With next to nothing happening in the hockey world, I've decided to take the plunge and write daily profiles for members of the New Jersey Devils.
I'll be commenting on the year each player just had as well as their projected role and expectations for 2019-20. I've written 20 thus far, with John Hayden being the most recent player profiled.
Today we're taking a closer look at Connor Carrick (Devils tenure only).
Counting stats: 20 games played, seven points (one goal, six assists), 19:35 average time on ice
5v5 underlyings: 1.04 points/60, -1.27 CF% Rel, +8.65 GF% Rel, +0.57 xGF% Rel, 0.989 PDO
2018-19 review: The Devils were a bad, banged up team. That opened up a lot of opportunities for fringe players and prospects to carve out larger roles than they'd otherwise have a chance at. Carrick was perhaps the biggest beneficiary after coming over from Dallas. John Hynes gave him almost 20 minutes a night and he took advantage. Carrick's underlyings were fairly solid, he provided some snarl, and he picked up quite a few points – including key ones that, as it turned out, helped put the Devils into the winning lottery slot.
Fun fact: From the time of his Devils debut onwards, only 31 defensemen recorded more points at 5v5 than Carrick. His output (six) matched the likes of P.K. Subban, John Carlson, Thomas Chabot and Zach Werenski.
2019-20 outlook: As currently constructed, Carrick isn't going to earn a top-6 slot on defense if Ty Smith's ready. He's just not. But he is a lock to make the team as a rotational defender. The Devils gave him $1.5 million because depth on defense is very important and, in the event of injury, they want a couple guys – Mirco Mueller being the other – capable of stepping in and holding their own for more than 12 extremely sheltered minutes. I think Carrick proved he can be one of those guys and I have no problem with the Devils, who were heavy in cap space, paying up to keep him around. I wouldn't expect him to continue producing offense at the same rate (7 points in 20 games equates to ~29 over a full season), even with some of the new toys up front.
numbers via naturalstattrick.com and hockey-reference.com Recent Posts best 1-2 punch in the Metro?