NHL Power Rankings: St. Louis Blues start 2019-20 season on top

17. New Jersey Devils

This was my toughest decision. I like the New Jersey Devils a lot and I think their offseason was terrific. But I have them falling just short of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’re going to give the Metropolitan Division a heck of a run. The Devils will scare the daylights out of the New York Islanders who (spoiler!) are likely going to make the postseason. But I just don’t see them making the postseason.

That said, the Devils are definitely on the right path. I wish I had the kind of luck the Devils have in the draft lottery. They’ve been handed two number one picks (Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes) in the past three drafts. Those are two franchise centers. They’re not quite as good as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but the Devils are strong down the middle for the first time in a while.

New Jersey’s defense is better thanks to the addition of P.K. Subban. He’s coming off a rough year, but I believe it was more due to injuries than a decline. Subban’s impressive resume gives me hope he’ll bounce back. His Norris Trophy days are probably over, but he’s still easily one of the best defensemen in the NHL.

It’s going to come down to goaltending and I don’t think the Devils will get good enough goaltending to make the postseason. That said, goaltending is volatile and they do have talent there. Cory Schneider finished the 2018-19 season strong and has been impressive in the preseason. But I’m still not sold on him because of how bad he has been over the past three years.

MacKenzie Blackwood is a nice Plan B. His lack of success on his resume is a bit concerning, but he impressed me last season. However, teams now have video of him, so it’ll be interesting to see how Blackwood adjusts.

The playoffs are a realistic goal for the Devils. If everything goes right for them, they could easily make the postseason. But unless the Islanders fall off (which is entirely possible), I don’t see it happening.