New Jersey Devils 2025-26 Season Preview | Steve Dangle Podcast

New Jersey Devils 2025-26 Season Preview | Steve Dangle Podcast

the New Jersey Devils. Lots of injuries last year. Sheldon Ke’s first year as Devils head coach and surprisingly lower on the scale of teams that you made the playoffs. They they had the worst um amount of points of any team that made the playoffs tied with the Montreal Canadians. But we know the Devils are better. Yes, we know that with Douggee Hamilton and Jack Hughes is a much better team. Uh and that’s not really a hot take. I know at least one of us, it might have been me, had them winning the division last year, but obviously injuries screwed everything up. 100%. I had them like winning the president’s trophy. Yeah, maybe it was you then. It’s a damn good team. I mean, Jack Hughes was he was so stupid good and then he got hurt. So Douggee Hamilton, too. Bet MGM odds makers agree with you guys because they have them listed at 99 and a half for the overunder. Do you have the Devils listed that high in terms of points this year? I do think losing Hughes and Hamilton just and I know there were other injuries, but I for me that’s an over. I think this is a really really good hockey team. I’m very complicated on the New Jersey Devils. I’ll I’ll I’ll spoil it now. So, in the Hurricanes preview, you guys talked me into moving the Hurricanes up from where I had them. I had them third and I moved them up to second. The team that I had to move down to do that was the Devils. Okay. But 99, I have them over. Wow. Okay. Jesse Blake, I’ll take over as well. And they were a lot closer to that line like last year or very under that line that 91 points like it’s it’s a it’s going to take a bit of a jump. I think so. I think so. The way the way they lost guys, they had to win games completely different ways. Yeah. You know, it’s there. So, it’s hard for it’s hard to get a read on them. Um, obviously Markstrom is heading into the last year of his deal, but this has got to be one of the better veteran tandemss we’ve seen in this era. Uh, Jake Allen, did you make your pick? Uh, I did say I did say over. You said over. Yeah, I believe I did. If I didn’t say it, then over. Um, I think this is a really good team. Jake Allen, Jake Marstrom. Um, I mean, just old and good. And what’s amazing about Jake Allen is he was going to be the bell of the ball uh when he, you know, if he had hit the open market, but he wanted to stay in New Jersey. Stays there on a long-term deal at 1.8 million bucks. Marstrom’s deal is done at the end of this season. So, I’m sure we’re going to get into extension talks there. Luke Hughes is still not signed as of this recording. We’ll see about that, but let’s let’s keep it to the goalending here. I mean, 35 and 35 in terms of the age, they had so many goalending problems before these two guys showed up. Do you just go cross your fingers, hopefully nobody pulls anything? Uh, yes, because I think that’s a reasonable bet. Uh, Marstrom in a contract year, I’m expecting big things out of. Here’s one of the dumbest stats. Marstrom had a flat 900 save percentage, a excellent record of 2616, and six. It’s great. Jake Allen was even better with a 9008 save percentage. That’s much higher than 900. He had four shutouts. Mark had four shutouts. He had a higher save percentage losing record 1316 and1. Wow. Interesting. So, uh, all I can take from that having not watched every single Devils game is they must play different in front of one than the other. Markstrom or maybe Allen just played more games towards the end of the year when they didn’t have as many good players. Could definitely be that as well. Marstrom played 49 on the season, Allen 31. Nico Dah only got into a handful and was actually pretty good at a 939. Um Marstrom is a little bit like mid-career Pecarina where it’s like I’m incredible. I’m unusable. I’m going to win the VZNA. If they get elite goalending, not this 900 garbage. If they get elite goalending and that what 910 plus I mean be a top 10 goalie in the league, which which is what you were paid to do when you were signed to that deal originally, right? If you can be a top Oh, for God’s sake, half top 15 goalie in the league, um there’s no reason the Devils can’t contend to win the division. Jess, when you look at these guys, what do you think? I’m a Nico Dah truther. He got into four games last year in terms of actually like starting the games. About to say six. How dare you? He he got into six games, but he started four of them. And in those starts, he had a 926, then he had a shut out, and then he had a 960, 24 saves on 25 shots, then he had a little of a step back game. It was it was late in the season against Detroit where he allowed four goals on 26 shots. But in the limited NHL action we’ve seen out of Nico Daw, he looks pretty good. Yeah. And I don’t think it’s an outside possibility that Nico Daw is a consistent backup for this team and supplants one of these two goals. Well, I I wonder that with Marshmall if he if he takes over and is really really good and maybe backs stops Germany to a gold medal in the Olympics. Uh cuz Niko Dahas is a a German goalender. Um you he’s 24. Yeah, that’s that’s the thing about goalenders in that age. Like he’s entering the prime. This isn’t a 21-year-old forward prospector like a 23-year-old who were like, “Ah, he is what he is.” Like Nico could just be starting to get really good. And I think the Devils have something with their third goalender. Uh boy, the Udica Comets were bad. Like I’m just I’m Yeah, they were. He was their third best goalie by save percentage yet at 893. [Music] Um 1120 and two was his record, but their leading scorer had 44 points. And if you go back, maybe they weren’t 2324 season where Daw did get some NHL time. Wasn’t fantastic. It was like an 894. You have it there. No one was good. Yeah, that wasn’t a good season. Plus, um, it’s another year removed from that. Like I said, goalies mature a little later. I think he deserves another NHL shot. Allan came in with a 900 save percentage, and we were all like, “This is the greatest goalie any of us have ever seen.” That’s how bad they were. Um, I look at the uh the Devils uh like players. It wouldn’t be a New Jersey Devils season preview if there wasn’t somebody out long term. That’s Jonathan Kovvich uh who is going to be on the IR until at least January is what they said. So, that’s a bit of an opportunity for somebody else. Obviously, you’ve got Douggee Hamilton, Brett Peshy, Brennan Dylan, and Jonah Seenthaler. But also, uh, Sheamus Casey, Simon Ne, who we saw took a huge step forward, and Luke Hughes, who took a huge step forward last year. I I just want Sheamus Casey to not get lost in the shuffle. This guy’s 21 years old. He played 14 games with the Devils last year and had eight points in those 14 games. That’s a pretty good threesome to be coming up through your system right now, dude. They have a great decor now, right now. And you could add Kovasich and Luke Hughes to it. Like, I think Luke Hughes is incredible. I think they’d be fine without him to start. Uh because the depth and top end talent is so good, especially if Douggee Hamilton’s healthy. It reduces your need for Luke Hughes to add him to that. This is great team, man. It it great team now looks good forward. Yeah. Yeah. And and they they better get that done. Yeah. Oh, I think they will. Yeah. But it might take some like maneuvering on the cap cuz at the number he wants right now, they do not have the cap space to sign him. Yeah. So, this what is the subsequent move that’s going to be made to fit him on this team? Good point. I think Douggee Hamilton could be traded, guys. I really do. I look at I look at some of the the types of defenseman they have coming up. You look at what Luke Hughes was able to do in Dougey’s absence. Obviously, I mentioned Sheamus Casey can score some points, too. These guys move the puck. I don’t know. Douggee Hamilton is a very valuable right shot defenseman at nine million bucks. Runs a power play for teams looking for that. And there are a lot of them. You could get a lot back and and and have a look at your roster to start the year and go, where is our actual weakness? Cuz it’s hard to find one honestly the way it’s built. Uh uh moving on to the forwards here. I wonder a little bit about Dawson Mercer. I I don’t know. I don’t know. that million dollars in bonus overage is weighing on them. You think so? Well, no. It It would be valuable to have right now. They They don’t have enough money to sign their best young defender and the bonus isn’t going to help. Like they need something more. Yeah. Yeah. But like maybe that million gets to gets you to a situation where you’re like, “All right, we’ll bridge you.” Well, I mean, Kov Savage and N are both injured. N’s still not playing. I don’t know if he’s going to be ready for the start of the year or not, but there’s $6.25 25 million or something like that that that you could add to the cap space they already have and you probably sign Luke Hughes with that. Maybe maybe it’s not entirely how the LTI works anymore. No, I know. I know. They have to miss the whole year, right? That’s why I went to overage cuz I was like I understand that number. LTI is a little harder. So, as I mentioned, Stephan Nason is out for a little bit here, but up front, um, Team Omire, Jack Hughes, Yesper Brought, Nico Heir, Andre Pat, the God among men, uh, Dawson Mercer, Connor Brown with a big contract coming off the Edmonton Oilers, uh, and coming to the New Jersey Devils. Obviously has a little bit of experience with Sheldon Keefe for their time with the Marlies. Um, you know, this is a pretty deep forward group. Um, and again, I feel like, hey, there’s some there’s some guys here that are also coming up. It’s difficult again to find an issue. I think the top six is elite of the elite. If you’re going to run it out, Hughes, Brat, Mercer, Heir, Meyer, the Dawnoff, like those six guys, elite of the elite, however you want to put them together. The bottom six, I think, is a little lacking. Okay. I think there can be work done there on that bottom six. I really like that Paul Carter, though. I was going to bring him up. Yeah, I like him. He is good. He is good. And and so, okay, then I want to bring it to the last point. We have a lot of uh experience with Sheldon Keefe uh as Leaf fans and they’ll be great in the regular season. Well, yeah. I mean, this seems like the perfect team for Sheldon Keefe to step into, especially if they’re healthy. Like, I felt bad for him last year. I said that when he signed there. I I think he’s a really good fit for them. I do. And I and I mean that wholeheartedly, sincerely. And the way their decor is built, I think when healthy, which it faking very wasn’t, um, I think they’re a problem in the playoffs. Jesse, for Sheldon Keefe to see success in the playoffs, what does he need the New Jersey Devils to do? What does he need to tell these guys to do? Health’s got to be the first thing, right? And that’s where we’re starting with if they’re healthy, it’s a completely different animal. The goalending piece, like he Sheldon needs to get some good goalending out of these guys. Um the goal scoring here I had it up um where they finished in goals four last season because I don’t think it was too impressive. Yeah. Last season goals score amongst NHL teams they were 20th. There needs to be a little bit more offense. Yeah. Uh 30 goal scorers. That’s the end of the list. They had zero. Meer didn’t hit it obviously only played 69 games. He sure didn’t hit it. Only played 71 games. Hughes didn’t hit it. Only played 62 games. brought played a full season. I mean, he’s a playmaker at 83 points, so I won’t piss on him for that. Defoley 26. Oh, he’s not there anymore. He got traded. Uh, and Dawson Mercer at 20. Some of that is injuries for sure, but if I said this in the Hurricanes preview, like if I can see it, like the coaches should be able to see it. It was their five on five scoring. They finished third in the league in power play percentage. When they got the man advantage, they could put the puck in the back of the net. Uh, goals four in terms of the entire team 20th. Your special teams is good. Figure out your five on five play Sheldon Keefe. That’s where we were. Sheldon Keefe needs to get this team to put the puck in the back of the net five on five during the regular season. I feel like he’s got some experience with that high-scoring regular season teams. I think he can he can probably work a system with these guys, huh? Perhaps. Yeah. So, that brings me to where do you put them? I mean, last year we said third in the division. Uh they make made the playoffs, but it sure was close. Uh what do we think about the New Jersey Devils if they remain relatively healthy? I dropped them to third and I’m not happy about it. It’s pretty tough, huh? It’s good. Good team. Uh there I put it this way. I think they are guaranteed a Metro divisional spot. They’re not going to be a wild card team, but I’m a coward. Three. I got them at two. Jesse, where do you have them? I think we need to stop the midtropolitan talk because this is a very good division. I have them at fourth. Wow. It’s not it’s not too far off of where they were. Like do you like they they finished they finished two points out of fourth place last year. I don’t think that’s a crazy place to put them this year. Plus, I think they’re a playoff team. I think they’re good. Is he putting the Pens in the playoffs? I think first Pens Pens win the division. There you go. Interesting. Maybe the Isles. Jesse. Maybe the Isles. Yeah. I No, not the Isles. Anyway, that’s your Devil’s season preview.

Steve Dangle, Adam Wylde and Jesse Blake preview the 2025 New Jersey Devils season. With a healthy Jack Hughes will they compete for top spot in the Metropolitan Division? Can Sheldon Keefe take this team to the promised land? Find out all that and more here!

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