After a breakout season in 2022-2023, the New Jersey Devils took a step back this season as they missed the playoffs. Was it a bump in the road for the rebuild or a sign of something more serious?
Roster Ruminations
NHL Roster
Much was made of the Devils goaltending as they struggled to find their footing through most of the 2023-2024 season. Many had picked the Devils as a Stanley Cup contender going in and they never really lived up to that hype. It wasn’t great, but goaltending was not the only factor in their sub-par season. Dougie Hamilton missed the majority of the season with an injury, which thrust their young defensemen into larger roles than they likely planned. Jack Hughes also played part of the season with a shoulder ailment that he underwent surgery for late in the season. That may have played a factor in the Devils powerplay woes in the second half of the season. The early model projections for 2024-2025 suggest this season was a bump in the road, with the Devils projected to be a strong possession team that should be expected to be in the playoff picture next spring.
Salary Cap Management
The Devils have been at their rebuild for a long time. It started back in 2015 and it’s finally starting to pay dividends. The Devils re-imagined core is taking shape as we are starting to see the new core under contract for the long haul on their cap commitment profile. They’ve kept their spending under control too, with more than 20% of their cap space available for next season and space in the long term plan as well.
Future Assets
The Devils would be wise to continue to show patience with their rebuild, with a wave of prospects still coming through on ELCs. They’ll need to be paid at some point if the Devils want to keep them. With a number of high profile prospects already in the NHL, Hockey Prospecting still ranks the Devils prospect pool 9th in the NHL. They also haven’t depleted their draft capital, with near a baseline set of draft picks in the next three drafts.
What’s Next?
Jack Hughes is the face of Devils rebuild and getting him back at full capacity will be a boon. He’s one of the most dynamic forwards in the NHL and his injury status seems a likely culprit to have derailed an MVP calibre start to the season. He’s also only 23, so we likely haven’t even seen the best of Hughes just yet. The Devils have already surrounded him with a capable forward core including more young players like Dawson Mercer and players already in their prime like Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt. Bratt may be one of the most underrated players in the league, although he seems to be starting to get more notice. He consistently tilts the ice in the Devils favor.
One of the factors in the Devils goaltending struggles this season may have been their young defensemen being thrust into the spotlight after Dougie Hamilton went down injured. Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec were both playing regular minutes by the end of the season and looked good doing so. They’re also both only 20 and growing pains are to be expected, particularly on the defensive side of the puck. The Devils gave up a lot more net front chances this season than last and their inexperienced D-corps may have been part of that equation. With a healthy Hamilton back next season and another year of development behind their young defenders, things should be trending in the right direction on the blue line.
The one area of the roster where the Devils don’t seem to have the answer for their rebuild is in net. They currently have Jake Allen and Akira Schmid as their likely 1-2 next season. If the team can do a better job in front of them, which seems plausible as discussed above, they may be adequate as a tandem. As a team looking to step up as a cup contender, though, there is room for improvement. The Devils were rumored to be after Jacob Markstrom at the trade deadline and they may still be interested this summer. There have been rumors swirling around a few other big name goalies too, like Juuse Saros and Filip Gustavsson. If the Devils are interested in upgrading in net this summer, they may have a few options to explore.
The Devils look like they’re close. A rebound season seems likely next year and the right tweaks over the offseason could give them an even larger boost.
