Didn’t realize it was ESPN+ locked, but they have the devils at #1:
Why they’re here: The Devils’ return to the playoffs last season officially opened their window to win another Stanley Cup. But when you look at how New Jersey is set up for the future, it’s less a window than a barn door. The current roster ranked No. 3 overall. The reinforcements in the prospect pool — which include 2022 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec on defense — ranked second in that category. The Devils have secured vital parts of their core on good contracts — that $8 million AAV for Jack Hughes is the new “Nathan MacKinnon’s bargain contract helps the Avalanche contend” — to finish fifth in the that ranking. GM Tom Fitzgerald, coach Lindy Ruff and the Devils’ ownership were eighth overall. New Jersey was a dynastic team from 1995 through 2003. Our panel clearly feels it’s the dawn of a new era for the Devils. — Wyshynski
Points of concern: Homegrown talents such as Dawson Mercer and Akira Schmid will need new deals, as will the recently acquired Tyler Toffoli. But other than that? The Devils appear to be in a situation several teams would want. They have the majority of their core signed to long-term deals while the rest of their roster is on cap-friendly deals that provide relief both in length and money. Re-signing players such as Mercer, Schmid and Toffoli will eventually impact their cap situation. It could be a similar situation when Luke Hughes’ ELC ends in two seasons. But for now, it appears that the Devils have found a way to strike a balance between being a playoff team that also has a strong financial standing while in addition to possessing an extremely strong farm system. — Clark
Reason for hope: New Jersey couldn’t be in a much better spot for present and future success. The Devils defied expectations last season in a big way and GM Tim Fitzgerald made intelligent decisions this offseason — like trading for Toffoli and securing Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt on long-term extensions — to improve New Jersey’s prospects even further. The Devils have terrific offensive depth as is, with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier coming off career-best campaigns, and the blue line should be stronger with Jonas Siegenthaler taking another step forward. And we haven’t even touched on the Devils’ pipeline where there’s even more potential waiting to join an already-existing roster destined for (more) great things. — Shilton
silvermarsh
Satan team good!
Dustmopper
I know it’s been a decade in the making but it still feels like this rebuild happened incredibly fast
Basically my brain just throws about anything before the Hughes draft in 2019
Somehow they have the league’s best Top 6 group, it seems like it happened overnight
3 Comments
Didn’t realize it was ESPN+ locked, but they have the devils at #1:
Why they’re here: The Devils’ return to the playoffs last season officially opened their window to win another Stanley Cup. But when you look at how New Jersey is set up for the future, it’s less a window than a barn door. The current roster ranked No. 3 overall. The reinforcements in the prospect pool — which include 2022 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec on defense — ranked second in that category. The Devils have secured vital parts of their core on good contracts — that $8 million AAV for Jack Hughes is the new “Nathan MacKinnon’s bargain contract helps the Avalanche contend” — to finish fifth in the that ranking. GM Tom Fitzgerald, coach Lindy Ruff and the Devils’ ownership were eighth overall. New Jersey was a dynastic team from 1995 through 2003. Our panel clearly feels it’s the dawn of a new era for the Devils. — Wyshynski
Points of concern: Homegrown talents such as Dawson Mercer and Akira Schmid will need new deals, as will the recently acquired Tyler Toffoli. But other than that? The Devils appear to be in a situation several teams would want. They have the majority of their core signed to long-term deals while the rest of their roster is on cap-friendly deals that provide relief both in length and money. Re-signing players such as Mercer, Schmid and Toffoli will eventually impact their cap situation. It could be a similar situation when Luke Hughes’ ELC ends in two seasons. But for now, it appears that the Devils have found a way to strike a balance between being a playoff team that also has a strong financial standing while in addition to possessing an extremely strong farm system. — Clark
Reason for hope: New Jersey couldn’t be in a much better spot for present and future success. The Devils defied expectations last season in a big way and GM Tim Fitzgerald made intelligent decisions this offseason — like trading for Toffoli and securing Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt on long-term extensions — to improve New Jersey’s prospects even further. The Devils have terrific offensive depth as is, with Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier coming off career-best campaigns, and the blue line should be stronger with Jonas Siegenthaler taking another step forward. And we haven’t even touched on the Devils’ pipeline where there’s even more potential waiting to join an already-existing roster destined for (more) great things. — Shilton
Satan team good!
I know it’s been a decade in the making but it still feels like this rebuild happened incredibly fast
Basically my brain just throws about anything before the Hughes draft in 2019
Somehow they have the league’s best Top 6 group, it seems like it happened overnight