2016 player grades

[tr83]

I thought I would kick it off here.


Cammallieri - A He was killing it before his arm killed him.

Zajac - A- Still doing his thing and contributing on the offensive end this year. Needs 5 more goals for an A. Please shoot the puck more please, K, thanks!

Henrique - B 30 goals is impressive. The season is 6 months long, please don’t collect them all in just 2 of them. His tendency to mail it in many nights is disturbing and in a lot of cases infectious.

Palmieri - A 30 goals and a player almost every night.

Boucher - B+ I think the team found a player. Really developed into a complete player. after playing without confidence earlier in the year. Seemed to revive Zajac. Expectations will be much higher next year.

Elias - Incomplete Played in a few games, looked old, but had a gimpy knee. Still knows how to end up on the scoresheet.

Gionta - D- He used to hit, he used to really hustle. Seemed to get too comfortable.

Kalinin - C- Came out pretty well despite having to adjust to NA ice, but has definitely not progressed and you could argue that he regressed a bit. Isn’t all that noticeable.

Kennedy - C- Had a good stretch of 10 or so games, but not very good for 40.

Tootoo - F An absolute circus in his own zone. Took stupid penalties. Ugh

Blandisi - C Came out a house of fire, became very average. Still adjusting to the pro game. Learn to skate Bambi

Josefson - C Can’t do anything 5 on 5. Good specialist. Surprising on the half wall on the PP. Or else it would be an F

Smith-Pelley - B Came in looking like Reilly Smith ended up looking like Rod Pelley.

Stempniak - A For a PTO, he led the team in points. Desperately filled a need at RW. How can you give him anything other than that?

Farnham - C- Started out well, like Tootoo last year, then just started to become more of a liability by taking stupid penalties at the wrong time. Brings energy, like Gionta used to. Good 13th forward.

Pietilla - C Can’t give him anything higher or lower. He’s ok defensively and a decent skater. Didn’t stick out.

Sislo - Meh Meh is his grade. Who cares about the career minor leaguer

O’Neill - Meh Meh is his grade too.

Ruutu - F Ruutu means failure

Tlusty - F Tlusty also means failure



Greene - A- Logged heavy minutes, but seemed to regress with his contribution in the offensive zone.

Larsson - B+ Made a leap in his development thanks to Pete being gone. When he’s on, he may be better than Greene at this point. A little less consistent than Greene which knocks him down a peg. He’s a stud and only 23. Can’t wait to see him contribute on the PP.

Severson - C- Sophomore slump personified

Schlemko - B Better than I thought he would be. Looked like a 4 or 5D most of the time.

Moore - D I know he scored some pretty OT goals which is why he gets a D instead of an F, but his D is necrotic. Shero gave this guy a 3 yr contract? He’s laughing all the way to the bank.

Merrill - F What happened to his confidence? He looked ok at times, but other times he looked like he was back in college.

Mozik - C Didn’t look out of place all the time. He’s young and has time to improve

Warsofsky - F Nuff said.

Helgeson - F Not an NHLer

Gelinas - F Dumb hockey player


Schneider - A+ MVP of the team. Vezina candidate and if not for Holtby playing on a stacked team, could have won it for such a garbage team playing in front of him.

Kinkaid - C- Still too inconsistent. Looks like Cory one night, then looks like Yann Danis in others. Rebound control needs to improve and lets in too many softies. A head case.

Wedgewood - B Stepped him expecting him to not play as good as Kinky, but played better. His knock was he was so athletic he would get himself out of position. Didn’t see that this time. May bump Kinky next year.



Hynes - B+ Players like him and respond to him. Adjusts well in game. Team, despite injuries, is better. But some of his lineup and in game decisions are baffling.

Asst Coaches - B The defensive scheme is baffling and easily exploited, but the special teams are good and the other reason why they weren’t a last place team.

Shero - B+ I would love to give him an A, but that Moore and Warsofsky signings are brutal. Robbed the Ducks twice for Palmieri and the DSP trades. Fleeced the Avs for a 3rd round pick. Stemp was a great signing and the trade was better. Should have signed Gomez. Kudos for improving the Albany team.

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[SeidoN]

id change Blandisi to a B and Larsson to an A

C- might also be a little harsh on Sevs

 

[I Hate Tie DOMI]

Cammalleri - B - Would have been higher had he played the entire year.

Zajac - B+ - Nice bounce back season for him offensively, still good defensively. Needs more goals for him to get an A because of that contract.

Henrique - A- - Next captain of this team. Needs more consistency to get a higher grade

Palmieri - A - Better than expected season. Expect him to be the offensive leader of this team next year too.

Boucher - B- - Additional playing time in the AHL really helped. Expect a top 6 role next year and 15-20 goals and 40+points.

Elias - C - Game #82 was an A+ though. Probably the last time we'll see him in a Devils uniform

Gionta - D - Even more useless than last year and still managed to play in all 82 games. 1G. Not great defensively, not even as much of an energy guy as the past. Time to cut the cord.

Kalinin - C+ - Showed flashed of being a power forward, big body, crashes the net, but didn't really do much when he wasn't doing that. Still want him on the 4th line next year. Playing a line or two above where he should be right now.

Kennedy - C- - Not sure why he was even here this year other than the Shero connection. Played great 5 games, but the other 45 he was just a body filling out a roster.

Tootoo - F - Trainwreck this year. Get it? Train? Tootoo?

Blandisi - C+ - Diving rating was an F as well since he kept getting caught. Once he was banished to the third line when Boucher took over his production dried up.

Josefson - C - Still rooting for the guy. Good on the PP and not much else. 4th line C next year to replace Gionta.

Smith-Pelly - B - Matteau who?

Stempniak - A - From PTO, to points leader, to 2nd and 4th round picks. Thanks for the memories Stemp.

Farnham - B- - Good motor, loses mind sometimes takes dumb penalties, scored more goals than anyone could have anticipated.

Pietilla - C - Didn't see much, good wheels. Other than that. Meh.

Sislo - D - Scored three more goals than Sestito ever did. Good for him. Go help Albany thats where you should be.

O’Neill - D- - See Sislo comment minus the three goals part.

Ruutu - Z - Get out. I never want to see your name again unless it is your retirement announcement.

Tlusty - F - For forgot he even played here.

Matteau - D - Not an F because he got us DSP in return.





Greene - A- - Mr Reliable. Wish he'd have a bit more offense for logging so much playing time though.

Larsson - A- Should be the #1 guy next year and anchor his own pairing. Also needs some more offense since he plays so much, but to get 18 points with basically no PP time is ok this year.

Severson - C - I don't understand the hype. Offensive defenseman with the fewest goals of all defenseman on this team, didn't create much offensively, pinches at weird times, can't handle a pass, can't hold the zone. Rookie season was a million times better until he got hurt. Would trade him in a heartbeat if he nets a top 6 forward.

Schlemko - B+ - Another great Shero pickup. Would like him back next year. Prefer him on the PP over Severson or Moore.

Moore - C+ - OT specialist. 5 on 5 sieve most of the time. 2 more years, but isn't getting paid much so whatever.

Merrill - D - DeBoer broke him, just like he broke Larsson, but Larsson was able to get out of it.

Mozik - C - Meh. Didn't do much good, didn't do much bad.

Warsofsky - F - Waiver fodder for a reason. We found out why first hand.

Helgeson - C- - See Mozik, lower grade because he played more games.

Gelinas - D- - Had high hopes coming in to the year, those crashed and burned just like his career seems to have


Schneider - A - We are spoiled based on our past experience. We know what a great goaltender looks like and he's one of them. Had a rough go of it the last 20 games, so I took the + off the A.

Kinkaid - C - Inconsistent. Picture of his face is next to the definition in the dictionary. Might lose his job to Wedgewood next year if he doesn't shape up.

Wedgewood - B+ - Played great in his limited time. Might be traded this offseason since he's waiver eligible next year. If not him then Kinkaid could be.

Danis - F - Couldn't stop a beach ball.


Hynes - A - For a team universally predicted to be bottom 5 he got more out of this team than anyone could have anticipated.

Shero - A- - Immediately rises to A+ when he gets Palmieri signed to hopefully a long term cap friendly deal. PTO for Stempniak, Schlemko signing, Palmieri, DSP, Stempniak, Gelinas trades, Zubrus buyout are the positives. Tlusty, Warsofsky, keeping Ruutu are the negatives.

 

[Devil X]

While each player should get credit for what they were able to put together this season, in my opinion the guy who deserves the most credit is John Hynes.

For me Hynes gets an A+ (Along with Cory)

Frankly the fact the Hynes was some how able to keep this team near the playoff race with all the injuries and with pretty much only 2 lines is damn impressive. Yes i know Cory had something to do with this also but I was damn impressed with Hynes this season. I think we got ourselves a good one with this guy. Im looking forward to seeing how he grows with this team and what he can do when we have some real talent and 4 lines of properly placed players.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Blandisi: B- I really liked what I saw from Blandisi this year. Obviously he didn't play as well down the stretch but that's fine. His style of play lends itself well to being a tenacious, hard working bottom 6 forward that can chip in offensively. Honestly he just needs to work on his skating, it held him back considerably at times. If he improves enough maybe he can be a top 6 forward for us later on.

Boucher: B+ After his second call-up Boosh was very impressive. Every part of his game improved. His playmaking was especially better than it previously was, which is great because he's no longer the one-trick pony with a great shot and not much else. Very useful on the powerplay with that aforementioned shot. Considering I was worried that he wouldn't amount to much prior to the year I am very pleased with how his season went and very excited to see how he does in a full NHL season next year.

Cammalleri: A- I understand health is a big part of a player's game but his injury sounded really weird and debilitating. When he was in the lineup he was probably our best forward and it's clear how much we missed him down the stretch. Hopefully this injury won't haunt him next season, a healthy Cammy can do wonders for us!

Elias: B+ Probably not really fair to grade him at all given how short his season was but last night was so special I decided to do so anyway. I don't know how much gas he has left in the tank but it'd be awesome to see him play one more season.

Farnham: B He is what he is, an energetic 4th liner. He played his role and he did it well.

Gionta: C+ I don't think Gionta is that good. I respect the hustle he brings each night but it's just not enough anymore. Time to move on from baby Gio.

Henrique: A- Some inconsistencies in the middle part of the year but Rico has always been that way. Finishing with 30 goals and 50 points on this team is a feat on it's own, and I'm not totally convinced he wasn't playing injured during his struggles. A great leader and a real good player, hoping he continues more of the same next season.

Josefson: C+ I wanted to grade him higher, and maybe it's deserved but he just doesn't create enough offense even strength. He did well on the powerplay, which finished in the top 10 somehow, so I guess that's something. Towards the end of the season I was less frustrated with him as he was given a lesser role and did pretty well. Wouldn't mind him as a 4th line center moving forward.

Kalinin: B I liked his game. I really liked his game. He's a bull on the forecheck, rarely lost the puck in those board battles and fit Hynes' system well. He did leave me wanting more from him, it just seemed astounding how many times he would drive hard to the net and not score, or create a better scoring chance. Maybe he just doesn't have that ability, but either way I think he's an asset to our bottom 6.

Kennedy: C+ He did okay, I wasn't expecting much from him to be honest. If he was brought back in a bottom 6 role I don't think I'd mind too much but I feel like we can do better.

Palmieri: A Came to play nearly every night, lead our team offensively and played with some real passion. I loved everything about Palms game, re-sign him as soon as possible. What a brilliant trade by Shero.

Ruutu: C- I feel for the guy, he just lost the touch. He probably deserved a lower grade but whatever I'm in a good mood. Time to part ways with Ruuts.

Smith-Pelly: B+ Another player that maybe has too short of a sample size to properly grade but I'm going to do so anyway. Sure, his scoring streak was just a hot streak but his play aside from the scoring was great. He fits a need that we have long-term and fits the mold of the kind of players Hynes wants, big and strong forwards. Matteau who?

Tlusty: C- Almost forgot Tlustly even played for us this season. I honestly cannot recollect any memory of his play this year, just unnoticeable out there.

Tootoo: D It seemed like Toots was a liability nearly every night. I love the guy and wish him well in his future but as a player he's just not that good.

Zajac: A- A true resurgence year from TravTrav, and it was great to see. Posting respectable numbers on top of his great defensive play is exactly what I expect from him and I'm happy to say he delivered.

Greene: A Consistently great. He showed up every night and lead his team on and off the ice.

Larsson: A+ Wow what a year from Lars!! Solidified himself as a top pairing defenseman in my eyes. His defense is remarkable, constantly shutting down the opposition's top line is no small feat. And I think his offense will improve as our forwards do, his outlet passes and vision were wasted when paired with our bottom 6.

Merrill: C I don't think he was as bad as most people here do. He looked good before his injury but struggled before then. Provided no offense but his defense wasn't that bad. I think he can bounce back next season but it's going to be tough as he'll need really earn his spot in the lineup.

Moore: C+ This one was tough. I loved the offense he provided and was fantastic in OT, which is very important as we're not the best in shootouts. But he was just not that good in his own end. Constantly losing his man, running around and chasing the play. Just not that smart of a player but his physical skill-set his noticeable, what a great skater he is.

Schlemko: B+ For someone I was perplexed we signed in the first place, Schlemko became a near indispensable part of our defense this year. From running our powerplay to adding much needed stability to our top 4, Schlemko did well in most areas. Hoping he re-signs, I think we're just a better team with him in the lineup.

Severson: B- Not nearly as bad as everyone is saying IMO. My only flak I'd give him in the defensive end, he looked lost at times. But I think a lot of his mistakes can be corrected with experience. In the offensive zone he was one of our best defensemen. His numbers may not show it but the sheer amount of chances he created for not only himself but his teammates was great to see. He jumped up in the play at the right times, he moved around to get himself open for grade A chances. He just didn't bury them. Like any of them. Maybe that's a problem in itself, but I think he can improve his shot in the offseason as well as learn goalies' tendencies around the league which will help him score more often on those chances.

Kinkaid: C+ Inconsistency plagued Kinkaid this season. Either he was awesome or just bad, no in between. I think he can improve that but it seems like mostly a mental thing, his athleticism is awesome to watch. At the very least the competition between him and Wedgie next season will be fun to watch unfold.

Schneider: A+ The heart and soul of the New Jersey Devils this season. The biggest reason we did so well. There's really to much else to say. He's a top goalie in this league and he proved it once again this season.

Hynes: A He got the most out of his players mostly every night of the season. There were some questionable personnel decisions throughout the year but I'm almost positive every fanbase would say that about their coach. He implemented a good system, got his team to buy into it and this is the result. A team that showed up all the experts that predicted us to be a bottom feeder, with the likes of Toronto and Edmonton. There is no doubt in my mind Hynes will lead us back to the playoffs soon enough.

Shero: A Hard to really grade a GM right now, but nearly every move he made this year payed off for us. The Palms trade alone deserves an A in my mind. The DSP trade was fantastic for us, I don't miss Gelly one bit and while Stemp might have given us more hope for the playoffs I think trading him was definitely the right call and who knows, maybe we can re-sign him. The signings he made in the past few days were great to see. They were mostly expected aside from Wood, getting him locked up immediately was awesome! Keep up the great work Shero!

 

[Emperoreddy]

Rico has a 30 goal 50 point season even after losing his best winger for nearly half a season.

The only grade he should get is an A.

 

[Devilsfan992]

Cammallieri - B+ Was great and then got injured. Longevity is important to me, and his injury led to us missing the playoffs. I don't directly blame him, but I can't give him an A.

Zajac - A- Elite defensively, played very well with Palmeiri and reached 40 point plateau. Would like more 5v5 goals.

Henrique - A- 30 goal season while playing stellar defense.

Palmieri - A 30 goals and a player almost every night.

Boucher - A- At this stage of his career, I give him an A-. He looks like an NHL player and he fit in decently on the 2nd line. I expect him to make bigger strides next year and be a 15-20 goal scorer.

Elias - Incomplete

Gionta - C Hustled, was effective on the power kill. Not much else.

Kalinin - C+ Was an impact player for a stretch of games and then was invisible in many others. If he can have his good games consistently he will be a solid 3rd/4th liner.

Kennedy - C- Wasn't anything during the first half of the season, but he played well in the 2nd half. I still don't believe he is the type of player the Devils need though.

Tootoo - F -26, 102 PIM - Enough said

Blandisi - C Showed some great stuff in his first 15 games or so and then he became neutralized. I expect him to come back strong next year. He needs to improve on his balance, defense and discipline.

Josefson - C- Shootout specialist in a year we didn't really need one. Was effective on the half-wall on the PP. Good on the PK. Fourth line center.

Smith-Pelley - A- Opportunistic like 2011/2012 Clarkson

Stempniak - A+ Couldn't ask for more from the guy.

Farnham - C Giving him a C only because of his first stretch of games. His 2nd stretch of games he was a D-. I don't want him back.

Ruutu - F Ruutu means failure

Tlusty - F Tlusty also means failure

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Greene - A Was a rock all season and a great captain.

Larsson - A- Was a rock as well in the defensive zone. Skating is still the weaker part of his game and I don't know if this will ever be fully addressed. He made a huge leap forward and led all players in +/- while logging hard minutes.

Severson - B- Was average in the defensive zone and had terrible scoring luck. Showed me at times he will be a very good defenseman moving forward. I expect him to be an A next season.

Schlemko - A- Couldn't ask for more from someone I expected to be a 6/7 defenseman. Now I see him as a #3/4 and want him re-signed. Great skater and was solid on the PP.

Moore - C- His defensive zone collapses were some of the worst on the team. He gets a C- because he did win us some games in overtime and brought some needed speed.

Merrill - D Injuries are killing this kid. It reminds me of how Larsson was 2-3 years ago. He would be shaky at first and then come on as he became more comfortable. As soon as I think he's there, he gets injured and is back to shaky. I need a full year from him before writing him off.

Helgeson - C Solid for his role

Gelinas - F

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Schneider - A+ Our rock and MVP

Kinkaid - C- Still too inconsistent. Looks like Cory one night, then looks like Yann Danis in others. Rebound control needs to improve and lets in too many softies.

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Hynes - B+ For the most part he was an effective coach. If it wasn't for the injury to Cammy, I thought we had a good chance of making the playoffs. Thought his decision to start Warfosvky over Severson was dumb.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

The Trade Bait and New Arrivals:

Lee Stempniak, A: Proved he was a great signing from the beginning. He did everything we could have asked from him as fans, scoring goals, forging incredible chemistry with his linemates, being a solid locker room presence, and doing the little things right. Even when he was traded, he brought us back some good draft picks and didn’t score a goal against us like he did almost all of his former teams.

Eric Gelinas, D: This year Eric proved that he really couldn’t take that next step in his development, at least with the Devils. His offense sputtered and his defense was characterized by boneheaded decisions that he would repeat multiple times in games, apparently not learning from his errors. At the end of the day, it was wise for the Devils to move on from him, and hopefully he can make the most of his time in Colorado.

Stefan Matteau, Dropped Class: Stefan spent most of his time in New Jersey this year as a healthy scratch, so I won’t grade him for that, but he returned Devante Smith-Pelly from Montreal, and that’s a good return considering Devante Smith-Pelly is probably the type of player you hope Matteau would become with proper development.

Devante Smith-Pelly, A-: Devante Smith-Pelly was obviously on an unsustainable scoring streak when he first arrived on the Devils, but he seems to have fit in well on the team, and he has shown that he has the skill set to be a bottom six forward who can provide depth scoring, which is a player the Devils need, since most of the bottom six lacks the ability to provide depth scoring. Devante Smith-Pelly knows that he has to be a gritty guy who crashes the net, and that’s what he does, scoring those elbow grease goals. If he continues to work hard and score those workman goals, he has real potential to be a fan favorite here in New Jersey, since fans have soft spots for those guys who actually do what they are supposed to do. The trade and the opportunity to get consistent ice time might be just what Devante Smith-Pelly needed to be successful in this league.

Pavel Zacha, A: It was one game, but I saw just about everything I was hoping to see from Pavel last night. He looked NHL-ready, strong and creative. He showed off his skill, which was noticeable from the stands, and he did all the little things right. Fans saw that he was capable of creating opportunities for teammates, was a clever passer, and generally had a much higher hockey IQ than some scouting reports had indicated. The year in juniors clearly did Pavel a lot of good, and he looked seasoned enough to be on the Devils next year. Hard not to be pleased with how much he has grown since the pre-season games and excited about even a small taste of what he could do in a Devils uniform. Pavel has the potential to be another Czech who steals the hearts of Devils fans for years to come, and nothing could make us happier than the thought of that, because in New Jersey, we love our Czechs.

Steve Santini, B: Looked solid in his NHL debut, and you could see from the puck drop onward that he was not afraid to assert himself and try to be a physical force in the NHL. He has the skill set to become the type of physical shutdown defenseman who can skate well and make smart passes that can help make a team successful and can become a fan favorite. Santini could probably fit in well in Albany or with New Jersey next season, depending on what the coaches think of him and what roster moves Shero makes.

Miles Wood, B-: Showed some speed and some promise in his NHL debut, but seemed a bit rough around the edges. Albany would probably be a good fit for him next year, but nice to have him signed and in the organization.

Waiver Wire and Bargain Bin:

Bobby Farnham, C: Brought some speed and some energy to the lineup. More skilled than most of our fourth line misfit toys, especially when he was on his hot streak when he first arrived on the team. Did take some foolish penalties and has a bit of a bad reputation with the refs, but overall a relatively useful waiver wire pickup. As a fourth liner or extra forward, he can get the job done.

Tyler Kennedy, C+: Man Bear Pig is a bit of an eyesore, but he has a bit more skill than most of our bottom six and is passable when jammed into the top six due to injuries, though it would be ideal to have the organizational depth to not make that necessary.

Warsofsky or whatever his name is, F: Utter garbage. Can’t defend. Gives up a million two-on-ones per games. Stifles any offense his team might try to create, especially in key situations like powerplays or when trying to tie up a game as the clock winds down. An untalented, bumbling idiot given more chances than he deserved. Hopefully he is discarded during the off-season.

O’Neil, D: Good for Albany but not much else. Just not able to crack it in the NHL.

Sislo, F: Confuses what will work in the AHL with what will work in the NHL and had possibly one of the worst shifts I’ve ever seen as a Devil. Also, stifles his own team’s offense whenever he gets an opportunity to prove that he is not a career AHLer. Keep him in the AHL. It’s his lot in life to be a star there and useless in the big leagues.

Forwards:

Joseph Blandisi, B+: Shows a high level of skill and creativity but sometimes attempts to do too much. He tries to be an all-around player, but his two-way play still needs honing. Has energy and is feisty but sometimes takes bad penalties or comical dives. Should continue to work on his skating in the off-season, since he does fall down a lot. Was on a bit of a hot streak when he first was called up, but seemed to lose some confidence once earning a bad reputation with the refs. Hopefully he can regain some of his confidence during the off-season and work hard to build on this year, which overall was very strong for him.

Reid Boucher, A-: Reid had a bit of a rough start to the season in New Jersey, but after spending some time in Albany, he came back a better all-around player. He can make clever passes and take advantage of his NHL shot more than he ever has before. He’s confident and has shown some signs of being clutch what with his propensity for scoring game-winning goals. Reid took a huge step forward this year and is making a case for being a big piece to the puzzle of rebuilding the Devils into a competitive team. Extremely happy with Boucher’s growth this season and optimistic that he can build on this next season. Someone to look forward to seeing in the lineup next year.

Mike Cammalleri, A: When he wasn’t injured (and I can’t deduct for being injured), he did his job, scoring at a steady clip, being one of the most skilled players on the team, and acting as a team leader. Cammy is an excellent fit for the Devils with his offensive instincts and knack for scoring, but the organization needs more offensive depth so that Cammy’s predictable injuries won’t have as devastating an effect on the team’s ability to be competitive.

Patrik Elias, A-: He didn’t play much due to injuries, but when he did play he still showed that he has skill and smarts. The last game at the Rock was a perfect demonstation of why he is so beloved by Devils fans.

Stephen Gionta, D: Gionta has a motor, determination, and a personality that is well-liked but not much else. The only time he’s really noticeable is when he’s getting trapped in his own end for the thousandth time per game.

Adam Henrique, A-: Adam continued to show why he is a fan favorite, putting up a career high thirty goals, many of them clutch. When Adam is on one of his hot streaks, he’s fun to watch and inspires the team. Unfortunately, the cold streaks and periods of invisibility still happen to him a bit too often. Consistency is something that he should stive for going into next year, but he is an important part of the Devils organization and had a strong season overall. He makes the Devils a better team to watch when he is playing with passion.

Jacob Josefson, D: Jacob Josefson is decent on special teams and as a fourth liner, but he cannot score even when gifted opportunities on a silver platter and playing top six players with him is mostly just a waste of their talents since he is unable to finish any scoring chances they might create for him. A likable personality but not much of an NHL player. Less rather than more opportunities should be given to him next year. He’s proven that he is at best a marginal part of the Devils’ future.

Sergey Kalinin, C: Shows he has size and is capable of adjusting to North American hockey. He has good instincts about crashing to the net and trying to score garbage goals, but could improve his finish for better results. Seems like a nice fellow who is adjusting to the NHL and the USA, and I wouldn’t mind him back next year in a fourth line capacity. He plays a game well-suited to that role and has more of a positive impact on games than most of the fourth liners the Devils used in the season, but he does not slot into the top six well. He simply isn’t capable of taking advantage of the opportunities created there.

Kyle Palmieri, A: Kyle worked hard almost every game and achieved a career milestone in thirty goals. Coming over from Anaheim, he took advantage of the opportunity to play in the top six on the Devils and evolved into someone who could drive offense. He has flourished in New Jersey, adapted well to the team since the off-season trade, become a fan favorite, and hopefully will be signed to a fair deal that keeps him around for a long time.

Tuomo Ruutu, F: Completely useless and washed up. One point in thirty plus games pretty much says it all. Thank God he comes off the books this off-season. Nothing more need be said about Ruutu, because it’s best to just forget that he was ever a Devil.

Jordin Tootoo, D-: Jordin followed up a season last year that went better for him than I would’ve anticipated with a completely terrible year. He was only ever noticeable in negatives ways by dumb penalties or getting trapped in his own zone every shift. He’s another one we have to pray Shero will kick to the curb this off-season, because while he is a character guy, he just doesn’t have what it takes to be effective even in a fourth line capacity anymore.

Travis Zajac, B: Travis had a much better season than last year, but I still find his overall production and inability to finish disappointing, as well as his streakiness. A character guy but not able to worm his way into my affections the way Palmieri or Rico have. Just kind of leaves me flat but we do feel his absence when he’s gone. Guess we are in a can’t live with you and can’t live without you relationship with Zajac.

Defensemen:

Andy Greene, A+: Andy is always consistent, never injured, and a steady leader for the team in general and the young defense in particular. Andy is the embodiment of what we’d want Devils players to be and an exceptional role model for our young players. Glad he’s our captain and a top defenseman on our team.

Adam Larsson, A: Overall a very consistent and clever player with only a handful of rough outings. Extremely reliable defensively, especially on the penalty kill, and has shown glimmers of offensive potential with smart passing. Needs to develop a bit more confidence offensively, but hopefully can get more powerplay chances and the opportunity to anchor his own pairing next season.

Jon Merrill, C: Jon can sometimes be very reliable defensively but other times makes bad decisions. He hasn’t made as much progress as might have been hoped, but he is much better than guys like Waiver Wire Warsofsky who took his place when he was injured.

John Moore, C-: Does bring the promised offensive dimension, but as we were warned by fans of other teams that he has played for, his hockey IQ is questionable, and he does make some boneheaded decisions. He cannot be trusted to play with a developing defenseman like Severson, because he will set them back with his mistakes rather than being around to compensate for their miscues as a rock like Andy would.

David Schlemko, B: He can chip in offensively and is reasonably reliable defensively. He is mostly capable of being a veteran defenseman to help the younger guys out, but he does have his mental lapse moments.

Damon Severson, A-: Overall, I’m pleased with what I saw from Damon this year. Considering his youth, his defense really isn’t bad, although there are some shaky moments with him, and most of his errors come about when he is trying to do too much. He shows some offensive flare and skill, and really just needs a veteran partner to facilitate his growth rather than defensemen who are prone to mistakes and misjudgments. There’s a lot for Severson to work and build on, and that’s part of why he’s an exciting young player to watch.

Goalies:

Cory Schneider, A+: When healthy, Cory proved himself an elite goalie, deserving of his trip to the All-Star game and all the Vezina discussion that he got. Without Cory, the Devils would be a much weaker team. Cory is a great guy and goalie. No reason to regret having him around for the long haul.

Keith Kinkaid, C-: With Keith, it’s a roller coaster. There are some highs like shooting out LA, and some lows where you wonder how he can let up such a soft or deflating goal. At times, Keith was a good backup and at others he was absolutely atrocious, and it was hard to predict which Keith would show up to play: the world beater or the roll over and play dead one.

Wedgewood, A: He didn’t play many games but the ones he did play, he did well and made a strong case for himself as Cory’s backup next season. Should be an interesting battle for backup in the future, and right now I’d put my Monopoly money on Wedgewood.

Bonus:

John Hynes, B+: Overall, a strong year for our rookie head coach. He got the players to buy into what he preached and for the most part the team worked hard for him. There were times when he made truly baffling lineup decisions or pulled the goalie too early, but as a rookie, there is hope that he can learn from his mistakes and become a better coach. Sometimes he gives obvious duds of players too much opportunity, but he does give young players more chances than most NHL coaches would, and he seems to be especially good at drawing the skill out of young forwards. With roster tinkering, he hopefully can lead our team to the playoffs next season.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Shero gets an A for me. He came in with a plan to get this team younger and every trade and signing following that plan.

His moves hit way more than missed but every signing made sense on paper if nothing else.

 

[Sir Fenwick Corsi]

Shero gets an A for me. He came in with a plan to get this team younger and every trade and signing following that plan.

His moves hit way more than missed but every signing made sense on paper if nothing else.

I was very skeptical of all the changes that took place over this last year but I am so happy that we have Shero in the mix. He's managing with a clear purpose and his plan is clearly moving this team in the right direction.

My biggest concern was what would the culture be like with the old regime gone. I'm a bit of a traditionalist so it was a big change but I'm very grateful that there is still a business type approach with this organization. From management to coach Hynes, the priority is winning and they've managed to incorporate more access to the players, etc. It really couldn't have been a more graceful transition.

I won't grade the players individually because this is team game and I think they worked their ***** of this year and far exceeded anyone's expectations. I don't feel like harping on any negatives. This was an awesome season and game 82 almost felt like a reward with the glimpse of the future we received. I fully expect the conference to improve next season so playoffs are still going to be a tough haul imho, but there is no reason this team shouldn't be better next year.

Real proud of this group and I haven't felt this optimistic since the end of the 2010 - 2011 season. Good things are on the horizon.

 

[The Wumpus]

Shero gets an A for me. He came in with a plan to get this team younger and every trade and signing following that plan.

His moves hit way more than missed but every signing made sense on paper if nothing else.

And, all of his misses were of the low-risk variety. We're not saddled with any bad contracts, we've held on to all of our picks and gained a few from other teams, and we're not regretting any of the players he has moved.

He got a lot of flack in Pittsburgh, but this team is in a very different situation and he obviously recognizes that. I feel very confident having Ray at the helm.

 

[Bleedred]

Cammallieri - A-: When he was in the lineup he was great.

Zajac - A: Terrific bounce back season for him. We wouldn't be nearly as good defensively without him.

Henrique - A: Had a very high shooting percentage, so he got a little lucky with 30 goals. He's always been a high percentage shooter, so he's probably a 25-ish goal scorer going forward.

Palmieri - A: 30 goals, one of our best offensive players. He didn't even have any kind of a crazy shooting percentage either, although a bit higher than his Anaheim days. One of the offseasons best acquisitions in the entire league.

Boucher - B+: Very good after he was called back up the second time in January. Could be a good 20 goal scorer or more in the future. Looks like an NHL caliber offensive player.

Elias - B-: was good when in the lineup for the most part.

Gionta - C: Okay 4th liner, don't see a need for him after this year.

Kalinin - C: Does many things good, offense is really not one of them. At least not yet.

Kennedy - C-: Meh. He was okay. Don't really want him back.

Tootoo - D-: His few PP one timer goals are the only thing keeping him from an F. It's time for him to think about retirement.

Blandisi - C+: Started off hot, dropped off at the end. Had to play with too many brutal players at offense. Maybe could use more AHL time, who knows? Still outscored Josefson and Kalinin in way fewer games played.

Josefson - Overall he gets a C. For a 3rd line center though, he gets an F from me. Not enough offense for a 3rd liner or at even strength at all. Helped the power play and in the shootout, despite no one else being of much use in the skills competition for us. Good PK guy and good defensively. Only want him back as a 4th liner.

Smith-Pelley - A-: Saved us from Busted Toe and his 1 measly point. Tailed off at the end. Think he played over his head, but hopefully he's a good 3rd liner for us.

Stempniak - A: Was probably the best PTO signing in the league this year.

Farnham - C- He was fine for a 4th liner. Scored more goals than he probably should have. Think he should be a 13th forward in the future if he comes back.

Pietilla - B-: Very small sample of games. Looked alright.

Sislo - C-: He only gets a C- instead of a D+ from me because he scored 3 goals in 17 games. I didn't think he was capable of 3 goals in 17 games in the NHL. Good for him. Don't ever wanna see him again.

O’Neill - C-: He was just kind of there.

Ruutu - F: You ever think about retiring? Need to give it some serious thought, because you're absolutely finished. Frame the puck from your last ever NHL point last night, because that's all she wrote.

Tlusty - F: When he actually played. Was signed to produce offense and all he could muster was 4 points in 30 games, not good enough. Was a good PKer and did other things good, but he was signed to provide offense, plain and simple. And he did not deliver it at all. One of the worst PPG's on an already very bad offensive team. Ruutu, Matteau, O'Neal, being the only lower PPG's on forward. Most defensemen on the team produced more offense. He produced at a Stephen Gionta clip and was in the top 6/on the PP quite a bit while he was in. Mike Sislo had as many points in almost half as many games.

Matteau - F: Not good enough. Needed to produce more offense. Just a flat out BUST draft pick. Development was handled poorly too. He won't be long for this league.

Greene - A: Quietly our best defenseman, along with Larsson.

Larsson - A: Best defenseman along with Greene. Would have liked to see more offense, but his PP usage was non-existent and offensive zone usage was very limited.

Severson - B-: Sophomore slump. Nothing too bad though. Still better at offense than almost any of our D.

Schlemko - A: Easily our third best defenseman. Not sure if he overachieved or not. Was surprisingly good at offense. We looked sorry on D when he was out of the lineup a lot of the times.

Moore - C-: Was decent early on, regressed after injury. Was decent if he were used as a #5 D man.

Merrill - D+: Not horrific, not very good either. I'll take him out of the two replacement level defensemen we were icing almost every time though. Didn't improve much on last season's sophomore slump. Was terrible at offense, when he had shown some offensive skill in the past.

Mozik - B-: Very short sample size. Looked better than the other garbage.

Warsofsky - F: Not good enough and was lousy almost every game. GTHO! Don't want him back. I've seen enough, we've seen enough. Shero and Hynes should have seen enough.

Helgeson - D-: Not an every night NHL player. Okay when in occasionally. Gets pinned in his end almost all night, despite not making the backbreaking errors and gaffes that Gelinas was known for or that we've seen with Merrill and Moore a lot too. But we're defending almost all the time he's on the ice. Our defense went to hell real fast when both he and Warsofsky were playing in the same game.

Gelinas - D-: Offense went to hell, defense never improved. He'll wash out of Colorado before too long.


Schneider - A+: Best player on the team, one of the three best goaltenders in the league at the absolute worst. The fact that he never has to play against the worst offense in the league and plays for the worst offense in the league, only strengthens his case IMO. Lost too many games where he allowed 1 goal, and rarely won when he allowed 3 or more goals.

Kinkaid - C-: Would be a D if he had these same numbers as just the backup. I gave him a C- because he had to step into a starting role when Schneider was injured. A role he otherwise wouldn't have had to take on and a role that is beyond his capabilities. Too many weak goals allowed. Literally about 3 fewer bad goals allowed all season than Cory, in over 2.5 as many fewer games played. Not good enough. Probably won more games in spite of him this season than we did with Cory in spite of him.

Wedgewood - A+: Probably not as good as he looked in those 4 games. It's a small sample size, but masqueraded as Cory for about 4 games there. And the team also masqueraded like the team that plays in front of Cory at times, by not scoring enough goals for him.



Hynes - A: Would be A+ if not for having to watch Gelinas over Severson some of those times, or the long leash with Warsofsky and trying to squeeze the AHL offense out of Mike Sislo at the NHL level.

Asst Coaches - I'll give Ward an A+ for the power play. It literally only was bad during January when Josefson was injured. I think Nasreddine gets a B for the PK. It was pretty bad early on and sometimes would allow 2 PP goals and give me flashbacks of Foligno's PK last year. Both special teams were top 10, but it's easier to have a better PK than PP, or at least for this lineup. It's universally agreed upon that it's easier to play defense than offense. So for that reason, I don't think an 8th overall PK deserves an A as much as an 8th overall PP does for the roster that we had on forward and our offense this year.

Shero - A: Only thing keeping him from getting an A+ was the confidence in Josefson as a 3C or a third liner of any kind. He must have really thought Pete stiffed him on that one, with the confidence he was shown off the bat. The Warsofsky claim on waivers was bad, but he probably didn't foresee it being that bad. The Tlusty signing was a good one, it just didn't work out. 27 year old players usually don't fall off a cliff like he did.

 

[Camille the Eel]

Larsson's plus 15 jumps out at me. For a guy who played a lot of penalty kill and not much power play too.

A +

 

[Devils Dominion]

**5 game minimum

Camm: A-

Trav: B

Stemp: A

Palms: A

Rico: B+

Kalinin: C+

JJ: C

Patty: C+

Kennedy: C-

Bouch: B

Blandisi: C+

DSP: A

Sislo: D

Ruutu: F

Fanham: B-

Gionta: D+

Tlusty: F

Stef: F

Tootoo: D-

O'Neill: D-

Pietila: B+

Lars: A
Greene: A-
Moore: C
Sevs: C+
Schlemko: B
Gelly: D
Merrill: D
Warsofsky: F
Helgy: F

Cory: A
Kink: C

Coach Hynes: B+
Ward: B
Nasreddine: C
Terreri: B
Shero: A
Fitzgerald: A
TNR: A-

Cangy: B-
Dano: B
Mac: C+
Deb: D+
Loughlin: B+
Sherry: A

TG: A
Chere: B+

 

[OmNomNom]

DD you missed farnham

 

[Devils Dominion]

DD you missed farnham

Thanks, just added him

 

[Lou's Koolaid]

Agree with pretty much every body on the players so I won't bother. Fans A- drawing what we did during a cup years in the midst of a playoff drought and rebuild! Rags fans figured we'd all craw into a hole and go away! Keep up the loyalty. We have some pieces in place hope to see more progress!

 

[Devils Dominion]

Agree with pretty much every body on the players so I won't bother. Fans A- drawing what we did during a cup years in the midst of a playoff drought and rebuild! Rags fans figured we'd all craw into a hole and go away! Keep up the loyalty. We have some pieces in place hope to see more progress!

No doubt, take away the early season home games during the Mets NLCS & WS run (some/most played on the same night), and the capacity would have been closer to 95%.

Rags fans are too petty about everything, including posting "hate mail" on the Giants new OC McAdoo's twitter account because he attended our game over the weekend and was given a personalized Devils jersey.

 

[thethinglonger]

No doubt, take away the early season home games during the Mets NLCS & WS run (some/most played on the same night), and the capacity would have been closer to 95%.

Rags fans are too petty about everything, including posting "hate mail" on the Giants new OC McAdoo's twitter account because he attended our game over the weekend and was given a personalized Devils jersey.

Really? That happened? Well I can guess which games he won't be going to

 

[JK3]

Sorry can't get on board with all the A's for Camm, I'd give him a C and that's it. Being a key part of this team but always freaking injured really hurt us and you can bet it will hurt us again in the future.

 

[Bleedred]

Sorry can't get on board with all the A's for Camm, I'd give him a C and that's it. Being a key part of this team but always freaking injured really hurt us and you can bet it will hurt us again in the future.

I only gave him an A based on time in the lineup. He gets an F as far as durability goes.

 

[njdevils1982]

Larsson's plus 15 jumps out at me. For a guy who played a lot of penalty kill and not much power play too.

A +

PP and PK has no bearing on +/- (exception: player gets a + during a SHG for and - for SHG against)

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Sorry can't get on board with all the A's for Camm, I'd give him a C and that's it. Being a key part of this team but always freaking injured really hurt us and you can bet it will hurt us again in the future.

I just can't blame people for getting injured, especially if they are an older and smaller player. Too be expected from a player that fits that profile in my opinion. But everyone grades differently.

Anyway, the team needs more depth and more development of the young players so as to be less dependent on a veteran like Cammy who seems to be prone to injury.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Schneider - A
Kinkaid - C
Wedgewood - B+

Greene - A-
Larsson - A-
Severson - C-
Moore - C+
Schlemko - B
Merrill - C-
Helgeson - C

Palmieri - A+
Henrique - B+
Zajac - B+
Cammalleri - A
Stempniak - A
DSP - B+
Boucher - B
Blandisi - B-
Kalinin - C
Josefson - C
Elias - No grade
Ruutu - F
Tootoo - F
Tlusty - F
Gionta - C-
Farnham - C+
Kennedy - C

 

[debplaceyonice]

Severson shouldn't get more then a C+