Devils surprising in playoff race
The New Jersey Devils were supposed to be one of the worst teams in the National Hockey League, if not the absolute worst. After hiring first-time head coach John Hynes, general manager Ray Shero had to be expecting a rebuilding year.
There were not many moves made in free agency, despite being one of the bottom-feeding teams of the 2014-15 season. New Jersey could not score, had the oldest roster in the game and had question marks on defense. It is safe to say that anything even close to a playoff team in this campaign was going to be a major longshot from the start.
Yet, the Devils have found a way to stay in the playoff hunt. They only have one All-Star in Cory Schneider, who has put himself in the conversation for the Vezina Trophy winner. New Jersey has also found a top defenseman in Adam Larsson, who was drafted as an 18-year-old with the fourth-overall selections. Larsson took years to develop after being called a bust by many, but has shown himself to be worthy of the top pairing on the blue line alongside Andy Greene, one of the best American players in the sport.
With Larssen, Greene and Schneider holding down the fort, New Jersey has been able to force itself into the muddled playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. The Devils have found a way to stay competitive with contributions up front by Adam Henrique, Mike Cammalleri, Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac. The offense has also gotten an unexpected boost from Lee Stempniak, who came to the Devils just weeks before the season started on a one-year deal.
Going into the All-Star break, New Jersey is sitting fifth in the Metropolitan Division, tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for fourth but losing the tiebreaker because of game played (New Jersey has played two more). The Penguins are the eighth and final seed at the moment, showing what a wild ride this will be to the finish.
Regardless of whether or not the Devils can make it into the postseason for the first time since reaching the Stanley Cup Final back in 2012, New Jersey has shown it could be a team to watch moving forward. The roster is much younger, the goaltending is elite and the coaching is solid. With some ample cap space in the coming seasons, the Devils are well-positioned to make some moves toward the top of the league.
New Jersey is playing better than anybody could have envisioned, giving hope for the future. The Devils have hope for the first time in years, building around a young core with a coach who could be around for the long haul.
