The New Jersey Devils had varying amounts of success in 2018, but 2019 might be the biggest year in franchise history. Here’s a few resolutions the team must win this year.
Happy New Year to you and yours. A very Happy New Year to all New Jersey Devils fans out there. It’s been a fun/disappointing/crazy/exhilarating year to watch this team. In a 12 month period, the Devils ended a five-year playoff drought, a player won the first MVP award in franchise history, won seven of their last eight must wins to get into the postseason, lost six in a row in November, and Brian Boyle beat cancer.
2018 was a year that will go down in Devils history. So much happened, it will be hard to ever forget the insanity that was this year. There were plenty of Devils seasons that came and went with little emotion, and there were others with the utmost emotion. It’s hard to see a full calendar year as emotionally draining as this past year.
However, 2019 might be the most important year in franchise history because of everything that could happen. If the Devils are going to win a Stanley Cup in the next five years, it will be based on the decisions Ray Shero makes this season. Being the first day of the year, it’s time to make some resolutions for 2019!
Resolution 1: Re-Sign Taylor Hall
We really, really don’t want to extend Taylor Hall’s contract negotiations past July 1st. That’s asking for trouble. That’s also asking the fanbase to lose their minds. People are already talking about trading Hall if he doesn’t sign on July 1st. I’m not saying that’s necessary, because dealing with contracts of this volume takes time, but if we go into next season without signing our star something may have to give.
Obviously, the John Tavares situation made lots of fans worry about Hall doing the same thing. The New York Islanders kept Tavares because he asked them not to trade him, and he ended up leaving to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That situation on the Island has Devils fans saying sign or get out.
Give Hall eight years for a total of $82 million. That’s a very fair deal, paying Hall $10.25 million per season. With the salary cap always on the rise, this could look like a good contract with how much other players are getting. Even if it comes a little later in the offseason, signing Hall is a must. This isn’t like signing Travis Zajac or Andy Greene, who were never one of the best in the league, this is signing a true superstar.