Devils Must Give Reid Boucher, Stefan Matteau Real Chances Before Season's End

It is no secret that the New Jersey Devils are short on talented forward prospects. Reid Boucher and Stefan Matteau may not even be considered top prospects at this point, but they are the best the Devils have up front right now.

General manager and interim coach Lou Lamoriello called up both players on an emergency basis before Saturday's game, and Tom Gulitti of Fire and Ice reports the team has now designated them as regular call-ups.

Since New Jersey now has more than enough healthy forwards, it would appear Lamoriello wants to give Boucher and Matteau a chance at the NHL level before the end of the season.

It is important both for these players to get a taste of NHL action and for the team to get a sense of what Boucher and Matteau are capable of as the Devils head into an offseason of transition.

To do that, the Devils must not just slot the young left wingers into minor roles, but give them an opportunity to play significant minutes in situations where their suitability for the NHL can be tested.

This is the only way New Jersey can truly learn what it has in Boucher (21) and Matteau (21).

Unfortunately for the Devils, both players have been somewhat disappointing with the team's AHL affiliate in Albany this season:

Name	Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	Plus/Minus	Power-play Goals
Reid Boucher	58	13	15	28	-8	7
Stefan Matteau	57	9	14	23	4	4

Is Boucher a Top Prospect or Victim of Inflated Expectations?

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After scoring 22 goals in 58 games with the Albany Devils last year, Boucher's 13 goals this season are particularly upsetting. His 62 goals in 68 games with the OHL's Sarnia Sting in 2012-13 set a team record and gave Devils fans hope that a true goal-scoring prospect was in the system.

There are some legitimate doubts as to whether or not that is the case, though.

Boucher's performance in 2012-13 with Sarnia was impressive, but being a top goal scorer in the OHL is not always an indicator that a player will succeed at the next level.

For example, Joseph Blandisi, the 20-year-old center signed by New Jersey in January, is leading the OHL in goals this season, yet no NHL team owned his rights after failing to catch on with Colorado and Buffalo.

Boucher's 22 goals in Albany last season were certainly respectable for a 20-year-old rookie in his first NHL season, but he was boosted by a shooting percentage of 15, which does not seem sustainable.

This season, Boucher's shooting percentage is only 8.3. That number is probably below what can normally be expected of him, but it certainly shows that luck may have played a role in his 22-goal season from a year ago.

His 13 goals are disappointing on their own, but the fact that seven have come on the power play is even more off-putting. In 58 games in Albany this season, Boucher has six even-strength goals.

So, is Boucher a player the Devils can expect to be a goal scorer at the NHL level or is the 99th pick from the 2011 NHL draft the victim of inflated expectations after a one stellar season in major junior?

By including him in the team's top-six forwards over the next 11 games, New Jersey can begin to learn the answer.

Is Matteau Another 3rd-Line Grinder or Something More?

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Matteau, unlike Boucher, was never expected to be a major goal-scoring threat. The 29th pick from the 2012 draft is a strong, physical player with passable offensive talent, but he likely will never be a superstar. 

He played 17 games with the Devils in 2012-13, picking up one goal and two assists. Last season, Matteau had 13 goals and 13 assists in 68 games with the Albany Devils. 

The problem facing Matteau is that the Devils already have an excess of forwards who fill the same role that he would. Players like Steve Bernier, Jordin Tootoo, Tuomo Ruutu, Stephen Gionta, Jacob Josefson and Dainius Zubrus all will likely be competing for third- and fourth-line roles on the Devils next season. 

So, now is the proper time to get a sense of how Matteau fits into that conversation. Can he supplant some older players like Zubrus or would he be best served spending another season in the AHL?

What Lines Could Look Like

Both Boucher and Matteau play on the left, so the top candidates to take out of the lineup in order to include the youngsters are Ruutu and Zubrus.

Of course, removing Peter Harrold would be ideal—as he is a defenseman playing forward—but he has been playing on the right. Replacing him with either Boucher or Matteau would mean one of the two playing out of position, which obviously undermines the process of determining their value.

So, if both players were inserted into the lineup, I would suggest the following:

• Adam Henrique-Scott Gomez-Steve Bernier
• Reid Boucher-Travis Zajac-Jordin Tootoo
• Michael Cammalleri-Patrik Elias-Stephen Gionta
• Stefan Matteau-Jacob Josefson-Peter Harrold

The one condition is that the fourth line must be given between 10 and 12 minutes of ice time a night. Any less will not give Matteau enough time to put his abilities on display.

As the Devils enter an offseason of transition—they require a new bench boss and Spotrac indicates they have a number of players headed for unrestricted free agency—they need to assess what they already have in the organization so that the team can have clear goals in terms of what it wants to acquire.

Giving Boucher and Matteau, the team's most NHL-ready forward prospects, a chance to show their stuff will help make that picture clearer.