To say this has been a rough season for the New Jersey Devils would be a massive understatement. Everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for this team. Now, with pretty much everyone back from injury that devastated them early in the season, there’s no chemistry on the ice and the losses are piling up.
The Carolina Hurricanes withheld an early offensive onslaught, which once again led to zero goals for the Devils, to handle the second half of the game and beat the Devils 4-1. Even the Devils finally getting a power-play goal against their rival wasn’t enough to win. The Devils are just not that type of team this season.
Andrei Svechnikov scored a hat trick on Saturday night, and the Devils have been inept offensively, so that was the nail in the coffin. Jack Hughes scored in his first game back from injury, and he hasn’t scored in 12 games since. Jacob Markstrom is still a problem, and one that isn’t getting fixed anytime soon.
The Devils haven’t made any significant moves to change their fortunes. Sheldon Keefe is still the head coach. Tom Fitzgerald is still the head decision maker for the roster. No major trade has been made, and the only real move they made was benching Dougie Hamilton, who has now become the best defenseman on the roster.
It makes it obvious that the Devils shouldn’t even discuss the playoffs. They don’t need to write a letter or anything like that, but internally, this should be considered a seller. It’s sad to say, and maybe if the Devils turn things around organically, that could change their fortunes, but it’s too late to think about buying at the trade deadline. They shouldn’t be moving significant assets when they are in their current place in the standings.
After their loss on Saturday night, the Devils find themselves second-to-last in the Eastern Conference. They are seven points out of a playoff spot and 14 points behind the division-leading Hurricanes.
It’s frustrating to think that if the Devils beat the Hurricanes on January 4th, they would have been in a playoff spot and only three points behind the Canes for the division lead. The Devils just keep finding a new rock bottom this season, and whenever they get close to salvaging this awful season, they decide that’s the time to play even worse hockey.
So it’s not a surprise this morning to see where the Devils stand in playoff odds. Moneypuck released their latest odds predictor, and it’s not good for the Devils.
Playoff chances as of Sunday https://t.co/RbnckCLHNP pic.twitter.com/8budjktMS6
— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) January 18, 2026
The Devils' playoff chances are down to 12%. That's completely and utterly awful. Moneypuck's algorithm is very high on the Pittsburgh Penguins, which is impacting the numbers, but can anyone really argue that the Devils should be higher?
This season has been a mess, and it will likely stay that way. There's no reason to be a buyer in the market right now. The haves and have nots have separated themselves in the Eastern Conference, and the Devils are on the latter end of that argument. It's time to face that reality and assess what's next.