The NHL and NHLPA have finally come to an agreement on a deal.
This one is going to be quick, but this excitement needed its own post. After months and months of negotiations, despair that an NHL season might not happen, worries the league would screw this up again, they came through and hockey is coming back. More specifically for us, New Jersey Devils hockey is coming back.
We’re still waiting for the details. All we have right now is a tweet.
There is still approval needed from the NHL Board of Governors and the player’s association, but these things don’t usually leak out if there isn’t confidence in those things passing. After all this time, it’s highly unlikely that these calls will do anything but approve the deal.
That means Jack Hughes is coming back. That means we get to root for Nikita Gusev and Kyle Palmieri as the Devils evaluate them in contract years. Devils fans get to root for the perpetually underrated Travis Zajac as he spends what might be the final year in a Devils’ uniform. Mackenzie Blackwood finally has a great backup in Corey Crawford. The Devils-New York Rangers rivalry continues with an influx of youth. Heck, we’re excited to root against Alexis Lafrenière for the first time.
This season might not end in a playoff spot, but it sure will be fun to watch this team grow. Although, that’s not even that big a long shot. There could be expanded playoffs in the new agreement, which would open up four more spots for the Devils to make it.
It’s been since March 10th since the Devils played their last game. The Pittsburgh Penguins took out the Devils thanks to two goals from Evgeni Malkin. It left a bad taste in our mouths that never left. Miles Wood did score a goal while on the first line, so that was something. Still, this is the longest most of us have gone without Devils hockey since the 2004 NHL Lockout. We never want to be without Devils hockey for this long again. Now, our beloved Devils are coming back, and we couldn’t be happier.