New Year, New Devils? 10 resolutions needed to make to a run

The Devils head into 2023 on the heels of a hard-fought victory over Division rival Pittsburgh Penguins and earning a point against Division leaders the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils earned the win in Pittsburgh by killing off nine power plays against a top-five power play in the Penguins and were led by their superstars with goals from Hughes (2), Hamilton, and a shorthanded goal from Hischier. Defensively, Damon Severson played more than half the game, logging a career-high (in a regulation game) ice time and playing over 12 minutes on the penalty kill. With the recent losses of defensemen Ryan Graves (now returned) and John Marino, both Severson and Brendan Smith have taken and continue to earn a more active role on the kill and match up against top lines to finish games. This is different from the Devils of the last decade on repeat. This team already doubled its win total at the same time last season.

On New Year's Day, the Devils earned a hard-fought point at home against Carolina on the heels of goals from Hischier, Hughes, and Bratt (2), erasing multiple deficits to take a late 4-3 lead only to give up a late power-play goal and lose in their first shootout of the season.

As the calendar flips to 2023, the Devils sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division, trailing only Sunday's opponent, the Hurricanes, and firmly ensconced in playoff position. The Metro is the most competitive of the NHL divisions, and the Devils must continue to improve and elevate their game to stay ahead of the more experienced teams chasing them. Before the season, many around the Devils and their fanbase spoke about wanting to play meaningful games down the stretch, hoping to make up 30 points from last season and sneak into the playoffs.

The 13-game win streak earlier in the season and the stretches of dominance over the top teams in the NHL, especially at 5v5, render such goals insufficient. With what this team has shown, anything less than the playoffs will be disappointing in the locker room and the stands. Below are ten resolutions the Devils should make that would help vault them into the post-season and be a tough out for even the more experienced opponents:

1. Regain Home Ice Advantage - During the 13-game winning streak, The Rock was noticeably a factor in wins. Since the streak ended controversially against Toronto, the Devils have gone 2-6-2 at home. The crowds have been there and been loud, but the wins have not come, often in heartbreaking fashion. One way to guarantee a playoff berth is to reestablish the dominance on home ice displayed earlier in the season and figure out what has worked so well on the road, where the Devils currently hold the highest win percentage in the league, having won 13 of 16. For young teams, the road is often a respite where they can steer clear of distraction and bond, which often manifests in better play. This team needs to figure out how to return to form in Newark.

2. Stay Out of the Training Room - The team has been without significant pieces all season long, starting with top offseason acquisition Ondrej Palat and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. Without Palat, the team has not yet been able to play a full week at full strength. During the winning streak, the loss of Nathan Bastian proved crippling to the team as the unsung forward contributed in all three phases of the game and was difficult to replace. Then the Devils lost the entire second pairing on defense, Ryan Graves and John Marino, considered one of the best pairs in the league. Though Graves has returned, Marino appears to be out for several weeks. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald has done a tremendous job fortifying the organization's depth, shown through the ability to weather the early injuries to Palat and Blackwood. The organizational depth, however, only goes so far and the losses of Bastian, Graves, and Marino have proven more difficult to replace. To remain firmly in playoff position, the Devils need to limit injuries moving forward and return the injured players without major setbacks. Fitzgerald must also look at ways to bolster his veteran depth should the young defenseman prove unable to play consistent minutes. The team cannot thrive playing Severson, Smith, Siegenthaler, & Hamilton over 25 minutes per game as the season wears on.

3. Goaltending - Like many teams, the Devils live and die by the play of their goaltenders. Early in the season, especially after the injury to Blackwood, starter Vitek Vanecek was a revelation and quickly became a crowd favorite as chants of Vi-tek, Vi-tek rained down from the rafters at The Rock after critical saves. Then Vanecek began to regress to his averages and went over three weeks without a win. It is vital for the Devils that Vanecek maintain his form and, more importantly, deliver critical saves when the Devils make errors that result in odd-man rushes or open shots in the slot. The Devils are second in the league at limiting shots on goal, so the save percentages will naturally be skewed. A young team is also likely to make coverage errors and, at times, will pay for its aggression in the offensive zone. They win by the goalies providing key saves when there are breakdowns.

The recent two-game series against the Bruins and top Vezina candidate Linus Ullmark is a great illustration, as both Vanecek and Blackwood played well in spurts. But when the team needed a shutdown save after a mistake, neither could provide that and it cost the Devils two winnable games against the best team in the league. Blackwood has been an enigma since his return from injury, as he has flashed brilliance at times and caused head-scratching at others. Never was that on display more than Sunday against Carolina, where Blackwood whiffed on a puck leaving an open net for a deflating shorthanded goal, but then recovered to stonewall multiple Hurricanes breakaways in overtime to give the Devils a chance to earn an extra point. The Devils have to hope that the stellar play of Akira Schmid (8 games, five wins, .932 SV%, 1.96 GAA) lurking in the AHL pushes Blackwood to be at the top of his game. Otherwise, the team may need to investigate the trade market for a veteran to tandem with Vanecek or roll the dice on Schmid.

4. Commitment to Defense - The Devils are second in the league in the least shots allowed per game, less than half a shot behind leader Carolina. This has been the central ingredient to the team's success, its commitment to defense first. When the team defends as a five-man unit and maintains its coverages, it has led to shot suppression, takeaways and goals off the rush. Far too often during December, the Devils made coverage errors that ended up in the back of the net. For a team that is clearly pressing because of the scoring difficulties in December, it would be wise to take a defense-first approach, as consistency there relies more on effort than skill. The puck moving skill of the defensemen and the speed of the forwards lends itself to a fast, counterattacking team, which is how the Devils scored so often earlier in the season. The failure to play well in their own zone has also led to much of the lineup shuffling, especially with the defensemen and young wingers. Ruff needs to find players he can trust to play clean in their own end and find ways to kill opportunities and transition to offense. Continuing to suppress chances is the simplest way for the team to consistently win games, especially for a team that is 21-3-4 when they score three goals. The return of Graves and Palat (likely within the next ten days) will help with accountability, but the Devils need to get more from their younger players.

5. Goal Scoring - The Devils need to find ways to score other than relying on Jack Hughes's nightly moment of brilliance. Early in the season, they could count on goals from the fourth line of McLeod, Bastian, and Wood on almost an every game basis. Since Bastian's injury, Wood has slowed his goal-scoring production. The Devils need the return of early-season Jesper Bratt, who paced the team in the first month before being passed by Hughes. Bratt was in a shooting slump much of December other than his two-goal output against the Panthers in Florida. Hopefully for the Devils, the two-goal contribution against the Hurricanes may signal he is returning to form. Hughes, Hamilton, & Hischier have continued to carry the offense but need help. The Devils hope that the return of Palat, which will reset line combinations, will spur more offense from Mercer, Haula, and Tatar. Mercer and Tatar's outputs have been adequate but each would like to surpass 20 goals this season. The Devils will also need at least one of its young Swedes (Fabian Zetterlund, Alex Holtz, & Jesper Boqvist) to contribute on the scoresheet regularly. Thus far, Zetterlund has had the biggest impact, but his output has been inconsistent like many young players. If the Devils do not return to their nearly four goals per game average of the early season, look for AHL wingers Nolan Foote and Grahame Clarke to get an opportunity in the NHL before Fitzgerald looks to augment the team via trade.

6. Special Teams - Last year there were times when the Devils would have likely agreed to forego power play opportunities considering how few goals they were able to score in conjunction with the penchant for giving up shorthanded goals in bunches. This season has undoubtedly been different, and much of the credit belongs to new associate coach Andrew Brunette who has built a power play that now sits in the middle third of the league. With more consistent lineups and more time to jell in Brunette's system, the Devils should prioritize rising into the league's top half. The loss of Bastian noticeably set back the power play for a few weeks as the team had difficulty scheming without his net front presence. Lately, Hamilton and Hughes have thrived on the power play, and with the offensive talent on the team, there is no reason not to be in the league's top half. The Devils have continued to shuffle the personnel and recently have added Sharangovich to the power play. He should be given a lengthy audition as his shot is not replicated elsewhere in the lineup and his 5v5 minutes have diminished as he is moved through the lineup. If Brunette deserves credit for improving the power play, new assistant coach Ryan McGill deserves considerable credit for a penalty kill currently ranked in the top five. No better example of the strides this team has made was shown in the game against Pittsburgh, where the Devils outscored the Penguins 1-0 over nine power plays. McGill has incorporated many new forwards into the fold and found ways to rotate his defenseman. Remaining in or near the top five for the remainder of the season is feasible and imperative.

7. Trades - Rampant speculation abounds attempting to ascertain how the Devils can improve at the deadline. Do they need to get heavier (no), a pure goal-scoring wing (maybe), defensive reinforcements (perhaps), goaltending (not yet) or more playoff experience (eh). Fans always clamor for action three times a year, the trade deadline, draft day, and the opening of free agency. It is the most analogous way many run their fantasy teams, and often the grass seems greener elsewhere, however, that is often not the case. With the Devils entering what is likely the first of at least a five-year window of opportunity to be among the league's elite, the moves Fitzgerald makes at or before the deadline should maintain the team's long-term success. Fitzgerald should look to add at the deadline to show his team that he believes in them and send a message to the league that the Devils will do what it takes to compete at the highest levels. The team has already demonstrated this by spending up to the salary cap this season. That cap spending hamstrings Fitzgerald at the deadline as, unlike prior years, the ability to take on salary is diminished, so the Devils must get creative. The Devils can acquire almost anyone in the league with NHL-ready assets, prospects, and expiring contracts currently on the payroll. Ideally the Devils will utilize their organizational depth at defense (Walsh, Bahl, Mukhamadullin), forward (Thompson, Stillman, Clarke, Foote) or expiring contracts (Johnsson) to find a veteran winger who is heavy and has a history of scoring goals.

Fitzgerald has said he isn't looking for rentals. However, suppose the Devils return Bastian, Palat, and Marino before the March 3 deadline. In that case, there may not be as strong a need to bring in a long-term player like Timo Meier, whose price will skyrocket at the deadline (compared to the offseason, when the leverage will flip). Instead, the Devils would be wise to acquire a player like James van Riemsdyk from the Flyers or Anthony Duclair from the Panthers, each of whom has size, scoring ability, and could contribute on special teams and would not cost as much as Meier. Duclair, who Brunette is very familiar with, would be ideal, if healthy, as he is not a rental with another year under team control. The Panthers are already in a precarious position for the playoffs sitting eight points out of a wild card spot with five teams between them and a playoff position, and may be in the mood to try to retool.

Once fully healthy, the Panthers will have to make a move to clear space (either trading Duclair or another player). The Devils should have the best insight on the Panthers roster and should pounce, perhaps trying to pry away Sam Reinhart, who like Duclair, squarely fits the team's needs. With the uncertainty around the recent injuries to Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly, the pool of potential game-changing players has shrunk. Other places to look may be Chicago as the Blackhawks, in its quest for Connor Bedard, has loaded up on assets with the hopes of shedding players en masse at the deadline. While the thought of Patrick Kane playing with Patrick Kane 2.0 (Hughes) on the same line is tantalizing, the better fits for the Devils are Max Domi and/or Andreas Athanasiou. Each brings elements the Devils lack and would fit in the Devils system. Plus who would want to see Tie Domi at The Rock less often? An argument could be made that the Devils could upgrade on defense. But with the return of Graves, that no longer seems to be a priority and the team has several NHL-ready defense prospects to fill holes for now unless perhaps the third Hughes brother is available.

8. Expiring Contract Players - The Devils entered the season with several players in the last years of their deals, which will both leave a ton of cap space next year and create attractive trade deadline assets this year. The Devils may not be looking to resign several players and would want to get something for them rather than let them walk in free agency. Erik Haula, Miles Wood, Tomas Tatar, Andreas Johnsson, Ryan Graves, and Damon Severson are all unrestricted free agents (UFA) after this season. The Devils are unlikely to resign more than half of the six and perhaps only one or two. In previous years where the playoffs were a long shot, the Devils would likely move these players to contenders for future assets. Those recent trades have largely rebuilt the current roster into one of a contender. With the team in contention this year, Fitzgerald should be reticent to trade away any of the six players other than Johnsson unless there is a hockey trade to be made that improves the team for this season's playoff run and maybe beyond. The organization is past the point of stacking draft picks and prospects for the future; now is that future.

There is considerable conjecture and debate throughout the fanbase on the value of Damon Severson. The anger at Severson is primarily misplaced, as he deserves more loyalty from the fanbase as one of the two longest-tenured Devils on the roster. Severson is the type of player that when he is gone will be missed and his value will be demonstrated. Hamilton, Severson, and Marino form the best right side defensive corps in the NHL. Severson is likely a top 4 defenseman for most teams in the league, yet he is relegated to third pair minutes here because of the depth. While his defensive breakdowns have sometimes proven costly, his ability to step up and fill many roles as he did against the Penguins should not go unnoticed. Severson's contribution in all three phases is unique and he provides insurance against potential injuries to the defense corps. Additionally, despite his diminished counting stat numbers, his analytic numbers (Corsi, xGF, HDCF%) are all career highs demonstrating that the team is succeeding while he is on the ice and that should not be overlooked.

With the potential progression of prospects Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec into the NHL likely within a year, there may not be room on the roster for Graves and/or Severson next season. But unless Nemec demonstrates he is ready to contribute on a contender halfway through his first season in North America, there is no strategically acceptable reason to trade Graves or Severson. For the Devils to make a move to improve the team, they will likely have to move either Johnsson or Tatar. Tatar is having a comeback season, on pace for 20 goals and 50 points while being asked to play a top-six role despite likely being a better fit as a middle-six winger. Tatar's stature in the locker room is significant and trading him to clear space is unlikely. Similarly, the roles of Haula and Wood (faceoff wins, speed, toughness, size) are not replicable from within and are unlikely to be moved for a similar player. If a trade is to happen with the pending UFAs, it will be Johnsson and a sweetener to clear space for the addition.

9. Consistency - In the NFL, coaches broke the season into quarters and looked at their record as four mini-seasons of four games. In the NHL, teams often break down the season into mini groups of five games. Instead of worrying about the bigger picture and longer streaks, the Devils should concentrate on trying to take six points from every five games for the rest of the season. Doing that will add a minimum of 54 points to their already 49 and 103 points for the season, which likely puts them in the playoffs. Last season when the league was much more top-heavy, 103 points would have put them in the playoffs as third place in the Metropolitan Division and three points ahead of the last wild card spot. This year with the competition better top to bottom in the conference, 103 should again place them in the playoffs. Getting six points out of the upcoming games against the Red Wings, Blues, Rangers, Hurricanes and Ducks is a minimum for a team that wants to make the playoffs.

10. Embrace the Youth and Inexperience - Often youth is seen as a disadvantage in team sports, but when you have a team making its first run through the playoffs in some time, youth and naivete can be helpful. Young teams feel less pressure as the season wears on owing to not knowing what they don't yet know. The Devils play a fast-paced, exciting, attacking hockey style that fits the team's young stars. The team and the organization should continue to lean into the youth and enjoy their run while exposing the room's fun personalities. This isn't a team of guarded, grizzled veterans who spout cliches. This is a team with personality both on and off the ice, and while hockey culture often frowns on individuality, this team has been and should continue to be forward-thinking and allow the players to be themselves and have fun without costing them points in the standings. The best way to grow the fanbase and franchise is to win in an entertaining fashion and promote the players to connect with the fans.

While not simple, if the Devils can resolve to take these ten steps in 2023, the playoff games that everyone from the fans to the players to the coaches to the front office to ownership craves will become a reality.