Final On Roster Forwards Rankings

[Zippy316]

People actually think that being decent in the shootout makes you valuable in the NHL. Hilarious.

Why don't NHL GMs scout players off of Pavel Barber youtube dangles?

Anyway, fine with either here. Can see arguments for both. Going with the guy that might improve in his 2nd NHL season.

If you can be a reliable fourth liner and be effective in the shootout, then it's very valuable. Especially on a team like ours that has shown over the last few years to have little talent in the shootout.

It's not just the shootout but also special teams he noted. He can fill in as the distributor on the PP if needed and do an above-average job and he can also kill penalties.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Will bet all my vCash that JJ has a higher P/G than Kalinin this season.

 

[AfroThunder396]

JJ can do one thing good (PK) and one thing alright but we can't really rely on him to always do (shooutout).

Kalinin had some ups and down, which I mostly attribute to a new life, new language, new culture, new ice surface, new system, new team, etc. But now he has to step up and take the next step. I can't confidently say he's better than Josefson right now, but if I can't do it in 8 months it will be a major disappointment.

 

[Edmonton East]

If you can be a reliable fourth liner and be effective in the shootout, then it's very valuable. Especially on a team like ours that has shown over the last few years to have little talent in the shootout.

It's not just the shootout but also special teams he noted. He can fill in as the distributor on the PP if needed and do an above-average job and he can also kill penalties.

He wasn't "good" on the PK. Power play was a small sample size, but sure.

What exactly makes him a reliable 4th liner? Actually, don't answer. We won't agree because there is literally nothing statistically that makes him a "reliable 4th liner". JJ's greatest accomplishment will always be a -21 (great defensive forward) while managing 2 ES points in over 600 minutes of ice time. Truly impressive stats.

Hell, even from a health standpoint he isn't a reliable 4th liner.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Neither Kalinin or JJ are particularly amazing players, hence where they are finishing in the rankings. Personally, I have some hope of Kalinin improving next season, and he more fits the mold of what I want in a fourth liner than JJ does, but right now, I won't jump into the waters of the JJ debate beyond that. I think everyone around here can deduce my opinion of JJ by this point.

 

[Edmonton East]

Will bet all my vCash that JJ has a higher P/G than Kalinin this season.

I'll bet JJ plays under 20 games in the 2017 season mainly because I expect him to be out of the league.

 

[MadDevil]

I don't think there's much of a difference between our 10th and 12th forward, so I'd put Fiddler/Josefson/Kalinin about equal.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

I don't think there's much of a difference between our 10th and 12th forward, so I'd put Fiddler/Josefson/Kalinin about equal.

I would agree with this. I think that forwards 11th-13th are pretty interchangeable in this voting system. I just happen to like what Fiddler brings the most: solid veteran fourth liner with face-off abilities who might still have it when it comes to depth scoring. None of them are going to light the world on fire or anything, though. Their main virtues are likely that they aren't named Ruutu or Tootoo.

 

[MadDevil]

I would agree with this. I think that forwards 11th-13th are pretty interchangeable in this voting system. I just happen to like what Fiddler brings the most: solid veteran fourth liner with face-off abilities who might still have it when it comes to depth scoring. None of them are going to light the world on fire or anything, though. Their main virtues are likely that they aren't named Ruutu or Tootoo.

Just give it time. If they have bad seasons I'm sure we'll turn on them just as quickly.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

Just give it time. If they have bad seasons I'm sure we'll turn on them just as quickly.

So by the end of the season I'll be writing a poem about them and their lack of talent. Will be harder since the names don't rhyme, but challenge is good for growth of the mind.

 

[DanteDevilsHockey]

Good enough for me I'll wrap this up by releasing the final list in a new thread immediately followed by defenseman rankings.

 

[devilsblood]

With the additions of Hall, and probably Zacha, are we sure JJ get's much pp time?

I'm not even positive he makes top 12. He could very well be the 13th fwd, with Pietila or Coleman taking 4th line dibs.

And of coarse he'll probably miss 20+ games if he does crack the lineup so, I have no problem with how low he is ranked.

 

[ForeverJerseyGirl]

With the additions of Hall, and probably Zacha, are we sure JJ get's much pp time?

I'm not even positive he makes top 12. He could very well be the 13th fwd, with Pietila or Coleman taking 4th line dibs.

And of coarse he'll probably miss 20+ games if he does crack the lineup so, I have no problem with how low he is ranked.

My belief is that JJ will probably be usurped by Zacha on the PP fairly soon (I think Zacha is going to be a good surprise to many around here) and it's hard to imagine trading for Hall and not giving him PP time. I know Oilers fans warned that Hall isn't great on the PP and I'm not discounting their perspectives, but I feel that a lot of good PP play comes from strong systems and coaching. I want to see how successful Hall could be with the coaching and system in NJ. Hard for me to think he doesn't get a shot, so that will cause ripples through the lineup.

 

[DanteDevilsHockey]

Kalinin edged out JJ for the 12th spot in the poll and also seemingly through the thread as well. Well here is your NJ Devils Forward rankings. As an extra bonus I'll throw in my point predictions for each player even though we don't even know the lines yet. Guys please take these predictions with a grain of salt.

Final List

1. Hall: 32-39-71
2. Cammalleri: 22-27-49 (obvious health issues, this prediction has him playing anywhere from 50-65 games)
3. Henrique: 27-34-61
4. Palmieri: 28-30-58
5. Zajac: 15-31-46
6. Boucher: 18-20-38
7. Zacha: 15-24-39
8. Smith-Pelly: 13-14-27
9. Bennett: 8-14-22 (plays 50 games at max unless a miracle occurs)
10. Blandisi: 6-11-17 (probably won't make the initial roster but he'll be the first guy up from Albany when the first inevitable injury occurs)
11. Fiddler: 5-10-15
12. Kalinin: 6-8-14
13. Josefson: 3-6-9

I tried to be as realistic as possible as I believe the total goals that I predicted was 198. I am an optimist but I still think we will most likely need another year of growth. I have both of our '15-'16 30 goal scorers slightly regressing, as first of all both of them hit the mark scoring against Toronto in the last game of the season and second both had career years in the goal category and hitting it again wouldn't be easy (hopefully I'm wrong).

 

[Bleedred]

Will bet all my vCash that JJ has a higher P/G than Kalinin this season.

I don't even think I'd bet against this.

I think Kalinin has more potential as of now and voted him over Josefson. But he was certainly not better than Josefson last year.