The New Jersey Devils released their 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday afternoon. There are a few interesting quirks about the schedule. In an inexplicable decision, they only face the New York Rangers three times, and all of them are in March. They will have 15 back-to-back games, which isn’t the most in the league, but it’s close. The Devils start the season on October 9th against the Carolina Hurricanes, and their home opener is October 16th against the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Florida Panthers.
That opening schedule is hard. Not trying to overstate it, but the Devils' season could fall on what happens in October. Yes, it’s as far away from the end of the season as possible, but the schedule is hard. And if the Devils start the season in the doldrums, it could be hard to pull them out of it.
The season starts with a three-game road trip to Carolina, Tampa, and Columbus. The Hurricanes and Lightning are both expecting to be Stanley Cup contenders, and the Blue Jackets want to build momentum after a surprise season. They return home for the Panthers, but then they play the Oilers, the Maple Leafs on the road, then the Minnesota Wild on the back half of a back-to-back.
After that stretch of games, is it conceivable that the Devils would be 1-6? What would the reaction be if the Devils start the season 1-6?
The New Jersey Devils have an intense schedule to start the 2025-26 season
It gets a little easier after that, but it’s not that much easier. The Devils finish the month with two matchups against the Sharks, but that sandwiches two straight games against the Colorado Avalanche. That’s another team that’s trying to be a Stanley Cup contender.
So, 3-8 is very possible for the Devils. They have eight games against playoff teams from last season. It’s not just playoff teams; all of those teams had at least 97 points. You also have a Sharks team that wasn’t a guaranteed win last season for the Devils (although there’s no former Devils’ goalie there to ruin our day).
On the positive side, this schedule could put the right type of pressure on Sheldon Keefe’s squad. If the Devils get early-season wins against the Panthers, Lightning, and Avalanche, it could give them the confidence to drive them for the rest of the season. Winning those games can confirm that they have a good roster.
It’s not going to be easy, but the schedule has the Devils facing an intense beginning. Also, good news, the team is getting those matchups out of the way. They don’t have to worry about injuries impacting their lineup, and they can focus on winning with the right pieces in place. They hope to have Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier in place for all of these games.
Either way, we’re just glad Devils hockey will be back.