The Devils’ offseason overhaul has given them a deeper, more interesting forward group on paper, but the early part of the regular season may come with some built-in friction.
New Jersey added Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista to the top six, brought in Evan Rodrigues, Amadeus Lombardi and Jesper Boqvist for the bottom nine, landed Declan Chisholm on defense, and appears set to use a three-goalie rotation that includes one of David Rittich or Remi Poirier. On paper, those are all meaningful upgrades. Each player has real upside, and the roster now looks built around four lines and three pairs that can drive play and control possession.
But there’s a catch: almost every line is going to be learning on the fly.
Mantha is projected to skate with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt on the top line. Evangelista is expected to slot beside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier on the second unit.
Rodrigues is set to center Dawson Mercer and Arseny Gritsyuk on the third line. Lombardi is headed for his NHL debut on the fourth line with Cody Glass and Stefan Noesen.
That means there won’t be a single trio carrying over intact from one year to the next. The Devils do have established chemistry in pieces - Jack and Bratt, Hischier and Meier, Gritsyuk and Mercer - but dropping a new player into each group changes the rhythm.
Different habits, different timing, different reads. That kind of reset takes time.
Mantha’s fit with Hughes and Bratt may be the one that demands the most patience. Matching their pace, both physically and mentally, is no easy assignment, and preseason offered a few hints that the adjustment won’t happen overnight. Mantha looked a step behind at times, enough that Connor Brown even gave him some advice.
The same basic challenge applies across the lineup. Evangelista has to settle in on the second line, Rodrigues has to get comfortable in the middle of the third, and Lombardi and Boqvist both need time to find their footing on the fourth unit. New systems and new teammates don’t click instantly, even for players who clearly belong.
So even if New Jersey starts the season well, the cleanest version of this lineup probably isn’t coming right away. The Devils may need a few weeks before all of these pieces start moving together the way they’re meant to.
In Other News...
Dawson Mercer Enters A Critical Devils Season For One Big Reason
The Devils spent the offseason reshaping their forward group, and the ripple effects have landed squarely on Dawson Mercer. With additions such as Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista changing the depth chart, Mercer is no longer being viewed through the lens of the breakout 2022-23 season that raised expectations around him. Instead, he enters this year in the bottom six, a different kind of assignment for a player whose value once seemed to be trending steadily upward.
That shift gives Mercer a chance to prove he can still matter even without the same offensive runway. He is expected to skate with Arseny Gritsyuk and Evan Rodrigues, a lineup spot that could help stabilize his game and show the Devils he can contribute in a lesser role. If the production does not rebound, though, the questions around his long-term fit in New Jersey are only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Face A Costly Long Term Test As Cap Space Climbs
Rising NHL salary caps are changing the math for clubs everywhere, and the Devils are no exception. With more room across the league, New Jersey is staring at a roster picture where pending unrestricted and restricted free agents could all see their next deals climb, especially as the team weighs younger pieces against veterans who have already carved out roles in the lineup.
Cody Glass, Declan Chisholm, Jonas Seigenthaler, Anthony Mantha, Dawson Mercer and Amadeus Lombardi all fit somewhere in that conversation, whether as current contributors or players who could matter more down the road. Sunny Mehta and the front office now have to balance those rising contract expectations against the need to keep the cap flexible, which makes the next stretch of negotiations a potentially expensive test of how the Devils want this roster to look long term. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Allen Now Carries A Devils Question Fans Can't Ignore
Jake Allens role in New Jersey was already important, but the Devils have now made it impossible to miss. After trading Jacob Markstrom to the Florida Panthers, the veteran goalie is the expected starter heading into the 2026-27 season, a major shift for a team that has leaned on stability in net whenever possible. Allen played 37 games last season and gave the Devils a solid if uneven run, finishing with a 17-17-2 record and one shutout.
The bigger question now is how he handles a room that is getting younger around him. Nico Daws and Remi Poirier are next in line behind Allen, and the Devils are counting on him not just to hold the starters job, but to help guide the backups as they develop. For a team trying to settle its crease after moving on from Markstrom, Allen is suddenly at the center of both the short-term plan and the longer view. [Read more 🡒]