New Jersey is 2-4 in its last 6 games and find themselves in 9th place in the Eastern Conference. Without their top-line scorer, Mike Cammalleri, the New Jersey Devils look a lot more like a team in rebuild mode. Cammy was placed on injured reserve last week and has missed a handful of games this season already. Without him in the lineup, our lack of goal-scorers is terribly evident. In the 13 games, Cammy has missed due to injuries, the Devils are 5-8 and averaging only 1.5 goals per game during that time.

It should be understood that Cammy has been in the league for 15 seasons and has only played 3 of them without any injuries. This is why his price was considerably lower than other top-line players. The Devils knew the risks when they signed him to his 5 year/ $25 million contract.

Guys like Lee Stempniak and Joe Blandisi have helped try to pick up the slack with little success. Blandisi has 10 points in his last 12 games going back to January 12th. Stemper has passed Cammalleri for the team points lead with 39 and also has 10 points in his last 10 games.

Other players will need to step up as well. Kyle Palmieri who has been hot-handed most of the season has cooled recently with no points in his last 5 contests. Young forward Reid Boucher will need to up his game as well. After setting an OHL scoring record, the team’s expectations for him have climbed. He is to be a sniper for the future who has a knack for getting to the puck. During the all-star break, Boucher along with Seth Helgeson and Marc-Andre Gragnani were sent to Albany to stay fresh. Boucher played well and had a few goals including an OT game-winner from the left circle aka his wheelhouse. Hopefully, he can keep sniping up here in the NHL.

Whether the Devils will address this problem before the trade deadline or during the offseason remains to be seen. New Jersey has had scouts at the last 3 Carolina Hurricane games which makes me think something is being cooked up by Ray Shero. Hopefully, nothing that will endanger our playoff hopes this year, but if it’s a move that will benefit our young core, it could be the right thing to do.