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 10 best but rather a list of players slated to have the biggest impact. These 10 players offer unique contributions, are difficult to replace, and are essential to the Devils’ quest to return to the postseason. The list continues with number five, Brett Pesce.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald headed into the offseason wanting to remake his team from the crease outwards. After securing a head coach, he focused on making his team a more difficult matchup for opponents. Last season, teams figured out that the Devils had trouble playing off script and finding ways to win low-scoring, grinding games when teams took away rush opportunities. Early in the season, the Devils also had difficulty suppressing odd-man rushes and were seemingly unable to protect the front of their net adequately. The issue became what the team should do with John Marino.
Unfortunately for the Devils, Marino’s play regressed in 2023-24. He was put in a very difficult position in a lineup usually composed of three rookie defensemen without a regular partner. In just 11 more games, he was on the ice for 48 more goals against than the season before. Marino had difficulty defending his net front and was too often on the wrong side of opponents, and his failure to box out or stick check led directly to goals. In his postseason remarks, Fitzgerald mentioned the team’s need to gain strength and maturity. He chose to do that on defense through free agency with the acquisitions of Pesce and Brenden Dillon to replace Marino and Kevin Bahl.
The Devils’ blue line is an unusual mix of players. Talent abounds on the right side with Dougie Hamilton, Pesce, and former second-overall draft pick Simon Nemec. The left side features another top-five pick in Calder Trophy finalist Luke Hughes and two stalwart, defense-first players in Dillon and Jonas Siegenthaler. New coach Sheldon Keefe will be able to mix and match pairs based on performance, health, and matchups. The versatility of Pesce is the key component of the group’s flexibility and is a key to the team’s ability to bounce back significantly.
Brett Pesce Is an Upgrade on Defense
Devils’ management believes that Pesce is an upgrade over Marino. The team was linked to Pesce for weeks leading up to…
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