The offseason frenzy that consists of the draft and free agency are winding down and teams will start to look at their current roster to see how to make improvements. For the New Jersey Devils, special teams are an area that has been lackluster for years. Since 2020, New Jersey has gone through three assistant coaching changes to increase their chances of a more successful power play and penalty kill. Rick Kowalsky, Mark Recchi, and Alain Nasreddine’s roles involved optimizing special teams with specific personnel. In recent years, associate coaches, Andrew Brunette and recently hired Travis Green will undertake the same challenges.
Brunette’s tenure with New Jersey proved to be successful in the 2022-23 season. The team broke franchise records in points earned in a season and most wins during the regular season. Furthermore, the Devils finished fourth in penalty kill percentage (PK%) and 13th in power play percentage (PP%) — a whopping contrast to the previous year when the PK% was 14th in the league and the PP% was 28th. However, Brunette is now the head coach of the Nashville Predators, and the Devils have filled the open spot with Green. Despite the change behind the bench, New Jersey has the right tools to fix weaknesses that were present on the power play last season.
Devils Power Play Leaves Room for Improvement
The first power play unit consisted of Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dougie Hamilton, and a revolving fifth spot that was filled by Tomas Tatar, Dawson Mercer, Miles Wood, or Nathan Bastian. On paper, the talent is impressive, and they were sure to put pucks in the back of the net. However, the depth of the second power-play unit was nowhere near impressive. Players such as Ondrej Palat, Erik Haula, Damon Severson, Tatar, Wood, and Mercer logged the most minutes on the second power-play unit. With the constant shuffling of the lines, the Devils’ second unit failed consistency and depth.
Of the 49 power-play goals scored, the first unit was responsible for 61.2 percent of them, according to Money Puck. After an offseason of changes, the 2023-24 Devils will have more depth available to them on the second power-play unit. However, with the addition of a new associate coach in Green, adjustments will be required for the players.
Related: Devils’ Prospects to Watch at 2023 Development Camp
On many occasions, the Devils’ power play opportunities fell short due to poor shooting and stagnant setups. The power play ranked 23rd overall in shot attempts percentage, showing that passing was the priority. Creating chances to set up the perfect shot would drain power play time and cause a momentum loss. A dynamic and shoot-first mentality will improve consistency for the power play.
Devils’ Offseason Additions
The Devils had an unexpected and exhilarating 2022-23 campaign. The team won a playoff series for the first time in 11 years, saw their young stars Hughes and Hischier control the team’s success, and most importantly, built immense suspense for the near future. With some offseason additions, the tools to improve the power play are in the system. Players such as Timo Meier and Luke Hughes were not additions this offseason, but both players will have significantly more time to adjust to the system and become major factors on the power play.
Meier scored a total of 17 goals and six assists on the power play last season. Four out of the 17 goals and one out of the six assists were with New Jersey; he has played 21 regular season games and 11 playoff games with the Devils. Now, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound winger is signed for eight more years and will have the chance to bolster his power play points after learning and adapting to the team more.
Another player that finished the season with New Jersey that will bring a boost to the power play is defenseman Luke Hughes. The 19-year-old will remain with the big club and surely be used on the power play. His skating and playmaking abilities will bolster the second unit and fill Severson’s role. Including regular season and playoff games, he has played five NHL games with New Jersey, scoring one goal and three assists. Hughes’ ability to walk the blue line will allow for the second unit to become more mobile and dangerous.
To alleviate the pass-first mentality, the addition of Tyler Toffoli on the power play will be important. With a minimum of 215 minutes played, Toffoli ranked 11th in shots on goal per 60 minutes with 11.81. Furthermore, in 733 career NHL games, he has 57 career goals and 50 assists on the power play. In the 2022-23 season, he scored 10 goals and 15 assists on the power play with the Calgary Flames. His addition to the power play will allow for more spread-out depth between the two units.
Projected Power Play Lineup
The Devils’ roster will likely not change much more. Therefore, fans can gather a solid idea of what the potential power play lineup will be. With new additions and rookie skaters being implemented, there is more room for depth.
First Unit:
- Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Jesper Bratt
- Dougie Hamilton – Jack Hughes
Second Unit:
- Tyler Toffoli – Dawson Mercer – Ondrej Palat
- Luke Hughes – Erik Haula
New Jersey will have a plethora of options to use on their power play. Furthermore, the importance of building momentum and chemistry within a unit is vital to the group’s success. As the season nears closer, training camp and preseason will be the first signs of power play units. Until then, make sure to keep up with THW’s offseason coverage!
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Advanced stats from MoneyPuck.com and Natural Stat Trick