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With not much happening in the hockey world these days, I thought it’d be fun to go through New Jersey’s contracts and rank them from best to worst.
To keep the posts at a reasonable size, and provide you with multiple days of content, I’m only going to focus on the forwards today.
I should note that only players signed through 2020-21, and not on entry-level contracts, are eligible for ranking.
1. Nico Hischier ($7.25M, signed through 2026-27)
Hischier may not be the best value on the team right now. With that said, he’s the only forward you can argue is (or will be) underpaid who’s actually signed beyond next season.
The other two guys you could make a case for up top – Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev – are both entering the last year of their deals and will be in line for raises regardless of where they’re playing in 2021-22. But back to Nico.
He’s an awesome offensive talent who is starting to figure out just how good he is. There were plenty of games prior to the pause where he would completely take over and show why he was the No. 1 pick. Hischier is also quite advanced defensively, his work ethic is never a concern, and he draws a crap ton of penalties.
The sky’s the limit for this kid. I think he could be a 70+ point forward and contend for the Selke within a couple of years. And if that’s the case, he’ll look like a complete steal.
2. Kyle Palmieri ($4.65M, signed through 2020-21)
Palmieri has scored at least 24 goals in five consecutive seasons and averaged 29.8 goals/82 during that span. He’s a *very* consistent goal scorer; those are tough to find. Palmieri is also a strong defensive winger at 5v5 and long been one of the team’s leaders.
I think the Devils, or any team, will have to be cautious of handing out big term/money to a rugged player who will be 30 before he plays a game on his next deal. For now, though, he’s a good value to the Devils.
3. Nikita Gusev ($4.5M, signed through 2020-21)
Gusev’s debut season with the Devils was most definitely a success. He started somewhat slow – perhaps due to questionable usage – but found his footing ~a month into the season and never looked back.
He was a very creative offensive player for the Devils. His passing, in particular, stood out on a nightly basis. That’s why it’s hardly surprising Gusev was one of the most efficient playmakers in the NHL at five-a-side.
Of the 300 forwards to log at least 600 minutes in that game state, Gusev ranked 19th in assists per 60 and 6th – behind Nathan MacKinnon, Steven Stamkos, Brad Marchand, Sidney Crosby and Robert Thomas – in terms of primary assists per 60.
Gusev has his flaws but he was definitely well worth the $4.5M a season ago. Now let’s hope the Devils can keep him around for a while at a similar number.
4. Pavel Zacha ($2.25M, signed through 2021-22)
Zacha is a big disappointment relative to where he was selected and, at this point, I’m confident saying he always will be. The 23-year-old has appeared in nearly 300 NHL games now. It’s just not there.
I don’t think he’s ever going to be top-6 caliber offensively. He doesn’t really drive play either. Those two things limit his ceiling at this level.
With all that said, Zacha is still a useful player to have around. He has averaged 33 points per 82 games throughout his career. It’s more so usage than efficiency that’s gotten him there but those are solid numbers for a bottom-6 forward.
Zacha is also one of the best penalty killers in the league. There are a lot of things wrong with the Devils and their PK generally isn’t one of them. Zacha is a big reason for that.
From 2017-20, he was on the ice for 4.89 expected goals against and 38.19 scoring chances against per 60. Those totals slot Zacha 3rd and 6th among all regular penalty killing forwards.
As frustrating as Zacha is at times, he does a couple things really well to justify his contract.
5. Miles Wood ($2.75M, signed through 2021-22)
Speaking of frustrating...there might not be a better word to describe Wood and his game. He has shown us over the last couple of years that we’re always going to be left wanting more. Emphasis on always.
He’s going to take a ton of shots, generate a bazillion scoring chances within two feet of the net, and fail to convert way too many of them. It really is as simple as that. Wood’s speed and power allow him to consistently get to the most dangerous areas of the ice. He just can’t do much once he gets there.
That’s why he has 21 goals over the last 151 games and why he rarely gets a sniff of ice time on the power play. The finishing ability just isn’t there.
When you couple the wasted opportunities with frequently bad penalties in the offensive zone, it’s easy to understand why most Devils fans pull their hair out watching Wood play hockey.
I like the speed. I like the physicality. I like the recklessness; it’s fun when Wood is on the ice. He just doesn’t score enough for how often he gets Grade A opportunities, especially considering his defensive play leaves a lot to be desired.
6. Travis Zajac ($5.75M, signed through 2020-21)
I have a lot of respect for Zajac. Always have, always will. While I do think his contract held up better than most, I’ll be the first to admit the days where him playing up to his salary is even debatable have passed.
Zajac has failed to reach 30 points in two of the last three years. I understand some games were lost this season but, even so, he wasn’t exactly a lock to hit that mark.
Though he is still fairly solid defensively, and plays tough minutes for the Devils, his game is starting to deteriorate in that area as well.
Put simply, $5.75M is a lot to pay for a ~30 point forward who provides B-level defense.
numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com and CapFriendly.com
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