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The New Jersey Devils still have a speed problem

The New Jersey Devils had moments last season where it seemed like they were skating in mud, and the speed issue got worse this offseason.
ByNick Villano|
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New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (43) skates with against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes (43) skates with against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New Jersey Devils have a speed problem. Just straight up, they are too slow. Even after replacing Tom Fitzgerald and adding Sunny Mehta to a more analytics-focused front office, the issue honestly got worse.

Last year, the Devils finished below average in overall speed, including just 61 22+ MPH speed bursts for the entire season. That ranked 22nd in the league and is 25 bursts away from median. Dropping it just a bit, according to NHL EDGE stats, the Devils are even worse. They had 1,520 20-22 MPH bursts, which is 24th in the league. 

When looking at the players who were actually able to have those top bursts of speed, there are some surprising names at the top and one not so surprising name. Luke Hughes has four of the Devils top 10 speed bursts. That’s good because it shows that he still has that elite ability. 

Outside of Hughes, the other speed bursts consist of Connor Brown, Paul Cotter, Brenden Dillon (what???), Nico Hischier, and Evgenii Dadonov. Two of those players are no longer on the team, and two of them don’t make a lick of sense. The Devils fastest players should not be Dillon and Brown. They need guys like Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes to be their breakout players. 

The Devils need to be faster

Mehta added Evan Rodrigues, who has below-average speed, and Jesper Boqvist, who is actually pretty fast but likely is going to be on the fourth line. 

The Devils need to compete with the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals. Both teams have great forward groups that could lock the Devils into their defensive zone if they aren’t careful. This was already an issue for the Devils; an inability to break out of their zone. If they have great speed, that will always be a threat, and teams will be playing differently in the offensive zone.

There was a lot for Mehta to fix when he jumped into the GM seat, but speed needs to be a priority. Honestly, they have the talent so maybe Sheldon Keefe just has to add this in to his philosophy. Either way, the Devils need to be faster, and goals will follow.

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