The standard coming into the 2025-26 season has been raised. The New Jersey Devils are looking to step forward from bubble playoff contender, to a championship threat. They went out and acquired the depth scoring they claimed to have lacked in most of 2024-25, and time will tell if those new bodies will pay off. However, the Devils likely need someone to exceed expectations who are currently on the roster. So who are their X-factors, and what makes or breaks their potential?
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Last season was largely buoyed by the Devils’ top-six. Jesper Bratt continues to be a Steady Eddy. In fact, he took another step in his ascension as one of the NHLs top forwards, reaching a new career-high in points (88) in 2024-25.
You might think Jack Hughes belongs in the X-factor category. However, the truth of the matter is he is expected to perform. His only drawback is his ability to stay healthy. If he does, a 90-plus, perhaps 100-point season should be the expectation.
And then there’s Nico Hischier, who reached a career in goals (35) last season, and Timo Meier who showed there is another level to his game, the reason they acquired him in the first place. Meier hasn’t reached 30 goals yet in an 82-game season in New Jersey, but the expectation is that he should, and more.
The aforementioned are the leaders in New Jersey. They all come with expectations, and anything otherwise would be a disappointment.
On the backend, things are changing. Dougie Hamilton hasn’t regained that, 2022-23, 74-point form, and perhaps there’s a successor rising through the ranks to usurp that role.
Let’s dive into four candidates who could have significant influence on the team this year.
Dawson Mercer
Why It Happens: You knew this was coming. This is potentially the most important season of Dawson Mercer’s young career. The once near 30-goal, 60-point scorer has yet to reclaim that prowess he showed in the 2022-23 season. He could be that player again in a top-six role, with obvious chemistry alongside the Devils’ captain.
Mercer has a nose for the net and knows how to clean up the garbage. On the second line, he doesn’t have to drive play, but instead serve as a compliment to Hischier and Meier. There are no excuses this year. There’s no contract distraction, he’ll be on time to training camp, and he’s another year older as he turns 24 years old two and a half weeks into the regular season.
He’s unlikely to be deployed on the first unit power play, but another near 30-goal campaign can push the Devils over the hump, and solidify Mercer as a core piece in New Jersey. He’s done it before, he can do it again.
Why It Doesn’t: There’s a very real chance that Mercer is given a permanent role in the bottom-six. The Devils need a third line center, and that could certainly become his responsibility.
Or, he can continue to be a Swiss-Army Knife, which is almost a fault at this point that doesn’t allow him to build chemistry with consistent linemates. Despite his ability to score, Mercer is a responsible defensive forward who is often utilized in checking roles and on the penalty kill.
A lack of offensive chances could hinder his ability to regain a scorers touch.
Arseniy Gritsyuk
Why It Happens: The Devils’ newest forward is their biggest wild card. New Jersey knows what they’re getting in newcomers, Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov. However, Arseniy Gritsyuk comes with uncertainty.
Still, he was a top line forward in the KHL, where he developed since he was drafted by the Devils in 2019.
He’s an undersized forward at just 5-foot-10, 170-lbs. However, the smaller North American ice could work to his advantage, giving him the opportunity to utilize small spaces unlike how he could on a larger Russian ice surface.
If Gritsyuk can prove he’s a consistent score in North America, the 24-year-old should be able to grow, and earn an opportunity in the top-six at some point. And if that happens, perhaps Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt have a new running-mate, which are probably the most talent he’ll have ever played with.
Why It Doesn’t: The KHL to NHL translation is rarely apples to apples. Only the elite of the elites (Kirill Kaprizov and Artemi Panarin, to name a few) have been able to make the transition seamlessly.
Although Gritsyuk was deployed on the top line often in the later years of his KHL career, he never reached 20 goals (career-high 19) and topped out at 44 points.
In the NHL, where size and speed outrank the rest of the world, it can be overwhelming. Gritsyuk isn’t a traditional rookie. He’s been playing at a pro level for four-plus years at this point. Yet, adjusting to the pace and physicality is its own challenge.
Luke Hughes
Why It Happens: In a perfect world, Luke Hughes has been fully recovered from his off-season surgery and has been training and sharpening his skill-set. His contract is figured out before next Wednesday when veterans report to training camp, and he’s prepared to take on No.1 defenseman duties with the Devils after showing an improved defensive game last season.
The offense is there. After back-to-back seasons of 47 and 44 points respectively, there’s little doubt he has the elite offensive tools at just 22 years old.
An increased role, poise defensively, a sharpened Hockey IQ, and perhaps first-unit power play minutes can turn this budding star into a superstar blueliner.
Why It Doesn’t: In an opposite reality, Hughes’ contract isn’t solidified by next week, he misses time in training camp, and is a step behind his teammates whenever a deal is finally solidified.
Thus, his game doesn’t take a step forward, but goes laterally at best, and perhaps he doesn’t become comfortable with his shoulder right away after surgery in the off-season.
All of which, would be a huge disappointment.
Simon Nemec
Why It Happens: Did you see the off-season training regiment? Simon Nemec looks physically bigger after training in Slovakia this summer.
Add that to the confidence he gained at the end of last season and in the playoffs, and perhaps the former second-overall selection in the 2022 NHL Draft can fulfill his prophecy.
Nemec projects as a top-pairing defenseman, and although, like Luke Hughes, is in his early 20s at 21 years of age, he has the talent to be an all-around stud in the NHL.
Instead of recovering from an injury in training camp and throughout the season like he did last year, Nemec built muscle and sharpened his skill sets. It could lead to a huge payoff.
Why It Doesn’t: At this point in his career, Nemec’s sample size shows inconsistency. He’s had high’s, and he’s had low’s, with certain circumstances that have hindered his confidence at the NHL level.
Building his body and sharpening his skills is one thing. But if his mind hasn’t grown with those two factors, the confidence can fall by the wayside.
We’ve seen how Nemec performs when his confidence falters. If he can’t overcome that hurdle, perhaps it’s back to the American Hockey League for more seasoning.
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