The offseason for the New Jersey Devils brought such unbridled enthusiasm to a fan base that has been starving to watch good hockey since their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012. Aging veterans, a thin prospect pool and fielding a lineup not conducive to any sort of on-ice success were detrimental to the team and all of the fans who had to endure witnessing it through most of the last decade. The team lacked any sort of real identity or vision that Devils fans have become so accustomed to. Thankfully a man by the name of Ray Shero, and a little bit of luck has changed that narrative.
General manager Ray Shero has put together a formidable core that finally fits head coach John Hynes’ mantra of playing ‘fast, attacking and supportive.’ Shero has preached patience since he took over the Devils. No one wants to hear the word rebuild, particularly the modern day sports fan. We live in a society where people have access to things so quickly and instant gratification for success or the things they want has convoluted long term building and achievements.
The most optimal formula for success in anything is maintaining and sticking to a process, or one’s plan. Following the surprise playoff appearance in 2017-18, Shero could have tried to expedite the rebuild by signing some unrestricted free agents. To many fans’ dismay at the time, Shero stood pat and kept the team relatively intact.
Shero’s greatest attribute in his tenure as Devils GM thus far has been his asset management. He uses draft capital and salary cap space to his advantage. That’s turned into an abundance of talent by subsequently trading for Kyle Palmieri, PK Subban and Nikita Gusev without having to give up a prized prospect or 1st-round pick.
Shero has utilized free agency as a tool to improve the team, instead of build core players as so many general mangers mistakenly do. The perfect example would be the signing of Wayne Simmonds, who was signed to a manageable one-year, prove-it contract with the chance to contribute by chipping in some goals and add some much-needed physicality. The cherry on top was the shrewd move to acquire Taylor Hall in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers in 2016.
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The Devils have finally pieced together a team that fans could feel proud about again. The team has an identity for the first time in years. These rising stars will be fun to watch. Most importantly, this team has a chance to win on a nightly basis.
As in the case with any young team, they will need time to develop chemistry and it is hopeful fans realize that there will be some bumps along the way. In an era where Devils fans have been exposed to some pretty bad hockey, we should not take this team for granted. The new era of Devils hockey begins on October 4th, and with Shero operating things the team should be competitive for years to come.