4. The Secondary Scoring Must Be Off The Charts
The offense can’t be just Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. Honestly, it can’t be just their lines either. The Devils need to get offense from all four lines. They have the talent to get it done. Heck, there’s a possibility they have a fourth line with three 1st-round picks on it (if they go with Nick Merkley, Pavel Zacha, and Michael McLeod).
Miles Wood needs to play like he did three seasons ago. He at least has to be a 10-goal scorer in this shortened season. Jesper Boqvist has to become a great secondary scorer. Nikita Gusev needs to be a 20-goal scorer in this shortened season. Kyle Palmieri has to destroy opponents in his contract year. Basically, the scorers have to score at a pace we’ve never seen them score.
Then, the other players need to play their roles better than expected. All of them. Andreas Johnsson has to show that he was more than the centers he played with on the Maple Leafs. Travis Zajac needs to turn back the clock in the offensive zone. Jesper Bratt has to pick up where he left off last season. Zacha needs to finally play to his offensive talents consistently.
The Devils need to be top ten in scoring in order to be a legitimate threat on this side of the league. There are so many teams that can absolutely stop the puck from going into the net. The Devils need to get through that with skill and determination.
To be completely honest, the Devils probably need to sign or trade for at least one really good middle-six forward who could jump onto the top line. Whether that’s a Mike Hoffman or a Max Pacioretty, the Devils just need another player who has a track record of scoring.