The 2023/24 season for the New Jersey Devils looks primed to just be the beginning of more great things to come to the team. After edging the New York Rangers in a heated battle to claim Game 7, in the Second Round, the young guns succumbed to the mighty Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.
Coming into the 2024/25 season, and as we progress past the February 2025 4 Nations Face-Off break, the team looks even stronger. As has happened to all other teams in the NHL, like the Philadelphia Flyers earlier in the season, the injury bug bit the Devils hard, with a top goaltender, forward, and defenseman being put on ice.
With the stretch looming, the trade deadline arriving on March 7, 2025, and the Devils rather securely in the Metropolitan places with a .596 win percentage through their first 57 games, the team looks ready for the big push. Perhaps the timely returns of the injured star players will offer a timely boost down the line, too.
Back in June, the New Jersey Devils made what has proven to be a wonderfully savvy move. The team sent a first-rounder pick in the 2025 draft and towering defenseman Kevin Bahl to the Calgary Flames to bring in Jacob Markström.
In 48 games last season, he put up a 2.78 goals against average and .905 save percentage for a team that finished 17 points away from the Western Conference’s wild card places. Like the 32 Thoughts podcast with Elliotte Friedman noted on January 18, a true No. 1 goalies make or break playoff hopes.
Since arriving, the 6’6’’ Swede has put up a 21-9-5 record in 36 games while holding Vezina Trophy-worthy stats of a 2.20 goals against average and .912 save percentage. If it wasn’t for Connor Hellebuyck’s freakishly stingy season, Markström would be much higher in the Vezina rankings at the post-break point.
However, the wheels started to wiggle on the Devils in late January when, on January 22, Markström suffered a sprained MCL in his knee caused by Justin Brazeau of the Boston Bruins crashing into the netminder in the 5-1 win. Reportedly out for between four and six weeks, per NHL.com, inconsistency ensued for the Devils.
Montréal took New Jersey to overtime, followed by a 4-2 loss to Philadelphia, a 5-0 win in the return leg at home, a 4-3 loss to the Sabres, and a close 3-2 shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. To see them through to the break, the Devils lost 3-1 at home against the Golden Knights, and then beat the Habs on the road 4-0.
On January 19, it was reported that, while Markström was put on the injured-reserve, he had returned to practice. He didn’t participate fully, but the Swedish shot-stopper’s impending return is huge for New Jersey. As of February 20, Betway had the Devils at +3500 to win the division, following their Markström-less run of inconsistency.
When he returns and takes shifts back from Jake Allen, who went 9-11-1 through 21 games played, there’s a very good chance that the Devils will get back on track and go on a hot streak. While there was a 12-point gap to make up on the Washington Capitals, out at -1250 to win the division, they had gone 3-1-3 into the break.
New Jersey’s top six took a huge hit on January 25, 2025. Just a game after Markström was injured, so too was Nico Hischier. The Swiss center scored in the game against the Habs, but sustained a high cross-check from Nick Suzuki, as ESPN reports. It saw the Montréal captain injure New Jersey’s captain and commence the 3-3-0 run.
On January 18, he officially made his way back to practice. With a return to the lines closing in, the team could then reassess their approach to the March 7 trade deadline. With Hischier back, Erik Haula can return to his bottom-six role, hopefully unlocking more from Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer on the wings.
After a strong start to the season and proving himself to be a reliable defensive rock, unfortunately, Jonas Siegenthaler also hit the IR on February 18. He’s listed as having a lower-body injury, which was sustained on February 7. The Swiss left-shot is expected to miss a few more weeks following a surgical procedure.
So, he’s not out for a particularly long time, and Markström and Hischier are primed to return before the trade deadline. This gives the Devils fairly cheap ways to improve. There are already plenty of trades being made, and big ones, too – like that between the Flames and Flyers – but for the Devils, it’s all about bolstering the bottom six.
The New Jersey Devils will receive a huge boost when each of these top players return to their lines, giving them the momentum needed to push on through the stretch and, hopefully, even further into the playoffs.
