Load management is something that’s become popular among NBA teams. It’s even become an issue, as the league is instituting a rule to help curtail load management, requiring a player to play a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for postseason awards.
NHL organizations resting their top players 10-15 games a season won’t happen anytime soon, perhaps ever. But lately, we’ve seen teams take a liking to it. Most, if not all, organizations have practiced load management with goaltenders for a few years; how many netminders make more than 60 starts nowadays?
And even more recently, teams have begun resting some of their key players ahead of the playoffs starting two weeks from now. Patrice Bergeron didn’t play in the Boston Bruins’ back-to-back this weekend, with Charlie McAvoy and David Krejci joining him in the players’ box for Sunday’s tilt against the St. Louis Blues.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have done similar, resting Mitch Marner, Mark Giordano and Jake McCabe on Sunday, April 2, against the Detroit Red Wings. While the New Jersey Devils are still fighting to secure home-ice advantage, they should consider rotating players over the final five games of the regular season to have as healthy a squad as possible entering the postseason.
Devils’ Injury Luck Has Flipped From a Season Ago
The Devils have had an outstanding 2022-23 regular season to this point. They come into tonight’s tilt against a Pittsburgh Penguins team fighting for their playoff lives with 104 points and a record of 48-21-8. They also haven’t had significant injuries to many of their key players as they did a year ago.
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Jack Hughes did miss some time with an upper-body injury after the all-star break, but it was only for four games. Nathan Bastian has only played in 50 percent of the team’s contests due to an upper-body injury he suffered in late November. John Marino also missed about six weeks with an upper-body ailment before returning after the all-star break. And Ondrej Palát had groin surgery in early November that kept him out for two-plus months. But fortunately for the Devils, they all occurred at different times, allowing the team to remain relatively healthy.
Obviously, you need talent to be in the spot the Devils are right now, but you also need to avoid the injury bug. Look no further than last season. Hughes only played in 49 games because of separate injuries. Dougie Hamilton only appeared in 62 games after breaking his jaw, and he played through a broken toe. And, of course, both goaltenders, Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier, missed significant time with injury woes; Bernier hasn’t played since having hip surgery in Dec. 2021.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald improved the roster last offseason to help them become a top team in the Metropolitan Division. But a reversal in health luck has played a big part too. Hamilton and Jesper Bratt have played in all 77 games, while Nico Hischier has appeared in 76/77 games. Despite missing four contests, Hughes has played in 73 and has 40-plus goals and 90 points.
Per NHL Injury Viz, the Devils rank 18th in man games lost due to injury. The caveat is that includes Bernier not having played in games this season, plus Blackwood missing significant time again. But when not accounting for Bernier’s absence, the Devils are among the top half of the NHL in fewest man games lost. That’ll help a team have the turnaround they’ve had from last season to this. Now, it’s about making sure they stay healthy to end 2022-23, and that’s where load management comes into play.
A Rested Squad Should Benefit the Devils
The Devils have been in a position to secure home-ice advantage for so long that it would be unfortunate to lose it in the regular season’s final weeks. I don’t think home ice matters as much as some may believe; the Devils have been one of the best road teams in the league, with a 27-8-4 record away from home. Still, starting the playoffs at home surely matters to the players, coaches, and management. It’s another accomplishment to check off.
That may complicate whether the Devils consider load management at some point across the final five games of the regular season. They’re only up three points on the New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division, so there’s still enough time for the Rangers to catch them. But if the Devils secure home ice before their final regular season game, it’d be wise to rest some players here and there before the playoffs begin.
Marino missed significant time with an injury, and he may be head coach Lindy Ruff’s most important defenseman in the playoffs, given his insane defensive usage. Resting him for a game or two to avoid picking up an injury wouldn’t be the worst decision.
Though Tomáš Tatar hasn’t missed a game, he’s been taking maintenance days when the Devils have practiced recently. If he’s dealing with a nagging injury, giving him some time off wouldn’t hurt. And what about Hughes? He’s been a point-per-game player since returning from the four-game layoff, but he hasn’t been as dominant as before the injury. He was dealing with an upper-body ailment and has only five goals since returning, so perhaps he’s still not 100 percent.
No one is saying the Devils or NHL teams should take the NBA approach to load management. That will never happen. With that said, there’s a bigger prize awaiting the Devils than having a great regular season. The playoffs in the Eastern Conference will be a gauntlet, and they will need their top players as close to full health as possible.
The Rangers — their most likely first-round opponent — have a 21-man roster due to their salary cap. Even if they want to consider load management, they can’t because they don’t have any extra bodies. That’s why the Devils should consider resting some players since it could provide them an advantage over the Rangers in the first round. And if top teams like the Bruins and Maple Leafs are giving some of their key players time off, it can’t be a bad idea.