FanPost

Our Enforcers Still Suck; and Peter Harrold is a Better Playoff Choice than Adam Larsson

The past few weeks have proven me, and I’m sure some of you as well, to be correct in our assessment of a few major issues surrounding the Devils. With the playoffs around the corner, some more important issues must be considered, as the decisions made may just be the deciding factor in how long we survive postseason hockey. I'll share my opinions while exploring some of those issues. As always, feel free to voice your thoughts as well in the comments.


The Devils have the worst hockey-playing enforcers in the league.

The first development stems from the issue of offensive depth, and Kevin actually wrote of this beautifully just a week or two ago. Now, if I had told you 2 months ago that the Devils would have more consistent offense, would wear more teams down over the course of a game, would score more goals, and would be more exciting to watch, if only they replaced Janssen and Boulton from the lineup, you would have fingered me as a protégé of Mike Milbury.

Just kidding, I’m sure most of you would have wholeheartedly agreed with me. Yet for most of the season the Devils continually iced Janssen, Boulton, or both for games. I believe that recent weeks have shown this to be just as flawed a strategy as many of us had suspected. In games where the fourth line has been void of enforcers this team has been fun to watch, they’re scoring ample amounts of goals down the stretch. As of today we’re well on our way to overcoming a complaint Zach Parise has had about this team in his years here – in seasons where we’ve made the playoffs, we’ve always seemed to enter the postseason unconfident and while on a losing streak.

Going forward and especially if we’re matched up against Florida in the opening round, it’s my sincere hope that we ice a fourth line of Bernier, Carter, Zharkov. Can we have one or two games where we have one spot open for an enforcer? OK, but not because I think we’ll need it against Florida. I’d only do it to ensure that Boulton/Janssen can keep in "game/playoff rhythm" should we need to insert them more consistently for a rougher post-second round series against Boston, Pittsburgh, Philly, or NYR. Do I honestly think PDB will not play at least one of Janssen or Boulton for every playoff game? Nope. He’s played them all year and I can’t think of any other reason for doing that except to keep them in shape for the more rough and tumble postseason.

Adam Larsson should not make the playoff roster.

The next issue is one that centers on the blue line. As much as I love Adam Larsson for showing such maturity and skill at a young age, and for taking a salary/bonus cut to ensure his spot with the big team, I don’t for a second think he should be in our playoff lineup. What Peter Harrold has brought to the table over the past few weeks cannot be overlooked by Devils fans any longer. Born and raised playing North American hockey, there’s a reason that collegiate hockey powerhouse Boston College selected the defenseman Harrold as their Captain.

It’s not fair to compare Harrold only to Larsson or to say that the spot Harrold will take is that of Larsson’s, but I feel that the positives in Harrold’s game are very similar to the attributes he brings to the table that Larsson hasn’t as of yet. Harrold doesn’t avoid the dirty areas, doesn’t shy away from contact, and actually exhibits a significant amount of physicality and strength in his game for someone who doesn’t look very big. Additionally, and perhaps it’s correlated to the type of "fearless" demeanor I just alluded to, Harrold has great poise when carrying the puck up the ice and when handling a pass or clearing attempt at the offensive blue line. Despite being a young prospect still trying to win the favor of his teammates while making a name for himself, Harrold isn’t afraid to fire the puck on net, and unlike many of our D-corps, his shots have actually been making it there.

Harrold has been very fun to watch in recent weeks and I’m a little surprised that he isn’t getting more credit from Devils fans. While still not yet as much of a shocking breakthrough as Adam Henrique, Peter Harrold has played nothing but exceptional during his short time with the big club. I 100% believe that Harrold represents a better playoff option at the blue line than Adam Larsson and I hope PDB sees the same.

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