Every year, we stand before you at Pucks and Pitchforks trying to breed positivity despite knowing there’s a chance the team can fall apart and we’ll all be miserable together come February. That’s no fun. We like looking at the bright side (when it at least has somewhat of a reason to be).
This season, it seems like we have a reason to be excited. The Devils look like a different team, and all those young studs are becoming impact players on the NHL ice. So, as we head into another season covering your New Jersey Devils, we bring in the whole team to come together for a massive preview. We’re just a few hours from puck drop (or a few hours after if you’re reading this tomorrow), so let’s get ready for the season with a deep dive into the Devils season with the Pucks and Pitchforks crew!
Who do you think will be the breakout player this season?
Nick Villano: Alex Holtz. Jack Hughes is so good, he can make anyone look just as good. He doesn’t need players who did the work. However, Holtz did the work this offseason. And that will show in his play.
Vinnie Parise: Tomas Tatar had a brilliant preseason and camp. He looks healthy and motivated to be an impact player. Expect him to score some goals.
Dan Rice: Dawson Mercer will take on 20-25 points on top of the 42 points he posted last season as a rookie.
Charlie Borges Jr.: This may be a cliche answer, but the breakout player is Jack Hughes. He could not stay healthy last season and if he had stayed healthy all of last season he would have been statistically among the league’s best. Having him healthy and with solid linemates, he could really become just the fifth player in franchise history to hit 90 points or maybe even more.
Rob DeLuca: Dawson Mercer. The Devils have the luxury of Mercer being able to play both wing and center if need be. It seems likely he will spend most of the year with Jesper Bratt and captain Nico Hischier. How can you not cook with guys like that setting you up? Not saying he’ll suddenly score 30 goals, but there will be a lot of points on the sheet.
Samanew Annaluru: I think the breakout player will be Kevin Bahl. Maybe not offensively, but certainly defensively.
Luke Garrison: I feel that Alexander Holtz will be a breakout player. Holtz played exceptionally well in the preseason. I love the H2O line, and I hope we get to see Holtz sharing the point totals and scoring the most goals on that line.
Jon Bailey: Tomas Tatar had a lot of problems last year; bad shooting luck, inconsistent line combinations, inconsistent playing time, and a lot of blocked and missed shots. After that, Tatar became a trade candidate during the summer, and most wanted him gone. With a moderate improvement in those areas, Tatar should easily clear 20 goals and 50 points and potentially flirt with 30 goals.
Sam Woo: John Marino. He is an underrated player like Brian Rafalski was. He will play big minutes and will be asked to help be the tireless stopper against tough opposing lines.
David Holiday: Jonas Siegenthaler took a pretty good step last season and was a good shutdown guy versus his first few games in Jersey where he looked like Mirco Mueller 2.0 and an AHLer. He looked poised to take another step and could be a top shutdown guy on a vastly improved defense.