New Jersey Devils: 3 Lessons To Learn From Edmonton Oilers
The New Jersey Devils are currently on a very similar trajectory as the Edmonton Oilers. They both have two incredible centers (although Connor McDavid is admittedly in his own category, but the Jack Hughes-Nico Hischier experiment is very similar to the Leon Draisaitl-McDavid experiment. The goal of both the Oilers and Devils is the build the right pieces around them to make a Stanley Cup winner.
The Oilers, like the Devils, had the entire hockey world wondering when, not if, they were going to win a Stanley Cup Championship. When they went on a run to Game 7 of the second round in 2017, it was the start of a new era for Oilers hockey. McDavid was 20 years old, and Draisaitly was 21. It was the start of something special. Then, it took until 2022 to make it to the second round again.
The Devils want to avoid that. They need to listen to the lessons the Oilers unfortunately had to learn. Now, as everyone picked the Oilers as their preseason champion, they find themselves at the bottom of the standings and the end of their rope. The Devils need to avoid this. As they face an uphill battle with a spot outside the playoffs in November and no Hischier or Hughes, the moves they make around their two top centers will dictate what comes next.
Lesson #1: Fix the Defense
Fix the defense is an arbitrary statement, but it’s something the Devils must do. Whether it’s through the development of Kevin Bahl, Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemec, or through the acquisition of a veteran puck stopper. The Devils have been borderline masterful at acquiring great defensemen at a discount. Tom Fitzgerald already got Dougie Hamilton as the top dawg in free agency, used young assets to get John Marino locked into a cheap contract, and Jonas Siegenthaler after he was misused in Washington.
However, the defense is a major problem right now. After letting Damon Severson and Ryan Graves go in free agency, the Devils made minimal moves to replace him. Colin Miller and Cal Foote were the new arrivals. One got hurt after a putrid preseason and the other isn’t good enough to stay on the NHL roster. Now, the Devils are stuck with Brendan Smith in the lineup every night.
This is similar to what the Oilers found. They always had weak links on the defense. They had some decent homegrown stars (Darnell Nurse tops among them), but it wasn’t enough to get them to even middle ground when it comes to defense. The Devils need to know what it will take to get the team’s defense back in a positive light.
Lesson #2: Make the Right Goalie Decision
It seemed everyone was tying Jack Campbell to the New Jersey Devils during the 2022 offseason. The Devils needed a goalie, and Campbell was coming off a stupendous regular season. The Devils just needed someone to play average hockey at the position and they’d reach their goal of being a playoff team. We had once clamored for Campbell, but we quickly changed our mind when looking at the situation more closely.
After what the Oilers were forced to do with Campbell, the Devils are thanking their lucky stars they didn’t put themselves in the same position. Instead, they traded for Vitek Vanecek. He’s been mostly fine. However, most agree to win the Stanley Cup, the Devils need someone better.
Is Akira Schmid that better? We’re sure the Oilers assumed Stuart Skinner was going to live up to the billing, but that hasn’t really worked out. Schmid is having a similar start to the year as Skinner. His 5v5 save percentage is .001 point higher than Skinner’s. His goals saved above average is 52nd in the league while Skinner stands at 56th. They are both mostly disappointing based on the expectations.
The Devils need to make the right goalie decision. The Oilers have tried Mike Smith, Mikko Koskinen, Cam Talbot, and now Skinner and Campbell. With how much is spent on the star forwards and a $9 million defenseman, the goalie usually gets shorted. That’s how Campbell becomes the savior and the situation gets worse every year.
Lesson #3: Don’t Wait Too Long
The Edmonton Oilers announced they were moving on from head coach Jay Woodcroft and hired AHL coach Kris Knoblach. Now, Knoblach has to save the Oilers. It’s early enough to save the season. The St. Louis Blues proved that in 2019, but they may have still waited too long as the hole is huge.
We’re still waiting on the results of the Oilers-Islanders matchup and Knoblach’s debut (game is still going as of this writing but Edmonton is up 3-1), but the Oilers are still at the bottom of the NHL Standings. The win would give the Oilers nine points, making them one of two teams in the NHL without double-digit points.
The Devils are dealing with a lot of questions. They’ve let the Brendan Smith-Luke Hughes experiment go on for too long. The same goes for John Marino and Kevin Bahl. The penalty kill took too long to make changes.
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We’re not advocating for a coaching change. It’s way too early to be talking about that. However, the Devils need to make quick decisions, from the coaching staff to the players to the front office. If a decision must be made, make it. Don’t hesitate. For now, let’s hope the Devils don’t hesitate to get back to the winning ways.