Some off-day thoughts as the New Jersey Devils prepare for Thursday night's game against the San Jose Sharks:
1) I've tried to understand the Jon Merrill thing for years now and I still can't figure out exactly what it is he brings to the table that has made him a staple in the team's lineup under Pete DeBoer, Lou Lamoriello and now John Hynes.
He's not very good in possession, he looks very uncomfortable with the puck on his stick, he is not a good point producer and, in 2015-16, the Devils have scored just 36%(!) of all 5 v 5 goals with Merrill on the ice.
Eric Gelinas was routinely scratched, Damon Severson has sat out his fair share of games and the list goes on. At what point does Merrill take a seat as a result of his poor play?
2) Another note on Merrill: he has been spoon fed offensive zone starts by Hynes and co. this season and the results still haven't been encouraging.
As you can see Merrill is third among Devils' blue liners in 5 v 5 shot attempt for percentage but, for example, he's only marginally ahead of Adam Larsson.
When you factor in a) Larsson starts about 30%(!!) less of his shifts in the offensive zone and; b) he plays against the NHL's top forwards each and every night it doesn't paint a pretty picture for Merrill.
Prior to the season I wrote that the Devils should trade Merrill while his perceived value was still relatively high. I imagine that ship has sailed by now.
3) I'll go more in-depth on this subject down the road but I think GM Ray Shero would be smart to give David Schlemko a contract extension.
He ranks 1st among Devils blue liners in possession, 1st in scoring chance differential and has proven to be effective on the power play.
Schlemko wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to re-sign, either, so I think he's definitely a guy worth bringing back.
4) I'd like to see Joseph Blandisi featured a little more prominently on the man advantage down the stretch. He hasn't been given a ton of ice on the PP but has been very effective when given the opportunity as he leads the team in PP points per 60 minutes played. Again, the sample size isn't large but the early returns have been promising.
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