The 2023-24 NHL season is just around the corner. Preseason games will be underway at the end of September, followed by the regular season beginning the second week of October. As the season draws closer, we're making bold predictions for NHL teams.
The New Jersey Devils had an impressive year in 2022-23. Will they top last season in 2023-24? They'll be an exciting team to watch. Highly anticipated prospect Luke Hughes is ready to take on his rookie season and his brother, Jack Hughes, is one of the NHL players with a strong chance to break 100 points for the first time this year.
Six forwards including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Tyler Toffoli, and Dawson Mercer are capable of scoring 30+ goals. John Marino excels at providing shutdown defense, while Dougie Hamilton is an exceptional offensive defenseman.
Before the puck drops this fall, here are three bold predictions for the 2023-24 Devils.
Bold predictions for the New Jersey Devils: 3. Jack Hughes will score 50 goals
Jack Hughes had an incredible season in 2022-23. He scored 43 goals and broke Patrik Elias' franchise single-season points record, tallying 99 points during the regular season. His big year included 31 power-play points and a hat trick. And yet, Hughes is going to be even better in 2023-24. He is becoming one of the top centers in the NHL.
Last season, Hughes was eighth on the NHL leaderboard for regular-season goals. Only five players passed the 50-goal mark, with two of them hitting 60. Fourteen players, including Hughes, scored between 40 and 50 goals. Hughes has shown the capability to be among the league's best.
It's worth noting that Hughes will have a lot of help in New Jersey. The Devils have a solid core and a very strong group of forwards. Regardless of who is on Hughes' wings, he's going to score goals and make assists, but having possible linemates like Jesper Bratt, Tyler Toffoli, Timo Meier, and Dawson Mercer increases the likelihood of Hughes racking up points.
It's not bold to predict that Hughes will hit 100 points next season. There's a lot of buzz around that. But 50 goals? As great as Hughes is, 50 goals is a tall order. Considering he's just 22 years old, though, he's fit to unlock the next level. Last season, he reached the 40 goal mark for the first time. If he stays healthy this year, he can hit 50.
Bold predictions for the New Jersey Devils: 2. The Devils won't trade for a goalie, and Vitek Vanecek will prevail
The Devils don't have elite goaltending. However, a team doesn't need an elite goalie to win the Stanley Cup or to make a deep run; they need a solid goalie. Vitek Vanecek was solid for the Devils in the 2022-23 regular season. The 27-year-old became the only Devils goalie not named Martin Brodeur to win 30 games in a single season. Come playoff time, though, he fell apart. It was the young Akira Schmid who saved the day to help the Devils push past their rivals in Round 1.
Vanecek's poor playoff performance (.825 SV%) and Schmid's magical Round 1 not carrying over to Round 2 left fans worried. Do the Devils need to worry about goaltending? Anyone following the offseason rumor mill knows the Devils have shown interest in Connor Hellebuyck, but his price tag for an extension and the requisite to give up many assets to obtain him has kept this trade from happening. The Winnipeg Jets have yet to find a team willing to make a deal.
The Devils haven't made a goalie move in the offseason, and they don't need to. They could make a trade during the season. Rolling with what they have is a risk, especially since the Devils are thinner in the goalie department than they were last year. Mackenzie Blackwood is no longer on the team, and prospect Nico Daws is down after hip surgery.
This Devils team is strong enough that they can take the risk of rolling with what they have in goal, barring injuries. Besides, Vanecek deserves a shot to prove he can succeed in the playoffs. After his first season with a starter's workload, it seemed like he just lost steam. That shouldn't happen again now that he has the experience. Vanecek is going to have a strong season, and he'll prove he can deliver in the playoffs.
Bold predictions for the New Jersey Devils: 1. Dougie Hamilton will break Scott Stevens' franchise single-season points record for defensemen
30-year-old Dougie Hamilton wasn't even a year old when Scott Stevens set a franchise record for most points by a defenseman in a single season. That record of 78 points, set during the 1993-94 season, has stood for almost three decades.
Last season, Hamilton tallied 74 points in the regular season, falling just short of the record. He had 28 power play points last season, a career-high for him. Although Hamilton didn't match the franchise points record for defensemen, he did match the franchise record for most goals in a season by a defenseman, tying Barry Beck with 22 goals. Beck's 22 goals came when the franchise was in Colorado, meaning Hamilton holds the New Jersey Devils record.
Breaking the points record might not seem like a bold prediction upon looking at last year's numbers since Hamilton was only four points shy of tying Stevens last season. However, breaking a 30-year-old record is no easy feat. Besides, Hamilton had a career year in 2022-23. In other seasons, he didn't come close to matching last year's offensive production. Due to injuries and a COVID-shortened season, last year was the first time since 2018-19 that Hamilton played a full season's worth of games. Now, Hamilton has shown what he can do while healthy and in his prime.
This season, if Hamilton is able to stay healthy, he can not only repeat last season's production, but he can push the ceiling even higher. He will continue to see time on the power play. He has the opportunity to show what he can do on a Devils team that is expected to be even stronger. Hamilton is one of the strongest offensive defensemen currently in the league, and he's coming for that franchise single-season points record.
The Devils open the regular season on October 12 against the Detroit Red Wings.