On a macro level, the New Jersey Devils have been on a roller-coaster ride the past few years. Zoom in and you’ll see that up-and-down trajectory certainly applies to this season’s Devils squad, too. And, with Jersey in the midst of another swoon, you wonder if something big might be coming down the pipes for a team that — on its best day — can hang with anybody in the Eastern Conference.
The Devils dropped two home games this weekend, scoring a total of two goals in losses to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and Ottawa Senators 24 hours later. New Jersey — still comfortably in the playoffs — has now lost four in a row (including extra-time defeats) for the third time this year and is 2-6-3 with just one 60-minute win since Christmas.
That’s probably why first-year Devils bench boss Sheldon Keefe dusted off a frustrated-coach classic after Sunday’s lost to the Sens, saying Jersey needed its best players to be its best players.
Can we respectfully suggest the Devils also consider some new players?
There’s obviously a strong core in Jersey and the team has not been shy about making bold moves ahead of the trade deadline the past couple years. In the winter of 2023, GM Tom Fitzgerald took a big swing to get Timo Meier from San Jose. Last year, he got right down to the wire with the Calgary Flames in an attempt to land Jacob Markstrom. Things fell apart on the one-yard line, though, and the trade wasn’t consummated until the summer.
Of course, goaltending — to say nothing of some horrible injury luck — has had a hand in the yo-yoing nature of this franchise. In 2021-22, the Devils finished with 63 points, fewer than all but four teams. The following season, New Jersey nearly doubled that total with 112 points to finish third overall and win a playoff round. Last year — when the goaltending issues and injury woes really hit — the Devils fell way off the pace and finished well outside the playoffs.
Markstrom has stabilized the crease and, Keefe’s concerns about his best players notwithstanding, this is a roster with a lot of talent. It’s also an organization with some intriguing prospects, especially ones trying to break through an already crowded blueline crew.
Drafting Simon Nemec second overall in 2022 was the silver lining for all the losing Jersey did that year. But nearly three years later, Nemec has yet to get full-time footing in the NHL and his story is starting to seem similar to that of David Jiricek, a fellow defenceman who was drafted four slots after Nemec in ’22. Jiricek’s strained relations with the club that selected him, the Columbus Blue Jackets, came to a head when he was dealt to the Minnesota Wild earlier this season. Though they play different styles, both Jiricek and Nemec are highly coveted right-shot D-men. In fact, it feels like every team in the league is looking for blue-liners who line up starboard side; with the exception of New Jersey.
The Devils already have UFA whales Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce in their lineup. They also made a nice on-the-margins move to land large righty Jonathan Kovacevic in the summer. At the start of this season, Seamus Casey — a 2022 second-rounder — showed some of his potential at the NHL level with three goals in eight games. He continued to produce well in the AHL before getting hurt in December. He, of course, is also a righty.
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All of this is to say — whether you’re talking about Nemec or Casey — the Devils have a specific piece just about every team in the league desires and Fitzgerald should be very willing to weaponize one of those assets in the name of improving this group.
Who knows; the right swap could make the next upswing one the Devils can ride deep into a wide-open Eastern Conference.
Weekend Takeaways
• Three years before Nemec was taken at No. 2, Kaapo Kakko was 2019’s second-overall pick after the Devils snagged Jack Hughes first. Now that his long-rumoured trade from the Rangers has finally happened, the big Finn is finding himself in Seattle. During the Kraken’s 4-2 win over L.A. on Saturday, Kakko had just the second three-point night of his 344-game career. Kakko is now on five-game point streak, racking up three goals and eight points in that stretch. Since going pointless in his first two games with the Kraken, the 23-year-old winger has produced 13 points in a dozen games. The deal — which saw pending-UFA defenceman Will Borgen move to the Rangers — always made sense from the Seattle side and seems to be working out beautifully for Kakko and the Kraken right now.
• Speaking of upside plays, how good is that Dylan Holloway summertime offer sheet looking for the Blues right now? Holloway, who’s playing left wing on the second line with Brayden Schenn and Jordan Kyrou, picked up a helper in St. Louis’ 4-2 setback in Utah on Saturday night for his third point in two games. The 2020 first-rounder, who was inked away from Edmonton along with defenceman Philip Broberg, has been on a two-month tear as he thrives in a bigger role with the Blues. Holloway has 27 points in his past 25 games, putting him on nearly a 90-point pace for a sample size that’s creeping up to one-third of a season. That’s incredible stuff for a 23-year-old taking his game to a whole other level.
The Week Ahead
• The puck drops early for Presidents’ Day in the U.S. on Monday. The Sharks and Bruins have a 1 p.m. ET affair in Boston, while the Wild and Avs battle in Denver at 3 p.m. ET and the Sabres visit Kakko and the Kraken (it’s just fun to say) for a 4 p.m. ET tilt in Seattle.
• We’re sure to get the second suspension of Connor McDavid’s career early this week, so he won’t be on the ice to face Alex Ovechkin when the Capitals visit Edmonton on Tuesday.
• The Rangers have three home games and no back-to-backs this week, so there’s no guarantee No. 2 stopper Jonathan Quick will get a start. The veteran American does turn 39 on Tuesday, though, and if he gets in the crease this week he can become the 15th goalie in NHL history to win 400 career games.
• The Preds and Sharks have a home-and-home this week, facing off Tuesday in Tennessee and Thursday in San Jose. That means Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov should get at least one crack at the Preds team that drafted him 11th overall in 2020.
Red and White Power Rankings
1. Edmonton Oilers (29-14-3) When the Oilers woke up on New Year’s Eve, they were third in the Pacific Division with eight points between them and the first-place Vegas Golden Knights. Today, Edmonton has pulled even with Vegas — the teams have the exact same record — atop the Pacific and the Oilers are about to begin a six-game homestand.
2. Winnipeg Jets (31-13-3) The Jets have played more home games (26) than everybody in the league except the Maple Leafs (27). Winnipeg is now about to embark on a chunk of schedule that sees it play 15 of its next 23 contests away from Manitoba.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs (29-16-2) Mitch Marner picked up two more points — a pair of assists — on Saturday as the Leafs stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to blow the Habs out 7-3 in Montreal. Marner isn’t just Toronto’s leading scorer; his 64 points are 16 more than his closest teammate, William Nylander (48).
4. Calgary Flames (22-16-7) Calgary earned a 3-1 road win on Saturday against a Jets team the Flames just might see in the first round of the playoffs.
5. Ottawa Senators (24-18-4) It was a massive four-point weekend for the Sens and, though still listed as day-to-day, goalie Linus Ullmark is with the team on the road, where Ottawa has two more huge contests coming up against the Rangers on Tuesday and Bruins on Thursday.
6. Montreal Canadiens (23-19-4) Full marks to the Canadiens for rebounding with a scintillating 5-4 extra-time victory over the Rangers on Sunday night, 24 hours after they gagged up a 3-0 lead to the Leafs on home ice.
7. Vancouver Canucks (20-15-10) Can we officially say we’re on J.T. Miller trade watch?