Early Tuesday morning, Sportsnet released a piece where they polled each of their NHL insiders on which teams would end up at the top of their respective divisions and who would ultimately win the Stanley Cup.
Most seemed to land on the consensus pick for each respective division, with the majority voting that the Edmonton Oilers, Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, and Montreal Canadiens would end up at the top. No real qualms there -- the group is a bit bullish on the Canadiens, but the rest of their picks follow betting odds. Of course, among the 21 voters, not one pick was unanimous, and some were closer than others.
The Metropolitan Division vote saw two-thirds (14 of 21) pick the reigning Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes, which, again, is predictable. The problem is with the remaining seven -- not one vote was given to the New Jersey Devils, with each of the stragglers voting for the Washington Capitals to win the division.
The Devils are not getting respect from media members, but that's not a surprise
Predictably, then, not one of the 21 voters chose the Devils to be involved in any capacity in the Stanley Cup Finals, either as the winner or the runner-up.
The Stanley Cup bids are certainly reasonable to omit the Devils from -- after all, they have been a back-and-forth playoff team since their breakthrough 2022-23 season, and this core has just one playoff series win under their belt.
That said, the changes that New Jersey's roster has undergone, in combination with the presumed fully healthy and hungry Jack Hughes -- who is a top-seven-at-worst player in the league when he's rolling as he was after the Olympics last season -- and a revised system that will seemingly revisit the rush-oriented offense that was so deadly four campaigns ago, have served them well on paper.
Their forward corps is one of the five deepest groups in the league, with two first lines, a second line, and a third line on any given night. They're faster, more skilled, and more set up for success than they have been in quite a long time. Factoring in natural growth from Luke Hughes and the possibility of getting the third Hughes brother, which is becoming increasingly likely, it is a bit surprising that the Devils didn't receive a single vote.
Finishing first in the Metropolitan Division is absolutely within the scope of reality, with a bit of injury luck and players playing to their projections.
Add us as a preferred source on Google