3 New Jersey Devils Who Will Set Career Highs In 2023-24
The New Jersey Devils are coming off one of the best regular-season performances in franchise history. So much went right all at once, and it led to the best regular-season record since the team joined the NHL. Even just thinking about the 40 years of New Jersey Devils hockey, last year didn’t feel like one of those all-time great seasons. However, it was.
Six players hit career highs in 2022-23. That includes Dougie Hamilton, who came very close to breaking Scott Stevens’ franchise record for points by a defenseman. Jack Hughes was successful in beating Patrik Elias‘ franchise record, but he fell short of 100 points. It was a banner year for offense, as the Devils scored 289 goals last season. They were fourth in the NHL.
This season, we expect the offense to keep up the same cadence. In fact, with a better power play, the Devils might score more goals. A few players will break their career high in points, just like last season. We aren’t going for rookies (sorry Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec) or low-hanging fruit (like predicting Jonas Siegenthaler or Nathan Bastian). Who are some players whose breakout is going to lead to a career-high?
Jack Hughes
Previous Career High: 99 points
He’s going to break that 100-point threshold finally. Jack Hughes will be the first player to do that who’s worn the Devils crest. This is the true superstar of a team full of them. Hughes is the top player on the team, and he’s still in the early years of his prime. Hughes is 22 years old. He should get better and better every year.
100 points is almost the floor at this point. Hughes should get another 10 points from the power play alone. He won’t have to hold the brunt of the scoring on his line now that the lineup added Tyler Toffoli and Timo Meier full-time. The offense should cook on extreme levels.
Everything points to Hughes jumping into that “top player” territory. Hughes was eighth in Hart Trophy voting, ending up on 54 ballots overall with two second-place votes. He did this while missing four games. There are quite a few reasons Hughes will hit his career high. In fact, we expect him to destroy 99 points.
Dawson Mercer
Previous Career High: 56 points
Dawson Mercer went into Beast Mode at times last season. There was a stretch where he was the best player on the ice. It might seem like conjecture, but Mercer was legitimately carrying his teammates for a hot minute. Mercer’s stretch at the end of February and the beginning of March was insane. He had a 12-game point streak in which he put up 20 points.
The issue with Mercer is consistency. Just look at his playoff scoring. Mercer had seven points in 12 games. That’s not bad for a young player in that atmosphere. However, he had eight games with zero points. He was great in the Devils 8-4 win over the Canes (three assists), and he had a goal and two assists total in Games 5 and 6 of the Rangers series.
Mercer is also very young, going into this season at just 21 years old. He will turn 22 in October. We expect Mercer’s jump in points to come from two aspects of his game: consistency and power play. The first one is obvious. Younger players get more consistent with more playtime. We’re not expecting him to get 20 points every 12 games. That would give him 136 points on the season. However, his incredible health (he’s never missed a game) and knack for working hard for his offense will lead to more consistent opportunities and finishing ability.
As for the power play, Mercer will find himself either on an elite first line or a much improved second line. Last season, the second line was atrocious, and Mercer was often the best offensive player on it. Damon Severson was playing point. This season, the second unit should have players like Luke Hughes, Tyler Toffoli, maybe even Timo Meier or Jesper Bratt. Mercer can focus more on positioning instead of driving the offense.
Timo Meier
Previous Career High: 76 points
The Devils and Timo Meier took some time to get acquainted. The power forward didn’t light the lamp at the same rate he did in San Jose. He did have nine goals in 21 games after he was traded to New Jersey, but he only had five assists. In the playoffs, he went scoreless for the first eight games of the postseason. He was contributing in other ways, but he needed to add offense. That’s why the Devils traded the premium they did to get him.
This season, Meier will have a legitimate role that’s established early in training camp. Even if Lindy Ruff is used to throwing his lines in a blender, we expect this team to fall into place and stick to a lineup. Meier will have time to build chemistry with either Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier. Add in either Toffoli, Mercer, or Bratt, and this is the formula for a career-high.
Meier just signed an eight-year extension with the Devils. Some players hit a wall after signing a new contract, but others are so excited for their new pact that they play better than ever. The Devils are hoping they haven’t seen the best of Meier, and they will put him in the best situation to succeed.
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The only issue that could hurt Meier’s point production is where he sits on the power play units. If he’s on that first unit with Luke and Jack Hughes, then he’s golden. If he’s on the second unit, the sheer lack of opportunity with the man advantage will hurt his overall point production. If he avoids that downfall, a career-high is in his future.