Player grades

[billingtons ghost]

Anyone want to give it a shot?

I'll say:
Smith: A
Sharangovich: A-
Hughes: B+
Zacha: B+
Bratt: B+
Wood: B+
Severson:B+
Kulikov:B+
Kuokkanen: B
Blackwood: B
Murray: B
Bahl: B-
Bastian:B-
McLeod:B-
Tennyson:B-
Maltsev:B-
Subban: C+
Hischier: C+ (inc)
Carrick:C
Boqvist:C
Merkley:C-
Foote:C-
Wedgewood:C-
Zajac+
Siegenthaler: D-
Butcher: D-
Johnsson: D-
Dell: F+
Palmieri:F

Edit: I graded upon expectations versus results. So, Tennyson doing better than what was expected of him nets him a higher grade than Subban, with whom I was pleased but from whom I want alot more. I'm not saying Tennyson is better than Subban.

Click to read more...

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

Zacha: B+
Wood: B+
Smith: B+
Hughes: B+
Sharangovich: B+
Bratt: B
Severson: B
Kulikov: B
Subban: B
Kuokkanen: B-
McLeod: C+
Murray: C
Bastian: C
Butcher: C
Zajac: C
Blackwood: C-
Wedgewood: C-
Palmieri: D
Tennyson: D
Maltsev: D
Hischier: D
Carrick: D
Boqvist: D
Merkley: D
Johnsson: F
Dell: F
Gusev: F
Vatanen: F

Can't give anyone an A. And I can't rank Hischier higher than a D given he missed most of the season and was only 0.5ppg on return. He needs to be better as well as Blackwood in goal.
Johnsson and Dell are the only fail grades, along with departed Gusev and Vatanen.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Are these grades based on the expectations for the player going into the season?

 

[Blackjack]

Full season grades, so for example Boqvist gets a 'D' even though he was playing much better than that at the end. Ignoring the effects of injury and Covid since that can't really be qualified. I'll grade the Bahls and Footes even though they only played a few games. No plusses or minuses. Edit: Not grading on a curve for any reason (age, expectations, etc.) just straight performance.


Sharangovich: B
Lethal shot, some puck skills and playmaking ability, defense is passable

Hughes: B
Would easily be an "A" if he wasn't one of the worst finishers in the NHL.

Bratt: B
Strong start, I thought he struggled a bit down the stretch

Severson: B
Good season, a bit up and down

Kulikov: B
Arguably our best and most consistent defenseman from the first game to when he was traded.

Kuokkanen: B
Solid all around game, good playmaking ability and good on the boards

Subban: B
Massive bounceback from last season

Smith: C
Excellent for a rookie, looked like a strong Calder candidate, tailed off a bit at the end.

Zacha: C
Massive improvement in his offensive game (mainly his shooting) looks great at wing, lousy defensive impacts

Wood: C
Found his scoring touch again, not nearly as physical as he used to be, lousy defensive impacts

McLeod: C
Way better than expected, could be a long term solution at 4C, maybe even blossoms into a 3C

Bastian: C
Great season all around. Hard to ask much more of this guy in his first year.

Blackwood: C
Jekyl and Hyde. Just pray that a full healthy season is all he needs to return to form

Foote: C
Gorgeous goal, has had some very good shifts out there. Also a bunch of shifts where he looks like a rookie

Bahl: C
Maybe the biggest surprise of the year, looks like he can step right into a role next season

Maltsev: C
Another big surprise, Maltsev looked very effective at times

Butcher: C
I feel he's a bit underrated on here. Good defenseman with an underwhelming season when he did actually play

Hischier: C
Meaningless grade, season ravaged by injuries

Zajac: C
Should be an A for helping land a 1st round pick

Merkley: D
I like Merkley, but it is what it is, looks like a tweener to me

Murray: D
I don't know what people see in this guy. Started off the season okay, looked worse and worse, then just downright bad by the end

Boqvist: D
Bad wing, good center, the anti-Zacha

Carrick: F
Wedgewood: F
Tennyson: F
Siegenthaler: F
Johnsson: F
Dell: F
Palmieri: F

Honestly, nothing to say about any of these guys.

Not grading Studenic, White, Thompson, or Greer because you can't make me.

 

[Edmonton East]

60 second analysis:

Smith: A
Sharangovich: A+
Hughes: C+
Zacha: B+
Bratt: B+
Wood: A-
Severson: B+
Kulikov: B
Kuokkanen: B+
Blackwood: B-
Murray: C
Bahl: B+
Bastian: B+
McLeod: B
Tennyson: D-
Maltsev: D
Subban: C+
Hischier: C
Carrick: C
Boqvist: B
Merkley: B
Foote: B
Wedgewood: C-
Zajac: B
Siegenthaler: F
Butcher: C
Johnsson: F
Dell: F
Palmieri: D
Vatanen: D-

 

[Captain3rdLine]

It looks like some people are grading players in comparison to what was expected of them coming into the season and others aren’t. For example one person has Smith as a C and another has him as an A. Can people specify whether they are when they put their grades in so it’s easier to tell and understand where the person is coming from.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I feel like you have to give Yegor an A.

Tied for 3rd in rookie goals. 4th in rookie scoring. Could play pretty much anywhere in the line up, was killing penalties, should have gotten PP but Recci sucks.

What more could you want or expect from him as a rookie?

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I feel like you have to give Yegor an A.

Tied for 3rd in rookie goals. 4th in rookie scoring. Could play pretty much anywhere in the line up, was killing penalties, should have gotten PP but Recci sucks.

What more could you want or expect from him as a rookie?

It depends on how you’re grading him. Some people seem to be grading in a way where they’re just ranking our players. Our best player gets the highest grade. If you’re doing it off of expectations yes he should be the highest grade.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

My player grades based on what I expected of the player coming into the season. B means they met expectations. Explanations with some.

Forwards:

Sharangovich A+
Nobody expected much of him, blew past expectations and was among the best rookies in the league.

Kuokkonen A-
Zacha A-
Expected him to improve a bit production wise again but didn’t expected him to produce at not far from a 30 goal 60 point pace. Consistently produced throughout the season and scored some big goals(led with 4 GWG). Seems like a better fit on the wing.

Hughes B
Improved as expected but didn’t takeoff

Bratt B-
Wood B+
McLeod B+
Really liked him for the last stretch of the season

Bastian B
Maltsev A-
Hischier B-
Struggled a bit coming back from injuries which is a big part of why is numbers are deceivingly low.

Boqvist B-
Expected him to take a step forward. Was better as a center for the last while.

Merkley B
Didn’t expect much. Didn’t get much

Studenic A
Didn’t expect to see him play for the big club so good for him. Nothing against him but hopefully I don’t see him play for us again.

Foote B
Good AHL season followed by some decent NHL games where he picked up a couple points.

Thompson B+
Johnsson D
Disappointed, hoped he could be a top 6 player and help Hughes.

Zajac A-
Had a really good stretch of play where he helped get a couple young guys going and then help get us a 1st round pick.

Palmieri C-
Wasn’t good but still put up somewhat okay numbers and netted us a 1st round pick

Gusev B-
I didn’t expect him to be good

Defensemen and Goalies:

Smith B+
Severson B
Really good start. Dropped back down to his usual self and had some bad games

Subban B+
Solid bounce back year. Was doing well before Covid got him.

Murray C+
Solid start, dropped off and wasn’t great for a while and then was up and down for the rest of the year. Thought he could lead our blue line at the start of the year and take a big step as a player.

Butcher B
Didn’t get to play for quite a while. Thought he was okay when he did get in and put up some good numbers. Doesn’t fit into this team anymore.

Vatanen C
Tennyson B
Kulikov A-
Carrick B-
Siegenthaler C
Didn’t think he was very good

Bahl B-
Wasn’t great in the AHL but made up for it by playing decent when he got called up

White B

Blackwood C+
Wedgewood B+
Dell B-

 

[GeNeXt]

Grade requirement: Played 20 games and finished the season on the team.

A
Smith - Such a smart player. Handled himself physically much better than I expected.
Sharangovich - Scored some huge goals this season. Really hope he continues to build on this season with little to no regression.

A-
Hughes - Showed flashes of taking over games. Palms being a blackhole really didn't help his production early-on.

B+
Kuokkanen- Showed out. Does well at the little, underappreciated, and gritty part of the game.
Severson- Really starting to come into his own this year.
Zacha- Divisive player and shows some mental lapses at times, but he left a lasting impression with highlight reel material and led the team in overall production.

B
Wood- Brought energy, as usual. Looked to make smarter plays this year. Started stronger than he finished and also took some of the dumbest penalties on the team.
Bastian- Played his role super effectively.
McLeod- Impressed by him. I think he'll make a great Zajac replacement with time.
Murray- Amassed a decent pile of assists, and came as advertised. Would be nice to extend him.


B-
Bratt- The potential is there for him to do even better. The holdout certainly didn't help him acclimate as easily as he could've. I think the tomahawk move, while sweet, he's becoming a little too reliant on, but what do I know since it seems to work every time.
Maltsev- Great first season. Didn't really like him at wing. Also, needs to learn to move his feet a little more when he has the puck.
Boqvist- Slow start but he belongs. Also, like Maltsev, looked better at C. The anti-Zacha postion-wise.

C+
Subban- Really happy he started playing better, but his start was abysmal and had me questioning if he should be protected from expansion.
Blackwood- This is tough. He had some shaky starts but early on was lights out. That Boston game and save may go down as a franchise all-time highlight as far as goalie goes.

C
Merkley- Impressive little passer and plays with energy. I would maybe bait Seattle to take him and a 5th if they don't want Johnsson/Butcher.
Hischier- Played a little sloppy on his second return but mostly can be attributed to his injury. I think he really should've piled up a few more goals as he had a few notable gaffes/missed nets in some key situations.

C-
Butcher- Looked fine some nights, but had some moments that made you question, "Does this guy know what he's doing?" even though he's mostly a high IQ player.

D
Johnsson- Unlucky and the new guy made him an easy whipping boy. I thought he played hard, but results weren't there, and he's lacking talents that others possess.

F
Tennyson- Made an "okay" impression early-on, but he almost injured Mac a couple times, and seems pretty brain dead on the ice.

INC notables
Bahl- Really could be what the doctor ordered for an undersized and young team.
Foote- Needs more time in the AHL, but nice to see him rewarded with games.
Siegenthaler- Wasn't impressive, but maybe needed more time. Would rather sign and protect Murray.
Studenic- Has really good wheels. I think he can make a case for a roster spot, but the wings are going to be crowded very soon.
Thompson- Wasn't ready. He's gonna take time if he evens pans out to be anything.

 

[TheDuke93]

I feel like you have to give Yegor an A.

Tied for 3rd in rookie goals. 4th in rookie scoring. Could play pretty much anywhere in the line up, was killing penalties, should have gotten PP but Recci sucks.

What more could you want or expect from him as a rookie?

Scrub didn't even win the MVP.

 

[Oneiro]

Sharangovich: A
Smith: A-
Kuokkanen: A-
Wood: B+
Zacha: B+
Kulikov: B+
Bratt: B
Severson: B
McLeod: B
Merkley: B
Murray: B-
Zajac: B-
Maltsev: B-
Hischier: B-
Hughes: B-
Subban: B-
Butcher: B-
Tennyson: B-
Bastian: B-
Boqvist: C+
Blackwood: C+
Wedgewood: C
Carrick: C
Johnsson: D+
Vatanen: D-
Dell: F
Gusev: F
Palmieri: F

Graded relative to expectations. Didn't see enough of Bahl, Siegenthaler or Foote. Most important players on the team didn't do enough for me. Also didn't let circumstances or bad luck change the curve on some grades.

 

[Lou is God]

@Blackjack, you need to explain your "C" for Ty Smith? WTH man? lol

 

[AfroThunder396]

Gut feeling with no real thought put into it. Players ranked relative to expectations:

Sharangovich A

Severson A-
Smith A-
Kulikov A-

Bratt B+
Kuokkanen B+
Wood B+
Zacha B+

Hughes B
Bastian B
Subban B
Zajac B
McLeod B
Murray B

Bahl B- (INC)
Foote B- (INC)

Blackwood C+
Hischier C+ (INC)
Maltsev C+

Carrick C
Studenic C (INC)

Merkley C-
Boqvist C-
Siegenthaler C- (INC)
Thompson C- (INC)

Butcher D+
Johnsson D+
Palmieri D+
Wedgewood D+

Tennyson D
White D (INC)

Dell F
Gusev F
Vatanen F

 

[Blackjack]

@Blackjack, you need to explain your "C" for Ty Smith? WTH man? lol

Sure, I should have explained my grades more in my post, but basically I graded players against the entire league with no curve for experience. So for me, a "C" is an excellent grade for a rookie defenseman, it means that he's already a #3/#4 defenseman, and I expect him to be even better next season.

He's close to a "B", if he played the way he started the season the whole year, he would have gotten one, but there were some dips and inconsistency, that's, again, totally expected for a rookie.

FWIW, if I graded against expectation, Smith and Shara would have gotten "A"s, Bastian, Maltsev, and Kuokkanen would have gotten "B"s.

 

[Billdo]

Smith: A-, stepped in a played heavier minutes than I think most people anticipated and did fairly well. I think he showed he's capable of at worst being a middle pairing defenseman with a top pair ceiling.
Sharangovich: A-, kids a player and hopefully Govy continues to blossom.
Hughes: A-, definitely showed promise. His defensive play surprised me more than anything else. Leading the league in takeaway was a massive surprise. Hopefully adding some finishers or playing full time with guys like Govy will help the offense truly come out.
Zacha: A-, I mean come on. I love him. A lot of you don't but if he played a full year and put up these numbers I think most would be happy, anyone with a brain that is.
Bratt: B+, decent year after starting late. The kick in the ass he got seemed to motivate him.
Wood: B+, guy is just a mixed bag. Sometimes you're like man this guys a true power forward, other times he looks like an extra from The Ringer.
Severson:B+, he obviously has his warts but he'd be a top 4 defenseman on any other team in the league. Seems to be a whipping boy from this fan base for no reason reason other than his occasional gaffes.
Kulikov:B+, showed way more than anyone thought.
Kuokkanen: B, he's a NHL player. Where in the lineup is the question. Probably middle 6 but certainly a legit NHLer.
Blackwood: B-, I'm hesitant to go one way or another. I think he's going to be the type of player that has his picture next to streaky in the almanac. Insane stats one month, very pedestrian the next.
Murray: B, started off playing well, fell off a cliff, but rebounded pretty well. The question is which is he? I hope they give him an extension.
Bahl: B-, considering he was by all accounts bad in the AHL I thought he showed well with the big club.
Bastian:B-, solid year, probably will be exposed.
McLeod:B-, very good year from Mikey considering the expectations. Solidified himself as 4C and a good guy to have on the team.
Tennyson: D-, get out.
Maltsev:B-, liked his game but he's probably a tweener/injury call up.
Subban: B, played well defensively, the offense showed a bit as well.
Hischier: B-, inconclusive but pretty solid overall. Shame injuries got him this year.
Carrick:C, the definition of meh.
Boqvist:C+, another guy who I think found a spot as a bit of a surprise. Leave him at 3C and let him go.
Merkley:C+, kinda did well kinda was not noticeable. Wouldn't be surprised if Seattle throws a dart at him.
Foote:C+, didn't look out of place. Needs more time to get up to speed.
Wedgewood: D, yuck.
Zajac: C+, wanted him back but don't want to knock Bo or Mikey of their roles where they've excelled out so I don't see it happening.
Siegenthaler: C, not sure what he is. Could be ok or could be Mueller. The Rona got him and he barely played pro hockey this year.
Butcher: C-, liked some things but man he's about as good of a skater as Lieutenant Dan would be at this point.
Johnsson: D-, the advanced stats you nerds like show he wasn't bad. The eye test shows a way different picture. I'm not going full @StevenToddIves but I don't really like this deal at this point.
Dell: D-, sucks. Period.
Palmieri: D-, fell off a massive cliff. Would bring him back though as I don't think you just go from productive to suck overnight.


Above all else the special teams ABSOLUTELY needs to get better. There's no justification for it so coaching gets a F as far as special teams go. If there was a grade less than a F they'd get that.

 

[Bleedred]

My player grades based on what I expected of the player coming into the season. B means they met expectations. Explanations with some.

Forwards:

Sharangovich A+
Nobody expected much of him, blew past expectations and was among the best rookies in the league.

Kuokkonen A-
Zacha A-
Expected him to improve a bit production wise again but didn’t expected him to produce at not far from a 30 goal 60 point pace. Consistently produced throughout the season and scored some big goals(led with 4 GWG). Seems like a better fit on the wing.

Hughes B
Improved as expected but didn’t takeoff

Bratt B-
Wood B+
McLeod B+
Really liked him for the last stretch of the season

Bastian B
Maltsev A-
Hischier B-
Struggled a bit coming back from injuries which is a big part of why is numbers are deceivingly low.

Boqvist B-
Expected him to take a step forward. Was better as a center for the last while.

Merkley B
Didn’t expect much. Didn’t get much

Studenic A
Didn’t expect to see him play for the big club so good for him. Nothing against him but hopefully I don’t see him play for us again.

Foote B
Good AHL season followed by some decent NHL games where he picked up a couple points.

Thompson B+
Johnsson D
Disappointed, hoped he could be a top 6 player and help Hughes.

Zajac A-
Had a really good stretch of play where he helped get a couple young guys going and then help get us a 1st round pick.

Palmieri C-
Wasn’t good but still put up somewhat okay numbers and netted us a 1st round pick

Gusev B-
I didn’t expect him to be good

Defensemen and Goalies:

Smith B+
Severson B
Really good start. Dropped back down to his usual self and had some bad games

Subban B+
Solid bounce back year. Was doing well before Covid got him.

Murray C+
Solid start, dropped off and wasn’t great for a while and then was up and down for the rest of the year. Thought he could lead our blue line at the start of the year and take a big step as a player.

Butcher B
Didn’t get to play for quite a while. Thought he was okay when he did get in and put up some good numbers. Doesn’t fit into this team anymore.

Vatanen C
Tennyson B
Kulikov A-
Carrick B-
Siegenthaler C
Didn’t think he was very good

Bahl B-
Wasn’t great in the AHL but made up for it by playing decent when he got called up

White B

Blackwood C+
Wedgewood B+
Dell B-

How can you give Dell a higher grade than Blackwood and just one minus below Wedgewood?

Dell was worse than last year’s Cory and even Domingue and 2018-2019 Kinkaid. And don’t tell me you’re grading on expectations. You didn’t expect Dell to be a whole lot better than Scott Wedgewood? I don’t think many people here, if anyone expected Wedgewood to be better than Dell.

Dell was one of the biggest busts I can remember. The anticipation in waiting for him to clear covid protocol and get his visa stuff straightened out before he finally made his debut. Then he started to play and was seriously amazingly bad.

 

[Devils090]

Hughes: B
Sharangovich: A
Kuok: B
Zacha: B+
Nico: INC
Bratt: B
McLeod: B
Bastian: C
Wood B+
Johnsson: F
Merkely: C
Boqvist: C-
Maltsev: C
Zajac: B(thanks for the 1st)
Palms: F
Subban: C
Severson: B
Smith: B+
Murray: C
Tennyson: D
Vatanen: F
Butcher: F
Blackwood: C

 

[Billdo]

How can you give Dell a higher grade than Blackwood and just one minus below Wedgewood?

Dell was worse than last year’s Cory and even Domingue and 2018-2019 Kinkaid. And don’t tell me you’re grading on expectations. You didn’t expect Dell to be a whole lot better than Scott Wedgewood? I don’t think many people here, if anyone expected Wedgewood to be better than Dell.

Dell was one of the biggest busts I can remember. The anticipation in waiting for him to clear covid protocol and get his visa stuff straightened out before he finally made his debut. Then he started to play and was seriously amazingly bad.

Yeah that one is a bit puzzling. Dell was horrifically bad.

 

[MauDevils]

Sharangovich: A
Smith: A-
Kuokkanen: A-
Wood: B+
Zacha: B+
Kulikov: B+
Bratt: B
Severson: B
McLeod: B
Merkley: B
Murray: B-
Zajac: B-
Maltsev: B-
Hischier: B-
Hughes: B-
Subban: B-
Butcher: B-
Tennyson: B-
Bastian: B-
Boqvist: C+
Blackwood: C+
Wedgewood: C
Carrick: C
Johnsson: D+
Vatanen: D-
Dell: F
Gusev: F
Palmieri: F

Graded relative to expectations. Didn't see enough of Bahl, Siegenthaler or Foote. Most important players on the team didn't do enough for me. Also didn't let circumstances or bad luck change the curve on some grades.

Well this saves me a lot of time. Pretty much in full agreement with these.

 

[My3Sons]

My individual grades are based on expectations which to me is the only way to fairly grade someone. Would you expect a high school student to understand graduate level real analysis? I'm sure that a few can, but they are the exception. Anyway......

Zacha - A-, I'll suggest that his play at wing with Nico and Bratt is the best he will be and what he should be graded on as opposed to taking one for the team at center where he doesn't belong. If he finished the season on a partially torn ACL or something similar that's a tough kid.

Captain Pegleg McBrokenFace - Incomplete - I can't downgrade him for a guy falling on him, PK trying to kill him, and likely getting Covid as well. That's just not fair. Take out the first three games after each injury return and he had 11 points in 15 games. You can slice the baloney too many ways in a small sample size.

Bratt - B+ - He's a bit limited by size and strength but he seemed to take a step forward this season on offense. Again, with Nico and Zacha he's at his best and that is part of how I see this.

Sharangovich - A+ - Low round pick, long slow development, and a guy who paced for about 25 goals and got better as the season went on and even became a solid penalty killer. What's not to like about his game? The post game interviews are just the icing on the cake. He's the guy you bring up when main board trolls mock NJ for bad drafting and bad player development. OK, Bratt too.

Jack - B+ - His shot improved and he looked dynamic a lot of the time. He still needs to sort out what works and what is too much risk but he's on his way. I think he made progress.

Kuokkanen - B+ - He was unheralded and in retrospect a sharp acquisition by Fitz. He needs to shoot a bit more and up his physicality a bit but he was steady for most of the year.

Wood - B+ - regained his scoring touch. Still a bit raw and his speed doesn't translate outside transition on offense (you'd think Wood would be a top penalty killer with speed and reach). He seems to care and is acknowledging he has to lead more as an "older" player.

McLeod - B+ - Showed he could be an NHL player. Definitely started to show more confidence as the season wore on. Hopefully there is a bit more untapped potential but he will never live up to the expectations he had initially as a top first round pick. He looks better than the expectations I had for him after starting as a very unspectacular pro in the AHL.

Bastian - B - Showed he could be an NHL player. He still needs to work a bit on shooting and skating. The only guy to answer the bell on some nights. If he goes in the expansion draft I think he will be missed more than some suggest. You could do a lot worse than Bastian as a RW4.

Maltsev - B - Showed he can maybe be an NHL player. Has numerous elements of his game to work on but made steps compared to what I expected.

Boquist - C - I expected more somehow. His skill hasn't translated in the way I expected in his second season. He's 22 not 20 so anticipated a bigger impact. He did slowly get better as the season wore on. If NJ puts him between Shara and Kuokkanen next season he might have his best chance of success.

Johnsson - D - I expected a middle six wing. Apparently he's still recuperating from last season's knee surgery? Hopefully it gets better. If this is what he is he's a fourth line guy going forward.

Merkley - B- - I didn't expect much and he at least showed he's a feisty borderline NHLer. He could probably play as a RW4 for a full season but he's the guy every team tries to push out of the lineup.

Foote - Inc. - He got his taste of the NHL. Hopefully he saw what he needs to develop and refine to succeed. Moved better than I expected but six games with limited minutes is a small sample size to evaluate.

Seney - A++ - Is there anything better than that? NJ's million dollar man. Best homegrown draft pick since 2012 (or so I'm told). I'll miss a certain poster if Seney leaves the organization. The unbridled enthusiasm and minor league coaching takes are a hoot.

Murray - B - A bit polarizing. I thought he was steady with the exception of the post Covid illness. Not as physical as I expected but playing a bit conservatively to avoid further back injury makes sense. I'd bring him back for a year or two if he's open to it.

Severson - B - Also polarizing. He was great pre-Covid and a bit up and down after. He and Murray made a solid pair down the stretch when the guys behind them were very hit and miss.

Smith - A - He got worn down as the season went on but had a great rookie year. His puck skills and passing vision and shooting choices are great for his age. You'd like to see him develop another half step with the puck in transition and to improve his defense in front of the net but those will presumably develop in the next couple of years. With the right partner maybe he can become a first pair defender in time.

Subban - B- - He started to adjust his game to my eyes once he killed the captain. He can be a decent second pair guy but I hope the team can replace him on the PP.

Bahl - Inc. - Too small a sample size to fairly evaluate.

Siegenthaler - Inc. Too small a sample size to fairly evaluate but he looked to me like he has a lot to work on and pick up his pace before next season. Looked hesitant and lost at times. Made soft plays as a result. Presumably NJ saw something beyond his nationality when they traded for him so we should give them the offseason and training camp to work with him.

Butcher - B - I think his skating and lack of reach and lack of physicality hold him back so on balance he was solid to my eyes. Hopefully NJ doesn't see his late season play as a reason to protect him from SEA. Again, his grade is relative to my expectations. He's a smart player and maximizes his physical ability but he's just too limited to be more than he is. He's also redundant with Smith playing now.

Tennyson - B - He's a borderline NHLer and didn't look out of place in the NHL for a fair number of games. That's a reasonable return for a AAAA defender.

Carrick - B- - Similar to Tennyson in that I see him as a AAAA player. If he was bigger and stronger he'd be a solid NHLer to my eyes but he's small and a bit soft in his own end.

Blackwood - C - Had some great games and some poor ones. I'm not sure how long he was impacted by Covid but I don't doubt it hurt him for much of the middle of the season. He was also banged up at times. NJ needs to start hitting guys that take liberties with him if they want him to stay effective. I expect a bounce back season after a few months of rest, rehab, and conditioning, and don't forget NJ has a new goalie coach to adjust to.

Wedgewood - B- - I didn't expect much but he provided a few solid games.

Dell - Inc. - I don't know what I expected so it's hard to grade him in seven games of work but similar to Siegenthaler what I saw wasn't good.

Hopefully the young players all improve and take steps forward next season. Nico and Jack are both close but no cigar on a number of plays and hopefully they can improve that little bit to get them over the hump. I'm more confident in Jack making that jump although he has further to go than Nico. If NJ can develop a legit third line matchup center it will help both of them. To me the most important player is Blackwood. The team has nothing behind him right now and any young goalies seem to be years away. Hopefully a full offseason of rest and training and technical coaching will get him back on track. If not, next year will be another ugly season barring a trade for a 1B goalie.

 

[glenwo2]

Bratt : (A-) because I don't hold goal-scoring and contract-disputes over his head like some here do.

Though it would be nice if he was a bit more selfish on offense instead of looking to thread a needle through 3 defenders to Nico/Zacha for a shot attempt.

The rest I don't feel like giving out grades as I think many of the grades being given to the other players are about what I would've put down.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

How can you give Dell a higher grade than Blackwood and just one minus below Wedgewood?

Dell was worse than last year’s Cory and even Domingue and 2018-2019 Kinkaid. And don’t tell me you’re grading on expectations. You didn’t expect Dell to be a whole lot better than Scott Wedgewood? I don’t think many people here, if anyone expected Wedgewood to be better than Dell.

Dell was one of the biggest busts I can remember. The anticipation in waiting for him to clear covid protocol and get his visa stuff straightened out before he finally made his debut. Then he started to play and was seriously amazingly bad.

I didn’t really expect much from him. He was a 3rd goalie from another team who got waived. I’ve always liked Wedgewood and think he’s a pretty good goalie.

 

[Goomba]

I want to have a word with anyone not giving Pavel Zacha an A+

 

[Bleedred]

Yeah that one is a bit puzzling. Dell was horrifically bad.

My favorite softy of the year on a Devils goalie might have been the goal Panarin scored on him, where he gloved it and dropped it behind him.

That center ice goal on Wedgewood was definitely the Devils softy of the year, but my personal favorite was that Panarin goal on Dell.