Todd Cordell: Five takeaways from the Devils' 2-1 win over the Rangers

I feel like kind of an idiot for overlooking Bratt so much before this preseason

You shouldn't.

Bratt was a 6th rounder from 2016 and had a solid but unspectacular year in the Allsvenskan (22 points in 46 games and 2 in 8 playoff games). He's young for his draft year but while I was high on him before this year, it was 'I think he could be a steal down the road' high, not 'I think he has a shot to make the NHL this season' high.

Since were not expected to do anything this year i don't see why we can't give nico, zacha and BLANDISI a full year at centre to see what they can do.

Since were not expected to do anything this year i don't see why we can't give nico, zacha and BLANDISI a full year at centre to see what they can do.
- cu45161

I don't think Johannsen is sticking at center. He hasn't shown much yet. Rico or Zacha will center the 1st line, with nico on 3rd line and blandisi on 4th with boyle out.

I feel like kind of an idiot for overlooking Bratt so much before this preseason
- willschulme

Similar story to Wood, showed his potential after his draft year.

I don't think Johannsen is sticking at center. He hasn't shown much yet. Rico or Zacha will center the 1st line, with nico on 3rd line and blandisi on 4th with boyle out.
- shakey

Boyle says he is going to try to play the first game, I would expect he would need to get in a couple contact practices in to make sure he is good to go, from Andy Gross he has been skating with the skills coach

So assuming Boyle does play I think the centers will be:
Zacha/henrique
Zacha/henrique
Hischier
Boyle

And blandisi will slide over from wing if Boyle is out

Hall-zacha-palms
Stafford-henrique-johanson
Hayes-hischier-quinville
Wood-boyle-blandisi
If Boyle is out
Wood-blandisi-noesen

Have a gut feeling they will sign Hayes and while Bratt has been impressive they will want to take it slow and not rush, maybe gets a few games up

When everyone is healthy
Hall-zajac-palms
Stafford-zacha-johanson
Henrique-hischier-quinville
Blandisi-boyle-wood

For defense
Severson Greene
Lovejoy Mueller
Santini/butcher-moore

The D has looked better but it's preseason and I still wish we could get rid of Lovejoy but no chance he is waived

Feels good to finally have a team that has some promising prospects, feels like just yesterday that our most promising prospect was Boucher.... Shero has really pulled off a miracle in a little over two years

Feels good to finally have a team that has some promising prospects, feels like just yesterday that our most promising prospect was Boucher.... Shero has really pulled off a miracle in a little over two years
- Devils314

Must feel real good

Must feel real good
- smellmyfinger

was waiting for someone to say that, not sure what happened there

You shouldn't.

Bratt was a 6th rounder from 2016 and had a solid but unspectacular year in the Allsvenskan (22 points in 46 games and 2 in 8 playoff games). He's young for his draft year but while I was high on him before this year, it was 'I think he could be a steal down the road' high, not 'I think he has a shot to make the NHL this season' high.
- CaptCrankypants

I'd say that's *real* solid. Not a ton of minutes and playing against men at 18.

Boyle says he is going to try to play the first game, I would expect he would need to get in a couple contact practices in to make sure he is good to go, from Andy Gross he has been skating with the skills coach

So assuming Boyle does play I think the centers will be:
Zacha/henrique
Zacha/henrique
Hischier
Boyle

And blandisi will slide over from wing if Boyle is out

Hall-zacha-palms
Stafford-henrique-johanson
Hayes-hischier-quinville
Wood-boyle-blandisi
If Boyle is out
Wood-blandisi-noesen

Have a gut feeling they will sign Hayes and while Bratt has been impressive they will want to take it slow and not rush, maybe gets a few games up

When everyone is healthy
Hall-zajac-palms
Stafford-zacha-johanson
Henrique-hischier-quinville
Blandisi-boyle-wood

For defense
Severson Greene
Lovejoy Mueller
Santini/butcher-moore

The D has looked better but it's preseason and I still wish we could get rid of Lovejoy but no chance he is waived
- dmarsden2988

Per Andrew Gross:
Hynes on lines at PEI
Hall-Zacha-Palmieri
Johansson-Hischier-Stafford
Henrique will center the third line.

I'd say that's *real* solid. Not a ton of minutes and playing against men at 18.
- ToddCordellVAN

Yes, like I said, I was high on him. I also didn't think it was so spectacular that anyone should've expected him to come into camp looking like an NHL ready player.

Also to be fair I was following the prospects throughout last season and kept thinking, 'why isn't anyone talking about this kid, he's putting up better numbers than Anze Kopitar did in the Swedish league' then realized that the Allsvenskan isn't the same as the SEL, so there was a little disappointment on that front.

Looks like a NHL devils lineup is going to P.E.I and the Bing team is playing the isles

Per Andrew Gross:
Hynes on lines at PEI
Hall-Zacha-Palmieri
Johansson-Hischier-Stafford
Henrique will center the third line.
- TRDevil

Good to see zacha getting the chance on the first line to see if he can run with it

Liking those lines, let's see how they play

Per Andrew Gross:
Hynes on lines at PEI
Hall-Zacha-Palmieri
Johansson-Hischier-Stafford
Henrique will center the third line.
- TRDevil

Those lines are sexy

Shero is a smart gM, he will not want all these guys coming off their ELC at the same time, so some are going back down this year no matter what and Hayes and the like will make the team.

Per Andrew Gross:
Hynes on lines at PEI
Hall-Zacha-Palmieri
Johansson-Hischier-Stafford
Henrique will center the third line.
- TRDevil

as it should be.

Shero is a smart gM, he will not want all these guys coming off their ELC at the same time, so some are going back down this year no matter what and Hayes and the like will make the team.
- redmonsters

you're probably right. this preseason winning has been a tease. we need to stink again. get the pick. and then go for it next year. .. right?

you're probably right. this preseason winning has been a tease. we need to stink again. get the pick. and then go for it next year. .. right?
- MartysBetter88

This is very exciting. Can’t remember an off-season so much of our youth played so well before. Seems like always banking on a Teddy. Now we have serious talent and I don’t know how to handle it.

Shero is a smart gM, he will not want all these guys coming off their ELC at the same time, so some are going back down this year no matter what and Hayes and the like will make the team.
- redmonsters

Well they have 9 games without burning a year

Shero is a smart gM, he will not want all these guys coming off their ELC at the same time, so some are going back down this year no matter what and Hayes and the like will make the team.
- redmonsters

The only reason that'd be a concern is if they were all really good and worth giving significant cap/term to. That'd be a good thing though, and Shero has, for the most part, been very conservative with his cap space. But more importantly, they won't all be good enough to earn big contracts and they aren't going to all come up at the same time. Players on ELCs who have a shot at making the roster (I was generous with some of the names):
1 year remaining on ELC:
Lappin
Kapla
Sanini
Wood
2 years remaining on ELC
Zacha
Quenneville
Butcher
3 years remaining on ELC
Hischier
Bratt
Speers
McLeod

Other than Hischier it doesn't seem likely that there are any high end players in that group. Maybe Butcher can surprise some people, maybe McLeod can turn it around with another year in the O, maybe Quenneville can start showing some of the dominance he showed in Albany, maybe Zacha can carry his strong preseason over into the regular season, and maybe Bratt isn't just having a good preseason. That's a lot of maybes and you're betting on low probabilities in some of those cases.