In recent memory, the New Jersey Devils made one of the largest leaps from season to season. After finishing 7th in the Metro in 2021, the Devils nearly doubled their point total in 2022 (63- ). The Devils finished 19th in goals for and 29th in goals against In Lindy Ruff’s first year, to 4th in goals for and 9th in goals against last year. Leave it to Devils fans to boo the team after starting the season 0-2. Yes, two losses, and fans booed them off the ice. Fans felt pretty stupid after the Devils went on to win 16 of their next 17 games. 

The line of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischer played their first full season together, and they flourished. The Devils added Tyler Toffoli this offseason in a surprising but valuable trade. Toffoli is coming off a career year from a Flames team that is reeling from the losses of Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. The Devils can continue to produce offensively like last year and now add a 30-goal scorer to their lineup. 

The Devils were an all-around top team last season, finishing in the top 10 in most offensive and defensive categories. One area I would like to see the Devils improve this year is the powerplay. Tyler Toffoli should add some depth to the power play units with the 10PP goals he scored in Calgary last year, which would have led the Devils. While the Devils’ power play numbers were not great, they still finished in the top half of the league percentage-wise. The Devils need to find more ways to get opponents to the box. The Devils were the fourth-lowest team in the league to receive power play opportunities, having 25 fewer chances than the middle of the league and 50 fewer chances than the top teams. Those are a lot of chances for a high-powered offense to be missing.

I’d like to see the Devils improve in net this season. Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid will lead this team through the regular season, and they should both play well. I expect the Devils to continue as a top-two team in the Metro division through the regular season. Once the playoffs come, they will look at a first-round exit without an upgrade. The 2024 free-agent market has very lucrative names that could be a huge asset to this Devila team. Vitek Vanecek is a fine goalie. He will get you to the playoffs and get you two or three wins in a first-round matchup, but he will not get you to a Conference Finals or Cup. Getting a goaltender like Connor Hellebuyck or even Marc Andre Fleury at the trade deadline could make the Devils a legitimate Cup contender this year. Without an upgrade in net, I do not believe the Devils stand a chance. Connor Hellebuyck is a Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender who has not made a run in the playoffs that he’s capable of. Winnipeg has always struggled to take the next step, and Hellebuyck has never been considered the problem. 

Marc-Andre Fleury is the only other goaltender in this free-agent class that would be worth targeting for the Devils. Although Carter Hart will be a restricted free agent next year, there is almost no possibility that the Flyers would trade a potential franchise-level goalie within the division to their rival. Fleury is struggling in Minnesota, and with Filip Gustavsson breaking out, Fleury could receive a future asset without hurting their playoff chances. Fleury has been here many times before. As a three-time cup winner with Pittsburgh and a fourth appearance in the Golden Knights’ inaugural year, the Devils defense could put better protection around Fleury to get him back to the elite level he can compete at. 

Devils fans can look forward to a big season this year. I expect a second-place finish in the division and a second-round playoff appearance at worst. The extent of their run will be determined at the trade deadline, barring any significant injuries. The future is bright in New Jersey, and I unexpectedly look forward to watching the Devils for the first time in my life. We have already hit them to win the Cup at +1200, so if you have not yet, hit them now.