The New Jersey Devils entered the 2023-24 season with lofty expectations after surging their way to the third-best record in the NHL last season. The Devils are built around their young stars and figured to be even better this season as they looked to build a team capable of winning the Stanley Cup.
The Devils have started the season a bit slowly with a record of 7-5-1. There have been some bright spots like the play of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Tyler Toffoli, but the team has also had its struggles.
Injuries to the team's two best players — Hughes and Nico Hischier — haven't helped one bit, but New Jersey has struggled immensely defensively and in net, as they're among the league leaders in goals allowed. These three players don't deserve all of the blame for the team's struggles, but they certainly haven't helped with their play.
3. Ondrej Palat
When the Devils signed Ondrej Palat to a five-year contract worth $30 million, they expected him to be a solid top-six winger who would play well in the regular season and take his game to another level in the postseason. Palat had always been an excellent postseason player dating back to his days with the Lightning.
The 32-year-old had a down year in his first season with the Devils in 2022-23, but his Game 7 assist in the first round of the playoffs helped New Jersey take down the rival New York Rangers. His solid postseason performance helped wipe away the struggles he had in the regular season.
Many of Palat's struggles from last season can be attributed to his time missed due to injury. He played in just 49 games for New Jersey, making it tough for him to acclimate. This season, however, he's appeared in all 13 games for the Devils and has struggled mightily.
The Czech forward has just four points, all assists, this season. He's searching for that elusive first goal and has been a minus-7 on the ice. The Devils expected much more from one of their highest-paid forwards, and hope he can eventually start chipping in offensively.
2. Vitek Vanecek
A big reason the Devils were able to finish with as good of a record as the one they had last season was because of their play in goal. Vitek Vanecek spent the year as the team's primary starter and seemed to make every big save in the regular season. He'd struggle in the playoffs, and those struggles have seemed to carry over into the new season.
All of the blame for the Devils' struggles in goals allowed should not be attributed to Vanecek as the defense has certainly taken a step back, however, Vitek has absolutely been one of the worst goalies in the NHL thus far.
After posting a .911 save percentage in his first season with the Devils, Vanecek has seen that number drop to .887 percent. He's allowed 3.45 goals per game and has allowed fewer than three goals just four times in his 10 appearances. One of those times saw him get pulled after allowing two goals on five shots, and another one of those times saw him enter the game in relief of backup Akira Schmid.
Vanecek ranks 41st among goalies with at least five appearances in save percentage and 44th in GAA. Only 53 meet this criteria. It's been bad.
The Devils have enough firepower when players like Hughes and Hischier are healthy to win without Vezina-caliber goaltending, but they need better than what they've gotten from their number-one goaltender. That's undeniable.
1. Dawson Mercer
Dawson Mercer has proven to be a valuable middle-six forward for New Jersey in each of his first two seasons in the NHL. Mercer had 56 points in 82 games for the Devils last season including 27 goals. This kind of play from a player who just turned 22 in October had Devils fans excited, expecting him to take another jump.
Mercer began the year playing on the first line alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier but has struggled from the onset leaving him to be more of a third-line winger when the team was healthy.
So far this season, Mercer has just two goals in 13 games played. Those goals happen to be his only points. He has no assists and has been a minus-6 for the Devils. Only two players, Palat and Timo Meier, have a worse plus-minus.
He has played a bit better of late with goals in two of his last three games which has been nice to see with Hughes and Hischier out, but they need more scoring from one of their most talented young wingers. He was practically invisible on the ice to begin the year with just six shots on goal through his first eight games. Remember, this man was three goals shy of 30 last season.
He's played better as he's become more aggressive. Hopefully, his recent good stretch gets him going for the long haul, as the team really needs it.
