The New Jersey Devils walked out of preseason looking like a team with something real to build on.
What stood out most was not just the wins, but how the group played while stacking them up. From the preseason finale against the Islanders through the latest stretch, with only a shootout setback mixed in, the Devils have looked connected in a way that has been hard to find since the 2022-23 season. The scoring popped, the physical edge had purpose, and the goaltending looked calmer inside a defensive structure that finally seemed to fit.
That matters because opening night against the Flyers will tell a different story. But the preseason did more than showcase the NHL roster. It showed how close the B and C groups were to forcing their way into the picture.
Utica has become more than a holding area. It is a test kitchen now, and Anton Silaev was part of that conversation.
He looked sharp, competitive and hungry, but Mark Dennehy and Sunny Mehta decided that more time and more minutes in Utica would help him more than a limited NHL role. It is the patient approach, the kind that asks prospects to earn more than a quick look.
Under Tom Fitzgerald, the pipeline has quietly grown deeper, more skilled and more in step with the culture the Devils want to keep building.
Amadeus Lombardi was the clearest sign of that shift. He didn’t merely hang around in camp.
He forced the issue, made the roster and earned his place. A young, relentless center who moves the puck and finishes chances gives New Jersey a top-nine center group that suddenly feels complete.
Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Lombardi, Evan Rodrigues - that is balance and flexibility in one package. It also gives Dawson Mercer a cleaner path to the wing, where he can play with more freedom.
The wing depth looks just as dangerous. Jesper Bratt keeps being Jesper Bratt.
Arseny Gritsyuk is firing lasers. Connor Brown and Jesper Boqvist bring versatility.
Timo Meier brings the heaviness. Anthony Mantha adds size.
Stefan Noesen grinds. Luke Evangelista adds another layer with a game that looks complete.
Evangelista was impossible to miss up close against the Rangers. From the owners’ seats, the details jumped out: forechecking pressure, stick lifts, poke checks, gap control and smart zone awareness.
Then he backed it up with a multi-goal game against the Islanders. He looks like the kind of player who changes the feel of a shift the moment he steps over the boards.
That was on display again after the shootout loss, when Gritsyuk ripped a clean shot past Sorokin, Evangelista scored twice more and Dougie Hamilton walked into space and snapped one home. It felt like a statement. Keefe and Mehta’s team was hunting pucks, cutting off passing lanes, taking away shooting angles and controlling the pace.
It also lined up with the way Sasquatch Analytics sees the game: hits, blocks, points, pressure, finishing and suppression all pointing in the same direction. If that preseason version shows up for real, the Devils may have found the identity they have been chasing.
And there is real comfort in what sits behind the NHL group, too. The pipeline is not just full.
It is usable. When injuries hit, when cold streaks show up, when the season starts to grind, there are players who can step in without throwing the system off balance.
That is the organizational strength Sunny Mehta has been pushing for, and for the first time in a while, the Devils have the NHL roster, the AHL support and the development plan moving together.
In Other News...
Alexander Holtz Just Revived An Old Devils Development Debate
The Devils trimmed their roster ahead of the official deadline, putting goaltender David Rittich on waivers and claiming Remi Poirier from the Dallas Stars. But the more familiar name in the mix is Alexander Holtz, the former first-round pick New Jersey once hoped would grow into a steady scoring piece.
Holtzs situation has a way of pulling the conversation back to one of the organizations lingering development debates, because he was dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights and is now on waivers after limited scoring success. For Devils fans, it is another reminder of how uncertain the path can be for a young forward who arrives with pedigree, leaves with questions, and still leaves plenty of second-guessing behind. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Camp Battle Is Putting One Tough Roster Decision Front And Center
Training camp has done what it usually does for a team with playoff expectations and too many forwards for too few jobs: it has turned the bottom six into the loudest part of the roster conversation. The Devils are still sorting through different third- and fourth-line combinations, with experience and youth both getting a long look as the staff tries to settle on a group that can handle defensive shifts, contribute enough offense and survive the grind of a long season.
Jesper Boqvist, Colin White and Stefan Noesen are among the names in the mix, and the numbers game could eventually force the issue through waivers. Amadeus Lombardi is also part of the equation, with a possible AHL assignment looming as the organization weighs whether he is better served by development time or a spot on the big club. It is the kind of roster squeeze that speaks well of the depth, even if it leaves a few players waiting for the final answer. [Read more 🡒]
Timo Meier Faces A Huge Devils Season For One Key Reason
Timo Meier arrived in New Jersey during the 2022-23 season with a significant price tag, and the Devils have been waiting for him to fully turn that move into the kind of scoring payoff that can change a lineup. He has been close, but not quite there yet, posting 28 goals, then 26, then 24 across his three seasons with the club. For a player brought in to bring more finishing punch, the next step matters.
The encouraging part for the Devils is that the fit still looks promising. Their current lineup gives Meier a chance to work in a more favorable environment, and his advanced numbers point to the idea that there is still more offense waiting to come. If he can convert that underlying potential into production, a 30-goal season is still very much on the table. [Read more 🡒]