The NHL season is finally back on Tuesday, with multiple teams suiting up for the first time in months. We get to see all the new players and how they fit on the roster. We also get to understand who might be contenders and who won’t be.
The New Jersey Devils are in this interesting in-between place where not many are picking them to make the Stanley Cup Final, but most believe they are in a different conversation when it comes to the Metropolitan Division. National analysts believe they should be pretty good.
Almost everyone uses that caveat “barring injuries.” The Devils will be good as long as most of their lineup stays healthy. However, they haven’t stayed healthy in years. So, it’s a good bet that at least a half dozen players will get hurt. Heck, right now, they are dealing with injuries to Johnny Kovacevic, Stefan Noesen, Brett Pesce (who appears to be good to go on opening night), Seamus Casey, Juho Lammikko, and Marc McLaughlin.
Still, the Devils are in a good position to make the playoffs again. The Metropolitan Division, on paper, isn’t very good. Carolina is expected to be competitive again, but everyone else (outside the Devils) has major holes up and down the roster.
The Rangers are expected to be that third team, but are they better than last season? Columbus had a nice season last year, but can they find magic again? Is Philadelphia not just a bottom-feeder? Pittsburgh is still trying to sell off assets, and the Islanders are in the first year of a rebuild (albeit a short one, most likely).
Recently, NHL.com asked its writers who was going to finish where in the final standings. Fifteen writers answered the call, and they all came up with the same result for the Devils: they are making the playoffs.
Out of the writers, all but one had the Devils in the top three spots of the Metropolitan Division. The one who had them in a Wild Card position was ironically Tom Gulitti, who had previously covered the Devils' beat before moving on to cover the Washington Capitals.
Tracey Myers, who mainly covers the Chicago Blackhawks, was the only writer to have the Devils winning the Metro. Most writers (12 of 15) had the Devils second in the division. We’re sure most fans would be more than happy with that result.