Last week we released our first installment of the stock up/stock down for the New Jersey Devils. This weekly series will look at two Devils who are on the rise and two who have some work to do. In this week’s edition, we’re examining the state of the roster after the team released their opening night roster.
New Jersey Devils Stock Up/Stock Down
Stock Up
Lindy Ruff
Starting off with a non-player may be a surprise, but Lindy Ruff‘s stock has never been higher with the Devils. Rewind a year ago to the chants of “Fire Lindy” echoing through the corridors of the Prudential Center after losing handily to the Detroit Red Wings in the home opener. Fast forward to today, Ruff has signed a multi-year contract extension with the Devils. Last season was one of the best in franchise history, and he’s looking to keep the vibes high. Not only does Ruff’s new contract have him on the stock-up list, but an undefeated preseason keeps the positive momentum. The Devils have looked like a team on a mission to prove last year was not a fluke, even if it is just the preseason. Ruff now has security and control of a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
The New Jersey Devils Re-Sign Head Coach Lindy Ruff To Contract Extension #NJDevils https://t.co/LeKa1zUJz3
— Last Word On Hockey (@LastWordOnPuck) October 11, 2023
Chris Tierney
Tierney came into camp on a cheap, one-year contract, and faced a lot of competition. He proceeded to beat out each challenger one by one and was left the last man standing after final cuts. With very little financial investment, mixed with young players ready to crack the NHL lineup, Tierney was on the outside looking in. However, inconsistent play from others helped put him in a good spot. There wasn’t much that wowed you, but he was reliable in all three zones and it was clear that the coaches trusted him to be a bottom-of-the-lineup player. Tierney’s spot on the team is primarily as the 14th forward, but that is still a massive win for a player trying to find his footing again in the NHL.
Chris Tierney makes the roster, he’s had a really good, effective training camp. Going to be a good addition to this group.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 9, 2023
Stock Down
Alexander Holtz
Did he make the team? Yes. Did he play all of preseason with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier on the first line? Yes. Has he found himself inexplicably on the third line to start the season yet again? Yes. Holtz has been an enigma for the Devil’s fanbase this preseason. All the reports from camp were that he looked faster both with his skates and with his mind. The coaches trusted him enough to give him the entire camp and preseason to play on the first line too. Despite that line being inconsistent game to game, Holtz still found himself on the score sheet multiple times. However, here we are a few days out from opening night and Holtz has been running on the third line. By no means is playing with Erik Haula and Ondrej Palat a bad thing, but for a player who expected to have a big role in the top six, it’s certainly a blow.
#NJDevils lining up like this today… Haula back in the fold.
With an extra D, Tierney is paired with Colin Miller for practice to even things out. pic.twitter.com/8CeYtU5204
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 11, 2023
Colin Miller
You could argue that Miller should be on the stock-up list after Simon Nemec got sent down, but practice defensive pairings paint a different picture. Miller came in with the expectation of being the full-time starter on the right side of the third pair. Instead, Miller finds himself on the outside looking in with the left-handed Brendan Smith in that spot next to Luke Hughes. Miller’s preseason was flat-out bad. Back-to-back weeks on the stock-down list have only verified what we’ve been seeing from him early on. His play got marginally better, but not enough to usurp Smith. Luckily for Miller, Smith is hardly a world-beater, so retaking that spot won’t be insurmountable. The hope is that once the live bullets start flying in the regular season Miller will be able to settle in, but for now he needs to show significant improvement to hold down an everyday spot in the lineup.
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for New Jersey Devils on 2023-10-06:#NJDevils pic.twitter.com/S2i1zZxoLp
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) October 7, 2023
Main Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
