Record - 27-46-9 (63 points), 7th in the Metropolitan Division
Goals For: 248 (19th in the NHL), Goals Against: 307 (29th in the NHL)
Leading Goal Scorer - Jack Hughes & Jesper Bratt (26)
Leading Point Scorer - Jesper Bratt (73)
Since their run to the Stanley Cup finals in 2012, the Devils have not been the same winning franchise we knew them as in the Martin Brodeur days. In fact, they've won the draft lottery more times than they've made playoffs in the past decade. But things are starting to turn around for the Devils and I think that this is a very important year for them in this rebuild. Goaltending was the true Achilles heel for this team last year. They started a league high 7 goalies over the course of the season, none of whom had a goals against average less than 3. Their inability to keep the puck out of their own net ended up costing them a lot of games.
They had some bright spots offensively, though. Jesper Bratt, regarded as the best player in the NHL by the Bratt Pack on Twitter, had a huge breakout season scoring 26 goals and 73 points (both career highs). Their captain Nico Hischier also posted career highs across the board, and is starting to look like the player current GM Tom Fitzgerald had envisioned he'd be when he and Ray Shero selected him with the first overall pick in 2017. Jack Hughes played at a superstar level when he was healthy, putting up 56 points in the 49 games he appeared in. He also didn't commit a single penalty which is incredibly impressive, especially for such a young player. Rookie Dawson Mercer had himself a nice season as well finishing 7th in rookie scoring and 11th in Calder voting.
Devils fans should be very excited for these next few seasons. They currently have one of the youngest rosters in the league with an average age of just 26.27. They also still have several promising up and coming prospects in their system who are bound to see NHL action in the foreseeable future. Two of which are defenseman, a position that they've desperately needed to strengthen in recent years. The first of whom is Jack Hughes' brother, Luke, who was taken 4th overall in the 2021 draft and is currently playing at the University of Michigan. Like the oldest Hughes brother Quinn, Luke is electing to play a second year in a Wolverine uniform to continue to hone his skills and grow as a player. He has more size than both of his older brothers, and by the looks of it, has just as much skill. He is sure to take the NHL by storm when he is finally up with the Devils.
The second d-man that has superstar potential is the Devils most recent top pick in Simon Nemec from Slovakia. Taken with #2 overall pick, Nemec is another elusive, well rounded player that has had plenty of success at every level he's played in. When he has the puck on his stick he's an exceptionally dynamic playmaker. When he doesn't have the puck he's a terrific shutdown defender. He will be a perfect compliment to Luke Hughes on the backend when they're both up with the club.
In addition to Hughes and Nemec, the Devils also have the likes of Alexander Holtz within the organization. Holtz was the 7th overall pick in the 2020 draft and is the only player of the one's I've mentioned that has seen any NHL action so far. While the sample size was small, you can see that he has loads of potential to be a top notch player in this league.
Outside of having one of the strongest farm systems in the league, the Devils had themselves a fairly productive offseason. They surprisingly lost out on Johnny Gaudreau after the Blue Jackets came in at the last minute and made him an offer he couldn't refuse. But they were able to sign Tampa Bay Lightning winger Ondrej Palat to a 5 year 30 million dollar contract. While Palat isn't nearly as offensively productive Johnny Hockey is, there aren't many guys in this league I'd rather have on my team come playoff time. During his time in Tampa, he registered 98 points in the 138 playoff games, and was an integral part of the Lightning's back to back Stanley Cup Championships. Even though the Devils may not make playoffs in the first year of his contract, he'll be a huge impact for them when they eventually do.
With Palat, the Devils also signed veteran defenseman Brendan Smith, and made trades to bring in center Erik Haula from the Bruins, d-man John Marino from the Penguins, and goaltender Vitek Vanecek from the Washington Capitals. All three of these players help the Devils get better in various areas that are in much need of improvement. Haula is a great depth center who is efficient on the face-off dot and can kill off penalties. Marino is a solid two-way, puck moving defenseman that, like Haula, adds depth to their lineup. Vanecek is a reliable backup goalie that played well in his two years in the nation's capital, winning 20-plus games both seasons.
The only thing that puzzled me about the Devils this offseason was the decision to keep Lindy Ruff on as their head coach. Not only that, why keep a coach with whom you've had little to no success, and then hire one of finalists of the the Jack Adams Award (coach of the year) to be his associate coach? Is the plan to have Andrew Brunette eventually take over as head coach, but to get the players used to his coaching style first? If you were planning on moving on from Ruff after the season, why not just make Brunette the head coach now? What even is the plan here? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
The Devils are ready to take a step forward in 2023, however I don't believe it will be a big enough step to get themselves into playoffs just yet. The Metropolitan is still a very strong division, and we're yet to see what this team's potential truly is. Mackenzie Blackwood has to be better between the pipes. That's first and foremost. He needs to return to level he was at pre-COVID. If he doesn't, this team goes nowhere. Next, they need to stay healthy. Hughes can't miss 30 games again this year. You need your star players in your lineup every night in order to have a solid chance to win. Plain and simple. Beyond that, the Devils really need to focus on making teams pay when they are on the man advantage as well as winning more faceoffs in key situations. They ranked 31st in faceoff win percentage and 28th on the powerplay in 2022.
If Jack Hughes stays healthy, don't be surprised to see him among the league's top scorers. He may even reach the 100 point plateau this year if things go well. He's that good. But even if he, Bratt, and Hischier have strong seasons, it just won't be enough to sneak into playoffs. Like I said, the division is too strong, and there are too many teams in better positions to win now.
They will contend within the next few years, though. Get ready Devils' fans. Hell will soon rise in the Rock .
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