Off-season Review: New look New Jersey Devils make major free agent splashes
Somehow, the New Jersey Devils had one of the best offseasons of any team.
While a dismal season ultimately saw them as the sixth-worst team in the NHL posting a 28-29-12 record, they made some major splashes in free agency bringing in @Dougie Hamilton, a shrewd trade acquiring @Ryan Graves will only further bolster their backend.
Couple that with the addition of a solid veteran in @Jonathan Bernier in net, and these Devils are a team on the up and up.
What happened in 2021?
The New Jersey Devils had nothing short of a disappointing 2020-21 campaign. Right off the hop things were odd when @Corey Crawford suddenly retired prior to training camp, visa issues complicated some debuts, and @Nico Hischier battled injuries.
While they fed on teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Philadelphia Flyers, they also had the number of the Boston Bruins going 5-1-2 against them in the regular season.
But where the Devils struggled was against the upper echelon in a packed East Division. Not only did they struggle to score filling the net the 26th most times in the league, they also couldn’t defend to save their lives ranking 28th.
Young forwards like @Pavel Zacha, @Jack Hughes, @Yegor Sharangovich and @Jesper Bratt helped lead the way, the clubs’ highest scorer, Zacha, only put up 35 points in 50 games. In net, @Mackenzie Blackwood and @Scott Wedgewood did an admirable job, but were far from what they needed.
The backend, too, was a contentious position. @PK Subban’s game has taken a significant step backwards in his early 30’s, while rookie @Ty Smith was heavily relied on, too.
What did they do in the off-season?
Notable Additions: Dougie Hamilton, Jonathan Bernier, Ryan Graves, Tomas Tatar
Notable Subtractions: Will Butcher, Ryan Murray
The Devils made the biggest splash in free agency inking Hamilton to a massive seven-year, $9-million AAV deal that will lock the 28-year-old in for a while.
He’ll come in and immediately be the clubs’ number one defenceman and top powerplay quarterback. A dynamic defencemen, there’s very little he can’t do.
Bernier will help provide some balance in net, while Graves will further add some depth to the blueline. One of the more underrated moves? Brining in Tatar on a two-year, $4.5-million AAV deal is going to be a big boost for their forward corps.
What to expect in 2021-22?
I can see the Devils taking a step forward with Hamilton at the helm. How big of a step is yet to be seen. They’re back in the Metro this season and come playoffs, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them contending for a spot in the dance.
The Hurricanes, Islanders and Capitals are nearly playoff locks while the Rangers, Blue Jackets and Flyers will too, be in the hunt.
A lot of that, mind you, is contingent on their offensive players taking a step forward. Hughes, Zacha, Sharangovich and the newly acquired Tatar will all be looked at to do so.
One bold prediction…
Jack Hughes takes a major step forward in his career and scores just under a point per game pace. They’ll be relying on him to produce, and he does so.
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