1) I think it might be time to break up the Adam Henrique and Kyle Palmieri duo. They just aren't producing enough offensively to warrant keeping them together because their defensive play has left a lot to be desired this season.
Among all Devils who have dressed in at least 10 games thus far they rank last and second last in scoring chances against per 60 minutes at 5 v 5. They are both bottom-5 in shot suppression, too.
The Devils are giving up a lot of shots and chances with that duo on the ice and they're not bringing close to enough offensively to make it a net gain.
If they remain together they'll have to be sheltered a little more. I actually think Pavel Zacha was moved to their line in part to try and help out defensively but his impact isn't as great on the wing.
2) I can't say enough about how well Travis Zajac is playing this season. As always he has been very good on the defensive side of the puck but he's really taken it up a notch offensively.
Playing with the likes of Taylor Hall and P.A. Parenteau helps, obviously, but the Devils generate more shot attempts and scoring chances with Zajac on the ice than any other player. Given he routinely plays against the opposition's best players that is pretty impressive.
3) I'm thinking Nick Lappin just might be a keeper. He is so smart, so responsible and is the kind of player coaches easily fall in love with. He has four points in 10 games despite playing a lesser role on the team and he has also fared very well in terms of possession and scoring chance numbers. He has really solidified the bottom-6 and is playing much better hockey than Blake Speers and Miles Wood were in similar roles to start the season.
Recent Posts Henrique, it's over!