You never know how a move will pan out. Trades sometimes never work out the way you would like them to. It can propel you to new heights or bite you in the butt, and depending on what it took to get a player, you can lose on that trade. One team that made a slew of moves this off-season was the New Jersey Devils. One was signing two-time Stanley Cup Champion from the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the other two were trades. Vitek Vanecek was acquired on the second day of the NHL Draft and signed a three-year extension. But for this piece, we focus on New Jersey Devils’ defencemen, John Marino.
John Marino Paying Dividends Early On
Over the summer, Tom Fitzgerald shook things up on the back end. Sent packing to the Pittsburgh Penguins was Ty Smith and a draft pick in exchange for John Marino. And the move is paying dividends early on in the season. The best part is Marino is locked up for the next five seasons. So how is he impacting the Devils’ lineup?
John Marino’s Overall Impact
Marino's dislike of offence and fondness for defence has only deepened in the early days of his Devils career. #NJDevils https://t.co/PP7Pg8EY9R pic.twitter.com/AF4G10tuRe
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 24, 2022
Entering his first season with New Jersey, Marino is coming off one of his best seasons. One point shy of his career-best, he finished the season with one goal, 24 assists, and 25 points. Marino is a solid two-way defenceman who excels in transition and pushing the play forward. To begin the season he is not lighting up the stats sheet (no goals, three assists), but his impact on the ice goes beyond that.
A First Look In Black And Red
Aside from the point totals, Marino is making an impact on the New Jersey Devils lineup. Among all defensemen who have logged 50:00 of TOI, he ranks 13th in Corsi For with 61.92%. On the Devils, it sits fifth which is a testament to how good the puck possession is for the team. In addition to that, he ranks 10th in xGF% with 65.55%. What is lovely is that despite being early in the season, he has passed his CF% from last season (48%) and xGF% (46%). The new system in the division has him thriving offensively and helping generate chances. When Marino is on the ice, good things are happening on the ice offensively for the Devils. As a result of his offensive impact, he sits 16th with 75% goals-for percentage.
One area the Devils have worked well in with the puck is in the high-danger area of the ice. With Marino on the ice, the Devils generate 28 chances in that area. As a result, the team scored five goals in that area with him on the ice. All in all, this has been an excellent trade for the New Jersey Devils and is an upgrade over Smith.
As A Pair
New Jersey Devils defenceman John Marino has been impactful on a pair as well. He has spent the majority of his workload with Ryan Graves. Among all pairs that log 50 minutes together, the duo ranks second in expected goals against per 60 minutes (1.51). What this demonstrates is that as a pair they are good at suppressing shot attempts and not giving the opposition much to work with. They are not relied on for offence but generate 2.14 xGF per 60 minutes. Like the rest of the Devil’s group, the pair has done its part and sticks to its role, and Marino plays a significant amount in that.
The Rest Of The Group
What a tremendous job Fitzgerald has done overhauling the back end. Coming into the season, the Devils had one of the deepest defensive groups on paper. That same group is also playing like a top group as well. The New Jersey Devils, as a team, leading the league in CF (63.13) and xGF% (67.98). Sure the ability to finish has lacked, but they control the play and generate their chances. Marino has respectable numbers, but so does the rest of the Devil’s defence. Every pair on the back end ranks in the top fifteen in xGA per 60 minutes. Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler (14th with 1.96) and Brendan Smith and Damon Severson (seventh with 1.65). Siegenthaler and Hamilton rank third overall in xGF per 60 minutes with 3.99.
It is a collective effort on the back end, and with the Devils being one of the best possession teams, every member of the blue line ranks in the top 20 in CF% and top 15 in xGF%. It’s just been great to see, and Marino has factored in doing his part as well and will continue to do so.
All Statistics Come From Money Puck
The Overall Outlook
New Jersey Devils John Marino has been an upgrade for the Devils. His boost on the backend is noticeable, and he has made this trade look good for the Devils as well. It remains to be seen what happens with long-time Devil Severson, but Marino is showing he can be a top-four defenceman with this team. Not only has he replaced Smith, but he could very well take the spot of Severson to come next season.
What an addition and impact this trade has made on the lineup. The devils got a good one, and it’s great to watch on the ice.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
