The New Jersey Devils have had one of the best preseasons in the NHL and they gave all of their fans hope of what they can look like this season.
The New Jersey Devils had an outstanding preseason over the stretch of September. They performed really well over the exhibition season and gave fans a reason to be excited about what becomes of this 2019-20 season. They performed well as a team for the most part and the guys you wanted to see have individual success did just that.
Jack Hughes made his first appearance as a Devil this season and he showed exactly why he deserved to be the number one overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He showed the ability to score goals and create offensive chances for his teammates, regardless of who is on his line. He showed he can play with just about any skilled winger in the lineup and can use the power play to his advantage as well.
Taylor Hall returned to game action for the first time since sustaining a knee injury midway through last season. This was the first time he’s played competitive hockey in the 2019 calendar year. He showed that he is in midseason form during the preseason and that he can still elevate his game to an MVP level. Fans should be super excited that he is returning this season and can almost look at it as an acquisition. He should be able to elevate this team to new heights this season.
Nikita Gusev was acquired by the Devils via the Vegas Golden Knights during the offseason. He had all the hype around him. He showed during the preseason that he is likely going to be able to translate what made him an MVP of the KHL to the NHL level. Gusev is going to be able to play on a line with any center and be able to produce no matter what.
We all knew Nico Hischier was growing into a superstar level player, but he showed he can really be an elite two-way center during the preseason. It doesn’t matter who is going to be on his wing either as he can run his own line offensively and he can defend against the best players that the opposition can throw at him This is the year that he breaks out and starts to be recognized as one of the elite players in the NHL.
Goaltending was a big question going into training camp, but those questions appear to have been answered this preseason. Cory Schneider and MacKenzie Blackwood showed they can play with the best of them and be there when the team needs them the most. If both guys are able to play that well during the regular season, this can be a really good team.
With the first-overall pick in Hughes, the addition of guys like Gusev, P.K. Subban, and Wayne Simmonds, and the return of Taylor Hall, this team should be able to be really good this season. They only lost twice during the preseason and collected a few wins in games that they played well individually and as a team. They still have some decisions to make about who stays and who goes along with who starts and who doesn’t, but those are good problems to have as they are getting deeper and deeper as an organization. The next time the Devils play, it will be the home opener on October 4th against the Winnipeg Jets. Hockey is back and it is time to be excited about this Devils season.