Last night, the Devils had their final preseason bout, ultimately defeating the division rival New York Islanders by a score of 4-1. Luke Evangelista scored twice, with Dougie Hamilton and Arseny Gritsyuk being responsible for the other two tallies.
As fantastic as the results were, the reality is that preseason doesn't really matter all that much in that regard. It's nice to see your team win, but the process and habits are what actually make a difference at this point in the season.
The great news? The New Jersey Devils' process was somehow better than the results.
A wish that most Devils fans and analysts have had since the end of the 2023-24 season is a reversion to the fun, fast, rush-based offense that made them such a dangerous team years ago. Their 2022-23 season was electric, ultimately leading the league in rush offense while setting a franchise record in regular season points. After they were bounced from the playoffs, former GM Tom Fitzgerald put a concerted effort into making the team "harder to play against," rather than leaning further into the identity of the team that made that team special.
Newcomer GM Sunny Mehta has done his very best to revert the Devils' lineup to that identity built on speed and skill, adding the likes of Anthony Mantha, Luke Evangelista, Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, and Amadeus Lombardi, all of whom are strong rush contributors in one way or another. On paper, the roster looks as ready to thrive in transition as ever.
The system, seemingly, has followed suit. The defensemen were quick to turn retrievals into passes that led to zone exits. The forwards were applying significantly more pressure at the top of the defensive zone in the name of creating turnovers (and, subsequently, odd-man rushes). In the neutral zone, all five players cannibalized loose pucks and forced quick zone entries. Defensemen were joining the rush and pinching confidently in order to sustain pressure. Everyone on the ice played a far more north-south game than the boring, dump-and-chase game they were trying to force previously.
Perhaps it was an overreaction to a preseason game, but the process was certainly quite encouraging. The Devils finally have a roster that can execute off the rush no matter who is on the ice. With the improved personnel, the systems have seemingly adjusted accordingly.
If it sticks that way, the Devils should be a very fun team once again.
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