The second half of the 2025-26 season is officially underway, and the New Jersey Devils are once again stuck in a rut. After going 1-4-0 in their last five games, it’s clear that something drastic needs to occur to keep their playoff aspirations alive. What’s even more concerning is that they’ve been having trouble scoring more than one goal per game, which should be virtually impossible considering their lineup includes players like Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt.
And yet, familiar issues continue to resurface. Without solid goaltending or reliable scoring, and a management that refuses to take action, the Devils are in serious trouble. But what, exactly, isn’t clicking? Here’s an analysis of everything that’s going wrong.
Alarming Lack of Goals
Throughout October, the Devils scored three or more goals in one game in 90.9% of their contests (10/11). Unsurprisingly, with this kind of offensive dominance, they pulled off an eight-game win streak, which included victories over tough opponents, including the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche. Even less surprising, the goals came from far and wide throughout the lineup — shorthanded from Connor Brown, on the power play courtesy of Dawson Mercer, and even Brenden Dillon at one point.
By November, the number remained roughly the same. The Devils had nine games with at least three goals, going 7-2-0 within those contests. But things took a turn for the worse in December. The team boasted a 5-9-1 record, and it became evident that scoring goals had become a problem. Not only were they shut out three times, but they also fell victim to two different four-game losing streaks.
Looking at the stats, there are a few different things that stand out. The glaring issue remains the Devils’ 5-on-5 play. They’ve given up 31 more goals against than for — but it isn’t for lack of trying. Despite generating more shot attempts and shots on goal than their opponents, the Devils have a serious issue with finishing scoring chances. And now, their average of 2.56 goals per game is the third-lowest in the NHL.
Crushed Morale, Tensions Mounting
Unfortunately, recent circumstances have made it so that morale is at an all-time low, while frustrations continue to manifest. The Devils were unable to facilitate a trade with the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Quinn Hughes last month, and now they seem to be at a crossroads for the remainder of the season.
The obvious solution would be to move certain players in order to free up cap space. As of right now, their situation is precarious — sending Stefan Noesen to injured reserve (IR) barely freed up enough room to activate Johnathan Kovacevic and Evgenii Dadonov. But once more, there are other forces at play.
The organization’s relationship with Dougie Hamilton continues to sour. On Saturday, he skated alongside Colton White on the fourth defensive pairing at practice and was scratched against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. After reaching out to Hamilton’s agent, TSN insider Pierre Lebrun shared that the choice to take him out of the lineup was most likely business-related — namely, due to his 10-team trade list.
Reached out to Dougie Hamilton’s agent J.P. Barry. His response:
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 10, 2026
“Dougie was informed today that he will be not be playing now that Kovacevic is back in the lineup. In our view,
this decision is all about business rather than his game right now. Singling him out seems very…
Similarly, Elliotte Friedman dropped a bombshell on Saturday Headlines, stating that the San Jose Sharks tried to acquire him over the summer, but Hamilton blocked the move. At this point, it looks like his days in New Jersey are numbered. His offensive production has plummeted, and his $9 million average annual value (AAV) prevents the team from making moves toward improvement. These conditions have created the perfect storm of frustration, and it’s starting to affect the team’s on-ice chemistry.
Goaltending Remains Inconsistent
It would be unfair to heap all the blame on the goaltenders, but Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom have not been performing to their fullest potential as of late. Markstrom has not won back-to-back starts since the end of November, and Allen is currently in the middle of a three-game skid.
So far this month, they have an average save percentage (SV%) of .847. Together, they’ve put up a SV% below .900 25 times this season — over half of the games played so far. But the wakeup call came against the New York Islanders last week, when Markstrom let in nine goals.
Related: 3 Issues the Devils Must Address to Find Consistency
Unfortunately, Allen is not faring much better. Even though he’s made countless highlight-worthy saves, the reality is that he’s let in 11 goals in his last three starts, averaging a .875 SV% across January. Normally, he’s been able to pick up the slack when Markstrom struggles, but their combined instability has been one of the reasons the Devils can’t string together more than a handful of wins at a time.
Another concerning facet of the Devils’ goaltending is their inability to perform well in high-danger scenarios. Based on data from NHL Edge, both Allen and Markstrom rank below the 50th percentile in high-danger SV%. Together, they’ve allowed 73 goals against, while the Devils have only been able to score 54 high-danger goals for.
Moving Forward
If the Devils want to turn the season around, taking action is a matter of when, not if. They cannot afford to wait until the trade deadline in March, and general manager Tom Fitzgerald remains in the hot seat the longer he takes to make a move. By trading players like Hamilton, addressing their current goalscoring difficulties, and finding consistency between the pipes, it could instill confidence in the rest of the team as they attempt to work toward a playoff spot.
