Let's call a spade a spade: it's been a rough 2025 for the New Jersey Devils. Since January 1st, only five teams have fewer standings points than the Devils coming into Saturday's games. New Jersey is on par with teams like the Seattle Kraken and Nashville Predators, the bottom dwellers of the Western Conference.
This was a team that looked like a true Stanley Cup contender in December. All the moves Tom Fitzgerald made in the offseason were working out beautifully. Paul Cotter looked like an underrated scorer. Stefan Noesen was hitting career highs early in the season. Johnathan Kovacevic was one of the best defensive defensemen in the league. Jacob Markstrom was an outside Vezina Trophy candidate, and Brett Pesce was matching perfectly with Luke Hughes.
Looking at that team now feels like seasons. Not only has this team fallen off a cliff, but they lost Jack Hughes, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Dougie Hamilton for the season. While things look bleak, and it appears the Devils are marching to the playoffs only to get swept by their rivals the Carolina Hurricanes, there's reason to think they can at least stay competitive. Here's how:
1. The stars have to play like superstars
Jack Hughes isn't the only superstar forward on this team. Jesper Bratt has an outside chance of beating the Devils franchise record for points by hitting 100. Nico Hischier just scored a hat trick on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild. Timo Meier has been awesome in the month of March. The Devils' superstars have been showing up as of late.
However, there are nights when they disappear. Nobody played well against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night. Performing like that would lead to a four or five-game series against the Hurricanes. They are playing too well to put up stinkers against them and expect to steal a win at any point.
If Bratt, Hischier, and Meier can play at the peak of their powers, the Devils actually have a chance to win some games in the playoffs. Heck, maybe they could even steal that series with the Canes. Can you imagine the Hurricanes talking trash after losing a series in which the Devils were missing Jack Hughes?