The New Jersey Devils have officially hit the midway point of the 2025-26 NHL season with their 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, as good a team effort as they have had all year. Their top guys have finally started to wake back up.
In a season full of surprises across the league, the Devils haven’t quite met their high expectations. Sitting on 46 points through 41 games, the Devils are stuck in sixth in the tight Metropolitan Division, one point shy of the second wildcard in the Eastern Conference.
Injuries, both on the ice and off, have hindered the Devils from finding their early season groove, even as they have gotten healthier and welcomed key players back to the lineup. That eight-game winning streak from October feels ancient, and even though they’ve won their last two games, it remains to be seen if the Devils can string together consistent performances like that again.
So with 41 more games to go and a date at The Prudential Center with the Hurricanes tonight, let’s take a look at how good each Devil has been through the halfway mark of the season. 29 skaters and 3 goaltenders have dressed for the Devils in at least one game this year, but we’ll be looking at those who have played in at least 10 games, starting with the forwards. Strap in:
Jesper Bratt – B
In 41 games played, Jesper Bratt leads all Devils this season with a solid 33 points. However, only nine of those points are goals. The Olympics-bound Swede has always been primarily a playmaker as opposed to a goalscorer, but after a strong first two months of the season, picking up points in 20 of New Jersey’s first 25 games, he only tallied points in five of 15 games in December. You have to imagine that those numbers go up if Jack Hughes doesn’t suffer a freak injury in mid November, but even since Jack’s return to the lineup, the 27-year-old has just four points and went nine games without registering an assist until Saturday. Not consistent enough production from the premier assist-man on a team that hopes to be contending for a Stanley Cup, but still a strong campaign from Bratt and one that could be trending back in the right direction.
Connor Brown – B+
After joining the Devils in free agency last summer, Connor Brown quickly became an important middle-six player for New Jersey. Despite missing some time in early November due to injury, Brown has been the type of third liner that the Devils have needed for some time, scoring a respectable 17 points in 34 games. For a player who only averages around 16:00 of ice time per game and has been regularly used on the penalty kill, that sort of production is certainly not insignificant. Will be interesting to see how the forward lines shake up once a player like Evgenii Dadonov returns from injury. As of now, Brown has looked great on the third line, especially when next to Cody Glass and Arseny Gritsyuk.
Paul Cotter – D+
The 26-year-old fourth liner has played in all but one game this season, and it was the Devils’ most recent game against Utah. Cotter, who has totaled 10 points in 40 games, watched on Saturday from the upper deck of The Rock as a healthy scratch. If not for the revolving door of injuries that the Devils have had to deal with, it’s possible that head coach Sheldon Keefe would’ve scratched him earlier. Just hasn’t been clicking this year for the skillful bottom-six winger, who has gone without a point in his last eight appearances. Right before that, however, he scored in three straight and added an assist as well. Could be that this healthy scratch is exactly what he needs to refind his form offensively. On the defensive side, Cotter has been much more impressive, leading the Devils in hits with 106.
Cody Glass – B-
One of several Devils who have succombed to injuries this season, Glass actually missed time in two separate stints; once in late October and again in mid November. When healthy, Glass has looked the part of a third line center on a playoff-caliber NHL team. Not necessarily a big point getter, he has been a part of that impressive Gritsyuk-Glass-Brown that was at least temporarily disbanded but has been a good system player no matter the wingers beside him. Despite only boasting nine points to his name, the 26-year-old center has a +2 and 53.3% faceoff success through 30 games and has been occasionally utilized on the Devils’ second powerplay unit. Should general manager Tom Fitzgerald look for a trade to improve the center position, Glass would be a luxury fourth-line center if he were to be dropped down. As it stands, he’s been a reliable and consistent 3C and could continue carrying that responsibility through the season.
Luke Glendening – C-
One of eight Devils to play in all 41 games to this point, Luke Glendening was close to starting the 2025-26 season without a contract from an NHL team. That is until the 36-year-old Grand Rapids, MI native impressed on his professional tryout (PTO) through preseason with the Devils and was penciled in as the fourth line center moving forward. From there, it’s been a predictable season for the veteran center, who has been solid at the faceoff dot and mostly reliable on the penalty kill but hasn’t done much scoring. With just four assists and no goals all season, Glendening has reminded us all the true meaning of the term “role player”. And while it would be unfair to point to him as the source of New Jersey’s November and December scoring woes, not getting any help from the fourth line isn’t something the Devils can really afford at the moment. If he can continue to contribute offensively following his assist to Dougie Hamilton on Saturday, it could be a big turning point for New Jersey.
Arseny Gritsyuk – A-
Rookie Arseny Gritsyuk has been a welcome addition to the Devils lineup in 2025-26. The 24-year-old Krasnoyarsk, Russia native has situated himself nicely in the Devils middle-six and has impressed not just with his shooting and playmaking skills, but with his all around abilities and general hockey IQ. For someone with only 37 career games in the NHL, he plays like a five-year veteran of the league and has even pitched in with solid secondary scoring numbers, putting up eight goals and 17 total points. It’s easy to overlook how important a player like Gritsyuk has been when goals run dry across the board, but it cannot be denied that “Grits” has done his part so far.
Nico Hischier – B
Devils captain Nico Hischier scored a career high 35 goals in 75 games last year and is on pace to fall well short of that mark in 2025-26. With 32 points in 41 games, it’s been far from a bad campaign for the 2017 first overall pick, but one that falls slightly below expectations. Still a dynamo at even strength and a crucial part of the Devils penalty kill, the real noticeable difference in Hischier’s production has been when New Jersey is on the powerplay. His 4 powerplay goals and 11 points through 41 games suggest that his final number will fall well below his 14 goal and 29 powerplay points last season. He’s still elite in the circle, winning 54.2% off his faceoffs and remains one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL. And even if some called his scrap with Matthew Knies ill-advised, the captain showed guts trying to take on one of the leagues premier fighters to galvanize the group and New Jersey has won both games since. The Devils will need to squeeze some more offensive production out of their best center if they want to reemerge as contenders this season, which they got on Saturday in the form of a big powerplay goal. His 12 goals are tied with Timo Meier for the most of any Devil so far this season.
Jack Hughes – A-
Another player who has been bitten by the injury bug, the Devils star center Jack Hughes is slightly beyond a point-per-game pace, scoring 11 and assisting 13 through 23 games. The 24-year-old Olympics-bound American was his usual dominant self through October and early November, amassing 10 goals and 10 assists in 17 games. Then, the much talked about freak hand injury sidelined him for more than a month before he came back to the lineup with the lone goal in a 3-1 home loss to the surging Buffalo Sabres. With four points in his last seven games since returning from injury, zero faceoffs taken and frequent reminders that his hand is still constantly wrapped up, many suspect that Hughes hasn’t fully recovered. Initial reports from his injury and subsequent surgery suggested a six-to-eight week timeframe for recovery, but the Devils talisman came back in five. If his time away from the team reminded Devils fans of anything, it’s that he is the most important offensive player this team has. Despite returning triumphantly with his goal against Buffalo and his former coach Lindy Ruff, fans noticed that the Devils’ troubles mostly continued into the new year and it still hasn’t felt like Jack really returned. That is, until he had an eye-opening two-point game on Saturday.
Juho Lammikko – D+
Finnish center Juho Lammikko made his return to the NHL to sign with the Devils last summer. At 29, Lammikko spent the last three seasons in Europe with NSC Lions of the Swiss National League after brief stints with the Panthers and Canucks. A player who has bounced in an out of the lineup, he played his 20th game of the season on Saturday against Utah in place of Cotter. Although typically competing with Glendening and Glass for bottom-six minutes as a center, Lammikko’s ability to fill in on the wings has made him a valuable roster component, even if he’s spent most games as a healthy scratch. On the ice, it tells a bit of a different story, as Lammikko has somewhat fallen through the cracks. With only two points through 20 games (and both of those two points coming in the same game), the 2014 third round pick has essentially fallen into the same category as his fourth-line contemporaries but without the real role-playing chops or intangible attributes, like Glendening’s penalty killing or Cotter’s speed and mitts.
Timo Meier – B+
In 36 games this season, Timo Meier has just about matched his goalscoring pace from his last few seasons in black and red, as he averaged 0.7 points per game through the 2024-25 regular season. In 2025-26, Meier has 12 goals and 25 points, an average of 0.69 points per game. Very respectable numbers, but still a bit below what the Devils have hoped for from the talented Swiss power forward. While infamous for playing his best hockey during the month of March, fans didn’t have to wait for him to begin producing this season, as he came out of the gates with 21 points through the first two months of the season and 23 points through his first 30 games. However, since taking a personal leave of absence for family reasons after 12/9, Meier missed five games and has only recorded two points since, including what would become the game winner against Utah on Saturday.
Dawson Mercer – B+
The Devils Ironman is halfway through what could be his fifth consecutive season without missing a game. More excitingly, 2025-26 has been his beast season since his sophomore campaign in 2022-23 when he recorded 56 points. With 24 points and a Devils best +9 rating through 41 games, Dawson Mercer has had something of a resurgence and has done so playing in various positions, playing as both a center and winger on each of the top three lines. This versatility has made Mercer a crucial part of what the Devils are trying to do within their middle six. His solid play, particularly from the first two months of the season, are what’s earned him more first line minutes and more looks on the first powerplay unit. However, like many of his peers, his offensive production from earlier in the season outweighs that of his most recent appearances, picking up 20 points in 25 games through October and November and just five points in the 16 games since. Perhaps it’s only a concidence, but the points began to elude Mercer right around the time his name was being floated out in potential trade talks for Quinn Hughes. If Mercer can continue picking up points like he did on Saturday with an assist to Meier, the Devils could jump to another level of offensive might.
Stefan Noesen – D-
Stefan Noesen returned to New Jersey for his second stint with the Devils in the summer of 2024, signing a three-year contract. After a career year in 2024-25 with 22 goals and 41 points, expectations had risen for Noesen to be a key secondary contributor and powerplay net front presence in 2025-26, but it hasn’t gone that way. After re-aggravating a groin injury over the summer, Noesen was forced to get surgery that caused him to miss all of preseason and the first six games of the regular season. It’s clear that that missed preparation time has hurt Noesen, limiting him to just three goals and seven points in 35 games. Still working back to his best, it’s been difficult to notice Noesen sometimes, as his ice time has been restricted to an average of 10:06 TOI over his last six games.
Ondrej Palat – F
Much has been said about the lack of production from Ondrej Palat and his ugly $6 million AAV contract that runs through 2027. Another player whose name has been floated out as potential to be traded by New Jersey, Palat’s time as a Devil has been underwhelming to say the least, and 2025-26 hasn’t been much better through 41 games. With just 8 points through the midway point of the season, Palat is on pace for his worst season in a Devils uniform. His lowest point tally with the Tampa Bay Lightning came in 2018-19 when he recorded 34 points in 64 games. His best season with New Jersey came in 2023-24 when he amassed 31 points. Just hasn’t looked the same player since signing that five-year deal with the Devils, and has unfortunately only stuck out in a negative way this season.
Now over to the blue-line:
Dennis Cholowski – D
Brought to New Jersey via a trade with the New York Islanders in March of 2025 to be the presumptive seventh defenseman, Cholowski has played in 15 games so far through his one-year contract as a Devil. The injuries on the Devils blueline has caused Keefe to call upon Cholowski to fill in for the likes of Brett Pesce, Simon Nemec and Dougie Hamilton at various points through the year. Unfortunately, after picking up an assist in his first game of the year against the Kings on Nov. 1, Cholowski has been pedestrian at best, both offensively and defensively. His role has since been snatched up by Colton White, deservedly so.
Brenden Dillon – B+
After undergoing Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) neck surgery in the 2025 offseason from being severely injured in Game 1 of the 2025 playoffs, Dillon was able to return for the start of the 2025-26 season and hasn’t missed a game since. Always steady and reliable on the blue line, the 35-year-old has bounced between multiple D-partners, most recently finding a groove paired next to White. While it’s somewhat expected for Dillon to be a rock defensively (he’s second among Devils hits leaders with 99), what’s been a welcome surprise has been his offensive output. While not exactly screaming Rocket Richard candidate, but Dillon’s three goals and eight assists have him on pace to rival his most productive seasons, such as when he recorded 23 points in 2022-23 with the Winnipeg Jets and when he totaled 22 points in back-to-back seasons with the San Jose Sharks in 2017-18 and 2018-19. Not to mention, having played in his 1,000th career NHL game (and counting) on Dec. 1, he’s one of the most important locker room figures New Jersey has.
Dougie Hamilton – D
The name most associated with Devils trade talks this season has undeniably been Dougie Hamilton. Once the premier offensive defenseman for New Jersey, 2025-26 is shaping up to be Hamilton’s worst season in his five years with the Devils. With just five goals and four assists in 37 games this season, it’s been a disappointing campaign. Defensively, it’s not really been pretty either. On top of his declining performance, his modified no movement clause (NMC) and New Jersey’s need to offload cap has only amplified those trade talks more, despite his desire to remain with the Devils. Hamilton had one of his better games in weeks on Saturday when he scored his first goal since Oct. 28 (27 games), a vintage snipe that iced the contest for New Jersey. Depending on who you ask, that moment could go a long way to finding a trade destination for the 32-year-old, or it could be the start of his 2026 comeback.
Luke Hughes – B-
Another high-end defenseman who’s punched (a bit) below his weight offensively is 2021 fourth overall pick Luke Hughes. Still, his 21 points are the most among any Devils defenseman this season, even if he’s on pace to fall below his impressive rookie and sophomore campaigns. On the defensive side, the 22-year-old has matured into a more seasoned blue-liner, although he hasn’t entirely ironed out the defensive and neutral zone mistakes that have been prominent through his young career. Whether playing next to Pesce or Dillon, Hughes has been able to noticeably establish more chemistry with his D-partners than he’s been able to in years past. While he’s certainly not immune to rough patches across a few games, 2025-26 has been something of a stepping stone season for Hughes in his evolution as a hockey player. If he can remain consistent through the rest of the season (and find a way to be more productive and ruthless on the powerplay), it will be a season that Devils fans look back on as a defining year in Luke’s career.
Simon Nemec – A-
Now if we’re talking about young Devils defensemen who have had stepping stone seasons, the player at the top of that list would clearly be Simon Nemec. 2025-26 has seen quite the leap for the Olympics-bound Slovak, who once again has relished the opportunity to fill in for injured regulars ahead of him on the roster. The 2022 second overall pick has distanced himself from the criticisms he received in 2024-25, scoring 7 goals and recording 11 helpers in 31 games (more points-per-game than Luke). Currently on the injured reserve retroactive to Dec. 13 vs the Ducks, Nemec’s absence has been felt by New Jersey, on both ends of the ice. His dynamic skating ability and constantly improving strong hockey IQ have made him both a defensive force and an offensive wildcard, which was shown most clearly when he followed up his first career hat-trick vs the Blackhawks on Nov. 12 with a shootout winner in the Devils’ very next game on Nov. 15. Another key player who can return to the Devils blue line alongside Jonathan Kovacevic and force out some bigger names.
Brett Pesce – A
Through Dec. 19, the Devils were 10-1-0 with Brett Pesce in the lineup. Even still with rough patches, New Jersey is 12-4-1 with the Tarrytown, NY native dressed. It’s not a coincidence, either. Despite missing 24 games, Pesce is still third amongst Devils in blocks with 47 (leads team with 2.76 per game), third in average TOI at 20:57 per game and has been the catalyst for success on special teams. When the 31-year-old was missing from the lineup, New Jersey’s penalty kill fell to the bottom of the league at 66.7%, as opposed to the 91.3% kill rate with him available. The Devils have killed 42 of 46 penalties with Pesce in the lineup and were only able to kill 40 out of 60 when he was injured. He is far and away New Jersey’s most important defenseman and it’s not even close. An absolute horse on defense, he was able to pitch on offensively on Saturday, notching two assists for his first multi-point game since March 13 (not including the playoffs).
Jonas Siegenthaler – C+
While Pesce has taken up the “most important defenseman” mantle, it’s quite possible that Jonas Siegenthaler lost grasp of it. His durability and commitment can never be questioned, especially this season having played in all 41 games thus far, but his defensive influence could be. As you’d expect, he still leads the team in blocks with 70 (1.71 per game) and is tied with Luke Hughes for the most takeaways by a defenseman (15). However, those numbers don’t tell the whole story. Incurring a high rate of penalties with 29 PIM and amassing 54 giveaways (nearly eclipsing his total of 59 from 2024-25), this version of Siegenthaler is a level or two below the one in 2022-23 who recorded 21 points and maintained a +22. Part of this dip in form could be attributed to being typically paired with the mightily struggling Hamilton, but I suppose that could also be said the other way around. Either way, it’s been a subpar campaign from Siegenthaler, but certainly not a disaster. He’ll join Meier and Hischier with Switzerland at the Olympics.
Colton White – B+
The surprise of the season for New Jersey has been Colton White. After going 940 days between NHL appearances, White has emerged as a key blueliner for New Jersey and has unseated Cholowski as a go-to defensive option for Keefe. He leads all Devils defenseman with a +6 rating through 21 games played and has rarely had a blemish to speak of. At 2.35 expected goals allowed per 60 minutes (xGA/60), the Devils allow the lowest rate of expected goals at 5-on-5 when White is on the ice. Most recently, White’s been paired with Dillon and the two, despite both being left-handed, have created a formidable partnership that is ranked 13th in the league for xGA/60 (2.06) among pairings that have logged at least 100 minutes. An unsung contributor that averages only 12:20 TOI per game, the 28-year-old has impressed in his second stint in New Jersey.
Now off to the goaltenders:
Jake Allen – B+
In 21 appearances (20 starts), Jake Allen has been solid through 2025-26, sharing a nearly identical workload with Jacob Markstrom. Despite a few blemishes here and there, it’s been a pretty consistently impressive season so far for Allen. On paper, it’s his best season since his time in St. Louis, as the New Brunswick boasts a .912 SV%, 2.52 GAA and 6.3 goals saved above expected (GSAx). Above league average in all categories and certainly ahead of his counterpart Markstrom, it’s really a continuation of Allen’s solid 2024-25 campaign. Last year, Allen had similar GAA and SV% numbers to Markstrom but blew him out of the water in the advanced statistsics with his 18.4 GSAx to Markstrom’s 3.4. However, as it sometimes goes, the Devils seemed to play differently in front of each of their goaltenders in 2024-25, winning 26 out of 49 games with Markstrom and just 13 out of 31 with Allen, despite his evidently superior play. After signing a five-year contract extension with New Jersey over the offseason, that’s begun to even out in 2025-26, as Allen’s 11-8-1 record makes him the slightly more attractive choice in net on any given night for the Devils.
Jacob Markstrom – C-
Although Allen has the better numbers, it’s clear that Keefe is content with splitting time between his two 35-year-old netminders. And as the season’s gone on, it’s becoming harder to split differences between the two of them. Markstrom’s inconsistent performances at the beginning part of the season have doomed his underlying stats to this point as his .888 SV%, 3.20 GAA and -4.2 GSAx are all well below league average. Signing a two-year contract extension at $6 million AAV, the Devils showed a trust in the recently named Swedish Olympic team backstop, but while he was acquired in 2024 to be the team’s starter, it’s become a coin flip as to which goaltender will feature. At 10-9-1, his record is nearly identical to Allen’s and he’s started to match his fellow goalie’s performances, having only conceded more than two goals once in his last five guys. Of course, in the game before that solid run, it was his ugliest performance of the season, a 7:56 cameo that saw three beat him on seven shots before Keefe pulled the plug. It’s not been the season Devils fans hoped for out of Markstrom, but he’s begun to turn it around. As long has been the case with Markstrom, he seems to be able to pull off outrageous saves that have no business staying out of the net but will let a routine one slip by him from time to time. That was certainly true through the earlier part of this season and continued after Markstrom recovered from his lower-body injury sustained on Oct. 13 vs the Columbus Blue Jackets. Those errors, although not entirely eradicated, have begun to minimize through his latest performances and if he can remain consistent and more regularly steal wins like he’s done a few times this year, he could very well claim his full-time starter’s net back.
And a few more guys who deserve a mention but haven’t qualified for grades just yet:
Incompletes
Players who have bounced between New Jersey and its AHL affiliate in the Utica Comets include Seamus Casey, Angus Crookshank, Brian Halonen, Shane Lachance, Nathan Legare, Xavier Parent and goaltender Nico Daws, who have all played under ten games.
The Devils injured list currently includes Zack Macewen, Marc McLaughlin, Jonathan Kovacevic and Evgenii Dadonov. Notably, Kovacevic has been skating and participating in practice for almost a week and is nearing a return after undergoing knee surgery in May. In order for New Jersey to activate him off of the Injured Reserve, it would have to make some significant roster changes to become cap compliant.
