Inside the Devils’ Fight This Season
- Mayline Ruiz
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Following the 2024-25 season, the New Jersey Devils finished the year off with a 42-33-7 record. New Jersey was set to make an appearance in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and was eliminated in the first round against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 5. They finished the year off with injuries, such as their star, Jack Hughes, who had to have shoulder surgery. With a sour taste in their mouth, they were looking to turn things around for the 2025-26 NHL season. Let’s take a look at the Devils’ season and how they’ve been doing.
During the offseason, the Devils remained relatively quiet on their free agency moves. Goalie Jake Allen signed a five-year contract, forward Connor Brown signed a four-year contract, and forward Evgenii Dadonov signed a one-year contract. The Devils also re-signed forward Marc McLaughlin to a one-year, two-way contract. Forward Angus Crookshank was also signed to a two-year contract and defenseman Calen Addison was signed to a one-year two-way contract.
The Devils also acquired forward Thomas Bordeleau from the San Jose Sharks, trading away forward Shane Bowers. Bordeleau went on to sign a one-year two-way contract, as the Devils also signed center Cody Glass.
With some of these signings, a lot of Devils fans were wondering when they were going to extend Luke Hughes’ contract. It wasn’t until October 1 that Hughes signed a seven-year contract worth $63 million. Now that the Devils had one of their star players locked down, they felt confident going into the season.
In fact, in the month of October, the Devils started 8-3. The only three losses came against the Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks, and the Colorado Avalanche. Jack Hughes had nine goals and six assists in October, with Jesper Bratt having four goals and nine assists.
Heading into November, the Devils had an 8-5-1 record. Things were starting to look bleak as the Devils were losing games by being outshot, such as their performance against the Philadelphia Flyers, where they lost 6-3, or the Tampa Bay Lightning, where New Jersey lost 5-1.
It didn’t help that players such as Brett Pesce were getting placed on the injured reserve. Pesce had three assists in the nine games played. Zack MacEwen, Connor Brown, and Glass were also placed on the injured reserve.
The one that shocked people the most was Jack Hughes, who was placed on the injured reserve on November 18 following a freak accident where he cut his hand at a team dinner. Hughes then had to have surgery on his finger, meaning he won’t play for eight weeks. Hughes also spent some time out during the 2024-25 season due to shoulder surgery. With this current injury, there could be a possibility Hughes won’t get to play in the 2026 Winter Olympics with Team USA.
Devils fans were looking forward to the season for their dynamic offense, and they’re able to see their offense bring a high-scoring game. Captain Nico Hischier has a total of 26 points this season from 10 goals and 16 assists. Timo Meier, who was traded from the San Jose Sharks, has had 11 goals and 12 assists this season, totaling 23 points. Even with Jack Hughes, who is injured, their offense hasn’t given up.
The Devils' special teams have also been exceptional, as they have a 21.4PP%. New Jersey has found ways to score crucial goals and shift their momentum. The Devils also have a 75.8PK%, and we have seen them stop opponents from scoring when they’re short-handed.
New Jersey is currently 18-14-1 with 37 points. The Devils got a win against the Ottawa Senators, where they scored in the third period with a goal from Glass at 12:24 with an assist from Brown and Arseny Gritsyuk. Previously, New Jersey had gone on a five-game losing streak against the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, and the Boston Bruins.
The Devils are set to play the Vegas Golden Knights at 7 PM PST on Wednesday. The last time New Jersey faced the Knights, the Devils lost 3-0.
Edited by Mary Merensky
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