October is finally here. The New Jersey Devils had the best offseason in the NHL and have been eagerly waiting to get back out there. Hockey is back!
October is finally back and the New Jersey Devils are more than ready. They had one of the best offseason’s in franchise history as they made a bunch of lineup altering moves that you would think really help them this season. Everyone involved with this team, including the fans, have been waiting for the team to come back since the spring began. It was a disappointing season last year, sort of unexpectedly, but they got through it and are arguably better for it.
The luck of the franchise changed again when the won the draft lottery for the second time in three seasons on April 9th. It was the launch of the offseason which had everyone ready for October right there. They selected Jack Hughes with the first overall pick and then were off to the races. They traded for P.K. Subban the very next day and had added a true number one defenseman after adding a kid who could be the face of the franchise. It was a good weekend, to say the least.
They bolstered up their depth when they added Wayne Simmonds in free agency. He will provide some grit, leadership, and toughness to this team along with some secondary scoring. He is very good in front of the net and with all the playmakers on this team, he should be able to have himself a few tap-ins. Then the offseason was capped by a trade that Devils fans were begging for all summer. They acquired Nikita Gusev from the Vegas Golden Knights to add yet another solid winger to join their elite center group.
In one offseason they added a former Norris Trophy Winning defenseman, the best hockey prospect on planet earth, and the best non-NHL player in the world. Ray Shero is already the front runner for the GM of the Year award. His biggest test will be the contract of Taylor Hall. He heads into this season on an expiring deal but the two sides seem to be working towards something.
All of these things are top reasons for fans of the New Jersey Devils to be so excited for the month of October. It could mark the start of something so great. If this is the year where the corner finally turns it will all be because of the moves made this last summer. Hockey is back and everyone should be so excited about what the future holds.