The New Jersey Devils have not made the Eastern Conference Finals since 2012, but they have shown glimpses over the years that they can make it back. After some unsuccessful recent playoff runs, the Devils should be hungrier than ever to get some playoff wins under their belt.
After injuries ruined any chance of success in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, this upcoming season should be great if the team can stay healthy.
The Return of Jack Hughes
People seem to forget how great Jack Hughes really is. He is a top player in the league, but he has to stay healthy for this team to take the next step. Hughes missed a total of 20 games last year, making it back-to-back seasons with just 62 games played.
Before the shoulder injury last season, Jack Hughes had 70 points in 62 games, possibly getting close to his career high in points of 99 if he stayed healthy. Without Hughes, the team looks completely lost and dysfunctional. The Devils were 9-10-1 in the games he missed, clearly searching for his playmaking and scoring abilities. If Jack Hughes can take care of his shoulder and come back as the same player, the Devils should be viewed as a contender to win it all.
The Supporting Cast
Jack Hughes is viewed as the face of the franchise, but it's hard for people to forget about the other top six players alongside him. Captain Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier are all top-tier players who can contribute to a championship push.
Bratt is coming off the best season of his career, finishing with 88 points, 67 of those being assists, which broke the Devils' single-season assist record. With Bratt only being 27 years old, we don't know if he's even hit his prime. There's always a chance that he can have a better season than the last; if so, then this team will be dangerous when attacking.
It seems like Timo Meier hasn't fulfilled expectations after what it took for him to land in New Jersey via trade and the contract extension he signed not too long ago. Coming off his best season as a Devil, all eyes will be on Meier to see if he can improve and possibly go back to the elite goalscorer player he once was in San Jose. After scoring thirty-plus goals in three straight seasons before being traded, Meier has yet to hit that mark in New Jersey. If he can improve his goal count this upcoming season, this would vastly improve the Devils' offense.
Hischier is coming off one of his best seasons of his career, scoring 35 goals, which is a career high, along with 34 assists in 75 games. After not being a finalist for the Selke trophy last season, the revenge tour for Hischier could be arriving at the Prudential Center in 25-26. A player of his quality that has great puck handling, is an elite skater, has two-way ability, fantastic vision and IQ, and leadership in the locker room. With all of those pros of Hischier, he makes the Devils contenders for the Stanley Cup.
Defensive Depth
When healthy, the Devils have a ton of depth at defense, which is needed not only in the regular season but for playoff pushes as well. As things stand, the three defensive pairings for New Jersey could be as follows: Dillon and Hamilton, Hughes and Pesce, Siegenthaler and Nemec.
Aside from those six defensemen, the Devils also have Jonathan Kovacevic, Seamus Casey, and Dennis Cholowski. That would be up to head coach Sheldon Keefe to see who starts, but it definitely won't be easy to make the decision. There are rumors of Dougie Hamilton potentially being traded, which would open a spot for another defender, such as Casey, to take a leap in his young career.
New Jersey ranked 5th in the league in goals allowed last, with 220, which is a good sign given the fact that a lot of players were injured. Not only that, but the Devils' penalty kill units flourished as they ranked 2nd in the league with an 82.7% kill rate. The ceiling is high for the Devils' defense as long as they stay healthy and keep the chemistry going.