The New Jersey Devils 2025-2026 season could be…
*THE LAST DANCE*
Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Dougie Hamilton.
Will this be their last time in the playoffs together?
In this video I discuss my thoughts on the very important upcoming season for the NJ Devils.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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28 Comments
This video is gonna break Twitter
Dougie's the only one I see being sent away. I'm more afraid of players like Nico wanting to seek success elsewhere than Tom "#1 Priority" Fitzgerald shaking up the core himself.
Since when has Meier become a part of a core players?😂
Dammit, I thought this would be Ace announcing this year might be his last dance as a Devils fan, and if he doesn't see a deep Stanley Cup run, he would give away all of his Devils merch so he could start talking about his true passion: baseball.
Thanks for dropping a vid. My herniated disc is acting up so there’s little I can do right now. Hell, I blew out my back last season at the Bruins game yelling at Marchand. Now I just sit there in my seat with my mouth shut. Looking forward to a successful season. Let’s go Devils.
Time is not on our side.
Now why this is the last time seeing Jack,hischier,Meier,Bratt last year together
As a Bulls and Devils fan…boy is this an interesting topic for me.
Great Video, Ace. Hate to beat a dead horse here but the NJ Devils will never be a consistent legitimate contender as long as Tom "Booze Face" Fitzgerald is the GM.
FITZ has proven he not only doesnt know what he is doing ("What IS depth scoring?") but he has also backed himself into a corner cap wise.
This team is stuck in cap purgatory and Fitzgerald "came in second" again this offseason.
This team is screwed.
You are right , Nico is wasting his time if he wants to win.
Nieds left for his brother, Parise left for his family, Nico will leave because Tom Fitzgerald sucks.
What do you think 8 years or seven years for Luke Hughes
With Hamilton you get the good and the bad thankfully more good than bad
This team is marginally different than last years team. They’re definitely NOT a Stanley Cup contender, and as far as last dances, this had BETTER be Tom’s last dance. People may disagree, but I think our window was open, and Fitzjackass completely fumbled the ball. Normally, i’m counting the days til the season begins, but this year? No, I’m not really focused on it at all. Sad, but true.
Win now bring lord Stanley back to New Jersey
Nico isn't going anywhere the captain is a Devil for life
As currently constructed I can’t have the devils as a lock for the playoffs.
I just see. A rumour there are talks of a devils flyers trade for Nico daws
Thanks Ace, love the hat man. Not sure if Dougie will be back to his pre-injury playing but I'm not going to shed a tear if he goes. Nico on the other hand would break my heart. No matter how you look at it., we are not winning with this squad which is sad. And Fitzgerald is a fool if he thinks it is a winning squad. Even if management is a big part of the issue, Fitzie.still needs to take a hike.
I agree, Ace….I think Nico could possibly sign with another team. I know with ANY job, if management constantly screws over their workers, the workers eventually find another place to work. Fitz sucks, and screwed us over 2 years in a row at the deadline. Nico isn't stupid. As much as I think the franchise is all in on the Hughes brothers and Nico, if Fitz screws us over again, Nico will most likely want out. Maybe ownership will wise up, and can Fitz soon, and get us a real GM.
Dougie shouldn’t be traded by any means. Yea he’s slow but he’s still a very affective offensive weapon. The only defenseman that should and could be traded is Casey.
Thanks for reminiscing Lou Lamoniello's tenure and what it was like to be a Devils fan 20+ years ago. Our young fans have been programmed to accept mediocrity and do not realize what a smart GM can do, like make miraculous trades and find a way to get players to sign contracts.
If Tavares could leave the Islanders, no one should feel safe about any player until they put pen to paper.
Also, I’m very much on team trade Dougie if it makes the Devils that much better at forward. But you’ve really sold me on how Fitz is likely no longer the right GM for the team. They need urgency and he’s not that guy. Picks are worthless at this point. The future is now
I get your point regarding Dougie, he is upper echelon and it is tough to replace minutes of a big veteran with a slap shot, but he lost more than a step and his physical boardwalk is questionable. We aren't winning the cup, let's make some moves for the sake of chemistry. I don't care who it is on this team, as long as we receive a fair swap or better. This GM can't find anyone to dance with.
"Signing Luke Hughes is my top priority this offseason"'. __Tom Fitzgerald
6 weeks later
Can understand why you would be worried about Nico getting resigned. Fitz is giving me another brain bleed.
Hey, Ace buddy. Looking forward to the season and joining your live shows.
I think with Nico he takes a lot of pride being captain for this team. He doesn't strike me as someone who would move on unless really forced to by mgmt decisions – he seems like someone who is a very determined individual, and wants to see it through (while being a big part of that success). That's a big reason he's Capt. to begin with. Is it possible? Yes – if Fitz really tanks this team and doesn't make moves absolutely. But we still have a ways to fall before the probability actually increases on that imo.
July 2 Luke is 1 priority.
August- You are a lame Duck GM.
Ace, as you know I'm 63 years old and have seen a ton of NJ Devils hockey. I like you am not of the ilk that Nico is much ado about nothing. I hope it is! However, your points are spot on. At what point in your career do you start to get frustrated/fed up with not moving closer to a cup? They have got to make real progress this year for Nico not to think I've got to test the waters and see where my best chance is to win a cup. Now..if they make it to the ECF and give whoever there opponent is a tough, competitive series and are one or two players away then Nico may want to pursue his dream and stay with the NJ Devils. I'm 50-50 on Dougie and we will have to see how things shake out over the first 25-30 games which I believe to be more than a fair assessment. That injury he sustained is a tough one and maybe that is what Fitz wants to evaluate. As you know it's also not out of the realm of possibility that he is moved at the deadline. Now…I know I'm in the minority here and I know it's a business but this Hughes stuff has me very concerned. Why? The perfect mix on any team old Devils teams and what we just saw in the playoffs this year is you cannot have an all finesse team come playoff time. You must have physicality added to the mix. Keefe's take on physicality is not entirely hitting, he believes in blocking shots and being tough on the puck. That is certainly part of it and I agree but you still need bangers out there. The younger fan base 25-40 (you're at the cutoff) are anointing Quinn Hughes as the end all be all addition. Now Nico has two years left…Quinn has two years left who would you rather see on this team? Sure…we can get Quinn through FA but I'd rather have Nico! That is my big concern…the Devils let Nico walk and they wash Nico away with a splash the Devils just signed Quinn Hughes. I love em all (Hughes) but let me tell you something they are all way too fragile for me and we need them playing playoff hockey. Sometimes you need to sacrifice finesse for grit and have the right mix of players. If they don't make the ECF this year I agree with you its the last dance.
Obviously I am not in favor of trading Dougie for anything less than a bonafide top 6 winger. In addition to regular season scoring, another top 6 winger could (emphasize COULD) convince owners not fold the tents on the season if/when Jack goes down.