The New Jersey Devils have had a great first 10 games of the season. After losing the first game of the season to the Carolina Hurricanes, they went on an eight-game heater. As of this writing, the Devils are at the top of the Eastern Conference standings. They have 16 points, tied with the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins, but they did it in 10 games, unlike the other two teams behind them.
There’s a lot to love about their start. Three players have more than a point per game. Five players have at least four goals, and neither of them is Nico Hischier or Timo Meier. There’s a lot that’s already happened with this team.
With that said, what have we actually learned about this group? Ignoring things like “they got injured a lot,” what were the biggest takeaways from the first few weeks of the season?
1. Jack Hughes is HIM
Some were worried about which Jack Hughes the Devils would get coming off another shoulder surgery. Would he be tentative getting into hard areas? Would he avoid contact and look for shots that didn’t include going into high-danger areas? Nope, we got the same old Jack Hughes we always get when he’s at his best.
Hughes had a somewhat slow start, but now he’s tied for the league lead in goals. Many of those goals are absolutely insane, including his most recent goal that made it 5-4 against the Colorado Avalanche. He also had a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Hughes has been so good that some are saying he’s “overrated” based on the takes online. That’s absolutely not true. When he’s playing like this, he’s one of the 10 best hockey players in the world.
There’s clearly a level of motivation in Hughes’s game this season. He’s trying to prove something. If he continues on this trajectory, he will easily become the Devils’ all-time points leader, breaking his own record and becoming the first to hit the 100-point mark in a season.
2. Nico Hischier can literally shut down anyone
Nico Hischier, especially when the Devils are on home ice, has been asked to match up with the best players in the league. So far this season, he’s been tasked with taking on Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon (twice), Kirill Kaprizov, Auston Matthews, and Macklin Celebrini. In most of those matchups, the opposing star player was kept off the scoreboard entirely.
Coming into the season, Hischier was considered a top contender for the Selke Trophy, given to the best defensive forward in the NHL. He’s certainly putting his name in the ring for that award. Shutting down the best of the best while still getting your points is how one wins this award.
The narrative is driving this, as well. Some are appreciating Hischier for his two-way game, saying he should be in the same conversations that Jack Hughes is in.
In reality, the Devils are winning because they have two centers who play a completely different style. Hischier and Hughes complement each other so well, and having one who can fill the holes of the other is how teams win Stanley Cups. Not saying the Devils are there yet, but they have some of the pieces that get you there.
3. Jake Allen can be the starter if needed
It’s been 10 games, but we’ve already seen so many storylines concerning the goalie position. Jacob Markstrom started the season inconsistently, and then he suffered an injury. Jake Allen was forced to leave in the second intermission of his first start. Nico Daws came in for one game and looked like a legitimate NHL goalie. Markstrom then returned and looked even worse than he did before.
However, the biggest storyline in net is the absolute dominance of Allen. He’s one of the best goalies in the league statistically this season. He boasts a .923 save percentage and has allowed fewer than two goals per game. He’s also 5-0-0 with a sixth win where he played the first and second periods.
Allen has been everything the Devils could have hoped for when they re-signed him this offseason. When Markstrom goes down or isn’t on his game, Allen can take the reins. Will it last all season?
Honestly, we think it might. Allen did this same thing last year every time Markstrom went down with an injury. We argued he should have started in the playoffs, but to be fair, Markstrom was great against the Carolina Hurricanes. Still, if the Devils need him, Allen can be their starter.
4. Sheldon Keefe found his stride
This week on the Let’s Go Devils Podcast, we asked ESPN reporter Kristen Shilton her thoughts on Sheldon Keefe’s start this season. She covered Keefe as a beat reporter in Toronto, so she understands better how he works. It’s clear that this is a coach who is much more comfortable in his role with the Devils, and he’s said as much.
Keefe is coaching like he has a lifetime contract, and that's a good thing. He is following his instincts, and he's still trying things out to see if something might work better. We don't need Keefe to rest on his laurels despite the Devils' strong start.
It also helps to have Brad Shaw on the bench. We still think he’s one of the best defensive coaches in the game who doesn’t have a head coaching job. The Devils got a gem this offseason, and he might prove to be their best offseason move.
Keefe and Co. are hitting the right buttons for the Devils. The stars are playing like stars, and the contributors down the lineup are doing their jobs about as well as anyone can ask. Starting the season 8-2-0 really helps the confidence level, but we feel like it’s more about changes in Keefe’s perspective and a full year under his belt in Jersey than anything else.
5. Simon Nemec will do more good than bad
The Simon Nemec ride has been a roller coaster to start the season, but like going to Six Flags Great Adventure, we like most of what he’s doing, even if a small portion of what he’s doing is a mistake. Nemec has played with incredible confidence, and his offensive instincts have been off the charts. He will pinch a ton, and that is where the mistakes come into play, but it also leads to goals.
Just look at the goal that beat the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Jack Hughes missed a point-blank opportunity, and he was about to go for a change with the Avs taking possession on the 3v3. Instead, Nemec challenged Cale Makar, stole the puck from Martin Necas, and found a wide-open Jack Hughes for an easy game winner.
As of this writing, Nemec has seven points (all assists) to start this season. He’s playing 16:30 to start the season, and he should play even more now that the Devils are dealing with a Brett Pesce injury. In the past, that would worry Devils fans, but that’s not the case this season.
Nemec is almost fueled by the extra time on the ice. He knows that to keep his job when Pesce and Johnny Kovacevic return from injury, he has to be undeniable. So far, so good.