IMO, this should be the Devils 23 man roster when fully healthy. Kevin Labanc has outplayed Nathan Bastian and Kurtis MacDermid by a large margin. He also has the ability to play up in the lineup when injuries occur. I opted to also include Nolan Foote in place of Bastian and MacDermid as it’s unlikely that anyone picks them up as opposed to Foote who is only 23 years old. Foote has had the injury bug for a large part of his career, but IMO, it’s still worth taking a shot on him over Bastian and MacDermid. Both Bastian and MacDermid will have their turn in the NHL at some point due to injuries and specific matchups, but this roster would put the Devils in the best position when healthy
by Devsfan25
3 Comments
I want them to sign Labanc, but grinding out on the 4th line is not his skillset. He doesn’t hit, he doesn’t backcheck, he’s not that guy. Right now he’s a good depth piece that will be useful when wingers get hurt in the top 6. He isn’t servicable in a bottom 6 role.
I think Labanc has at the very least played his way to a stint in the NHL, if its me I give him a 3-5 game run in the top 6, if he can’t stick there then find *something* he can do and either keep him as cheap depth or flip him for a basically free pick.
I’ll never understand why we keep bastian around. He had a decent year a few years ago but he’s always a bit of a nothing burger. Foote or MacD bring way more value