5 Bold Predictions For New Jersey Devils This Season

The New Jersey Devils have an outside shot to be fun this season.

Every year, we do bold predictions before the season starts. We look at the New Jersey Devils roster and try to make a hot take based on the information available. Right before the New Year in 2018, we made a few bold predictions that included Taylor Hall hitting career highs (he won MVP), the Devils having a quiet offseason (that was the year we put all of our faith in John Quenneville), the prediction of a big trade (they traded for Pat Maroon and Michael Grabner, so call that what you want), and we predicted the Devils would make the playoffs. There was even a bonus prediction putting John Tavares on the Maple Leafs. Not everything comes true, however.

This season, the Devils are missing some of the hype that they had in years past. There are some players missing to start the season (Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and newly-signed Sami Vatanen will all miss at least the first few weeks), the Devils lost their top free-agent signing just days before the season started (Corey Crawford retired), and the team is full of untapped potential. In some aspects, that’s a good thing, but the Devils need to tap into that potential in order to have a decent season.

This could still be a lot of fun. Devils fans have been without hockey for over 300 days. It’s been 10 long months since we’ve seen a player put on the NJ crest. Today is the day that the team’s season begins, and we can’t wait to see every single one of these things absolutely happen.

Jack Hughes Will Be The Top-Line Center All Season

Nico Hischier took over as top-line center his rookie season because Travis Zajac missed the beginning of the 2017-18 season with a torn pectoral muscle. Zajac never got that position back because of how well Hischier was playing with Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. That’s what makes this prediction ironic.

Hischier is going to miss the beginning of the season with a lower-body injury he suffered while training in Switzerland. In his absence, Jack Hughes has been playing in between Palmieri and Nikita Gusev as the team’s top line. That line has looked really good in training camp. One of the most important things about this season is finding chemistry. John Hynes was never able to get chemistry with his lines last season. New head coach Lindy Ruff will make that a priority.

Since Hughes is here and Hischier is not, it’s likely Ruff allows this line to breathe even when Hischier returns. It also helps that Hischier will return close to the same time Bratt returns, so that seems like a natural pairing. They could add Andreas Johnsson to the line, who looks like he’s on a line with Pavel Zacha. That likely won’t last.

This seems like a good bet to happen. Maybe Hughes’ wingers will change, but his status as 1C likely won’t. That’s the hope for the Devils long term anyway. Hischier can hopefully be a top two-way center while Hughes focuses on driving offense from the top line.

Jesper Bratt Will Score A Point Per Game

Speaking of Bratt, his contract dispute lasted way too long, but there’s one small positive in his visa issue and quarantine. This will give him time to work with Lindy Ruff through video conferencing and on-ice training. Ruff can work with Bratt while he’s stuck in Sweden, and then he can implement what he learns quickly once he’s cleared to play.

Bratt is going to hit the ground running in this offense. It moves very fast, and his ability to play good defense will have Ruff trusting him in important moments when the Devils need to score. The fact he can get the puck back if there’s a turnover is crucial in desperate situations.

Bratt will also play most of the season with Hischier based on how the lines are setting up. He will likely also play with Johnsson, who can absolutely score. This will help Bratt get his point totals up.

Bratt is going to play around 45 games this season. It is absolutely possible to have the Devils winger score 45 points in those 45 games. He’s going to be extremely motivated to prove he’s a top-six forward. He has everything working in his favor. Last season, he ended the season with 16 points in 20 games. If he can up his production only slightly, he will get to a point per game for the entire season.

Mackenzie Blackwood Will Be In Vezina Conversations

Awards seasons more often than not is all about the narrative. Taylor Hall won the MVP not because he was the best player in the league, but because he carried a less talented Devils team to the playoffs on his back. Connor Helleybuck won the Vezina Trophy last year not because he was leading the NHL in any stats, but because he was doing everything possible to help the Jets stay in contention. This is a similar situation for Mackenzie Blackwood this season.

Blackwood was supposed to be in a 50-50 split with former Stanley Cup Champion Corey Crawford, but the Chicago Blackhawks great was not feeling it in New Jersey and he retired days before the season started. That has to be a shock to the system for Blackwood and the Devils, but he can bounce back.

It’s not like Blackwood hasn’t had to carry the load before. Last season, Cory Schneider was expected to be in a similar split, but his season went off the rails as soon as it began. He couldn’t make it out of the first game without an injury. At least this time, Blackwood has a few days to prepare.

That narrative along with really good stats will lead to Blackwood getting a lot of hype towards Vezina Trophy contention. He won’t end up winning it because of where the Devils end in the standings, but well into April, it seems like a possibility. He’s winning as many games as the Devils allow him to. Analysts will recognize that, and he will be considered a different pick to the usual Andrei Vasilevskiy and Tuukka Rask picks.

Travis Zajac Will Be First Domino To Fall

The NHL Trade Deadline doesn’t come until April 12th, less than a month before the end of the regular season. It’s a very late deadline, but one that comes with this very strange season. That gives the Devils some extra time to make decisions of its many expiring contracts. Most important among them is Travis Zajac, Nikita Gusev, and Kyle Palmieri. Those three will likely bring them the best return on the market.

Zajac trails the other two, but because of the position he plays and his exceptional defense, he will be the one teams jump on first. Zajac can play second or third-line center for a team depending on a two-way player.

A team is going to deal with an injury they desperately need to replace. Think of a team like the Pittsburgh Penguins if they lose Evgeni Malkin. Can Zajac even remotely replace Malkin’s production? Of course not, but he can bridge the gap until Malkin returns then he can fall into a bottom-six role easily.

NHL teams want flexibility out of their midseason trade assets. Zajac absolutely provides that, which is why a team will trade for him before making a move for Palmieri or Gusev. He will also cost a lot less, which should speed up trade talks.