So, where were we?

The last time I filed a story as a full-time Devils reporter, general manager Tom Fitzgerald had just wrapped up a transformative offseason. He brought in a fiery new coach, a top-tier goalie and myriad depth options to shore up his brittle lineup.

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The wounds from New Jersey’s playoffless season (2023-24) were still fresh, so Fitzgerald hoped these big swings would jolt his club. Although the Devils weren’t better (on paper) than the sport’s paragon in Florida, adding goalie Jacob Markstrom to a Jack Hughes-led core would surely lead to a decent playoff run. I think I even planned on picking them to make the conference final in my season preview.

Then the games were played and reality struck.

The injuries were devastating. The depth scoring was nonexistent. The additions of coach Sheldon Keefe, Markstrom and others were enough for a playoff berth, but the Devils won’t raise any banners for a first-round exit.

Oh, and before last season’s disappointment, I traded the rink for a football field and left to cover the New York Giants.

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But I must admit, as time went on, I found myself missing hockey.

I missed the howl of the Prudential Center crowd as Jack Hughes sprang into the zone, dashing opponents with a deke, then effortlessly contorting his body to skim to the slot for a scoring chance. Don’t blink, because he might fling the puck through three defenders to set up a linemate.

I missed watching Nico Hischier poke the puck away at one end, then rush through the neutral zone to create his own chance at the other.

I missed the unforgiving grind of an 82-game schedu— *checks notes*, wait, they’re adding two more games in 2026-27?!

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I missed the occasional pre-game trip to Hobby’s Deli for their mountainous corned beef sandwiches and those decadent black and white cookies. Marc and Michael, I’ll be back soon.

Heck, I even missed the face-palming disappointment of watching the Mrs. Fields cookie choke away the Jumbotron dessert race for the umpteenth time. I heard she got better last season.

Above all, though, I missed telling the story of this upstart team. This, among other reasons, is why I’m returning to cover the New Jersey Devils for NJ Advance Media. And, oh boy, is this next chapter going to be riveting.

The Devils have no excuse not to be Stanley Cup contenders this season. With a young core that is locked up to some of the best value contracts in the league, the result of this season could make or break careers in Newark — on the ice and in the front office. (New Jersey has, after all, advanced past the first round of the playoffs once in the last 13 seasons.)

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But that stuff is obvious. The real intrigue of this season lies within the juicy subplots.

Can Jack Hughes stay healthy, break 100 points for the first time and enter the Hart Trophy conversation?

Will Markstrom’s and Jake Allen’s games age well? And if not, what’s the plan in net?

What will defenseman Luke Hughes’ extension look like? How quickly will Fitzgerald resolve his “No. 1 priority” of the offseason (his words, not mine)?

Will brother Quinn join Jack and Luke in Newark and catapult them toward the Cup? And if so, which big contract will be offloaded?

I’ll have you covered on all of that and more, even if it will look a little bit different (in a good way). I promise to remain thorough, detailed and honest. We’ll share our evolved plans in the coming weeks. Please be patient — it’ll be worth it.

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Until then, let’s do this again, shall we?

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Ryan Novozinsky may be reached at rnovozinsky@njadvancemedia.com. You can follow him on X @ryannovoNFL