2. They have the stars
The Devils’ stars are more seasoned now. They have more playoff experience. They have grown and developed over the years. Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt have been around a while now. They have continued to get better year after year.
Hischier’s leadership and two-way play are crucial for the team. If Jack Hughes can stay healthy, he can go on a tear. Bratt has always been underrated. We’ll continue to predict Hughes or Bratt will be the first Devil to reach 100 points in a season until it happens. Hughes reached 99 points in 2022-23, and Bratt climbed up to 88 last season. For Hughes, it’s all about staying healthy. For Bratt, he’s continuing to defy the expectations of a former sixth-round draft pick.
A healthy Dougie Hamilton is also critical for the Devils, and it’s about time Timo Meier really finds himself in New Jersey and has a big year. The Devils have the talent to go the distance.
3. They have top-tier goaltending
Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen proved to be the right duo in the net for the Devils last year. Until Markstrom got hurt, he was putting up Vezina Trophy-worthy performances. His name was very much in the conversation. His injury ruined that. Allen held it down in Markstrom’s absence.
Both goalies have the ability to keep the team in close games and give them a chance to win. They each showed that last year. This is something the Devils sorely lacked for many years, and they finally have it with Markstrom and Allen. The Devils decided to keep Allen and run it back, signing him to a five-year deal.
Markstrom has something to prove after last year’s injury and subsequent struggle back to elite performance following recovery. He is healthy and ready to jump back in after being one of the few Devils with a strong playoff performance last spring. This team can go far with Markstrom in net.