The New Jersey Devils are expecting to add new pieces to the lineup this offseason. They've already made some moves, sending Erik Haula to the Nashville Predators to add cap space and signing a few pieces to fill out the bottom six. With the NHL Draft and the start of free agency just a few days away, the Devils are preparing for new faces in the Garden State.
One of the best places to learn where these new pieces fit is the preseason. Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe will look to further instill his system, and he will have more of a say of who fits and who doesn't.
Some of the value of the preseason next year is finding the right place for Arseni Gritsyuk and Juho Lammikko. They are both coming to North America after successful stints in the KHL and Switzerland, respectively. If the Devils have two really good bottom-six contributors (or possibly top six for Gritsyuk), it makes life much easier. If they are both essentially depth pieces or need some time in the AHL, that changes how the Devils will go forth with players who might be on professional tryouts (PTO).
Speaking of PTOs, this is where these players can earn NHL contracts, with the Devils or elsewhere. Kevin Labanc played so well in the preseason last season that he turned that into a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Devils will likely be in the PTO game once again this season.
With that said, we learned who the Devils will be facing in the preseason. They have two games against their biggest rivals, the New York Rangers. They are looking to instill a new system under head coach Mike Sullivan, and they might have the biggest roster turnover in the league when the offseason is over. They also have one interesting fact about their preseason schedule:
Sunday, September 21st at 1 p.m. versus New York Rangers
Tuesday, September 23rd at 7 p.m. versus New York Islanders
Friday, September 26th at 7 p.m. @ New York Islanders
Sunday, September 28th at 3 p.m. versus Washington Capitals
Sunday, September 28th at 3 p.m. @ Ottawa Senators (Quebec City game)
Thursday, October 2nd at 7 p.m. @ New York Rangers
Saturday, October 4th at 3 p.m. @ Philadelphia Flyers
Two things really stand out here. For one, the Devils play a lot of afternoon games in their preseason schedule. They also have a long layoff between home games. They play dueling games at 3 p.m. on September 28th, with one being at the Prudential Center. The other game is in Quebec City, an effort by the NHL to play in an arena that has been desperate for professional hockey action.
Going from September 28th until the start of the regular season could push fans more than a week without a home game. Depending on how the regular season shakes out, it could be as long as two weeks.
The Devils preseason schedule is interesting, and there's time off between games in a way that could be useful for Keefe and his coaching staff. They have plenty of time to get players ready for the season. And with so many players coming off major injuries (Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Luke Hughes are all coming off shoulder surgery), the preseason and training camp will be important to get them up to speed.