New Jersey Devils: 5 burning questions for 2018-19
By Kyle McKenna
1. Does Jersey go back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
After clinching a playoff berth last season for the first time since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, the expectations are higher than ever for the Devils to build off of their recent success.
New Jersey will look to make back-to-back appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring for the first time since 2009-10, but the road back to the postseason should be more challenging this time around in 2018-19.
Due to the team losing veterans to UFA such as Patrick Maroon and John Moore, the Devils’ new lineup and younger assets will have to pull off another Cinderella story. But is New Jersey properly equipped to be a playoff contender, again?
By the looks of it now, the Devils are a bubble team and would need another MVP-caliber season from Taylor Hall and require other skaters to rise to the occasion. The chances are that Hall more than likely won’t replicate his 2017-18 Hart Memorial Trophy campaign, but if the Devils receive stellar goaltending both Kinkaid and Schneider, plus see an increase in offensive production from Hischier and Palmieri — then the team at least has a chance at qualifying for Lord Stanley’s dance.
While those are all key factors mentioned above for the Devils’ recipe at success, the team’s defense-corps is going to have take major strides forward and early on in the year.
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Similar to last year’s puck drop, a strong and overachieving start to the upcoming season is imperative for New Jersey’s chances at making the playoffs. Yes, this team will grow and excel as unit, but the Eastern Conference is too competitive to play catchup in the standings for more than half of the season.