Every offseason, the New Jersey Devils are talked about as a team that never could reach its potential. Whether it was inconsistent play, injuries, or other outside factors creeping into the locker room, the Devils always seem to fall short of expectations. Those outside factors, namely the trade rumours surrounding Quinn Hughes, hurt the team, and they never rebounded from it.
Devils GM Sunny Mehta Keeps Sheldon Keefe as Major Change Occurs
It was another offseason of change in New Jersey with Sunny Mehta coming in to replace Tom Fitzgerald as the General Manager. Mehta wasn’t afraid to shake things up, moving off of Jacob Markstrom and Simon Nemec. He also added Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Anthony Mantha, and others, taking risks on players with so much upside.
Mehta is bringing his analytical thinking from the Florida Panthers to the Devils. Not to mention the players are out to prove they are a consistent playoff team. But given the nature of the Eastern Conference and the Metro Division, can the New Jersey Devils make the playoffs next season?
During an appearance on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio, Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com, Full Press Hockey, and TheDevilsNation.com believes the Devils can make the playoffs given how they stack up with the other teams that aren’t named the Carolina Hurricanes or Washington Capitals.
TheDevilsNation.com Transcriptions
The Devils Sign Nico Hischier to a Five-Year Extension
Host: “So, as the East gets tougher, particularly the Atlantic. At least they’re not in the Atlantic division, which I think is just going to be like a cage match, but the Met is interesting to me. The Metropolitan, I think, Carolina Hurricanes aren’t going to take a step back; they’re going to be up there for first place in the Met, and it’s a Cup contender again.
But after that, Jim, Pittsburgh, Philly, I don’t know, 98 points each- was that a mirage? I think everyone agrees Washington’s going to be better. They missed by three points in that division. There’s Columbus, who can never seem to put it all together. The Islanders. Where did the Devils slot into the crazy Metro after you take Carolina out of the equation?”
Jim Biringer: “You would think they would be at least wild card one with the way the Metro sets up, right? I mean, maybe top three, but again, they got to play consistent hockey here. Too inconsistent over the last couple of years. Yeah, they got to the playoffs in Carolina, and then they lost to Carolina again in 2023 after beating the Rangers, but they got to play some consistent team defence-first hockey.
New Jersey Devils Need Jack Hughes to Stay Healthy
They have the talent; the skill is there. They just re-signed Nico Hischier, a five-year extension, captain of the team. You have Jack Hughes. You got Luke Hughes on the back end. Sunny Mehta is putting his fingerprints all over this team, bringing in guys, bringing a little beef: Evan Rodrigues. You move out Jacob Markstrom.
I think this team, if you look at it on paper, you say, why not a playoff team, but they have to play consistently. You can’t just go through the motions. You can’t, ‘Oh the struggles are here, we’re going to go through a losing streak.’ You have to dig deep and find ways to win hockey games. I didn’t see a lot of that last year.
New Jersey Devils Failed To Get Cap Space To Get Quinn Hughes
The Devils had the talent to be a playoff team; they just could never put it together, and that’s something that they have to do this year, especially with Carolina and Washington being so good. That means there’s only one guaranteed spot left to make the playoffs out of the division.”
It will not be an easy task as the players need to buy into Sheldon Keefe‘s system. But the talent is there for this team to be a consistent playoff team moving forward. It all comes down to health for the New Jersey Devils.
