After a massively disappointing year last season and a weird pre-season this year, the Devils start their season on Friday morning. Changes have been made, needs have been addressed, and hopes should be sky high. Here’s why…
Jacob Markstrom is a New Jersey Devil. This is easily the biggest change from previous seasons. For seemingly a thousand years, since Cory Schneider started getting injured, the Devils have been in desperate need of reliably competent goaltending. FINALLY, the Devils have that. That major move has been broken down in full, but its importance cannot be understated. Vitek Vaneck had a magical year two seasons ago, but he can’t be relied on to be the starter for a playoff team in the NHL. Nico Daws is a young player with potential, but it would be wildly unfair to expect him to be an NHL starter at this point in his career. Jacob Markstrom however, has been a solid starter for the last five years. He is the type of starter we have been begging to see in a Devils uniform for years. I expect to see Markstrom play around 55 games, allow under 3 goals per game, and save around 91% of the shots he sees. Hopefully that’ll result in AT LEAST 30 wins for Markstrom this year. We don’t need him to win the Vezina trophy and I don’t expect that.
Sheldon Keefe is the Devils new head coach. The Devils hired Keefe on May 22nd, after the Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs and Keefe was let go. Keefe’s teams have always been high scoring, which is good for a team like the Devils with so much offensive talent. I am thinking particularly about Timo Meier. Under Lindy Ruff, Meier did not have the same succes in NJ that he he did in San Jose. However, once Lindy Ruff was fired, Meier started scorung a ton more. Sheldon Keefe will find the best way to utilize a power house like Meier and the Devils will reap the rewards of that.
Some people are upset with this move because Keefe’s teams have had great regular season success but have had trouble advancing past the first round in the playoffs. However, I don’t think we will see that trend continue in New Jersey. The teams Keefe coached in Toronto were poorly constructed. The Leafs paid a huge percentage of the salary cap to four highly offensive forwards. This left the Leafs weak on defense and shaky, at best, in goal. The roster in New Jersey is built in a far superior way. The Devils have a solid defense, thanks in large part to two additions this off-season in Brendan Dillon and Brett Pesce, who join Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Luke Hughes to name a few. The Devils also have a more versatile forward group. The Devils have flashy super stars in Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes but also have power forwards like Timo Meier, Ondrej Palat, and Paul Cotter, giving the Devils toughness and depth the Leafs always lacked. The Devils now have one of the better goalie tandems in the league with Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, which is much better than anything Keefe had to work with in his time in Toronto. Sheldon Keefe coaching the Devils is very exciting and I am looking forward to what he can do with the roster Tom Fitzgerald has built.
I’ve already touched on some of the new players joining the Devils this year but I think some major improvements have been made and warrants some more discussion. Last season, the Devils season was largely derailed when Dougie Hamilton suffered a season ending surgery just 20 games into the year. This year, Luke Hughes is starting the first few weeks on the injured list and Brett Pesce isn’t ready to go yet. However, the difference this year is that the Devils are far deeper on defense. The Devils went out and added Brett Pesce, a solid top 4 defenseman, in free agency. The Devils also brought in experienced NHL defensemen Brendan Dillon. With Simon Nemec entering his second NHL season after being thrown to the wolves last year due to the Hamilton injury, he will be more equipped for a major role on this team. Top prospect Seamus Casey is also ready to make his NHL debut on Friday after spending the last few years tearing up the NCAA in Ann Arbor. The point I am getting at, is even with Pesce and Hughes starting the first few games at least on the injured list, the Devils are a much deeper team on defense. This, along being better in net as I mentioned above, makes the Devils a far deeper team.
The Devils also addressed a big need in the forward group. After Michael McLeod was indicted in Canada, the Devils lost an important piece they weren’t able to replace mid-season. The Devils lacked a physical player capable of putting the puck in the net on the fourth line. This summer, the Devils parted ways with Alex Holtz and brought in Paul Cotter from Vegas. Cotter is a hitting machine, something the Devils have sorely needed for years now. The Devils of years past have been pretty easy to play against because they stayed away from physical play. Cotter alone changes that dynamic by throwing tons of body checks. Teams will now have to pay more of a physical price against New Jersey. Hopefully guys like Nate Bastian, Stefan Noessen, and Curtis Lazar follow Cotter’s lead on that.
The Devils also brought back Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen, two guys who have been successful Devils in the past. Noesen has grown into a solid bottom six player since leaving the Devils and adds some depth. Noesen could be a 35-40 point player that also racks up over 100 hits. Tomas Tatar has struggled since leaving New Jersey but already has familiarity with Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer. Don’t be surprised if Tatar returns to the 20 goal club this year. Hopefully we get another ICONIC moment from Tatar like his goal in game 7 against the Rangers, and who could forget Nosen’s best moment as a Devil?
So there is a lot to think about. Some key players (L. Hughes and Pesce) are starting the year on the injured list, the goaltending will be better, and the team will be more physical. The defense is deeper. We still have Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt. We have a new coach. We are starting the year overseas. What does all this mean? What do i expect from the Devils this year?
Record: 51-23-8, 110 points, first in the metro. Stanley Cup contenders. (Don’t be surpised or too alarmed if the Devils start slow in the first 10-12 games. Coming back from Europe will be an adjustment and Keefe coached teams typically start the year a little rough)
Top point scorers: J. Hughes (46G, 60A, 106 Pts) Jesper Bratt (39G, 56A, 95 Pts) Timo Meier (42G, 41A, 83 Pts) Nico Hischier (32G 42A, 74 Pts).
This is going to be a great year to be a hockey fan in the Garden State and I cannot wait for it to get started.
The Morning Skate 