2024-25
Record: 42-33-7, 3rd in Metropolitan Division
Playoffs: Lost in Eastern Conference First Round
Key Losses
Erik Haula (F – Trade with NAS), Brian Dumoulin (D – Signed with LA), Tomas Tatar (F – Switzerland), and Curtis Lazar (F – Signed with EDM)
Key Additions
Connor Brown (F – Signed via FA) and Evgenii Dadonov (F – Signed via FA)
2025-26 Preview
Secondary Scoring
Going into the 2025-26 season, the New Jersey Devils are going to need to get more secondary scoring from their roster. While Jesper Bratt led the Devils with 67 assists and 88 points, that was also done with Jack Hughes missing the final 20 games of the season, and the entire 2025 playoffs, due to injury.
Captain Nico Hischier had another respectable season recording a team leading 35 goals and 69 points, which placed him third on the team in points behind Hughes and Bratt, and forward Timo Meier scored 26 goals and 53 points, no other players would reach or surpass 50 points.
Defensemen Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton both reached 40 points for the Devils, but the rest of the bule line were unable to crack 20 points. The Devils, while defensibly responsible, will need to get more production offensively to take some of the burden off of Jack Hughes, Hischier, Meier, and Bratt. Another factor for the Devils will be staying healthy. Hughes’s best season was the 2022-23 season where he played 78 games and recorded 43 goals, 56 assists for 99 points, all career highs, but the past two seasons he has consistently missed 20 games dues to injury. Hughes has been consistently a 70-plus point producer, but when the team’s offense revolves around one player, he needs to remain healthy. Case in point, the Devils first round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
On the backend, Dougie Hamilton has only played one full 82 game season in the 4 seasons he’s been with the Devils, and as the team’s top defensemen, his health is a top priority too. The Devils played well enough to make the playoffs last season, but both Hamilton and Hughes will need to remain healthy, and the rest of the roster needs to step up to provide the secondary scoring to give the Devils a better chance this season.
Clearing the Air
Going into the 2025-26 season, the Devils will be entering their second season under Sheldon Keefe as head coach. During the playoffs, there was some confusion with comments made by both coach and players. When the Devils were struggling in the first round against Carolina, Devils players were noting that they need to do better and be held more accountable if they looked to defeat the Hurricanes. However, when Keefe was asked about those comments, he took shots at the players making the comments. It was confusing because the players were noting that they need to do better, and weren’t criticizing Keefe at all.
With the 2025-26 season, both the players and Keefe need to look at this as a clean slate for both sides. The Devils play well under Keefe, but to have communication issues is not going to be good for the team long term.
Projected Lineup
Offense
Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Stefan Noesen
Arseni Gritsyuk — Dawson Mercer — Connor Brown
Paul Cotter — Cody Glass — Evgenii Dadonov
Defense
Brenden Dillon — Dougie Hamilton
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler — Simon Nemec
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom
Jake Allen
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