The New Jersey Devils held scrimmages today, which gave John Hynes his first opportunity to test out some line combinations we could see when the games begin.
Here is how the top-6 shaped up:
Marcus Johansson being used as a center to start #NJDevils first scrimmage. Between Hall and Palmieri.
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossRecord) September 16, 2017
Henrqiue between Zacha and Stafford
I really like the decision to give Marcus Johansson a look on the top line. He has the speed to keep up with Taylor Hall, the playmaking ability to compliment Kyle Palmieri, the team's best goal scorer, and, simply put, getting him the most minutes possible with the best players possible seems like the way to go.
Adam Henrique is not a great defensive player at 5v5, which probably factored into the decision to play him on the wing down the stretch last season, so if Johansson can hold his own at center, and keep Henrique away from the Sidney Crosbys and Nicklas Backstroms of the world, I think that is a positive.
I have some real concerns about the 2nd line, though.
For one, there is not much in the way of playmaking ability. Pavel Zacha could be decent in that regard but Henrique has recorded more assists than goals once in the last four seasons and Drew Stafford is a shoot-first player who lacks both creativity and speed. I think there are a lot of dependent players (aka guys who need others to create opportunities for them) on that line so I don't have much faith in their ability to generate consistent offense.
None of the three possess high-end speed or the ability to smoothly navigate their way through traffic in the neutral zone (a la Taylor Hall) and I think that could lead to some problems as well.
I also worry about defensive play. I'm sure Hynes would try and shelter them a bit with favorable zone starts but Henrique has struggled to defend at 5v5 in recent years, Stafford's play without the puck is far from inspiring, and, really, how much impact could Zacha make on the left wing even if it turns out he's a plus-defender?
There's no harm in testing that trio out in a meaningless game but I have a hard time believing that line will be able to stick. The top line could be a ton of fun, though. I hope we get to see it when the games begin next week.
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