And Then There Were None: New Jersey Devils playoff chances move to zero

The New Jersey Devils came into this season with high hopes. The Devils seem to go into every season with high hopes, and they haven’t lived up to those expectations since 2023. It’s now three seasons in a row where they haven’t met the expectations a team with this level of talent should meet. 

On Tuesday night, the Devils had a real chance to do something positive this season. They had a chance to bury the New York Rangers and sweep the Hudson River Rivalry. Instead, they got demolished by their rivals, and it was the final nail in the coffin of a terrible season. We use language like that a lot, but this literally was the final nail.

Up until Tuesday’s game, the Devils were holding onto very minuscule chances to make the playoffs. According to Moneypuck, the Devils have spent the last few weeks between 0.1% and 0.5%. On Wednesday, after yet another regulation loss, that number finally dropped to zero. The Devils aren’t even mentioned on the wheel of teams anymore. 

The New Jersey Devils playoff chances hit zero

Now that it’s official, we can do a complete obituary of the season. It was not a fun hockey time watching the New Jersey Devils hit the ice. Tuesday was a reminder of everything that was wrong with this team. The Devils are winless when going into the third period when their opponents hold a lead. This is just not a team with pushback. Heck, even the Utica Comets finally got the monkey off their back and recorded a comeback win.

The Devils' front office and ownership group sat back and watched a season that was exciting in the beginning slowly go down the drain. One day, they were the top team in the Metropolitan Division. Seemingly weeks later, they were out of the playoffs. 

Another Jack Hughes injury derailed their season. Brett Pesce suffered two major injuries. Luke Hughes suffered one, as well. That also came after he held out of training camp and the preseason to obtain a $9 million per season contract. Their best contract, a $1 million deal with Evgenii Dadonov, became worthless when he suffered an injury in Game 1. 

There’s so much else worth discussing, but at the end of the day, moving nobody and doing nothing has the Devils in this position. They didn’t add an offensive piece when the team couldn’t score. They didn’t fire Sheldon Keefe when other teams made bold moves that have them in the playoffs now. Both the Buffalo Sabres and Columbus Blue Jackets have fired decision-makers, and they are well on their way to a playoff spot. 

The Devils made no moves, and now their season is ending in two weeks. That much is confirmed after a listless loss to the Rangers.