It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! New Jersey Devils fans were already treated to an early holiday gift when Jack Hughes returned from injury on Sunday.
Not only was it a long-awaited return for Hughes, but the star center was joined by returning forwards Arseny Gritsyuk and Timo Meier, as well as defenseman Brett Pesce who made his triumphant comeback just two games prior. Something of a holiday miracle for a team that has been so severely plagued with injuries.
However, with a 3-1 home loss to the Buffalo Sabres spoiling the party, fans will surely be hoping for more presents to find under the tree. Here are a few things that are on top of the Devils’ wishlist:
1. Key Players to Find Their Scoring Touch
New Jersey’s scoring troubles continued into Sunday night against Buffalo. Despite picking up wins in their previous two games on the road, the Devils have only managed to score five goals in their last four games and 18 in their last 10. They’ve been shutout or limited to just one goal or fewer in seven of their last ten.
It would not be unfair to attribute some of this lack of goal scoring to the many injuries that piled up, but goals have simply run dry from players the Devils expect to rely on year in and year out.
Captain Nico Hischier has yet to find the twine in his last 10 games, dating back to Dec. 1 vs. the Columbus Blue Jackets. Star winger Jesper Bratt has scored just one goal in his last 22 games.
Despite starting the season strong with 20 points through the first two months, Dawson Mercer has gone goalless in December, tallying only three points in 11 games. Star offensive defenseman Dougie Hamilton has had a frustrating, 2025-26 campaign so far, recording just one point in his last 21 games.
It will take more than just the return of Hughes and Meier to fuel the Devils back to their early season form. If they want to find sustained success this season, they will need their top guys to start playing like it again.
Whether snake bitten in the case of Hischier and Bratt or simply underperforming offensively in the case of Hamilton, New Jersey will need an offensive shakeup from their top guys one way or the other.
2. Jacob Markstrom to Find Form, Build on Previous Start
It’s no mystery that Devils starting goaltender Jacob Markstorm has been subpar so far this season. In 18 games this season, Markstrom has amassed a 9-7-1 record with a 3.40 GAA, .881 SV% and -1.6 goals saved above expected (GSAx), well below the league average in all categories.
His counterpart, Jake Allen, has had an excellent season so far with a couple exceptions, boasting a10-8-0 record, 2.47 GAA, .912 SV% and 8.6 GSAx through the same number of games. If Markstrom, 35, can match his fellow netminder’s success, New Jersey would have one of the most formidable goaltending tandems in the NHL.
There’s certainly reason to believe that it can be done for the Swedish goaltender, as he has allowed just three goals total in has last two starts. Coming off of a narrow 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, Dec. 14 and a steady 32-save performance en route to a 2-1 win on the road against the Utah Mammoth on Friday, Markstrom has looked his strongest all season.
Should Markstrom be able to recapture his form and capitalize off his latest good performance, the Devils will be in a much stronger position at the holiday break and headed into the new year. As he and Allen have typically been trading off starting duties throughout the season, it’s likely Markstrom will start Tuesday night at UBS Arena against the Islanders.
3. A New Impact Center
General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has been busy through the month of December as the Devils have been linked with various trade talks. Most notably, star defenseman Quinn Hughes was traded from the Canucks to the Minnesota Wild, a move that surprised the hockey world and devastated Devils fans who thought the time had come for Quinn to join his brothers in New Jersey.
However, Quinn was not the only player the Devils have been targeting of late, as rumors have poured out about their interest in several players. One mentioned need is an additional impact forward and a third center who can play top six minutes alongside Hischier and Jack.
One location the Devils have been reported to be sniffing around is Nashville, which has two players that could fill the role. Predators centers Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos both check a lot of boxes for New Jersey, as they both have elite, respective talents and loads of NHL experience.
Stamkos, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, has bounced back from a slow-start to his time in Nashville. Carrying a cap hit of $8M AAV, the 35-year-old has 11 points in his last 10 games, including a four-goal performance against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 11.
More impressively, though, has been O’Reilly. The 2019 Stanley Cup, Conn Smythe and Selke Trophy winner with the Blues has 30 points on the season through 35 games and has been a two-way force throughout his career. The 34-year-old carries a cap hit of $4.5M AAV and would require that New Jersey shed some salary should they pursue him.
Outside of Nashville, the Devils could set their sights on Calgary Flames center Nazem Kadri. The 2022 Stanley Cup champion with the Colorado Avalanche was identified as a good fit by NJ Hockey Now’s James Nichols via Devils Rink Report on Dec. 13. Also 35, Kadri’s 31 points in 36 games this season would be a big crutch (albeit an expensive one at $7M AAV) for New Jersey in their hopes to score goals more consistently.
James Birle is a rising sports commentator and journalist with extensive experience covering soccer and hockey. A recent graduate … More about James Birle