The New Jersey Devils have played 47 games in the 2023-24 season. Without sugarcoating the results of those 47 games, the season has been a huge disappointment. The team currently sits in fifth place in the Metropolitan Division and holds a record of 24-20-3. Quitely put, it’s not good enough.
Heading into the season, New Jersey was considered a Stanley Cup Contender based on their +1000 odds, which was tied for second with the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs. Only two teams had +900 odds, the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes.
Now, as the team looks ahead to the remaining 35 games, the pending results of their playoff push could have serious implications for the organization. Missing the playoffs a year after breaking a franchise record for most wins in a season will substantially change the organization. Therefore, these next few months of Devils hockey hold heavy value.
Devils 2023-24 Excuses
New Jersey’s luck has been low and inconsistent for the first 47 games of the season. With injuries and unexpected abysmal goaltending, the room for excuses and blame is wide open. Only seven players have played in all 47 games, Jesper Bratt, Tyler Toffoli, Dawson Mercer, Alexander Holtz, Luke Hughes, John Marino, and Kevin Bahl.
Not only have the injuries been plentiful, but they have affected the team’s most important players. So far, Jack Hughes has played 32 games, Nico Hischier has played 36, Timo Meier has played 34, Dougie Hamilton played 20, and Ondrej Palat has played 37. The team’s opening night defensive pairs of Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, John Marino, Kevin Bahl, Luke Hughes, and Brendan Smith played only 20 games together.
Goaltending
The Devils entered the season with a goaltending tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Despite the incredible regular season play from Vanecek and stellar playoff performance from Schmid, there were still doubts. New Jersey was involved in numerous goaltending rumors during the offseason that included Connor Hellebuyck and John Gibson. Furthermore, the team did sign Erik Kallgren and Keith Kinkaid to two-way deals.
With 35 games remaining, Vanecek’s season has been the opposite of his impressive 2022-23 campaign. Out of 91 goalies ranked based on goals saved above expected, he is 90th with a -12.3. Unfortunately, Schmid is only 20 spots ahead and ranked 70th with a -3.8 goals saved above expected. Vanecek’s record is still impressive despite the poor play. He has 16 wins, eight losses, and two overtime losses. However, his goals-against average (GAA) is 3.24 and he boasts a save percentage (SV%) of .886%. Schmid’s record is 5-7-1, and his stat line sits at 3.26 GAA and a .893 SV%.
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On Dec. 28th, 2023, Akira Schmid was assigned to the Utica Comets of the AHL. Nico Daws replaced Schmid on the Devils’ goaltending tandem and has appeared in eight games, so far. He holds a record of 3-5-0 with a 3.43 GAA and .895 SV%. Though there is room for optimism for the 23-year-old netminder, he will not provide the consistent goaltending that the team needs.
Potential Offseason Changes
Like clockwork, in sports, the head coach of a sports team gets the brunt of criticism for a team’s underperforming season. Furthermore, it is easier to get rid of one person than multiple players on a team. However, there are questions about how quickly the Devils’ upper management will pull the trigger on their coaching staff due to the multiple excuses that have plagued the 2023-24 season so far. Tom Fitzgerald made the mistake of not acquiring a reliable goaltender and will have more decisions in the offseason.
If the Devils do miss the playoffs after their 35-game playoff push, changes have to be considered in the organization.
Expiring Contracts
In terms of unrestricted free agents (UFA), the Devils only have five who are on the active roster. Tyler Toffoli, Chris Tierney, Max Willman, Colin Miller and Nick DeSimone. Restricted free agents (RFA) on the active roster are Dawson Mercer, Santeri Hatakka, and Nico Daws. Therefore, there will likely be little movement in the roster unless there are trades that happen.
Coaching
The Devils’ coaching staff consists of head coach Lindy Ruff, associate coach Travis Green, assistant coaches Sergei Brylin, Chris Taylor, and Ryan McGill, and goaltending coach Dave Rogalski. Since 2020-21, Ruff, Taylor, and Rogalski have been a part of the coaching staff.
As the head coach, Ruff has taken a majority of the heat for the underwhelming and inconsistent play. The issues with the team have been apparent for the entire season, such as allowing the first goal in 33 out of 47 games. Injuries and poor goaltending are a factor to the lackluster season, but adapting and adjusting is the coach’s responsibility. Though it is doubtful that Ruff will be let go during the season, more questions about his job security will pop up in the offseason if the team misses the playoffs.
However, blame is hard to place on the associate coach and assistant coaches due to not knowing who is in charge of what in the locker room. However, the Devils season has been a failure up to this point. Injuries are a common part of the league, and teams have been proven to adjust and adapt to the situation. Therefore, the people in charge of the team will always deserve some level of blame in this level of profession.
One specific coach who has been in the organization since 2020-21 that has not experienced consistent success is Dave Rogalski. The goaltending coach has only had six goaltenders end the season with an SV% above .900 since the 2020-21 season. 11 goaltenders have played at least one game for New Jersey in three seasons. It is fair to question if Rogalski is the correct fit for the Devils based on his poor track record. Furthermore, goaltenders who have moved on to different teams, such as Scott Wedgewood, Louis Domingue, and Mackenzie Blackwood have registered seasons with a .900 SV% and above.
The next 35 games will have serious implications for the organization moving forward. Missing the playoffs is a massive failure after the anticipation around the team heading into the season.