Trust the Process, New Jersey Devils fans.
The New Jersey Devils do not project to be a very good team in 2021.
Sure, in theory the team could be good, if about half a dozen players either take a step forward or have career years, but as a general rule, this probably isn’t the year New Jersey comes out on top.
2024 though? Now that could be the team’s year.
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Fast forward a few seasons into the future and the Devils might be one of the best teams around. They’ll surely be cycling through a top-six almost exclusively featuring former first round picks, and may even land a supremely talented veteran piece looking to fill out the outfit in free agency.
After losing Taylor Hall to a midseason trade in 2019, the Devils might actually find themselves on the right side of an all-in move for a change.
But to get truly, generationally good, the Devils can’t cut corners. No, after going all-in on the 2019-20 season with a splashy offseason, the Devils need to put their nose to the grind and go early and often to their young core of players.
To paraphrase the Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment‘s other professional franchise, the Devils need to Trust the Process.
For those out of the loop, the Philadelphia 76ers spent the better part of the mid-2010s stinking it up in the hopes of amassing as many draft picks – and in turn, high-profile talent – as possible. With only so many ways to acquire young, superstar talent, the team’s renegade strategy led to many an ugly look and even the NBA’s ownership group conspiring to oust then-GM Sam Hinkie, but it also landed the Sixers Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, arguably the best organically drafted duo in the league right now.
Fortunately, the Devils are pretty far along with that part of the Process.
With two former first overall picks already in place at center and a supremely talented 18-year-old forward in Alexander Holtz set to join the team in the not too distant future, the Devils are flush with intriguing pieces on the right side of 25. They also have a pair of intriguing homegrown defensemen in Will Butcher and Damon Severson who are a tad bit older at 25 and 26 respectively, but are under contract through at least the 2021-22 season. If the Devils can come to terms with RFAs Jesper Bratt and Mackenzie Blackwood, both of whom are under 24 and could play huge roles moving forward, the Devils may be the deepest team in the NHL in terms of young ascending players.
Are all of these players great right now? Not necessarily. Nico Hischier is certainly one of the better young centers in the NHL, Blackwood looks like a legit number one goalie in training, and Holtz will surely give fans the world over a reason to hope the Devils make the playoffs, but for every sure thing, there’s a player like Jack Hughes, who underwhelmed in his rookie season.
Fortunately, the Devils really don’t need Hughes to become a star in 2021, just to keep improving while showing more flashes of brilliance than last season.
Now granted, New Jersey hasn’t gone full-on Process just yet. A number of their better players are still on the older side and unless the season goes south in a hurry, I’d expect players like P.K. Subban, Corey Crawford, and Kyle Palmieri to stick around and allow the team’s young prospects to continue to play alongside professionals. If the Devils can somehow get everything clicking and show the promise fans hoped for last season, it’s entirely possible NJ could shock the world and earn a spot in the playoffs – they just shouldn’t become buyers at the deadline to sacrifice a future asset for a first round out.
Sidebar: On second thought, Kyle Palmieri kind of screams ‘trade deadline acquisition’ if we’re being honest. His contract expires at the end of the season, and after scoring 20-plus goals in each of the last five seasons, surely some contender will be willing to surrender some premium assets to get him on their team for the playoffs.
Could the Devils still use a true power forward to fill out their top line moving forward? Most definitely. Had New Jersey landed the second overall pick instead of the seventh, Quinton Byfield would have looked really good lined up next to Hughes and Hischier moving forward, but with a spot in the 2021 NHL Draft Lottery more likely than not, they could still land a similar player with some luck. Alternatively, the Devils could pull a Sixers and trade for an established star a la Jimmy Butler when they’re truly ‘a player away’ from being a championship contender. Either way, the Devils have put themselves in a pretty good position to maneuver as they seem fit moving forward.
Whether you’re a diehard fan of the New Jersey Devils or simply a Metropolitan Division aficionado looking to scout out the competition, it’s pretty safe to say the New Jersey Devils are not going to be world beaters when the NHL season opens up in 2021. Sure, they have a number of impressive young stars, a veteran core, and a slew of wildcards looking to establish themselves outside of the Garden State, but that alone isn’t going to suddenly make teams like the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Washington Capitals less good. But hey, that’s okay. Remember, the Devils are playing for 2024, not 2021.