Pucks and Pitchforks
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New Jersey Devils Making Progress Towards 2020 Goals

By Joseph Stanislau

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 01: New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) during the third period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 1, 2019 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 01: New Jersey Devils center Nico Hischier (13) during the third period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers on April 1, 2019 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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From the time Taylor Hall didn’t live up to his name on the New Jersey Devils and former coach John Hynes was finally “relieved of his duties”, the progression of Alain Nasreddine as interim head coach has been paying big dividends lately. Having seen so many positive strategies that struck perfectly Thursday night after a win in Long Island over the New York Islanders. One of the keys for success that Alain Nasreddine has applied on and off the ice is to play as a whole. The next thing to point out is the roster has been rolling in the points.

Another key to the Devils recent play is Mackenzie Blackwood’s effort, only giving up one goal. Meanwhile, unlikely defenders like Mirco Mueller finally stepped up. The Devils beat the Isles while giving up three less giveaways. This is something the Devils struggled with early in the season. The Devils stepped up their game blocking 23 shots, and breaking even with the Isles six penalty minutes a piece.  The Devils played on national television in their last games, and a few commentators actually were impressed with direction Alain Nasreddine has sent the ship.

Honestly, if guys like Nico Hischier, Kyle Palmieri, P.K. Subban, and Jack Hughes coming back to the lineup will be very hard for playoff bound teams to get easy wins against the Devils. In the near term, when the February trade deadline inches closer, don’t be surprised to see Miles Wood get dealt. Someone the Devils might target is Colin Miller from the Buffalo Sabres. They have four players on LTIR and just $2.3 million in current cap space. The Devils have over $12.7 million in cap space to use, and Miller would be a physical, gritty defender who would add the extra sand paper to a Devils lineup through July 2022.

This team versus the other Devils team with Hall and Hynes is a super competitive team. The Hynes and Hall team looked like a bunch of fish out of water. However, to teams looking at the Devils on the schedule this team is not easy pickings. There’s a lot of fight, perseverance, and a lot of grit now. Those descriptions have been key in beating teams like Boston and the Islanders.

If Ray Shero can keep building up the coaching staff that supports the way the current core of Devils players, this core will continue to grow and flourish. With two 1st rounders in the 2020 Draft, with what’s looking like a stacked class, then this Devils fan base should be pretty excited for the future. Over the next few seasons with the asset management Ray Shero has been handling from when this team was in distress, now this team is on the rise and will benefit from the recent changes.

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