2. How will Jacob Markstrom look in the preseason?
Speaking of Markström, let's talk about the new main guy between the pipes. Fitzgerald proclaimed that he would go, "big game hunting", this offseason he got his game when he acquired the 34-year-old from the Calgary Flames for Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first-round pick. Markström, along with Allen give the Devils a tandem that, if all goes well, could be a major catalyst towards a Stanley Cup championship run. There's no question that Markström will be the number one guy in the net for the Devils when the season gets going. What I'm curious about is to see what he looks like in the preseason.
Granted, he won't play in every game, but he is certainly expected to get some minutes in 2-3 of the seven games that the Devils will play before their October 4th season opener. I want to see what the netminder looks like in his playing time and how he adapts to the team in front of him. It won't tell you that much, but it should give everyone a little bit of an idea as to how Markström plays and how he can affect the outcome of a game.
3. Where will Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillion Fit on the D pairings?
The Devils ended up signing two of the biggest names in the defensive free-agent market to help bolster a defense that struggled mightily last year. Both Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillion bring playoff experience, physicality, and a defensive-minded approach. Each of them will fit in well with guys like Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, Luke Hughes, and Šimon Nemec. As mentioned before, Keefe will have a lot of talent on the backend, which leads to the question of where we will see both Pesce and Dillion line up.
One of them, Pesce, is a right-handed defenseman. The other, Dillion, is a left-handed defenseman. The top pairing will most likely be Hamilton, who's returning from a season-ending torn pectoral muscle injury, and Siegenthaler. Pesce projects to be paired with Hughes to have a more offense/defense balance. As for Dillion, I expect him to be with Nemec and make that a defense-heavy pairing. It'll be fun to see how they mesh with the young guys want how it all comes together.