5 New Jersey Devils Players Who Could Raise Their Stock In Preseason

For the first time in a long time, the New Jersey Devils come into the preseason with their lineup close to being set. However, there are a few players who could raise their stock and change our expectations.

We are just 20 days away from seeing actual New Jersey Devils hockey on the ice. On September 16th, we will see P.K. Subban playing with an NJ crest on his chest. We will see Taylor Hall make his long-awaited return to the ice. Jack Hughes will finally get to play against men. Nikita Gusev will step foot on North American ice. This is happening in less than three weeks.

Before that, we will have about 40 players coming to training camp, looking to fight for those few spots left on the roster. This isn’t to talk about those players fighting for those last spots. We already did that. This is talking about those players that could raise their stock to get a better spot in the lineup.

There are so many variables in the lineup today. At the current count, there are six to seven brand new players on the roster through drafts, free agency and trades. We peg them into a certain role in our heads, but head coach John Hynes might have a different plan. We all think the top six will be some combination of Hall, Hughes, Gusev, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt and Kyle Palmieri. However, Hynes has surprised us with his lines before.

He’s one to ride the hot hand, and we’ve seen some players turn a big preseason into a major role in the regular season. There are many players who could break into a bigger role if they show us something when the games don’t count.