The New Jersey Devils defense has been the talk of the NHL Offseason. We've heard some hot takes about this unit. After signing both Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon, this defense looks stacked. Some ask whether this is a top-five unit in the NHL. Some have asked if this is the best defense the Devils have had since they won the Stanley Cup in 2003 (it's not). They've even brought Sheldon Keefe into this, celebrating that this is much better than any unit he's had in Toronto.
Is this the best defense Sheldon Keefe has ever had? pic.twitter.com/tIBOIajmnz
— Michael Amato (@amato_mike) July 16, 2024
Of course, it is take season. People are going to come out with their spiciest opinions because not a lot is happening. We have a lot of time to be... creative.
With all this hype, we have to come out and be realistic. The Devils defense is good, and it can be great. This truly can be a top-five unit in the league. It has that ceiling. However, a ceiling isn't guaranteed, as the Devils learned very clearly last season. We want to be aware of what could go wrong with this defensive unit and prepare.
1. Injuries
We cannot predict injuries, but we wanted to bring it up. Last season, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Dougie Hamilton, and Colin Miller all missed significant time. The Devils played 11 defensemen last season. They thought they had depth, but that depth was tested, and it forced some players to play hurt, and they were ineffective.
Some of the Devils' depth was forced to play immediately, like Nemec when Hamilton got hurt. Others didn't work out the way they had hoped, but the Devils depth is different this season. Adding Johnathan Kovacevic and Nick DeSimone (re-signing) to the roster gives them two legit NHL defensemen without question. Add in Santeri Hatakka, Topias Vilen, and Seamus Casey in the AHL, and there is serious depth here.