The New Jersey Devils went on a shopping spree this whole offseason. Despite ending the season near the bottom of the standings for the third season in the past four, there is hope surrounding this franchise. Signing Dougie Hamilton, Jonathan Bernier, and Tomas Tatar on top of trading for Ryan Graves is putting the Devils in a different conversation. Instead of being a team that’s still rebuilding, the Devils are a team with actual expectations.
It’s not like we’re talking about the Tampa Bay Lightning or Colorado Avalanche here. The Devils’ expectations will be to not be an abomination to the sport. Devils hockey has been unwatchable at times over the last five years. Now, they can at least put together a very good roster for the next few years.
Some of the Devils’ moves are short term. Tatar and Bernier both signed two-year deals. Ryan Graves has two more years left on his deal. In fact, the Devils have exactly two NHL contracts (not counting entry-level contracts) that go beyond the 2023 offseason. Nico Hischier is signed for the next six years, and of course there is the brand new seven-year pact with Dougie Hamilton. That gives them at least the appearance that they are trying to be better sooner rather than later.
The Devils are a team on the cusp of playoff contention. They could make it as early as this year, but a few things have to go their way. They don’t need the miracle they needed last year, but they could find a way to make the postseason for just the second time in the past 10 seasons. Since the Devils made the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, it’s been failure after failure. Devils fans are ready to at least see some of these failures in the postseason before a true contender is born. Here is what has to happen for the Devils as currently constructed to make the playoffs.