The New Jersey Devils are off to a pretty good start in 2024-25. They are 5-2-1 after their most recent game, an overtime loss to the Washington Capitals. Devils fans should feel mostly good about this start. Most of the team has shown up and played well through the first couple of weeks of the season.
On Monday, the Devils sent Seamus Casey down to the AHL. He made his NHL debut and scored some pretty goals, which is good for his confidence. However, the defense at even strength needs improvement, and he will work on that well with the Utica Comets.
This also means that Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce are close to returning. Neither of them have played a game yet this season. A boost like that on defense can only help them.
The New Jersey Devils have been winning games in different ways
Jack Hughes is off to a slow start this season. New Jersey’s most prolific offensive player has one goal and four assists for five points through eight games. That's not even that bad. Once he gets going, the Devils will be even more dangerous.
They didn’t get to 5-2-1 without some good things happening. Depth pieces who weren’t there last year are making an impact. Guys like Johnathan Kovacevic, Tomas Tatar, Paul Cotter, and Stefan Noesan have all been outstanding.
Nico Hischier deserves some individual praise. The captain has been incredible in all three zones. Against the top players on each opponent, Hischier shuts them down and creates offense on his own. Hischier leads the team in both goals with five and points with eight. By the end of the year, he could be in the Selke Trophy conversation.
Wingers like Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier are also expected to be offensive leaders on this team and they have at different points. They are in good spots with centers like Hughes and Hischier at their disposal.
Lastly, the goaltending has been good. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen have been a solid duo for a team that was so starving for goaltending a year ago. They don’t need to win the Jennings Trophy or anything like that, but they need to make big saves when the game is on the line. The offense will do the rest.
It will take a couple of weeks for the team to be clicking on all cylinders. If the depth can keep doing what it’s doing as stars like Hughes get going, they could be one of the top teams in the East. There is a lot of work to be done, but this is a great start.