Now in the dog days of summer, the New Jersey Devils are counting down the days until the puck drops on 2024-25. The roster is 99% set, barring any shocking trades or retirements. New Jersey underwent a relatively large re-tool this offseason after a disappointing season. They said farewell to their coach, multiple goaltenders, and players who did not fit the tougher new look of the team. How much will these changes improve the Devils, and what will be the most impactful change?
In this three-part series of Devils Offseason Rankings, the first installment will feature goaltending, special teams, and coaches to predict which factor will be the most important to the Devils. With so many changes, there is a good chance some pieces will not work out as expected. However, New Jersey still has their core intact and most additions were supplemental.
Starting from least impactful to most impactful, here are the changes we think will impact the team the most in 2024-25.
4. Jake Allen
The Devils completely reworked their goaltending depth in a short time. Notable goalies who have left include Mackenzie Blackwood, Vitek Vanecek, and Akira Schmid. This season we will see the Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen tandem. Allen is a veteran with 429 career games with the St. Louis Blues and Montreal Canadiens. In 2023-24, he played 13 games with the Devils and will return this season. His cap hit is only $1.93 million since the Canadiens still pay half of his salary.
Allen might be last on this list, but he will be an important piece for the team this season. The Devils have locked up a certifiable #1 goaltender in Markstorm, so Allen will likely start somewhere between 30-35 games. So, even though he’s not the starter, he will have to be reliable when called upon. Allen is a solid goaltender to have as a backup, and he will also benefit from the revamped defense that saw massive upgrades this offseason.
3. Special Teams
Having a reliable power play and penalty kill will ensure the Devils can compete against the top teams in the league. However, despite having a power-play unit loaded with talent, they have not found consistent success. The Devils ended the season with a 22.4% success rate on the power play, which ranked 13th in the league. However, in terms of expected goals percentage, they ranked 27th. Of course, injuries and ever-changing lines are partly to blame. In 2024-25, the team must establish a top-ranked power play to be consistently competitive.
The Devils penalty kill was also in the middle of the pack last season, ranked 11th in the league with an 80.7% kill rate. Still, the team should get a big boost with a better defense and goaltending tandem. The NHL’s top ten penalty kill units last season featured four teams from the Metropolitan Division, so the Devils only ranked fifth in their own division.
Related: 5 NHL Teams That Improved in Free Agency
With the new additions and a new coach, the Devils’ special teams will look different and hopefully improve since they will be one of the most important factors this season.
2. Sheldon Keefe
After four seasons with Lindy Ruff behind the bench, the Devils decided to go in a different direction. Ruff has been in a coaching position for 23 seasons and has never won the Stanley Cup. The closest he came was when he was with the Buffalo Sabres, who lost to the Dallas Stars in the 1999 Cup Final. Is experience important? Of course. However, Ruff and New Jersey were drifting apart, so a change was needed. Now, Sheldon Keefe, a much less experienced coach, will look to bring New Jersey back to their winning ways.
Keefe has five years of coaching experience with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was behind the Maple Leafs’ bench from 2019-2024 and made the playoffs every season. However, he only advanced past the first round once, in the 2023 Playoffs, when Toronto lost to the Florida Panthers in the second round. Keefe was likely not the biggest problem, but he was ultimately let go due to the team’s lack of postseason success.
Fortunately, Keefe’s regular-season record is impressive and should have Devils fans excited for the near future. In 349 games, he has a 212-97-40 record. The lowest that the Maple Leafs finished in the Atlantic Division under Keefe was third. If Keefe can prove that he can win in the playoffs, New Jersey will likely achieve a lot of success under the 43-year-old coach.
1. Jacob Markstrom
The Devils’ goaltending was abysmal last season and was the main reason they missed the playoffs. Five goaltenders played for New Jersey, and only Kaapo Kahkonen finished with a goals-against average (GAA) under 2.55. Vitek Vanecek played the most games at 32 and registered a 3.18 GAA and .890 save percentage (SV%). Allen was only the second goalie to have a .900 SV% or above, along with Kahkonen. As a result, general manager Tom Fitzgerald finally brought in a certifiable number-one goaltender.
This season, no player will be more important than Markstrom. Having a successful campaign will determine whether the Devils make the playoffs or not. Fans know it doesn’t matter how talented your team is. If you don’t have a goaltender who can make vital saves, you will go nowhere. Adding the experienced Swedish netminder should be a massive boost to the team and have the biggest impact on their campaign.
There are always surprises in an NHL season. There will always be unsung heroes and underperforming players. However, ranking different aspects of the team after offseason changes will show how each piece is valued going into the season. Each piece brings value, but the most impactful pieces will make New Jersey a successful organization again.
