The Devils are hunting for more than just solid seasons this year. They need one or two players to jump, to turn from useful pieces into difference-makers, because that’s the kind of rise that can tilt a crowded Metropolitan Division.
New general manager Sunny Mehta clearly spent the offseason betting on that idea. A few of the moves he made were built around the hope that under-the-radar players can become much bigger parts of the picture.
New Jersey already knows what its core looks like. What it’s trying to find now is the extra layer: more depth, or maybe a few elite talents who can push the group forward.
That’s why the breakout conversation matters here, even if the term itself is a little slippery. Some players are trying to earn regular NHL jobs.
Others are already on the roster and trying to level up in a major way. The Devils have both kinds in play.
Luke Evangelista is the clearest offseason bet. Mehta acquired him and then extended him before he even played a regular-season game for New Jersey.
Evangelista should land in the top six, or at least play a major role on the third line, and the Devils are hoping that’s just the starting point. The 24-year-old showed with the Nashville Predators that he can distribute the puck, and New Jersey is looking for him to become the kind of playmaker who can pile up 60 or more assists and drive the offense higher.
Amadeus Lombardi is another name in that same under-the-radar lane. He has already proven he can dominate at the American Hockey League level, but he still has to establish himself as a true NHL starter. At 23, he’s starting to find his rhythm, and the Devils believe he can grow into a middle-six forward if the defensive side of his game comes along, especially if he’s used on the third or fourth line.
Cody Glass also fits the mold of a player looking for a bigger second act. Once the top prospect in the Vegas Golden Knights system, he’s now with his fourth NHL team in seven seasons.
Still, last year gave New Jersey a reason to keep believing. He scored 19 goals as a fourth-line center, and the Devils would love to see him build on that as a bigger center who can check and score.
Declan Chisholm is in a different spot, but he belongs in the breakout mix too. He projects as the extra defenseman, someone who can step into the third pair when injuries hit or provide value with the Utica Comets. He’s only 26, and this could be the season where he sharpens his game enough to become more than a depth option.
Then there’s the second group: the players who have already shown enough to make a big leap feel possible.
Luke Hughes is the one everybody circles first. The Devils need a two-way defenseman they can trust in every situation, and Hughes has the talent to become that number-one blueliner.
He just hasn’t yet hit 10 goals or 50 points in a season. This could be the year he puts the whole package together, especially with his work at the point on the power play and the way he turns defense into offense with his skating and outlet passes.
Timo Meier is in a different category because he’s been around long enough that “breakout” sounds odd, but the idea still applies. The Devils traded for him in 2023 with big expectations, and they’re still waiting for that truly elite season in New Jersey.
He has a 76-point year and a 40-goal season on his resume, but with the Devils he’s hovered around the 28-goal and 50-point range across his three full seasons. A full year next to Nico Hischier could help, and the Devils can also look for the right winger to complement him, whether that’s Anthony Mantha or Evangelista.
Arseny Gritsyuk is another player who already gave the team a promising glimpse. In his first NHL season, he put up 31 points in 66 games. The next step is bigger: becoming a top-six, or even top-line, winger who can take over shifts and drive play on his own.
There’s also Nico Daws in goal, where the path is always harder to predict. Goaltenders need time, and the 25-year-old could be ready to make his move this season and emerge as one of the league’s best.
And then there are the names that wouldn’t really qualify as surprises at all. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt have the talent to produce huge seasons, and either one could become the first 100-point player in Devils history.
In Other News...
Amadeus Lombardi Is Making The Devils Roster Decision Much Harder
Amadeus Lombardi has turned a quiet camp opportunity into a real roster conversation for the Devils. After arriving from the Detroit Red Wings, the young forward has looked comfortable alongside veterans in training camp and has backed it up with an impressive preseason, the kind of run that makes coaches pause when opening night decisions get close.
His tying goal against the Rangers only added to the sense that he belongs in the mix. For a player who faced his share of hurdles in Detroit, Lombardi now has a legitimate chance to crack New Jerseys lineup, and the question is no longer whether he has caught attention but whether the Devils can afford to keep him off the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Identity Shift Is Raising One Big Roster Question
The Devils have spent the preseason looking like a group with a clearer edge, and it has shown up in the details that usually matter most once the games start counting. Physical shifts, better support through the middle of the ice and a calmer overall structure have all suggested a team trying to build something sturdier than last years version, while younger names such as Marc McLaughlin, Maty Melovsk, Amadeus Lombardi and Anton Silaev have given the staff reasons to keep watching closely.
For general manager Sunny Mehta, that makes the next roster decisions feel especially important. The organization is still sorting through depth and trying to separate flashes from something more lasting, which means the competition for spots is not just about who has looked good in a few exhibition games, but who can fit into a broader identity shift the Devils seem intent on making real. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Cap Boom Wont Silence One Huge Goalie Debate
The NHLs projected cap jump for 2028-29 gives the Devils more breathing room on paper, with league estimates putting the ceiling at $127.5 million. For a team that already has several core players under contract through at least 2029-30, that kind of increase should help ease future roster planning, even if it does not radically change the big-picture math for how New Jersey builds around its nucleus.
Still, the extra flexibility does not appear to be enough to make management chase the kind of splashy goalie move fans always wonder about. Connor Hellebuyck comes up because he is the sort of name that can reshape a conversation, but the cost of acquiring him and the usual volatility of the position make that path look unlikely for the Devils. In other words, the cap may be rising, but it has not settled the clubs long-running question between patience, spending and whether the answer in net has to come from outside. [Read more 🡒]