Todd Cordell: New Jersey Devils survey: most overrated, underrated & everything between

I wonder if Kakko will actually end up to be the next Forsberg at the NHL level on NHL ice. Wonder if Hughes could be a Kane playing center.

Who would you rather have? A healthy Forsberg on wing, or a healthy Kane at center? I feel like Forsberg was more dominant (if any of you are old enough to remember an in-his-prime healthy Forsberg lol), but a skilled speedy center has the value of being in the middle. Tough call.

I wonder if Kakko will actually end up to be the next Forsberg at the NHL level on NHL ice. Wonder if Hughes could be a Kane playing center.

Who would you rather have? A healthy Forsberg on wing, or a healthy Kane at center? I feel like Forsberg was more dominant (if any of you are old enough to remember an in-his-prime healthy Forsberg lol), but a skilled speedy center has the value of being in the middle. Tough call.
- MartysBetter88

I'm old enough to remember Forsberg plenty and boy was he good. IF my memory is correct he was hurt for the 2001 playoffs and wasn't in the cup final. Outside of the 1994 loss to the Rangers losing to the Avs in 01 was the hardest loss I recall. Honorable mention to Carolina knocking out on that game we gave up two goals in the last 93 seconds or whatever the (frank) that train wreck was....

I take Forsberg over Kane 365 days a year. This is why im am not 100% on jack anymore.

Having a big body that can move like Kakko CAN be a real benefit in a game where its changing to smaller bodies with speed. It'll make him more dominant.

I'm old enough to remember Forsberg plenty and boy was he good. IF my memory is correct he was hurt for the 2001 playoffs and wasn't in the cup final. Outside of the 1994 loss to the Rangers losing to the Avs in 01 was the hardest loss I recall. Honorable mention to Carolina knocking out on that game we gave up two goals in the last 93 seconds or whatever the (frank) that train wreck was....
- Queenie_5_hole

I was awful. Didn't know how to fight and couldn't shoot the f'n puck!

I take Forsberg over Kane 365 days a year. This is why im am not 100% on jack anymore.

Having a big body that can move like Kakko CAN be a real benefit in a game where its changing to smaller bodies with speed. It'll make him more dominant.
- Leniwm1

I agree about Forsberg over Kane, but partly because of the value of centermen. This is also another advantage to Hughes IMO.

Todd Cordell: New Jersey Devils survey: most overrated, underrated & everything between
- Todd.Cordell

Like all of this. Was a tad surprised with Butcher but didn't realize the breakdown of his point drop. Very curious about Vatanen this year. Thought he was tremendous in 17-18, but more often than not last year he didn't stand out at all.

I agree about Forsberg over Kane, but partly because of the value of centermen. This is also another advantage to Hughes IMO.
- jersey1414

value? You plan on trading him?

Any time I sit down at look at some stats from the last couple years for both Hughes and Kakko, I end up being decently in the Hughes camp, but it's tough

Hughes compares very favorably to Matthews, Eichel, Kane, and others when you look at all his draft-1 year numbers (USHL, USNTDP, U18, WJC, etc) and was younger than all of those guys at the same point. Unfortunately you can't compare Hughes' USHL/USNTDP numbers this year with Matthews/Eichel/Kane being as those guys played in different leagues their draft year, and it's tough to compare WJC because Hughes was hurt for most of it.

Kakko compares decently favorable to Laine, Barkov, and Rantanen when looking at his draft year Liga stats, as well as this year and draft-1 year international numbers.

Overall I feel like Hughes comparisons ultimately make him look more impressive, partially because I think it's fair to say Matthews + Eichel + Kane > Barkov + Laine + Rantanen and Hughes numbers compared to the USA guys I think are slightly more impressive than Kakko's numbers compared to the Finnish guys.

And then you watch any game in this WC tournament and Kakko is insane...while Hughes is good if not spectacular.

To me, it really seems that Hughes is the slightly more high risk high reward pick of the two. If he "pans out" to what scouts think his potential is, he could be an elite scoring center. Kakko seems to me like the "safer" pick, I'm more confident he'll walk right into the league and be awesome, but I think the best-realistic-case-scenario for Hughes is better than Kakko.

value? You plan on trading him?
- Leniwm1

No, I think they're worth more to the team. I think skilled players at that position are incredibly important.

Any time I sit down at look at some stats from the last couple years for both Hughes and Kakko, I end up being decently in the Hughes camp, but it's tough

Hughes compares very favorably to Matthews, Eichel, Kane, and others when you look at all his draft-1 year numbers (USHL, USNTDP, U18, WJC, etc) and was younger than all of those guys at the same point. Unfortunately you can't compare Hughes' USHL/USNTDP numbers this year with Matthews/Eichel/Kane being as those guys played in different leagues their draft year, and it's tough to compare WJC because Hughes was hurt for most of it.

Kakko compares decently favorable to Laine, Barkov, and Rantanen when looking at his draft year Liga stats, as well as this year and draft-1 year international numbers.

Overall I feel like Hughes comparisons ultimately make him look more impressive, partially because I think it's fair to say Matthews + Eichel + Kane > Barkov + Laine + Rantanen and Hughes numbers compared to the USA guys I think are slightly more impressive than Kakko's numbers compared to the Finnish guys.

And then you watch any game in this WC tournament and Kakko is insane...while Hughes is good if not spectacular.

To me, it really seems that Hughes is the slightly more high risk high reward pick of the two. If he "pans out" to what scouts think his potential is, he could be an elite scoring center. Kakko seems to me like the "safer" pick, I'm more confident he'll walk right into the league and be awesome, but I think the best-realistic-case-scenario for Hughes is better than Kakko.
- MannySilvers

This all seems fair and reasonable. Look, drafting players is always a bit of crap shoot. In 5 years we'll look back and there will somebody drafted 3-10 who very well could end up better then both guys. It happens. While I'm in the Hughes camp myself I have confidence in Ray Ray and the Scouts. Whoever they take is fine and there is no reason to sweat it.

Conversely, when I see them waste a fourth rounder on Evan Comier who probably wasn't going to get drafted at all; and then let him go and ultimately resign him because Eddie Lack (and Keith Kinkaid for that matter) can't play goal I get a little nervous about our drafting... but I'm rambling and mostly it's just with goalies....

Go Scouts! I mean Go Devils!

No, I think they're worth more to the team. I think skilled players at that position are incredibly important.
- jersey1414

Oh that type of value, I thought you meant trade bait value. My mistake.

Most over rated- Sam Vatenen- Hasn’t lives up to my expectations. Hurt every year. Even then, he isn’t puck moving d-man I was hoping for.

Most under rated- Travis Zajac- Fans are tough on him because he was put into roles in team he didn’t belong, like the 1st line or PP for several years. He is a great 3-4 line center for any NHL team. Works hard and is very under appreciated

Best Player- Taylor Hall when healthy, Nico when he isn’t.

Biggest Leap- Miles Wood- If he gets to play a lot with Hughes, this is Year Wood should put up 25-30 goals. If not, he is pretty much a 4th line player.

Most to Prove- Every Devil! - Team fell apart last season. Schneider in my mind has most to prove. Prove he still belongs in NHL.

Most over rated- Sam Vatenen- Hasn’t lives up to my expectations. Hurt every year. Even then, he isn’t puck moving d-man I was hoping for.

Most under rated- Travis Zajac- Fans are tough on him because he was put into roles in team he didn’t belong, like the 1st line or PP for several years. He is a great 3-4 line center for any NHL team. Works hard and is very under appreciated

- Newjerseydevil

Totally agree on Sammy Vats and I like the guy. But really he hasn't made much of a difference. Sometimes I wonder if we would have been better off keeping Henrique and taking a run at a decent FA defender like Calvin de Hann or someone similar.

Totally get the point on Travis except we are paying him $5.75M.

Zajac's salary at this point is perfect for a guy who'll put up 40 points win the majority of faceoffs and contribute on special teams. With all the cap space his salary is a major after thought.

Totally agree on Sammy Vats and I like the guy. But really he hasn't made much of a difference. Sometimes I wonder if we would have been better off keeping Henrique and taking a run at a decent FA defender like Calvin de Hann or someone similar.

Totally get the point on Travis except we are paying him $5.75M.
- Queenie_5_hole

Henrique had a bad year in Anaheim and is only getting older. Love the guy but getting a younger player has been good even if it was a lateral trade.

Henrique had a bad year in Anaheim and is only getting older. Love the guy but getting a younger player has been good even if it was a lateral trade.
- Pomegrant

I have no argument with that but I am worried about resigning Vats.

I have no argument with that but I am worried about resigning Vats.
- Queenie_5_hole

I don't think his contract will be much of a problem. We have money and I don't think he's is going to command a huge sum.

I have no argument with that but I am worried about resigning Vats.

Jake Gardiner needs a new home

Takes a leap
I am a big fan of Bastian. I loved what I saw from him all season in Binghamton. In my opinion he was the most consistent player all season. He lead the team in +- the whole season so you know he's excellent without the puck. He almost doubled his goals going from 10 in yr1 to 18 in yr2 with 10 less games played. He only got 7 games due to injury but I thought everything carried over to the NHL. With how much Hynes liked Gabriel @#4RW I think Bastian is a huge improvement. They're both really physical & willing to drop the gloves which is what I think Hynes wants from there. Bastian is a much better goal scorer & way better defensively. Bastian is a beast in front of the net, he can finish on odd man rushes or make a nice last pass, he can drive to the net & score on his own, and he's got a strong shot where he can score from the blue line.
Most overrated
I understand why you went with Palmieri. His numbers dropped when Hall went out & who else could you say? Everyone is so young & hasn't even reached their potential yet. Palmieri is used best when he's trying to get open for shots & causing Havoc in the net front. Hall is the puck handler & puck mover. When he went out Palmieri took that role. So he wasn't playing to his strength.
Best acquisition
Hughes is to obvious. I'm going with PK Subban. He's the guy Nashville needs to move. He's the#1 Dman that we need. Besides Stralman every free agent is going to want & get to much $, term, or both & they'll get it. PK has 3yrs left which gives us time to keep developing from within & hopefully someone like Walsh is ready to step in & not forced to step in. When Greene retires we have 0 veterans on D & PK takes that role. His 3yrs is perfect as when his contract is up it'll be time to pay Hughes, Ty, & Boqvist.
Best player
This is a tough one as obviously they will be in the top 6 & we don't know all or where they'll be yet. The obvious answer is Hall but I'm going with Nico. He's the best 200ft player we have. He takes the least amount of penalties & draws the most penalties. That's 1 of those things not taken into account. Not having Hall for the 2nd half he developed to being able to drive his own line. This season he starts racking up the PP pts which he hasn't done his first 2 seasons & that puts the point totals up with some of the best.
Most underrated
Damon Severson. This season was a big step forward. IMO he thought how he was playing & his work ethic was fine til he got benched last season. I think Hynes & staff showed him how much they believed in him & his potential to be so much better. He's got a new fire & work ethic under him. Last season was just the beginning. Playing with Canada will b a fantastic experience & learning experience for him. If we do get PK he'll be really pushing that #1 spot.
Prove it year
Butcher. First season was sheltered minutes & PP time. Last season the 1st half when Hall was there his offense was non existent. Even averaging over a minute per game more than the previous season he produced so little he was replaced with Severson rightfully so. This is more than likely Greene's last season. He's still averaging by far the most amount of PK minutes on the team. Butcher is gonna need to step up & prove he can play on the PK.
Might surprise
Pavel Zacha. Instead of putting Zajac on the 3rd line he should be on the 4th line with Boqvist on the left & Bastian on the right. Or whoever u think should be there. Everyone that has ever played with Zajac says he's the easiest guy to play with & u learn a ton from him. He'll still get his minutes with PK & PP time plus it should keep him from losing another step b4 his contract is up. Zacha is finally getting his offense going. I understand the points made in a previous article that Zacha's points to end the year was puck luck. I think it was the last game vs FL where he drove to the net with a defender hanging on him, cut across the crease, & scored. We've never seen that from Zacha b4. I don't think it's a fluke. He's never consistently had the same wings. He's learned to drive a line thru his own skills. His defense is fantastic. If he can consistently play on the 3rd line with Wood & Coleman I think he has a breakout yr. He & Wood have been very successful together. Wood basically had his sophomore slump last season til he really got going in the 2nd half. Coleman proved he's a 20+ goals guy & he can even do better than that by staying in the same position. He was moved around a ton with all of the injuries & it was special how successful he was in every line & position he played. Zacha & Coleman are 2 of the best defenders we have. Wood greatly improved. They can go back to being our shut down line with a ton of scoring potential. Between Wood-Zacha-Coleman & Boqvist-Zajac-Bastian we should have 1 of the best bottom 6's in the league. With them they'd never be a big mismatch for other teams to catch us with. That gives us an advantage on road games where we don't get the first change. Not only would it not surprise me but I would expect Wood-Zacha-Coleman to all score 20+ each if they stay healthy & stay on the same line.

Fantastic exercise. I really enjoyed thinking about these categories & writing it. I feel like I need to print & compare at the end of the season.

Takes a leap
I am a big fan of Bastian. I loved what I saw from him all season in Binghamton. In my opinion he was the most consistent player all season. He lead the team in +- the whole season so you know he's excellent without the puck. He almost doubled his goals going from 10 in yr1 to 18 in yr2 with 10 less games played. He only got 7 games due to injury but I thought everything carried over to the NHL. With how much Hynes liked Gabriel @#4RW I think Bastian is a huge improvement. They're both really physical & willing to drop the gloves which is what I think Hynes wants from there. Bastian is a much better goal scorer & way better defensively. Bastian is a beast in front of the net, he can finish on odd man rushes or make a nice last pass, he can drive to the net & score on his own, and he's got a strong shot where he can score from the blue line.
Most overrated
I understand why you went with Palmieri. His numbers dropped when Hall went out & who else could you say? Everyone is so young & hasn't even reached their potential yet. Palmieri is used best when he's trying to get open for shots & causing Havoc in the net front. Hall is the puck handler & puck mover. When he went out Palmieri took that role. So he wasn't playing to his strength.
Best acquisition
Hughes is to obvious. I'm going with PK Subban. He's the guy Nashville needs to move. He's the#1 Dman that we need. Besides Stralman every free agent is going to want & get to much $, term, or both & they'll get it. PK has 3yrs left which gives us time to keep developing from within & hopefully someone like Walsh is ready to step in & not forced to step in. When Greene retires we have 0 veterans on D & PK takes that role. His 3yrs is perfect as when his contract is up it'll be time to pay Hughes, Ty, & Boqvist.
Best player
This is a tough one as obviously they will be in the top 6 & we don't know all or where they'll be yet. The obvious answer is Hall but I'm going with Nico. He's the best 200ft player we have. He takes the least amount of penalties & draws the most penalties. That's 1 of those things not taken into account. Not having Hall for the 2nd half he developed to being able to drive his own line. This season he starts racking up the PP pts which he hasn't done his first 2 seasons & that puts the point totals up with some of the best.
Most underrated
Damon Severson. This season was a big step forward. IMO he thought how he was playing & his work ethic was fine til he got benched last season. I think Hynes & staff showed him how much they believed in him & his potential to be so much better. He's got a new fire & work ethic under him. Last season was just the beginning. Playing with Canada will b a fantastic experience & learning experience for him. If we do get PK he'll be really pushing that #1 spot.
Prove it year
Butcher. First season was sheltered minutes & PP time. Last season the 1st half when Hall was there his offense was non existent. Even averaging over a minute per game more than the previous season he produced so little he was replaced with Severson rightfully so. This is more than likely Greene's last season. He's still averaging by far the most amount of PK minutes on the team. Butcher is gonna need to step up & prove he can play on the PK.
Might surprise
Pavel Zacha. Instead of putting Zajac on the 3rd line he should be on the 4th line with Boqvist on the left & Bastian on the right. Or whoever u think should be there. Everyone that has ever played with Zajac says he's the easiest guy to play with & u learn a ton from him. He'll still get his minutes with PK & PP time plus it should keep him from losing another step b4 his contract is up. Zacha is finally getting his offense going. I understand the points made in a previous article that Zacha's points to end the year was puck luck. I think it was the last game vs FL where he drove to the net with a defender hanging on him, cut across the crease, & scored. We've never seen that from Zacha b4. I don't think it's a fluke. He's never consistently had the same wings. He's learned to drive a line thru his own skills. His defense is fantastic. If he can consistently play on the 3rd line with Wood & Coleman I think he has a breakout yr. He & Wood have been very successful together. Wood basically had his sophomore slump last season til he really got going in the 2nd half. Coleman proved he's a 20+ goals guy & he can even do better than that by staying in the same position. He was moved around a ton with all of the injuries & it was special how successful he was in every line & position he played. Zacha & Coleman are 2 of the best defenders we have. Wood greatly improved. They can go back to being our shut down line with a ton of scoring potential. Between Wood-Zacha-Coleman & Boqvist-Zajac-Bastian we should have 1 of the best bottom 6's in the league. With them they'd never be a big mismatch for other teams to catch us with. That gives us an advantage on road games where we don't get the first change. Not only would it not surprise me but I would expect Wood-Zacha-Coleman to all score 20+ each if they stay healthy & stay on the same line.

Fantastic exercise. I really enjoyed thinking about these categories & writing it. I feel like I need to print & compare at the end of the season.
- Gio's Devil's

Can you give me a cliffnotes version?

Can you give me a cliffnotes version?
- Leniwm1

You don't even want to know how much I can write.. his post was a cliffnotes version of what I used to compose years ago lol

Jake Gardiner needs a new home
- mgriffen

He’ll look good on the rangers

You don't even want to know how much I can write.. his post was a cliffnotes version of what I used to compose years ago lol
- MartysBetter88

your text books were things of beauty.

your text books were things of beauty.
- Pomegrant

I think I went one year without reading one of his posts just because of how much he wrote.