added 51 points last season - but after taking a deeper look I feel confident saying Boedker is a guy the Devils should pass on.

There are a few reasons for that:

1) Simply put Boedker can not score at full-strength. In 2015-16 he averaged just 1.33 points per 60 minutes played at 5 v 5, good for 212th among 352 eligible forwards (minimum 500 minutes).

Some of the many that were more efficient include Brad Richardson, Mike Santorelli, Dale Weise, Brian Gionta and Cal Clutterbuck.

What's particularly worrisome about Boedker is his 5 v 5 struggles aren't just a one year thing.

Over the last three seasons Boedker has averaged 1.42 points/60 of 5 v 5, good for 207th among 338 eligible forwards (minimum 1,500 minutes).

Again, there are no shortage of mediocre players that have been able to out produce Boedker such as Ryan Garbutt, Steve Downie, Blake Comeau and Darren Helm to name but a few.

Scoring at 5 v 5 has been New Jersey's biggest problem for years and there's no reason to believe Boedker would provide much - if any - assistance in that area.

2) Boedker has not only struggled to score at 5 v 5 but he has also struggled to drive play in the right direction.

While suiting up for some pretty bad Arizona/Phoenix/Colorado teams Boedker has somehow managed to post worse numbers than the team when he's off the ice.

View post on imgur.com



Generally it's easier for players to post good relative numbers while playing for bad teams - the bar is low - but Boedker has been unable to do so. By all accounts he struggles at 5 v 5.

3) Rarely do players in their mid 20s hit the open market; especially players with a history of putting up some points. Boedker fits that description so he's going to command a lot of money.

While Boedker is effective on the man advantage I have a hard time believing he'll be worth anywhere close to what he ends up signing for. I think the Devils would be better off turning their attention elsewhere should Boedker test the open market.

We may soon find out if Shero feels the same way.

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