The worst parts of the 2024-25 New Jersey Devils season are repeating themselves this season. For a team with lofty goals and expectations, they seem to find themselves on the wrong end of things on the luck side. The Devils were blown out in Philadelphia on Saturday night, going 2-3-0 during a five-game road trip.
The Devils lost superstar center Jack Hughes. In the four games since Hughes hurt his pinky at a team dinner, the Devils have only scored six goals and allowed 14. Jacob Markstrom is struggling and seemingly hurt. His play has dipped mightily since getting injured against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The bottom six forwards are not producing enough to make up for the lack of production of the top forwards.
Wait. We have quite literally seen this movie before. It is the same director too! Tom Fitzgerald! His earlier works between 2020 and the summer of 2023 were well received. But from 2024 to now have been less than stellar.
The Devils lost Jack Hughes over the last 20 games of last season, and the remaining top players could not maintain the scoring pace. Jacob Markstrom got hurt in January and didn't act like an NHL goalie until the playoffs. The bottom six and depth players could not even chip in a goal once in a blue moon.
If it were not for the early-season cushion, the Devils were very much in danger of missing the playoffs. The Devils were only two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final spot in the Metro Division when the season ended.
There are two major differences from this year to last. One is positive while the other is negative.
Starting with the negative: The Devils did not build up enough of a lead in the standings to feel comfortable. The Devils are 13-7-1. It is late November, so the standings are not that pressing of a deal. However, the parity in the NHL this season is a lot closer than it was last year.
There is no separation like the Devils had last year. They were in the President's Trophy Conversation on New Year's Eve. They are going through all of their demons a month earlier than they did last season. The room for error is not as wide
The positive: Jack Hughes should be back. The Devils always seem lost without Jack Hughes. They cannot score, and as Ken Daneyko said on the Flyers-Devils broadcast, they look like a shell of themselves. With Hughes back, the Devils should be healthy enough to make a run for the playoffs.
The question is: can they survive the next two months without Jack Hughes? The sample size this year is small, sure. But adding last year's sample size, it paints an incredibly grim picture.
How did Tom Fitzgerald respond last season to losing Jack Hughes? Cody Glass, Daniel Sprong, Dennis Cholowski, and Brian Dumoulin.
Glass has been a surprising bright spot in the Devils' lineup when he is in it. He has been hurt for a bit of this season, adding to the Devils' scoring struggles. Cholowski, a defenseman, can be sent to the moon, and it would not make a difference. Cholowski has not been good in any way, shape, or form this season. Sprong is in Russia, and Dumoulin is in Los Angeles.
Fitzgerald waited too long to get reinforcements, as those players were added at the trade deadline. There are three months or more until the deadline this season. Hughes should come back in between then. However, Fitzgerald needs to act now.
If Fitzgerald wants to avoid a collapse for the second straight year, he is going to have to do something he is not used to: be proactive. Fitzgerald went to the Ray Shero School of Waiting*. He cannot do that again this season, or else this year will be another one that started off promising, but management neglected when push came to shove.
If the last road trip is any indication for what is to come for the next two months, the Devils may dig themselves out of a hole they cannot get out of. If that happens, the Devils may need a new director for the 2026-27 season.