The Devils are young, should be fun to watch and are likely another year away from making the playoffs.
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28 Comments
Let’s go Devils baby 🔥
Who wouldn't want to play with their brother, apparently Marc and Jordan Staal.
….I'll break out the face-paint….
Lindy ruff is a great coach!!! I wish we still had him here in Buffalo
My only criticism is that COVID-19 isn’t mentioned. Blackwood didn’t get injured, he had a terrible case of the vid. Hey was out longer than anyone and wasn’t fully recovered when he returned. This team is a mystery. They played well at the beginning and end of the season. They could be much better than people realize.
Zajac was and anchor and Palmeri was, uhm, another anchor. Getting rid of them was the best move ever.
I have been waiting for the Devils preview. It's kind of hard getting Devils updates in Australia. Lets go DEVILS.. And, there isnt much coverage of NHL in OZ.
Devils could definitely step into the playoffs. If not this year than next. I think along with Kings, Panthers and Chicago, Devils one if the top 4 improved teams. Hischier needs to stay healthy and step up his game. He should be a top end 2nd line center on this team. He has even higher ceiling but has not yet shown it. HUghes could have a breakout and he really will be that good. HUghes/Hischier tandem should carry this team at center for a decade.Holtz and Mercer are going to be real good but not sure they’ll see much time this season. Holtz could be a star sniper. Ty Smith ready to take on more responsibility and could be their 2nd best Dman after Dougie, until Luke Hughes arrives. Subban’s decline was unfortunate. But now he could try to fix his issues without too much pressure, plus he’s playing for a new contract, motivator. Nolan Foote never gets much attention, but he’s very underrated and could become a legit top 6 goal scoring power forward and a beast on the PP. People are sleeping on Foote and wouldn’t be shocked if he started making a real push for top 9 or top 6 minutes.. Zacha finally showing life but he’s not really ideal at center so he will be competing for minutes. They probably have too many wingers to all get time, especially if Holtz and/or Mercer are ready early. Kuok, Boqvist, Sarangovich, Bratt, all going to be competing with Tatar, Zacha, and Foote for minutes. Boqvist could end up at 3C. Hamilton was amazing get. Bernie’s and Tatar smart adds. Blackwood should definitely rebound. Think they finish 6th or 7th in the Metro and then playoff challenging next year.
A big issue for this team during the Covid era was the lack of practices. They had a lot of young guys step up to the NHL last season, but the condensed schedule didn't allow for much growth outside of gameplay. That alone should result in an improvement this season before even getting to the massive additions made this offseason and the return of a healthy Hischier
This is going to be a very good team in 2 years. This year I think they wont make the playoffs but they will be in the hunt thru most of the season for a wild card.
They will be a bottom five team in the league. Don't care how young they are.
I think most of us devils fans are excited but not for a playoff push , we are just excited to see our budding talent grow better and better . I personally think next season will be our worst season for the next 7-10 years . , so as long as we are a competitive team this year and I see glimpses of greatness I’ll be more than happy with just that .
I agree that I’m not yet ready to say the Devils are a playoff team yet, but I do have hopes that they will be playing meaningful hockey in March. I also think Mercer will be a bigger piece then some expect. He could possibly make the team before Holtz does.
Holtz has a great skill set, but he needs to show he’s ready to step up to the next level before he’s put into the top 6. Mercer though could be a great depth piece sooner than later. Overall, great preview for this year! LGD!
6th or 7th in the division BUT they could be as high as 2nd if they were in Pacific. Hamilton and Graves will be one of the best pairings in the nhl
I'm picking them to go 6th in the Metro, but Just barley missing the playoffs. I really really like this team but it just sucks that their in the Metro and that they still are missing a tiny bit more veteran presence. I hope they prove me wrong though!
It all comes down to whether the offense can take that next step. The defence is great, goaltending is great. So. If Hughes and company can take that next step and Hischhier stays healthy.. devils will make the playoffs
I really want Shakir to make the nhl eventually just to see his name on the back of a jersey
Chicago and NJ are my 2 favorite teams so I’m excited for that first game.
Battle of the youngsters, New Jersey vs Ottawa
As a devils fan, as long as they are playing meaningful games in the final month or so of the season that’ll be awesome and give these young guys the confidence that they are growing in the right direction.
Your eyeline choices are interesting
Tatar, Studenic and Jaros all played for Slovakia in the 2019 WC too so that’s a bonus for NJ.
My prediction? The Devils will SHOCK the hockey world and make it to the finals. As they face off for the cup, they will take it a full SEVEN games, ending with a Stanley Cup win after SIX OVERTIMES(!,) thus ADDING the fabled MISSING SIX. They will face off against the Avalanche, to settle a score from long ago…..
Great video! Here are my humble comments:
I think our top 3 lines shape up like this. As much as Kuokkanen deserves to stay on the top line, I think Tatar will be a slight upgrade. However, Kuokkanen might have the higher ceiling. So we will see. Basically just swapped those two and our top 3 lines are set.
Tatar-Hughes-Sharagovich
Zacha-Hischier-Bratt
Wood-McLeod-Kuokkanen
After our top 3 is where things get really interesting. The Holtz, Mercer, Foote line seems ready to go. I wouldn't mind seeing them all make the leap together to make our final line. However, I would also be ok with all of them staying down in Utica and tearing the league up for a year before making the transition.
These are my takes on all the players with potential to round out the lineup or push for some playing time:
Holtz – Ready.
Mercer – Ready.
Foote – Just about ready
Johnsson – In his defense, he had a ton of bad bounces last year. Hopefully he returns to form, but with all these guys pushing for jobs with the big club he might be a healthy scratch at least 20 games.
Thompson – Ton of potential, should get about 20 games with the big club
Clarke – Not ready, but should get a few games in with the big club
Greer – Not ready, but should get a few games in with the big club
DeLeo – Not ready, but could get a few games in with the big club
Boqvist – Pains me to say that Boqvist may be the odd man out. He had a nice run when he was lined with Palmieri and Bratt, but outside of that he hasn't contributed much. I can certainly see him used as a trade chip with a team needing prospects
Studenic – I honestly don't know why he's listed on our starting depth chart. He has potential, but he's not a regular NHLer…yet
De Leo – Buried to deep and unproven, likely won't see the NHL any time soon.
Defense:
Smith-Hamilton
Graves-Subban
Okhotyuk-Severson
I think it comes down to Okhotyuk, Bahl, and Walsh for the final starting Defenseman. Okhotyuk has been the most impressive of the 3, but all of them have the potential to leapfrog each other.
Bahl – Seems careless too often. I believe he needs another year to mature
Walsh – Could step up to our number 7… for now.
Siegenthaler – Why this guy is listed as one of our top 6 right now is beyond my comprehension. I think he gets shuffled down and out the same way he was in Washington.
Makhamadullin – Needs anothoer year or two.
Hughes – We all know he's not seeing the NHL anytime soon. Get Quinn over now, extend Jack asap, and change the team name to The Hughes Brothers…. lol
LETS GO DEVILS
I am looking forward to this year Go Devils
They will be better than last year
As a Devils fan , I think you were spot on