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2020 Has Been A Tough Year For New Jersey Devils Fans

By Vincent Parise

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 20: Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils skates against the San Jose Sharks at the Prudential Center on February 20, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Sharks 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - FEBRUARY 20: Mackenzie Blackwood #29 of the New Jersey Devils skates against the San Jose Sharks at the Prudential Center on February 20, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils defeated the Sharks 2-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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2020 has been a very tough season for New Jersey Devils fans and it is good to see it end.

The New Jersey Devils had a tough year in 2020. Most teams got to return to play in the bubble for at least a few games, but the Devils are one of the seven teams that weren’t invited. 2020 has been very bad on a much larger scale than hockey but the Devils are an escape for a lot of us and they weren’t there from March on. There was the free agency, trades, and the draft to get us through but nothing beats games.

The Devils played only a handful of games in the year 2020 and most of them were good, to be honest. They looked like a much better team once Taylor Hall was traded away. Mackenzie Blackwood was insane in goal and the Nikita Gusev-Pavel Zacha-Jesper Bratt line was awesome. It was cut off by COVID-19 right when the season was getting ready to end but we didn’t get to see how they finished.

We were also robbed of seeing how the Binghamton Devils finished their season. They got off to a slow start, but were the best team in the AHL from December on. They had a legit chance to go on and make a run at the Calder Cup. Things were very fun right before we were cut off without warning.

As 2020 comes to an end, we can be very excited about what is to come in 2021. The Devils are going to play a 56 game regular season in the East Division. They aren’t one of the best teams in the division on paper but development to their important players is inevitable for them. They are also going to play a condensed schedule against the same eight teams so they might be able to figure things out and be better than people think.

In 2021, Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are the key pieces in their lineup. They were both number one overall picks in their respective NHL Drafts so the team has high hopes for them. There are numerous other players that this team can be excited about as we turn the calendar. Some of the players drafted in the 2020 NHL Draft by New Jersey are also going to develop which is exciting to think about.

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We can look forward to the Devils’ debuts of players like Ryan Murray, Andreas Johnsson, and Corey Crawford. Each of them plays a different position that should be able to help the team improve. NHL debuts of kids like Ty Smith or Nolan Foote are also possible as the season goes along which is very exciting. No matter what, it feels good to put the awful year of 2020 behind them and look ahead to the bright future that they have.

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