Michael McLeod was the Devils' 2016 first round draft pick, selected at 12, who has struggled in the NHL up until recently.
Up until the past two seasons, McLeod was not an everyday NHLer. He would find himself playing in the AHL one week, pulled up to the NHL to sit a few games, play a few NHL games and then the cycle would repeat. Realistically, McLeod’s role on the Devils is not to put up a crazy amount of points. It is to be physical and gritty when on the ice.
In the 2021-22 season, McLeod played his first full season with the Devils, finding himself in 77/82 games. He got himself 20 points that season as a fourth line center.
The next season, he continued to improve a bit and got himself 26 points.
During the playoffs last year, fans started to see McLeod was making the turn everyone has been waiting for. Undoubtedly, he was one of, if not, the best player for the Devils in their playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes and one of the most important pieces to their success against the New York Rangers.
During that playoff stretch, he played 12 games and put up a total of six points with two goals and four assists.
This season, fans and Devils' staff have watched McLeod break out. In just 37 games, he has put up 17 points. McLeod has already beat his career high in goals with 10 on the season so far, and seven assists. He has seemed to become one of the guys the Devils count on for clutch goals.
Not only has his play improved, but McLeod is on track to become the best faceoff man in NHL history. Currently, he has a 66.9% success rate when taking faceoffs. The highest percentage in history currently is 62.86%. McLeod also is 3.6% higher than the next best currently playing this season.
He has provided a perfect depth presence for the Devils and has become the exact player they needed him to become when drafting him back in 2016.
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