The New Jersey Devils are not soft. Nor are they not physical enough. They defend well and get quality goaltending from Jacob Markström and Jake Allen, even through this 2-5-3 stretch.
The Devils are struggling right now because they don't have enough skill. Yep, you read that right. Maybe that's a crazy thing to say for a team with Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier. You can throw Timo Meier in the mix, too.
But it essentially starts and ends there when it comes to skill players in the Devils' lineup. That's likely one reason why they have interest in J.T. Miller, even though a trade to the Devils seems unlikely.
Devils Put Too Much Into Physicality and Not Enough Into Scoring Last Offseason
To start, let's review the Devils' offseason moves:
- Acquired Paul Cotter
- Acquired Jacob Markström
- Acquired Johnathan Kovacevic
- Signed Stefan Noesen
- Signed Tomáš Tatar
- Signed Brett Pesce
- Signed Brenden Dillon
There's plenty of physicality and toughness in that group and not much skill. That's not to say Fitzgerald didn't try. The Devils were in on Jonathan Marchessault before the Nashville Predators swooped in to sign him on July 1 (that may have been a blessing in disguise).
Still, they didn't add another scorer last offseason, and it's hurt them since the Christmas break, with the Devils scoring just 1.9 goals per game in their last 11 contests.
Even before Christmas, the Devils had been underperforming their expected numbers. They've been one of the worst-finishing teams in the NHL this season, scoring 148 goals on 171.47 expected goals. They're about 23 goals scored below expected, which has surely cost them some wins.
When looking at the roster, that's not necessarily a surprise. Jack Hughes has produced at 40-plus-goal paces before, so he can finish. Bratt has cracked the 30-goal mark, too. As have Hischier and Meier, but the consistent scoring threat is lacking after those players.
Ondřej Palát had a nice stretch of scoring this season, but no one will mistake him for a consistent goal-scorer at this point of his career. Dawson Mercer is having another disappointing season offensively, though giving him more minutes alongside Hughes could get him going.
Meanwhile, the bottom six has contributed next to nothing offensively this season. Paul Cotter goes through long stretches without scoring, while Erik Haula had two points in his last 25 games before going down with an injury a couple of weeks ago.
The Devils' fourth line has been better the last couple of games, with Tatar, Curtis Lazar and Nathan Bastian providing the lone offense in the team's most recent two losses. Still, they're not the most gifted scorers.
The New Jersey Devils need to add skill and scoring if they truly want to compete.
It's 2025. NHL bottom sixes need some scoring upside, especially on the third line. That's part of why the Devils have struggled to score lately. But it's also because they need more help in the top six to push Palát and Noesen down the lineup.
That's why you try to make a J.T. Miller trade. Not only is he a high-end scorer, but he'd also add some hard skill to the Devils' lineup. That trade does seem unlikely based on the most recent reporting from Elliotte Friedman, but Fitzgerald will have other options he can target for scoring help.
Friedman recently mentioned on 32 Thoughts that Oliver Bjorkstrand is one name he's heard out there a bit. Bjorkstrand is on pace for 23 goals and 54 points on a Seattle Kraken team that doesn't generate much offense. He has 1.5 years left on his deal at a cap hit of $5.4 million, which will likely appeal to Fitzgerald.
Marco D'Amico of RG reported on Sunday that the Pittsburgh Penguins are ready for a fire sale. No, Sidney Crosby is not coming to the Devils. Neither are Evgeni Malkin or Bryan Rust based on D'Amico's reporting, but could Rickard Rakell interest the Devils?
Rakell is having a career year with 23 goals and 40 points in 47 games. He is shooting nearly 19 percent, so buyer beware, but he also totaled 28 goals and 60 points two seasons ago. He has 3.5 years left on his deal at a cap hit of $5 million. He is 31, but it wouldn't shock me if he's someone who interests the Devils.
There'll also be potential rentals like Kyle Palmieri and Jason Zucker that make sense. And perhaps Brock Boeser is the best fit among potential trade targets from the Vancouver Canucks.
But whatever the case is, the Devils need more skill and goal-scoring ability. This team does not have enough goal-scoring to make a run in the playoffs. They're physical enough, tough enough, and defend well enough to play playoff hockey. Those are not issues anymore, and they may have even overcorrected for it. Now, they need more goal-scoring and skill to become a legitimate threat again.
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