The New Jersey Devils are returning after an extended Christmas pause caused by a spike in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. that’s hit the NHL. It was a welcomed break for a team that hasn’t been dreadful for weeks now. They haven’t won a game since December 8th and they haven’t won two games in a row since November 8th and 11th. It’s a brutal stretch to be a Devils fan after a decade with very little hope and even less happiness. Since the Devils made their surprise run to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final, they’ve gone 284-304-107. Over the past 10 years, Devils fans have felt 411 losses while only enjoying 284 wins. Oof.
This season, things were supposed to at least feel somewhat positive. The hype was real this time. It wasn’t 2019 when the Devils added P.K. Subban, Jack Hughes, Nikita Gusev, and Wayne Simmonds. This is Dougie Hamilton, Ryan Graves, Jonathan Bernier, and Tomas Tatar. They added players who complement their needs, and they came into the season with very few holes. There were some positions that weren’t as great as others, but there wasn’t a place on the Devils roster where you’d think it was going to be a massive necessity to make an addition.
Yet, the Devils are now 10-15-5 after 30 games. They are in 7th place in the Metropolitan Division, and they are eight points out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pittsburgh Penguins, who hold the second Wild Card position, have 14 points on the Devils right now. It’s going to be near impossible to get back into the playoff race. However, what are some of these impossibilities that must happen in order for the Devils to make it back?
What must happen for the New Jersey Devils to turn around this dreadful start?
There are some obvious fixes, while others aren’t that obvious. It will take a lot of work from the Devils to make this work, and they will need a ton of luck to get back into the race. They still have 52 games on the schedule. They need to do the best that they can with every single night.