James Nichols
Updated:
The New Jersey Devils closed out their season at home like they always do, giving the shirts off their backs to those who made it on the ice.
It’s an early end to an otherwise disappointing year, one that was entered with playoff expectations and a collective step forward for the core general manager Tom Fitzgerald inherited and helped garner.
However, Fitzgerald is no longer head honcho. He and the Devils agreed to mutually part ways a week ago, and the Devils’ search for a new GM is underway.
The Devils will play one more game tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins and then their offseason will officially begin.
There are a lot of reasons why this season went sideways, but we’re not here for the postmortem just yet.
Last night’s win over the Ottawa Senators in the home finale sparked a few thoughts as the Devils won’t play in the Prudential Center again this season and with the offseason approaching.
Let’s dive in.
- Nico Hischier was the star of last night’s game, but I thought Dawson Mercer had a monster performance. He reached the 20-goal plateau for the third time in four seasons, missing the mark by just one goal in 2024-25 when he potted 19. They say the best ability is availability, and Mercer is certainly the Devils’ ironman. However, after the 2022-23 season, Mercer always leaves you wanting more. Yet, he showed against the Senators he can be a catalyst. No pun intended, he was a dog on a bone tracking pucks. That’s typical of him. However, what was most evident was Mercer’s ability to create on Sunday. He nearly score twice, one being taken away after an offside called his goal back, but I saw what keeps Mercer in the top-6 on the Hischier line. The problem is, it feels like Mercer’s output is almost empty-calorie. For starters, six of his 20 goals are empty netters, which ranks second in the NHL in a six-way tie. That’s not nothing. Sheldon Keefe trusts Mercer late in games to help close things out. However, he seemingly struggles to take that next step that could make him an elite two-way threat. One that would inch him closer to the 30-goal mark.
- Perhaps we’re all looking at Mercer wrong. He’s going into the final year of his contract which pays him $4 million annually. Although he gels well with the Hischier line, if he can’t eclipse the 20-goal, 40-point plateau again, he’s a premium third-liner as opposed to a decent second liner. It’s fair to wonder, however, if he’s even part of the mix in 2026-27. A new GM means changes are coming.
- Can we talk about Nico Daws for a minute? Last night’s second period wasn’t on him whatsoever. The Devils were outshot 16-5 in the middle frame, and Daws was under siege. However, when the Devils needed him most after they mounted their third period comeback, Daws came up big in a handful of moments. It just seems like every time Daws pulls on the Devils sweater, he’s upping his game. The sample is small over the last few seasons with just eight starts split between 2024-25 and 2025-26. But the numbers are hard to ignore. Daws has registered a .939 SV%, 1.60 GAA and .934 SV% and 1.95 GAA respectively.
- The intention was for Daws to be a full-time NHL goaltender in 2025-26, hence his one-way ticket. He wound up back in the AHL after Fitgerald brought Jake Allen back on a five-year contract, and with Jacob Markstrom in the final year of his before his new two-year deal kicks in on July 1st. But you can’t tell me Daws wouldn’t at least be a serviceable 1B to Allen, if not just take the cage himself. If the Devils could figure out a way to jetison the Markstrom deal and go forward with Allen and Daws until Mikhail Yegorov or Jakub Malek are ready, it’d be worth looking into.
- One of the things I haven’t gotten a complete handle on is what Sheldon Keefe‘s future will be. He explained to the media last week he’s been informed his job will be under evaluation at seasons end. At the time, I was 80/20 he was out the door. Now, I’m leaning more 60/40. I still think a new GM will want his own head coach, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t think he has the Devils playing winning hockey ever since the Olympic break. He does. And that’s what they looked like pre Chicago-cut.
- Fitzgerald took a lot of heat for a handful of questionable contracts, but Connor Brown will not be one of them. Ideally, you want him playing middle-six minutes and not on Jack Hughes‘ line. But he’s certainly making the case to stay there. Brown’s fit like a glove in New Jersey, and his skillset complients this roster so well. He does a bit of everything, and you saw that last night when he stole a puck on the penalty kill, sprung himself for a breakaway with speed, and scored. Even if he didn’t technically get a shot off despite scoring, we’ve seen this from Brown before. He’s geling with the Devils’ top talent, while also filling other areas of need, and is a total leader to boot.
- One of the themes over the last few games is despite the outcome, win or loss, the Devils’ locker room knows their season shouldn’t end after Tuesday’s tilt. Hischier’s stated it, Jack’s stated it, Brown, Jesper Bratt, Paul Cotter, Brenden Dillon. The list goes on. They know they should be a playoff team. Even if they lost tomorrow, they’d end the season over .500 with 42 wins on the season. Currently, that ranks for third most in the Metropolitan Division. It was the loser point that killed them this season, taking just three games in overtime, including Sunday’s. Yet, they’re not making the excuses that the standings structure hurt them. The Devils know they didn’t meet their potential in 2025-26, and they’re not happily going into the summer months.
- One of the obvious things about Sunday’s game was that Devils fans were ready for the playoffs. It felt a bit like the Prudential Center had this deafening silence in the seats when everyone realized the outcome of the season was no playoffs. Yet, against the Senators, Devils fans were a loud, rambunctious bunch, who all came alive to send the Devils’ season off with a bang. Stay hungry, Devils fans. Your team SHOULD be back where they belong in 2027.
