The season is finally over and the New Jersey Devils have finally made the Stanley Cup Playoffs after so many painful seasons. It was an exciting and entertaining year, so let us look at how the players did on an individual level. We’ll also see how close or far off our predictions were.
Jack Hughes
Final Rating: A+
Preseason Prediction: Goals: 30 Assists: 60 Points: 90
Final 2023 Stats: Goals:43 Assists:56 Points:99
Jack Hughes was incredible. At times, he was virtually unstoppable on his way to the best offensive season in Devils history. He can take over a game at a moment’s notice and moving forward he will be the first Devil to hit 100 points and 50 goals within the next few seasons if not next year. He is a true franchise-changing player and might be the most exciting Devils forward to watch of all time already.
Jesper Bratt
Final Rating: A
Preseason Prediction: Goals: 25 Assists: 50 Points: 70
Final 2023 Stats: Goals: 32 Assists: 41 Points: 73
Much like Hughes did before, Jesper Bratt worked on his shot and used it more, netting his first 30 goal season of his career. He is one of the better players on the team, a good play driver, and now teams need to be aware that he is not just a fantastic playmaker making him even more dangerous.
Nico Hischier
Final Rating: A+
Preseason Prediction: Goals: 20 Assists: 40 Points: 60
Final 2023 Stats: Goals: 31 Assists: 49 Points: 80
We all love Nico Hischier. Last season, the points prediction on him was dead on but this year he took a surprising step offensively. His defensive game not just stayed solid but improved, making him the second-best forward on this team now. He now can drive a line on his own, which is something he struggled to do at times when Bratt was moved away. This creates line-matching nightmares for opponents. If he keeps this up for a few years, he will start to get some much-deserved love for the Selke Trophy.