<p>The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-jersey-devils/line-combinations">New Jersey Devils</a> entered the 2023-24 season as one of the sexy Stanley Cup favorites.</p>



<p>After upsetting the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/new-york-rangers/line-combinations">New York Rangers</a> in Round 1 of the 2023 playoffs, many pundits (myself included) had the Devils pegged as a favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference last year.</p>



<p>Unfortunately, many of us were left (relatively) surprised at how the Devils’ season played out.&nbsp;</p>



<p>General Manager Tom Fitzgerald elected to go with a youth movement on the blueline entering last season. While the idea was justified and was a way to save money on the salary cap, it ultimately blew up in the Devils’ faces. Moving on from defensemen Ryan Graves and Damon Severson, the way was paved for young, promising blueliners in Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec to assume the now-vacant roles.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="133"></div>



<p>As with most young rearguards, there were some growing pains. The losses of Graves and Severson were felt more than most anticipated, and while Hughes and Nemec were not solely to blame, they struggled to fulfill the roles and responsibilities of their predecessors completely. This was even more pronounced following the injury to star defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who missed nearly the entire season after a rockstar campaign – he recorded a career-high in goal and points with 22 and 74, respectively, in 2022-23 – that saw him apart of arguably the best pairing in the league alongside Jonas Siegenthaler.</p>



<p>Recognizing what had gone wrong last year, one of Fitzgerald’s first orders of business was a course correction on the back end. By signing free agents Brenden Dillon and Brett Pesce, the Devils filled the vacancies following the departures of Graves and Severson with veterans. Hamilton’s return to health (although not quite where he was two seasons ago) has helped re-slot the rest of the depth chart accordingly.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="167"></div>



<p>Speaking with those close to the situation in New Jersey, the defense has been “solid,” aiding in the Devils’ return to form atop the Metropolitan division. They rank No. 1 in the division as of Friday morning with 13 points, although they have played four more games than the following four teams. After starting the season banged up, it sounds like Pesce is gradually getting back into game shape, currently playing alongside Hughes on the club’s bottom pair.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But above all acquisitions, the most (pleasant) surprise has been Johnathan Kovacevic. Once thought of as just a depth addition to the blue line, Kovacevic has turned heads in New Jersey, finding a role in the top four playing alongside Siegenthaler. It has temporarily landed Nemec on the outside looking in, who has played in nine of the Devils’ 13 games – healthy competition is never a bad thing.&nbsp;</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="147"></div>



<p>While the defense needed a decent overhaul, there is no disputing what the glaring hole (both literally and figuratively) was last season: the goaltending.&nbsp;</p>



<p>As the saying goes, “Show me a good goaltender, and I’ll show you a good coach.” Maybe it’s too simple to draw up Lindy Ruff’s dismissal as coach last season to goaltending, but it’d be hard to deny that it forced the hand of Fitzgerald to make a change in a desperate leap to spark a change in the Devils’ spiraling record.</p>



<p>The Devils played more than half the season with a three-goalie rotation of Nico Dawes, Akira Schmid and Vitek Vanecek. All three had sub-.900 save percentages by season’s end. Since then, Schmid (Vegas) and Vanecek (San Jose) have found themselves in different organizations, while Dawes, who still may have a long-term future in New Jersey, is playing with the Utica Comets of the AHL.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="150"></div>



<p>Jake Allen was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens ahead of the NHL trade deadline last season. He somewhat stabilized things in the net for the Devils (.900 sv%), though it was too little, too late. At long last, Fitzgerald could finally close the deal with the <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/">Calgary Flames</a> to acquire Jacob Markstrom during the offseason, giving the team some flexibility.&nbsp;</p>



<p>After a strong start to the season, the Devils had a five-game stretch where the goaltending took a dip. In Allen’s case, specifically, the subpar play has been evident in the numbers, as his save percentage now sits at .876. Markstrom has bounced back the last several games, sitting with a .903 save percentage in nine outings.&nbsp;</p>



<p>The blueline has already paid dividends, with the Devils ranking 10th in the NHL in expected goals against per 60, <a href="https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm">per Money Puck. </a>Hamilton is still finding his way after missing close to a year, and Pesce is working his way back from injury. Once those two get back to full form, there is no reason why they could not become a top defensive team in the NHL.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="4" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="185"></div>



<p><a href="https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm">Per Money Puck</a>, both Allen and Markstrom find themselves outside the top 40 in goals saved above expected per 60. That number will certainly rise, as both goaltenders have a proven track record of play higher than they’ve currently shown this season.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Riding a two-game win streak entering Friday night, the Devils’ record of 7-4-2 has them back where we all expected them to be last season (in a prorated fashion). They were once again a popular pick this season – I went back to the well, once again, choosing the Devils to be the Eastern Conference’s Stanley Cup final representative – largely due to the changes in net and on the back end. Once the blueline and goaltending reach their full potential, there’s no telling how far the Devils can go.&nbsp;</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="5" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="132"></div>



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