Power Ranking New Jersey Devils' offseason moves impact on winning this season

2. Hiring Sheldon Keefe as head coach

For a long time, we've been on record saying that hiring the right head coach was more important than trading or signing the right goalie. That is more of a long-term view, and it's especially true when comparing Keefe to Markstrom, and when equating all the other moves the Devils made this offseason. This was a fantastic hire that could change the culture of this team moving forward. It's the type of move that will lead to a championship if the team gets a little more help and a lot of luck.

3. Signing Brett Pesce

The New Jersey Devils could have blamed last year's defensive lapses on injuries. They could have just said it's likely Jonas Siegenthaler and John Marino will bounce back. They could have focused on depth and hope any addition they made to replace Brendan Smith would have sufficed. Instead, Tom Fitzgerald put his money where his defense is. This is the last season where both Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec will play under entry-level contracts, so it makes sense to spend on defenders in the short term. They started with a six-year deal for Brett Pesce. While he is a long-term risk, he's a pretty clear slam dunk for 2024-25. He gets in passing lanes and directly stops offense. The Devils also get him at the slightest of discounts ($5.5 million when it was widely rumored it would be $6+ million) because he didn't have as great a 23-24 as he did 22-23.