New York Islanders Metropolitan Division Offseason Power Ranking

New Jersey Devils | Rank: 6th

2017-18 Record: 44-29-9 (5th)
by: David Lazar

The New Jersey Devils were one of the surprise teams in the NHL last season, but don’t expect an encore.

Countless players had career years that will not be replicated. Will Butcher put up 44 points as a rookie. Taylor Hall, while an elite player, will not have another 26-game point streak that carries the Devils when no one else is contributing.

Stephen Noesen, Brinton Gibbons, Blake Coleman, and Miles Wood were all sensational in depth roles. Brian Boyle’s cancer scare will no longer serve as a rallying call in the locker room.

Everything went right for the Devils. They will not get this lucky again.

Ray Shero added not one NHL player in free agency. Secondary scoring and defense were issues last season, and these needs were not addressed.

Injuries are also slotting up to be an issue for a flimsy Devils team. Starting netminder Cory Schneider is rehabbing from surgery that repaired a torn cartilage in his left hip. There is a good chance that he will not be ready for the start of the season.

Kieth Kinkaid caught lightning in a bottle last season and will need to replicate his success if the Devils want to make the playoffs. The Devils do not have a third-string goaltending option within the system, so if Kinkaid goes down or Schneider takes longer than expected to return, the Devils will run into issues.

The Devils are a fringe playoff team going into a season with high expectations. A young team without four lines of NHL talent will struggle, especially in the loaded Metropolitan Division. All it will take is one injury or a bad year from Taylor Hall for the Devils season to become a dumpster fire, which could very well happen.

Regression will take place next season in New Jersey. Next season will not be pretty.