5 scariest New Jersey Devils stats that must be fixed in 2024-25

The New Jersey Devils were at times the laughing stock of the National Hockey League. There are a few statistics that should work as teaching moments for next year's team. One includes a stat that almost broke an awful record.
Pittsburgh Penguins v New Jersey Devils
Pittsburgh Penguins v New Jersey Devils / Elsa/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next

Stat #3: High-danger chances at 5v5: 756

This stat won't look like many others on this list, which will sit around the bottom of the league (if not dead last). The Devils were actually 12th in the league in high-danger chances at 5v5. While the Devils was above average in this realm, there are a few reasons why this wasn't nearly good enough.

The Devils finished the season with 756 high-danger chances at 5v5. Last season, the Devils had 893. Losing close to 140 high-danger chances in one season is insane. Their high-danger shooting percentage was north of 20% last season. That means the Devils left 28 goals on the table because of a lack of high-danger chances. That number is enough to lose a dozen more games. (Stats via Natural Stat Trick.)

The Devils are built on high-danger chances. When Jack Hughes is running the offense, he should either get the high-danger chance himself, or he should easily find him teammate in a high-danger area. The Nico Hischier-Jesper Bratt-Timo Meier line should all get a ton of major chances.

Guess who was number two in the league in high-danger chances? The Toronto Maple Leafs had 846 such chances last season, behind only the Edmonton Oilers. This is the right coach for this team, and these stats should not repeat themselves.