Quoting: bhavikp27
Doubt Simmonds is on 1st line. Gusev-Hughes will obviously be on 2nd line with Simmonds/Bratt/Palmieri. 3rd with Wood/Coleman-Zajac-Bratt/Simmonds.
Greene will probably stay in the lineup.
I think Hall is much more effective in a perimeter/playmaking role like he plays in NJ than as power forward, where Edmonton kept hurting him and then decided he was worthless. Put a tough guy in front of the net on that line to tap in twenty easy goals and save Bratt for depth playmaking. If Simmonds isn't tough enough, re-sign Boyle and just park him in the slot.
Greene is still a beast, and he absolutely carries the Devils' penalty kill on his shoulders, but he turns 37 this season. If management wants to sell Hall on a long term contract to be a part of a long-term contender, they need to give big minutes to young guys. Obviously Greene is still going to play, and can sub in for any defenseman in this line up, but until they can win games with guys likely to be around next year, they're not really proving anything to Hall. So rather than just copying every other NJD build, and putting the lines you're quoting, I put in some thought about how to make the team better.
I also think that even top picks develop better when they start in sheltered roles. Same with guys crossing continents. So I put Hughes and Gusev on line three imagining 70% offensive zone starts, with Coleman covering back for them, like a third defenseman.
Quoting: bhavikp27
Thing is that assuming
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson
Vrana-Backstrom-Oshie
Hagelin-Eller-Panik
Zacha will be on the 4th with Leipsic, Dowd, Hathaway, Boyd.
Would WSH want to acquire him just to keep him in the bottom6/4th line. He won't progress.
Hagelin shows flashes of skill, still, but can be pretty streaky. I think for at least half the year, Zacha can earn that 3L spot, and if there's an injury he can play 3C. Can he do the same in NJ? Sure. But Djoos could crack the top defensive pair in NJ, and they can call up McLeod at 3C, so Djoos adds something valuable, and they don't miss Zacha once they plug in Stephenson on line 4.
So who adds what?