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On Severson/Merrill
There haven't been a lot of positives for the New Jersey Devils this season, but one has been the play of Damon Severson and Jon Merrill as a pairing.
With Adam Larsson playing so well alongside Andy Greene while Severson was out of the lineup, Lou Lamoriello and co. elected to keep those two together and find Severson a new partner.
So far the results have been pretty good, as Severson and Merrill have posted a 55 Corsi For percentage as a pairing, meaning the Devils are getting 55/100 shot attempts with them on the ice at even-strength.
Severson's possession numbers have been good with basically anyone while Merrill has struggled with most guys (43.1CF% away from Severson), so I think the quality play of this pairing can be attributed more so to Severson than Merrill, but he's holding his own, and that's all that matters.
The sample size hasn't been huge, so it'll be interesting to see if they continue to drive possession over time. We should get a better idea over the next 15 games or so.
Draft Picks Though the Devils have won more games of late than anyone could have expected, it looks like they're almost a lock to be picking 7th overall (barring a lottery win).
New Jersey is four points behind the Flyers for 8th last and five behind the Stars, who just had Seguin return to the lineup, so it's unlikely the Devils will catch them, while the Blue Jackets are the closest team below them in the standings, and they're five points away.
That gives the Devils some wiggle room, so unless they a) win a lot of games down the stretch or; b) lose a lot of games down the stretch, they'll be picking 7th.
That would mean they'd also own the 37th overall pick and, if Florida stays where they are now, the 42nd overall pick.
If they keep the picks, there will be good players available. If they want to trade a pick or two for a roster player, that's fine, too. Either way, those picks are very valuable, and should help the Devils right the ship going forward in one way or another.
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