As the final horn blew, ending the New Jersey Devils’ brutal 2023-24 campaign, general manager Tom Fitzgerald knew he had to make changes. The team needed more than just a fresh coat of paint. Atop Fitzgerald’s “punch list” had to be a bonafide starting goaltender, more depth and physicality throughout the lineup, a new coach with a fresh outlook, and a reconstituted defense. By the end of the first week of free agency, he checked each off his list and entered the summer hiatus with a new, apparently improved version of the Devils.
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Fitzgerald may have checked off much of his punch list, but a few areas needing improvement remain. One of the leftover unknowns heading into this season is the power play. Last season, the Devils raced to the top of the NHL power play standings, converting nearly 40 percent of their opportunities. Then injuries struck, and they were unable to regain their form. The loss of Dougie Hamilton just 20 games into the season profoundly impacted the Devils’ power play.
At the time of his injury, the Devils averaged over 15 goals per 60 minutes on the power play, more than three goals better than any other team in the league. Over the next 62 games, that number dipped to under six goals per 60 minutes, and the team tumbled from first in the NHL to 30th (Per Natural Stat Trick). Even starker, from Jan. 1, 2024, through the day head coach Lindy Ruff was fired on March 4, 2024, the Devils played 26 games and scored only nine power-play goals while giving up four short-handed goals. In that time, they shot just under 7 percent, the worst in the NHL.
Power-Play Potential Unlimited
Turning the page to this season, the team is banking on an infusion of new ideas, structure, and talent to fuel a return to power-play success. Saturday’s practice marked the first time the team began to install the power play. New head coach Sheldon Keefe beamed when talking about the competition for spots on the power play, saying that the team had 10 forwards who could see time in the eight power-play spots. He indicated the team was currently working on the basic structure of the power play and would be installing the more nuanced looks as time progressed. He was especially effusive in his praise for free agent acquisition Stefan Noesen who he believes will give the team a…
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