Welcome to the The Hockey Writers’ Countdown of the 10 most impactful New Jersey Devils of the 2024-25 season. This is not a countdown of the ten best but rather a list of players slated to have the most significant impact. These ten players offer unique contributions, are challenging to replace, and are essential to the Devils’ quest to return to the postseason. The list concludes with the three players in line to significantly impact New Jersey’s season: Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Jacob Markstrom.
Good teams are built down the middle. The backbone of the roster is two first-overall draft picks, centers Hischier and Hughes, and highly prized trade acquisition Markstrom, who seeks to solve the goaltending problem that has existed since Martin Brodeur retired. Few teams can boast a 1C and 2C as young and talented as the Devils, and both centers complement each other’s play. If all goes well this season, all three will be vying for postseason awards.
Hischier Poised for a Rebound Season
Nico Hischier was never able to get started last season. Seven games in, he was on the receiving end of a cheap shot by the Buffalo Sabres’ Connor Clifton, which caused him to miss the next month. Losing Hischier was profound, impacting all three units and all four lines as the Devils had to scramble to plug all the holes left in the wake of his absence. For an extended period, it is impossible to replace a team’s best two-way center, let alone one of the top five in the league.
After a breakout campaign in 2022-23, Hischier was poised to fight for the title of the best two-way center in the NHL. Despite improving many of his stats, including goals per 60, shooting percentage, and face-off percentage, he didn’t have the same impact in 2023-24 – he went from a plus-33 rating to minus-5. Much of that is likely due to constantly shifting linemates coupled with the loss of Michael McLeod. Without McLeod, the Devils struggled to find a shutdown/matchup center other than Hischier. That burden, along with having to try to fill the offensive void left by injuries to Hughes, Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier, and Ondrej Palat, proved too difficult even for a player as talented as Hischier.
Devils fans need not despair. General manager Tom Fitzgerald addressed much of the cause of Hischier’s apparent regression this off-season. Looking at his last two seasons, it seems he was more a victim of his supporting cast than his play. At even strength, his goals against per 60 rose starkly from 2.6, the best of his career in 2022-23, to 4.09, the highest in his career last season.
The biggest culprit was the goaltending. With Hischier on the ice, the team’s save percentage (SV%) dipped from .906 in 2022-23 to .871 in 2023-24. This is proven by the lack of increase in high-danger goals against, which only rose .19 per 60. In a post-season press conference, Fitzgerald remarked that his team had enough bonafide top-six players but needed some who could play with top-six players and strengthen those lines. Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen’s additions indicate that help is coming for Hischier and Hughes.
Hischier is the player coaches have put with wingers to get them going. Almost every player on the Devils in the last few seasons has seen upticks in their production playing alongside Hischier. Tatar was the player who consistently brought out the best in Hischier. During the 2022-23 season, they spent 633 minutes on the ice together at even strength and played to an expected goal percentage (xGF%) of 67. In the 1500 minutes over the last two seasons without Tatar, Hischier played to an xGF% of 51.
For new head coach Sheldon Keefe, knowing that he can reunite Hischier and Tatar has to be a welcome thought heading into the season. However, Dawson Mercer’s best play of his young career came when paired with Hischier. The improved versatility and depth in the forward group should allow Hischier to thrive and put less pressure on him on both ends of the ice, making him a prime candidate for reversion back to the career year he had in 2022-23.
Hughes Is Poised to Rewrite the Record Book
Jack Hughes’ talent is undeniable. His elite skating, stick handling and high hockey IQ are matched only by his competitiveness. One of the most indelible images of last season was Hughes demolishing his stick on the glass after being stymied on a breakaway. Hughes’ competitive drive likely worked against him last season as he pushed through a significant shoulder injury to try to will the Devils to the playoffs before ultimately choosing to shut it down in April and undergo season-ending surgery.
For the first month of the season, Hughes was the best player in the NHL. Arenas held their collective breath every time the puck was on his stick. His wizardry led the team to the top of the power play standings. At the time of his initial injury, he was leading the league in points and assists and ranked second in the league in power-play points, just one behind teammate Jesper Bratt. He was on pace for a staggering 180 points. After a difficult opening three games, the team was riding a three-game winning streak and had won five of six, including two in a row without Hischier, until Hughes went down and the team never fully recovered.
Two seasons ago, Hughes seemed poised to become the first Devil to reach the 100-point mark in a season but finished just shy, setting a franchise record with 99 points. Should he remain healthy, he will be the first Devil to reach 100, and it could happen as soon as this season. It is arguable whether he is better suited to play center or wing, but as the Devils learned last season, the team simply is not the same when he is not in the lineup. He is the bonafide superstar on the roster, the proverbial straw that stirs the drink, and as Hughes goes, so do the Devils.
Almost equally important is that Hughes has shown he can be counted on in the clutch. In his one playoff appearance, he was a point-per-game player who scored five of his six goals at even strength. He scored the tying goal in Game 3 against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden, which turned the series. He followed it up the next night by beating goaltender Igor Shesterkin on a breakaway less than three minutes into Game 4.
He opened some eyes with his willingness to throw his body around, with five hits over a 12-game run – nearly half as many as he had the entire regular season. No moment showed that the Lady Byng Trophy runner-up was willing to mix it up more than when he squared up with Sebastian Aho ultimately getting the better of the larger center. Combine his willingness to sacrifice his body and play through pain with his ability to create goals in the clutch and the Devils have a cornerstone player who is far more than a regular-season points compiler.
Markstrom is the High-Danger Shot Eater the Devils Desperately Need
The Devils’ quest for a goaltender to carry the torch left by Broduer is well documented. The journey has been marked with glimpses of promise ending in mediocrity, injury, and disappointment. The inability to find consistency in net started to wear on the rest of the team last season when almost every mistake seemed to end up in the back of the net, causing the players to be more cautious and indecisive, which is not a recipe for success. Having tried almost every other path, Fitzgerald finally determined that he had to go all-in on a bonafide starting goaltender, choosing to give up Kevin Bahl and draft picks to acquire Jacob Markstrom this off-season.
It is easy to see why Markstrom would be attractive to the Devils. He has prototypical size at 6-foot-6 and has demonstrated success as a starter, starting 43 games or more in seven seasons. He has posted an SV% above .905 in eight of the past nine seasons and has proven he can carry a team through the regular season and playoffs. Throughout the past three seasons combined, he has posted the fourth-highest high-danger save percentage (HDSV%) of any goalie with at least 130 starts.
Understanding the potential impact that Markstrom could have this season is evident in his goals saved above expected stat (GSAx). His numbers plummeted after the Calgary Flames traded away most of their defense, but the gap in GSAx between him and Devils starter Vitek Vanecek was still more than 24 goals. Per Money Puck, before the trade deadline, in 40 games played, Markstrom posted a .911 SV%, a 2.62 goals-against average (GAA) and over 10 goals saved above average. On the day the trade deadline expired, he was the NHL leader in HDSV% at .856.
If he can just repeat his numbers from last season, the Devils will be playoff-bound. The good news is that a motivated Markstrom with a fortified defense is poised to significantly improve on last season’s numbers and return to his Vezina Trophy-caliber play. Getting back to the playoffs is step one but winning in the playoffs is the goal, and Markstrom can traverse that path.
In 14 NHL seasons, Markstrom has only been a part of two playoff runs, starting 26 career games with a 13-13 record, a .911 SV% and a 2.90 GAA. In the playoffs, he did produce quality starts 65% of the time. Together, the Markstrom acquisition may go down as Fitzgerald’s most important move, both on the ice and for his young team’s psyche. The confidence the team gains playing in front of a goalie they know can erase their mistakes will provide an immeasurable boost.
Ranking the Devils’ Top 3
After a month-long journey through the top ten, the list comes to a conclusion here. Legitimate arguments could be made for why any of the three players are the most impactful in 2024-25. It is an embarrassment of riches, an elite two-way center who epitomizes leadership and exudes talent, a 23-year-old poised to demolish the franchise scoring records, or the elusive, bonafide starting goaltender. In an ideal world, all three would be seated in the audience for next summer’s NHL Awards show as finalists for the Selke, Hart, and Vezina Trophies. An idea not to be dismissed as all are capable and have a clear path to the awards.
For the purposes of this countdown Hischier is a close number three. The loss of any of these players for significant time would be devastating to New Jersey’s playoff hopes. Hischier is slightly a notch below Hughes and Markstrom in the height of his successes but is the steadiest presence of the three and the ultimate ‘you don’t know what you’ve got til it is gone’ player. Hischier’s off-ice growth and influence in the locker room need to take another step forward as he already commands the admiration and respect of his teammates, but he is entering a phase where that may not be enough. He must demand they hold to the team’s standard of play and ensure accountability throughout the lineup. His leadership growth will be a huge factor in determining the Devils’ success.
Markstrom comes in at number two. Anyone who has watched the Devils over the past decade knows why a goalie of his caliber is the missing piece. He gives the rest of the team the confidence to play the aggressive, high-pressure style that Keefe will install. The ability to stymie opponent power plays will be a huge benefit of this acquisition. The Devils do not need elite Markstrom, they need steady Markstrom. Should he give them that calming presence, he will have an impact on every player on the roster and put the Devils in a position to compete on a level playing field.
The most impactful player for the 2024-25 Devils is Hughes, the Devils’ superstar and the one player who has the ability to make something out of nothing and carry the team by himself. Hughes’ skill is still developing, which is scary for the rest of the league. With his shoulder now surgically repaired, he should be able to return to the player who captivated the league last October.
With Hughes the Devils are never out of a game and have the opportunity to almost always have the best player on the ice. Combining his talent with an insatiable competitive fire driving his performance will push him to continue to reach heights not previously achieved in a Devils’ sweater while taking his team back to the heights of their glory days. His impact is indelible, irreplaceable, and incomparable, and for that he earns the top slot in the countdown.
