The New Jersey Devils entered the 2023-24 season with sky-high expectations after finishing third in the National Hockey League the year before and winning a playoff round for the first time since marching all the way to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. With an excellent young core and a solid veteran supporting cast, there was belief in Newark that this roster could again contend for an NHL championship.
But those expectations didn't even come close to being met; Dougie Hamilton suffered a devastating season-ending injury early on, while the goaltending tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid ended up being one of the worst in the NHL. Add a couple of other growing pains and it was an intensely disappointing campaign for the Devils, who finished below .500 at 38-39-5 and a full 10 points back of the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.
This summer, general manager Tom Fitzgerald got right to work to ensure that didn't happen again, trading for star goaltender Jacob Markstrom, rounding out the defensive core by signing longtime Carolina Hurricanes D-man Brett Pesce and Winnipeg Jets' Brenden Dillon, and adding veterans Paul Cotter, Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar.
Health is going to be a huge factor again for this club in 2024-25, but on paper, this looks like a squad that should have no trouble returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next April. And if the chips fall in the right place, they could be contenders again. Here are a couple bold predictions after a phenomenal offseason for the Devils.
Jacob Markstrom becomes Vezina Trophy candidate with Devils
Despite playing behind a Calgary Flames defense that got thinner and thinner as the year went on (Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin were just a few of the names traded), Jacob Markstrom put up a solid 2.78 goals-against average and .905 save percentage on a middling squad. He was one of the big fish this offseason, and Fitzgerald did well bringing the former NHL All-Star to Newark for a reasonable price.
Markstrom was acquired from the Flames for Kevin Bahl and a first-round draft pick in 2025 on June 19. Calgary also retained over 31 percent of his salary, meaning the Devils will only pay the 34-year-old $4.125 million for each of the next two seasons. That is terrific value for a goaltender that has proven himself at the big league level.
The former second-round pick has only managed a SV% under .900 once since the 2014-15 season, and with a revamped blue line that will feature Hamilton, Luke Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler to go along with new additions Pesce and Dillon, he should be ultra-motivated as he continues chasing a Stanley Cup. Former No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 draft Simon Nemec should also make the jump to the NHL full-time next year, and if this D-core stays healthy, it projects as one of the better units in the league.
Considering that, Markstrom should have a fantastic year in New Jersey, and if the stars align, he could challenge for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender. That's certainly bold, but that's exactly what this exercise is all about.
Jack Hughes stays healthy and pots 50 goals & 100 points
Maybe less of a bold prediction is that superstar Jack Hughes will continue his ascent into one of the best centermen in the NHL, after the 23-year-old amassed 27 goals and 74 points in just 62 games after also missing chunks of the 2023-24 campaign with injury. That's after the former No. 1 overall pick broke out to the tune of 43 goals and 99 points in 78 contests the year before.
This bold prediction is easy: if Hughes plays a full 82 games — which is never guaranteed — he's in prime position to score 50 goals and over 100 points for the first time. The ultra-skilled forward seems to get better every year, and with one of Jesper Bratt or Timo Meier on his wings (if not both), he should continue getting better and better at the NHL level.
Hughes is a treat to watch on any given night, and he should be thrilled with the moves that his GM made this summer. He should easily be over a point-per-game player in 2024-25, and 100 points is not out of the question for one of the best forwards in the National. Could he even earn some Hart Trophy votes as league MVP? With his skill, it's not out of the question.
Devils capture Metropolitan Division and win at least 1 round
With a revamped blue line and a proven goaltender in Markstrom, the Devils already project to be much, much better than last year. Although we were saying the same things about this squad last summer, the injury bug hit New Jersey hard and the goaltending had always been a question mark.
The top-six remains elite with Hughes, Meier, Bratt and Nico Hischier leading the charge, while the additions of Tatar, Noesen and Cotter should help provide some badly-needed toughness and secondary scoring. The defensive unit is revamped, and the youngsters should take another step forward. And with a stabilizing presence in net — finally — this should be a playoff team in 2025.
The way things are shaping up, the Devils could make some noise in the Metropolitan Division. The Carolina Hurricanes got worse, while the New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins all still project to be fringe playoff teams at best. The New York Rangers remain elite, and they should be the top competition to win the division after capturing the President's Trophy last season.
Everything that could have went wrong seemed to go wrong for the Devils last year. But if they can stay healthy in 2024-25, there's a chance this team could hang around the top of the Metro all season long. Let's call it a first division title since 2010, and at least one playoff round victory. And why not a trip to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in over a decade?
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