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.
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