It’s that time of year, and…the Devils are not making anyone depressed! Winning hockey teams = holiday season vibe boosts.
The winter holiday season is upon us, and the New Jersey Devils are looking better than ever. Many look to Thanksgiving as the first milestone in the playoff race, but some teams have fallen out of their position since then. In the Metropolitan Division, for example, the New York Rangers are 3-7-0 in their last ten games, having fallen all the way to a three-way tie for fifth place by points in the Metro and just two points above the last-place Blue Jackets. All things considered, the Devils are in a very good place right now, with the second-most points in the conference alongside one of the best goal differentials in the NHL.
The wish-list for this year’s team is probably small, then. In these spaces, we have debated the idea of adding a forward to the roster. While the team might be in need of another scoring winger, they may also be interested in acquiring a bottom six center such as Trent Frederic. Today’s post is not another one clamoring for a trade to fix some perceived issue on the team, though. Instead, let’s imagine what each member of the Devils would want most for Christmas this year.
The Top Six
Nico Hischier: All Nico wants for Christmas is…fewer crosschecks to his back (and some days off). Nico has been playing a big-time game at center for the Devils, and he is a guy who plays into contact. This means that, if you watch the game, you will probably see him take a bunch of little shots that go uncalled. Especially since Nico’s favorite move is the spin, and since he makes a living by the wall — those crosschecks take a toll. The short Christmas break is well-earned for our Captain.
Jack Hughes: All Jack wants for Christmas is…to continue being leaned on in all situations. Jack Hughes has been factoring into almost all of our recent wins, and he really seems to be getting back into that goal-scoring groove after starting the season a bit slow, following a dip in scoring last season as a result of his injuries. But most impressively, Jack has been a more complete player under Sheldon Keefe. He has taken several penalty killing shifts, which is a game situation he has seen more this year than over the last two combined. For those efforts, the Devils have yet to give up a goal with Jack on the ice in shorthanded situations, and he created Brett Pesce’s first goal as a Devil. On his career, Jack has a 47.20 CF% in just under 32 shorthanded minutes, and he has a 37.50 CF% in just under 12 minutes this season. Would that stay the same if he received more consistent minutes? Probably not, but it would just be one more area of the game for Jack to make his mark on.
Jesper Bratt: All Jesper wants for Christmas is…Hart Trophy buzz. With 41 points this season, Jesper Bratt is currently tied for eighth in the league in scoring. However, this does not tell you how good he has been in recent times. Over the last 19 team games, Bratt has 11 goals and 17 assists. If he continued at that pace for the rest of the season, he would finish with 113 points, while his whole-season pace is about 101. He has tough competition, but not many players that high in the league in scoring play as high a percentage of their minutes in shorthanded situations, and Bratt has really expanded his defensive and physical games.
Timo Meier: All Timo wants for Christmas is…a personal hot streak. If you have watched Timo Meier closely this year, you might think he has looked better than he ever has in a Devils uniform. However, Timo has not been as lucky on the scoresheet this season, scoring at a slower pace than the 2023-24 season. I think that Timo wants to get back to his 30-goal scoring self, as he is slated for another year in the 20-29 range. His line with Nico has been very efficient, though, and I am happy with his season so far. But does Timo want more? I’d bet so.
Dawson Mercer: All Dawson wants for Christmas is…no more shots to the mouth. I will admit: I thought about doing this article because I started thinking about “All I Want for Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth),” which made me think of Dawson’s recent unfortunate shot deflection incident. Dawson might not need his two front teeth, but getting an injury like this early in the season means he’s going to be waiting awhile to get his teeth fixed. But, an iron man in hockey is going to sport some blood and bruises every now and then. It comes with the territory — and part of what makes Dawson so easy to root for is how little deters him.
Ondrej Palat: All Ondrej wants for Christmas is…for it to be the playoffs. We all know the deal with Ondrej Palat at this point. I don’t expect 50 or 60-point regular season Palat to come back, but I do expect playoff Palat to show up when it matters. As long as Palat makes Jesper and Jack happy during the regular season, his stat line can look like anything: though we’ve recently seen flashes of the player he can be with his three points over the last three games. Would I like to see Palat have a good stretch after the Christmas break? Of course, but I know what games matter the most.
The Third Line
Stefan Noesen: All Stefan wants for Christmas is…to end the power play slump. Stefan Noesen is still tied with Timo Meier for fourth on the team in points (22), and he is still tied with Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes for second in goals (13). However, Stefan is in a 6-game pointless streak, and his last points came when he scored two power play goals in the loss to Washington. The power play, meanwhile, is amid a 5-game goal-less streak, with their last goals coming against the Rangers. Noesen is having a career year either way, but getting the power play back on its feet and rolling would go a long way to padding the team’s standings cushion.
Erik Haula and Paul Cotter: All Erik and Paul want for Christmas is…to end their cold streak. Paul Cotter is currently in the midst of a 14-game pointless streak, while Erik Haula has a 9-game pointless streak, with just two points over the last 17 games. Given how hot both players started the season: Erik had nine points over the first 16 games, with Paul putting up 11 points in the first 17 games of the season. If I’m wondering about who could save the team from the pattern of getting shutout every several games, I’m looking right at the third line. They have the talent, and they even have the chemistry to be better.
The Fourth Line, Extras, and the Injured
Tomas Tatar: All Tomas wants for Christmas is…consistent playing time. For what it’s worth, Tomas Tatar has not been that bad for the Devils this year, even if his current role is ostensibly miscast. Tatar has positive possession, expected goals, and actual goal results when his centers are Nico Hischier, Curtis Lazar, or Erik Haula. On the current fourth line with Justin Dowling, Tatar has seen the Devils outscored 2-5, though his possession and expected goal numbers have remained similar. I think Tatar has a place on this team, but it would probably involve being more willing to use Paul Cotter in a fourth line role.
Justin Dowling: All Justin wants for Christmas is…to stay a New Jersey Devil. The 34-year old Justin Dowling played his 100th NHL game when he made his first appearance this season, and this is the fourth time he has played 20 or more games in a season in his career. After years of working his behind off in the American Hockey League, he could play a depth role on a playoff team for the first time since the 2019-20 season, when he played two games in the COVID-bubble playoffs for Dallas. One year prior, he played 13 playoff games for Dallas, and Dowling has positive possession numbers in fourth line minutes across his 15 playoff appearances. Since those years, Dowling has not been on a playoff team (Dallas missed in 2021 and Vancouver missed in 2022), so you have to wonder how many more chances a guy like that has to be part of history.
Nathan Bastian: All Nate wants for Christmas is…to stay healthy. As he recently said to Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News, his recent jaw injury did a number on him. For a guy who has fought through several shoulder and upper-body injuries over the years, I would just like to see him play a season where he doesn’t end up missing 20, 30, or 40 games. That does not seem to be possible this season, but hopefully he can go into the playoffs with some consistency in his legs. He plays a hard game, and I think internet (i.e. very-online) fans have trended a bit too far on him — I appreciate what he brings to the squad and the solid results that he has generally carried across multiple Devils teams.
Kurtis MacDermid: All Kurtis wants for Christmas is…to play more hockey. With just 14 appearances on the season, Kurtis MacDermid is on pace to play the fewest games of his career since the 2018-19 season (COVID-year excluded), when he played just 11 times at age-24. With three hard fights under his belt this year, I think it’s time to see Big Mac score a goal! Kurtis has not gone without a goal in any of the six seasons where he played at least 20 games, and I want to see the rise the bench gets when he finally nets one for this team.
Curtis Lazar: All Curtis wants for Christmas is…to ̶ ̶m̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶w̶i̶t̶h̶ ̶L̶u̶k̶e̶ ̶H̶u̶g̶h̶e̶s̶ repeat his performance-level from last season. Curtis Lazar is currently rehabbing from his knee injury, and I am happy to see how quickly he is progressing. He does not need to rush back, but when he does, I will be looking to see if we get the aggressive, creative Curtis that we saw last year, or a more conservative style after his injury. He might not be able to play enough games to match his career-high of 25 points set last year, but every Devils fan should breathe easier when the team is defending in late-game situations once he comes back.
The Defense
Brenden Dillon and Dougie Hamilton: All Brenden and Dougie want for Christmas is…to start playing like a top defensive pairing. The Dillon—Hamilton defensive pairing has all the makings of one of the most dynamic duos in the league. Brenden Dillon and his heavy, physical defensive style, combined with the expert offensive creativity of Dougie Hamilton, should have been a bright spot for the Devils this season. I would give credit to Sheldon Keefe here, as he has not broken this pairing up based on their performance, giving them the opportunity to figure it out. In any case, these two need to iron out their responsibilities and structure in the defensive zone, so we can focus more on the hits they throw and the goals they score instead of miscues around the net.
Luke Hughes: All Luke wants for Christmas is…to start hitting the corner on his shots. It has happened once this year — against Seattle (a game I was happy to see in person) — but Luke has not been able to get his shot going since returning from his early-season injury. He scored nine last year, and given the number of times Luke likes to pinch, you would probably want to see him in that 10-20 range before long. This is just one area of the game to improve on, though, and shots will eventually stop rolling off the toe of his stick when he’s beating defenders.
Brett Pesce, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Johnny Kovacevic: All Brett, Jonas, and Johnny want for Christmas is…some ice. The Devils have completely reinvented their defensive corps this season with the additions of Dillon, Pesce, and Kovacevic, bringing a hard-nosed physical edge to their game. Dillon is 25th in the league with 47 shots blocked. Siegenthaler is right behind him with 46 blocks. Kovacevic and Pesce are a bit behind, but Pesce is making up for lost time, and Kovacevic gets involved in the hitting game as well as getting in the shot lanes. It can be hard for defensemen to keep up a physical style for a full season and the playoffs, so they need to be sure to take rest wherever they can find it. They certainly deserve it.
The Goalies
Jacob Markstrom: All Jacob wants for Christmas is…fewer point shots. Jacob Markstrom has made some excellent saves for the Devils this season, but he always seems to have good performances somewhat sullied on his stat sheet because a bad shot trickled through traffic, or something. I think Marky is having a good season, but also that we have not seen his best, yet. With a little bit of patience, he will be making ten-bell saves in the playoffs before long.
Jake Allen: All Jake wants for Christmas is…more playing time. He might have trouble playing while hurt, as Nico Daws is going to be backing up in the coming days — but Jake Allen is currently on pace for the fewest games of his career, COVID-shortened seasons excluded. He has been a pretty good backup for the Devils so far, even getting some people to think they should look to him first in tough games. I like Markstrom, too, but Allen could probably play a few more games.
The Others
The Coaching Staff: All Keefe and company want for Christmas is…for the team to continue working hard. Sheldon Keefe has done an amazing job in his first season as Devils head coach, and it is hard to imagine this team letting up on their system at any point. Keefe and his staff have earned some relaxing, hockey-less days with their families for their work this year.
The Front Office: All Fitzgerald and company want for Christmas is…to relax until deadline and extension season. Tom just did his December media availability today, and he seems to be feeling very good about the team. He has earned that. He mentioned that he will wait until after the holidays to begin extension talks with Luke Hughes’s and Johnny Kovacevic’s respective agents, and I think that is the right approach. It is a long season, a lot can happen, and you do not want to throw additional stressors onto a playoff run. Relax, and then get back to hockey.
Me: All I want for Christmas is…the end of the black-and-white alternate jersey. It’s December: how many alternate games are we going to see with the Devils wearing black? If they wore a Stadium Series jersey, I wouldn’t mind, but the green-and-red is missed at this time of year.
The Fans: All the fans want for Christmas is…more Devils wins! I do not know if a lot of explanation is needed here. We want to win. You never know who is going to be on the team next year, so seeing the guys we have grown to appreciate so much win is a treat on any night. We just have to keep building it up until playoff time.
You: What do you want to see from the Devils this holiday season? What do you think about what I suggested for the members of the team? Come up with your own, or leave your other thoughts below, and thanks for reading.