New Jersey Devils: Is patience the right decision?

The New Jersey Devils surprised most of the hockey world when they jumped ahead of schedule and made the playoffs in 2018. They didn’t do much this off-season to build on that. Was that the right move?

The 2017-18 season was not supposed to finish with playoff hockey for the New Jersey Devils. They were coming off a season in 2016-17 finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference. Despite a good off-season picking up Nico Hischier in the draft and Marcus Johansson by trade, they were still predicted to finish toward the bottom of a stacked Metropolitan division.

The Devils were a rebuilding team, banking on young talent to bud into a solid core in the coming years. No one expected the schedule to be jumped as quickly as it was. Taylor Hall caught fire mid-season and never stopped producing key goals every time he touched the ice, earning a Hart Trophy for his efforts.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

Hischier was everything as advertised when the Devils selected him with the first overall at the 2017 draft. Young players such as Jesper Bratt, Miles Wood, Blake Coleman, and Will Butcher all emerged as productive players in their own ways.

A mid-season trade for Sami Vatanen helped solidify a defensive unit that was less than stellar on paper. All of this led to the team earning a wild card spot in the East and a playoff date with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

While the team bowed out without much noise in the first round, the season was still considered a wild success by all pundits in the hockey world. If not for the Vegas Golden Knights being as successful as they were, one could argue that the Devils were the biggest surprise in the NHL in the 2017-18 campaign.

Coming into this summer, they had tons of space under the salary cap to make a move or two. With no major free agents to re-sign, many expected the Devils to make big moves in order to improve an already solid young foundation.

Instead, the Devils biggest acquisition was defenseman Eric Gryba, who may essentially end up as the seventh defenseman on the team.

On the surface, it seems like this was a huge missed opportunity for the Devils. They didn’t make any big splashes, they didn’t make any big trades like they have in the past three seasons (see Kyle Palmieri, Hall, and Johansson for reference, summarized in this post).

But let’s take a deeper look at everything going on this summer, and see if there’s any meaning behind their silence.

First, let’s look at free agency, the obvious first place one would look at a playoff team to spend some money. The free agent market was very top heavy this season. Here are the top 10 free agents that may have fit the Devils needs. It seems to have made sense why none of them signed with New Jersey.

More from New Jersey Devils

• Alexander Holtz must dominate New Jersey Devils training camp
• The Top 5 under 25 goaltenders entering the 2023-24 NHL season
• The 2024 NHL Stadium Series will make history this upcoming season
• Could this Air Force Academy Player be the First to Make it to the NHL?
• New Jersey Devils Add Toffoli, Scoring Depth, But It’s Still Not Enough

John Tavares – Never considered New Jersey, took less money to sign with the Maple Leafs, his hometown team.

Pat Maroon – Took less money than what the Devils offered to play in St. Louis, his hometown.

Honestly, you can’t blame the Devils for not trying in a couple of these situations, and in many others, they weren’t even possible suitors at all, despite the rumors. This way, the Devils keep their cap space weapon available should a team with issues have a pressing need to resign young talent (there are plenty more of those teams than those with abundant cap space).

The trade market seems to have stalled since the first couple of weeks in July, mostly due to the Erik Karlsson situation out in Ottawa. Once that trade happens (if it happens), the trade market may open up.

But looking at the big targets that were dealt, either the Devils would’ve had to overpay for that player, or it wouldn’t have been a good fit for the franchise. Looking back at what Jeff Skinner cost the Sabres, I’d say the Devils could’ve gone for that. Other than that, however, I don’t see what they could’ve done.

There is still a possibility the Devils can help facilitate a Karlsson trade as a third team in, and acquire some assets just being able to help move some money around. But those talks seem to have hit a wall as most in the hockey world have retired to their cottages up in the woods for the summer.

Looking at the roster now, the fact that the Devils left a couple of spots open for prospects to fight over may be a good thing. Eyes should be on Joey Anderson, Mikey McLeod, or John Quenneville to make the jump into full-time NHL duty.

Another point to make is they played most of last season Marcus Johansson, who is an addition just by being in the lineup more frequently. If it worked last season, it might just work this season too.

Maybe the Devils staying quiet may be the right move this summer. As much as fans want a big splash, it may have hurt a rebuilding squad more than helped. Remember, this team is ahead of schedule, and can still afford to take a longer-sighted approach to building a new perennial playoff threat. Patience is key in New Jersey. They’ll be able to pounce at bigger fish now if they desire.

Heck, they don’t have to make a move. This roster made the playoffs when no one expected them to, and most of them are 26 or younger. Why can’t they do it again?

Will the Devils regret not spending a bit more in free agency this summer? Let us know in the comments!