The New Jersey Devils continue to be the talk of the off-season. As the old saying goes, a team cannot win the Stanley Cup in the offseason. However, the New Jersey Devils put themselves in a good position to compete again next season.
As The Devils Nation has documented, Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald filled areas of need to help his club improve and be competitive within the Metro Division and the Eastern Conference. Former New Jersey Devils player and current NHL Network Analyst Mike Rupp noticed the Devils were too easy to play against last season. The additions of Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Tomas Tatar, Paul Cotter, and Stefan Noesen make the Devils a tougher team to play against.
Mike Rupp Likes The Moves The New Jersey Devils Made This Offseason
Let’s not forget about the upgrade between the pipes with the addition of Jacob Markstrom. The Devils have positioned themselves as contenders for the top spot in the Metro Division along with the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes.
However, it is not just those who cover the team who have taken notice of the areas of need addressed by the Devils President and General Manager. No, current Devils player Erik Haula has noticed them as well. Haula has been with the club now for the past several seasons and, last season, signed an extension to remain with the club as one of those veteran guys Fitzgerald brought in to help the young players find their way.
Erik Haula recently joined Jamison Coyle and Mike Rupp on NHL Network and was asked his thoughts on the roster moving forward.
Mike Rupp: “We were talking here on NHL Network about some of the teams were looking forward to seeing this year transitioning to the NHL now. The Devils I think you guys are a team that is very positioned to make a big leap here right now. I don’t even want to call it a leap. Because a couple of years ago, this team was in a really good spot. I think last year was just everything went wrong for this team. It seemed like whether was injuries or a lot of other factors. What you’ve seen this summer with this team has done and where’s your belief in this group moving forward?”
Erik Haula: “Yeah I don’t think anyone with the Devils can go into the season without just being completely excited. I think Fitzy did a great job of addressing areas that we needed help in, starting with our goaltending. Right down the line to defense and adding some veteran guys, some young guys keeping our identity intact.
Its Playoff or Bust for the New Jersey Devils This Season
It’s really exciting. I think we have a really deep team. Our younger guys will be older again, and I think at the end of the day, I think last year was good for us. We probably over exceeded expectations a couple of years ago, and last year was hard, like you said, so a little punch in the chin. Sometimes, it’s good, and I think you’ll see a very motivated group with the Devils next year, and I think we’ll be ready to push for the something that the Devils haven’t done a little bit.”
Haula echoed the sentiments of Fitzgerald and new head coach Sheldon Keefe that New Jersey will be an exciting and motivated team this season. These players are hungry to prove many skeptics wrong, thinking two seasons ago was a fluke. Are they the 112-point team from two seasons ago? Probably not. Are they as bad as they were last season? Probably not. But the New Jersey Devils are a playoff team.
With all the changes the Devils have made, there is now an expectation of making the playoffs and bringing the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey.
