Written by Liam McGuire at The Comeback
Things are looking up in New Jersey.
The New Jersey Devils underwent significant change this offseason. Former Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero was brought in to take the reigns while longtime president and general manager Lou Lamoriello was demoted and bolted for Toronto. Shero proceeded to go off-book by naming John Hynes from the AHL as head coach.
The Devils didn’t make many roster adjustments, yet the team has gotten off to a solid 14-10-4 start, which on the surface doesn’t sound great, but is favorable compared to 2014-15’s 32-win season and when you factor in this year was supposed to be the start of a rebuild. There are many reasons for the improvement, such as Corey Schneider playing like one of the best goalies in the NHL, or the club’s improved possession (which has nosedived in December). But there have been three surprising contributions from forwards which have come from nowhere and helped catapult the Devils to respectability – those players being Mike Cammalleri, Lee Stempniak and Kyle Palmieri.
New Jersey signed Cammalleri to a huge five-year, $25 million deal during the 2014 offseason with expectations he could repeat his success he had with the Flames the year prior where he scored 26 goals. He ultimately didn’t disappoint, scoring 27 goals in 68 games, but this year he’s taken it to another level. He’s scored at over a point-per-game pace with 11 goals and 30 points in 28 games, tied for sixth in the NHL. He’s found chemistry on a line with Stempniak and Adam Henrique, as the trio has combined for 32 goals. Cammalleri is known for scoring goals, but he’s second in the NHL in first assists with 10 and has already equaled or tied his assist total from each of the last three seasons.
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