Last Word on Hockey’s Puck Drop Previews are back for the 2024-25 season! As the regular season approaches, Last Word will preview each team’s current outlook and stories to watch the upcoming year. We’ll also do our best to project how things will go for each team through the campaign. Today, we’re previewing the 2024-25 New Jersey Devils.
Puck Drop Preview: 2024-25 New Jersey Devils
2023-24 Season
This past season was one for both the team and fans to forget. Aside from a few highlights such as the Stadium Series win against the Philadelphia Flyers, the season was a considerable downgrade in comparison to the previous year. A team that successfully clinched a spot in the playoffs was struggling to win back-to-back games. Lots of factors played into this decrease in performance. Most notably, a lot of core players were placed on injured reserve at some point during the season. Some players include Dougie Hamilton, who missed more than half the season, Jack Hughes whose season came to a premature end and their captain. Nico Hischier was also for a while during the beginning of the year.
2023-24 Off-Season
After a disappointing seventh place finish in the Metropolitan Division, during what was a tight race for that final wild card spot, the Devils immediately went into reset mode. One of the most notable changes include the team getting a new head coach. After parting ways with the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was announced that Sheldon Keefe would be the one behind the Devils bench for the next few years.
The team also made moves to attempt to remedy their goaltending situation. The Devils had a rotating tandem of goalies over the course of last season. Defenceman Kevin Bahl was traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Other changes made to the Devils roster include signing Tomas Tatar and Adam Beckman. They also re-signed multiple players including Nick DeSimone, Santeri Hatakka, Nico Daws and Nolan Foote.
Projected Lineup
Forwards
Meier – Hischier – Bratt
Palat – J. Hughes – Mercer
Noesen – Haula – Tatar
Cotter – Lazar – Bastian
Top Six
The Devils have made a few subtle changes to their top six in comparison to last year. One of the more noticeable changes is the switch from Bratt being on the second line alongside Hughes to playing with Meier and Hischier. Throughout the season, Lindy Ruff was constantly switching around linemates depending on injuries, and who was producing more. It became clear that Meier and Hughes playing on the same line was too much at once. Both of those players are phenomenal at making passes and scoring goals but when they were on the same line together their skill sets seemed to work against each other.
With Meier’s a player that isn’t afraid to land a few hits on guys while Bratt uses his quick skating ability to shoot from any angle. Hischier on the other end is able to be both physical and score goals. Mercer and Hughes played on the second line quite often last season. Mercer, Hughes and Palat balance each other out, Mercer is someone who’s been able to read plays and get close to the net while Palat brings the more physical aspect to the game.
Bottom Six
The 2024-25 season marks the return of former Devils Stefan Noesen and Tatar. Noesen spent the past three years playing for the Carolina Hurricanes before signing with New Jersey once again as a free agent. Tatar was only gone for one season. He spent last year with the Colorado Avalanche and then he was traded to the Seattle Kraken. He resigned with the Devils this past summer during his second year of free agency. The Noesen-Haula-Tatar line will work well for two reasons. For starters, there’s a sense of familiarity and understanding of each other’s playing style because of the history. Secondly, Tatar’s offensive skills combined with Noesen’s physicality and Haula generating a few goals and assist rounds out the third line.
When it comes to the fourth line, Cotter hasn’t played with the Devils before so it’s a little unclear how well he’ll fit in with the group. For Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian, their main priorities on the ice have always been helping the team out offensively as much as possible. Lazar’s very strong in the offensive zone while Bastian’s stature gives him an advantage over the opposing team, rounding out the Devils forwards.
Defence
Siegenthaler – Hamilton
L. Hughes* – Pesce
Dillon – Nemec
Top Four
The upcoming season has fans excited for the return of Hamilton. In the past, Hamilton’s another player that’s used his size and long reach as to his advantage. It’s also no surprise to see him score a one-timer every now and again as he’s been incredibly useful in overtime scenarios. Hamilton and Siegenthaler are a pairing that have worked before. Siegenthaler has consistently been part of the Devils top pair for a while now so bringing Hamilton back into the mix will provide the Devils with a defense pairing that has more experience compared to others.
One thing to keep in mind is that Luke Hughes is expected to miss the first six to eight weeks due to a shoulder injury. It’s unclear who will be taking his place until he comes back, but when he’s back on the ice he’ll most likely be paired with Brett Pesce. Over the course of the off-season, Pesce signed a six-year contract with the Devils. With him being on the older side, he once again adds to that need for veteran players within the Devils defence. Him and Hughes are both roughly the same height, making their pairing work well with the ability to take up room on the ice. Pesce is quick to move the puck out of a dangerous zone and Hughes isn;t afraid to shoot the second he sees an opportunity.
Bottom Pair
The bottom defensive pair for the Devils will be Brenden Dillon and Simon Nemec. Dillon is another new addition to the Devils blueline and he’s expected to play alongside Simon Nemec. The latter spent most of last season playing alongside Luke Hughes. This is another example of the Devils pairing up an older, more experienced defenceman with a younger player. This combination has potential to be a strong one. Nemec’s speedy skating ability and Dillon’s to get gritty makes for a good juxtaposition and balance between the two players.
Goalies
Jacob Markstrom
As mentioned before, the Devils spent a part of the off-season looking to find a solution to their goaltending issue and it seems they may have found the answer. Newly acquired Markstrom comes in with his save percentage from last season being .905. Jake Allen was a late addition to the Devils during last season in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. Allen’s been fairly solid for the Devils so far, marking his Devils debut with a 6-2 over the Dallas Stars, in a game where he made 35 saves. During the 2024-25 season it seems like the Devils will want to start Markstrom as much as possible and have Allen be there to give him relief when needed. A big issue with the Devils last year was overusing goalies which directly impacted their performance.
Players to Watch
Jesper Bratt
Bratt has been one of the Devils core players, yet he still goes unrecognized in certain situations. Last season, he represented the Devils at the 2024 All Star game. Aside from that, Bratt has been one of the teams most consistent players throughout the past few years. Most recently, he was the Devils points leader with 83 point in appearances in all 82 games of the season. The previous two years he hit 73 points. This season it will be exciting to see what new heights he’ll be reaching as he continues to solidify himself as a key player.
Luke Hughes
Once he returns from injury, it will be interesting to see where Luke Hughes ends his season. After a strong start to his NHL career and being named a Calder Trophy finalist it’s only up from here. Last season he did go through a bit of a “slump” per say which happens to most rookies as they adjust to the hectic schedule the league has set up. Nevertheless he he the fifth most points on the team last year with 47, so hopefully he’ll be able to hit the 50 point mark this year.
Prediction for the 2024-25 New Jersey Devils
At the end of the day, all any team wants is to be able to lift the Stanley Cup one day. With Keefe’s coaching, new additions and a healthy roster the Devils will be looking to get themselves back to playoff contenders. They’re a young team but the difference is that they’ve already proven that they can have postseason success. Now, it’s a matter of the team focusing on building their momentum, not giving away pucks, staying alert and learn to stop getting stuck in their own zone. Last season served as a bump in the road for the team. This year they’ll be back to either secure a wild card spot or work their way back to being one of the top teams in the Metro.
Main photo by: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
