New Jersey Devils: 5 Bold Predictions For 2018

The New Jersey Devils had a very interesting year in 2017. What should fans expect from 2018?

What a roller coaster was 2017 for the New Jersey Devils. They came into the year fighting for a playoff spot, only to end up with the number one overall pick the in the NHL Draft. There were so many ups and downs from getting Nico Hischier to the definitive end of the Ilya Kovalchuk era (thank goodness) to Cory Schneider’s turnaround to Brian Boyle’s wild ride. The Devils may have the most storylines of any team in the league, and this is from a team that missed the playoffs.

After that kind of year, what should we expect from 2018? Being that this team is so young and so ahead of schedule, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen. However, we are sure going to try. Here are five bold predictions about what is going to happen in 2018.

Taylor Hall Will Hit Career Highs

Taylor Hall has been amazing this season. There is no other word to describe just how good the Devils best player has played. Hall’s been great offensively, a monster on possession and even improved on the defensive end.

It was clear something was off with Hall last year. The shock of getting traded away from Edmonton took the entire season to wear off. It didn’t help that there wasn’t much to put around him at the time. It seems the build of this Devils team has put the past in the past. This team is fun, and Taylor Hall is having fun on it.

Hall went viral twice this season. Once for basically asking Selena Gomez out on Twitter, and another time for getting pumped up by Ric Flair’s video at the Prudential Center. It’s showing off his personality which is helping him come out of his shell. That is helping him play better on the ice.

Hall is currently on pace to score 80 points this season. That would tie his career high. He also is on pace for 28 goals, which would break his career high. Obviously, injuries are the only major factor that could hurt his chances, but the way he’s been playing he hasn’t put himself in harm’s way.

I actually foresee Hall breaking the numbers he’s on pace for now. As Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier continue to get better, so will their linemate Hall. That means he gets set up for more goals, and puts the rookies in the position to score more as well.

I predict Hall getting his first ever 30 goal season. It would shut up the critics, and breaks an important milestone for Hall’s career.

No Big Signings In Free Agency

Jumping ahead to free agency, I don’t see the Devils making a major move. I know that John Carlson would be close to a perfect fit on this Devils roster, but so many other moves would have to happen to make it make sense. The team is paying $14 million to Damon Severson, Andy Greene and Sami Vatanen. They also have to re-sign Steve Santini, who’s a restricted free agent. Also, Mirco Mueller is still on the roster. It’s not impossible, but the Devils would have to at least move Ben Lovejoy to make it make sense.

Other big-name free agents coming out this offseason either don’t fit what the Devils want to do, or are long shots at best. Evander Kane is an interesting name, as he’s still only 26 years old, but he seems like a player that wants to make as much money as possible. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I can see the team who loses out on John Tavares to make a move for Kane. Speaking of Tavares, of course it would be nice to go after the current New York Islander, but I see it coming down to his current team and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I see free agency going similar to how it did this year. Maybe a signing similar to Brian Boyle and going after Carlson to try to make it work, but an overall quiet signing period.

A Big Trade Still Coming

Instead of free agency, I could see the Devils using their bevy of assets to make a big trade. One team to look at is the Arizona Coyotes. The Devils and Yotes both traded earlier this season when Scott Wedgewood was giving his chance to make it to the NHL. Now, the Devils and Coyotes could meet again in trade talks.

Obviously, the big piece the Devils would want is Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The 26-year-old defenseman still has another year left after this one, which makes it a move for now and in the future. He’s proven he can make up for defensive lapses, being the only very good player on that blue line. He makes $5.5 million on the salary cap, so it wouldn’t sink the Devils ability to make moves in the future.

I can see it working out that Ray Shero speaks with John Chayka around the trade deadline, and the two don’t work it out until the offseason. The Devils can offer very good prospects, along with Lovejoy’s contract to fill out the team on the ice now.

If that move doesn’t work out, I can see Shero working some magic. This team knows it’s biggest weakness is the defense. However, after the addition of Vatanen, and the continued progression of Santini, it seems like they are one move away from completing this roster.

A New Captain

I want to preface this that Andy Greene will not get stripped of the captaincy. He’s done nothing wrong to force the Devils hand. However, he sees the direction this team is going. Greene knows that youth is the makeup of this team now. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a good captain, but he knows the captaincy can be used as a bargaining tool.

Green’s the ultimate team guy. If he thinks the Devils can have an easier time signing Taylor Hall if he becomes captain, he will make that sacrifice. Letting Hall become this team’s leader, especially after how bad it went down in Edmonton, I think it can work out for all sides.

It won’t go down like it did when Patrik Elias was stripped of the captaincy. It will go down more like a passing of the torch. Greene will remain as part of this Devils team, but more as the elder statesman rather than the captain. Meanwhile, Hall will lead this team into the next generation of greatness.

Again, this isn’t anything against Greene. I just don’t see ego coming into this, and I can see Greene making the move himself. If he doesn’t want to give it up, I don’t see John Hynes forcing him to do it. I guess that’s why these are bold predictions.