The Devils are still a team with unfinished business, but the pieces they’ve put in place are starting to look dangerous.
Connor Hellebuyck’s home debut was the latest sign. He backed it up with a shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers, and the effect has been obvious right away: the Devils look calmer in their own end, more organized, and less panicked when things break down. There’s a different feel to the group now because they know Hellebuyck can erase mistakes when needed.
That confidence has shown up in the way New Jersey has defended since he arrived. The team has done a better job cutting down shots against, and against an Edmonton lineup loaded with firepower, the Devils controlled long stretches of the game. A few costly penalties gave the Oilers chances to swing things back, but New Jersey still spent plenty of the night dictating the pace.
The front office deserves credit for getting here. Sunny Mehta and the rest of the brass didn’t rush the goalie market.
They watched, waited, and kept their options open until the right move came along. From the outside, it looks like they identified their target and stayed patient until they could land him.
The comparison that fits Hellebuyck best is a brand-new Toyota hybrid: efficient, reliable, and consistent. That’s the kind of steadiness every team wants in goal, and the Devils finally seem to have it.
There’s also a larger plan taking shape around him. The new administration has been proactive from top to bottom, constantly checking every corner of the organization, from the farm system to the NHL roster.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Mehta is still looking at ways to improve the team through contracts like Dougie Hamilton’s and Timo Meier’s, which now look more like trade fodder. In the right situation, both could bring back a strong return.
The Quinn Hughes chatter from the summer hasn’t gone away either. The speculation is that he still could end up in New Jersey, especially with the salary cap set to rise. There’s also the possibility that the Devils eventually move on from Jonas Siegenthaler’s cap hit and bring up Anton Silaev from Utica.
On the ice, the Devils have also started to settle in with Jonathan Kovacevic back on defense. That has helped stabilize things, even if there’s still work to do on the penalty kill and power play. The expectation is that Mehta and the front office will make some smaller moves to help the penalty kill and eventually find another piece who can aid the power play.
Even with those areas still needing attention, the team’s identity is already clear in November. They’re winning puck battles, attacking through the neutral zone, and refusing to quit on plays. Amadeus Lombardi’s takeaway against Edmonton was a perfect snapshot of that kind of effort, nearly turning into a scoring chance.
Depth is a big part of why this group looks different. When all four lines can generate pressure in the offensive zone, opponents spend more time defending and the goaltender gets more time to reset between rushes.
That depth also takes pressure off Jack Hughes. He no longer has to carry the offense by himself, and that changes the equation for everyone else. Jesper Bratt is serving as a playmaking decoy, Arseny Gritsyuk has become a real scoring threat, and Hughes looked sharp the other night with a few goals of his own while not having to do all the work.
Gritsyuk, in particular, keeps standing out. His hockey sense and anticipation are obvious.
He seems to get to the puck before it arrives, wins battles along the boards, extends possessions, and keeps plays alive when they appear to be over. And when he gets a chance to finish, he can hurt teams with a snap shot, a slap shot, or a quick release.
The shootout against Pittsburgh was a good example of what he brings. On his attempt, he slowed everything down, worked with confidence, and beat Tristan Jarry with a finish that drew the crowd to its feet.
In Other News...
Devils Trade With Calgary Keeps Looking Worse For One Painful Reason
When Craig Conroy took over as Calgarys general manager, one of his first major moves was sending starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey in a deal that brought back a 2025 first-round pick and defenseman Kevin Bahl. At the time, it looked like the kind of trade that could help both sides reset, with the Devils getting an established goalie and the Flames adding assets for the future and a young defenseman with room to grow.
Instead, the return has only made the move look better for Calgary. Bahl has settled in as a key piece on the blue line and earned a six-year contract extension, while the first-round pick became prospect Cole Reschny. Markstrom, meanwhile, never found much traction in New Jersey before being moved on to the Florida Panthers, leaving the Devils with little to show for a deal that once seemed like a major swing. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Hughes Is Making The Devils Look Very Smart Right Now
The Devils have been rewarded for getting ahead of the market with Luke Hughes, who is already looking like the kind of long-term bet front offices dream about. New Jersey locked him up before he reached his prime, and the move is drawing a lot of attention now that he has turned into one of the driving forces behind a breakout season, helping the team at both ends of the ice.
Luke Hughes is part of a broader trend around the league, where teams are willing to commit early to young defensemen who still have plenty of room to grow. St. Louis made a similar bet on Philip Broberg, and that has paid off as well, with Broberg becoming the Blues' top defenseman. For the Devils, though, Hughes is the one making the contract look especially wise right now, and the bigger question is how high his ceiling can go from here. [Read more 🡒]
Arseny Gritsyuk Is Forcing A Huge Devils Breakout Question
Arseny Gritsyuk has already given the Devils something to think about in his first North American season, and the early returns are hard to ignore. After signing a three-year contract with New Jersey, he put up 31 points in 66 games while adjusting to a new league, a new style and a new role. Then, early in the 2026-27 season, the Devils slid him onto a line with Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes, and the results took off in a hurry.
Eight goals in 15 games is the kind of start that changes the conversation around a young winger, especially on a team that is always looking for more finishing punch. The bigger question now is how much of that surge is tied to the opportunity around him and how much is Gritsyuk simply seizing a bigger offensive role on his own, because the Devils are suddenly staring at a breakout pace that may not be easy to sustain. [Read more 🡒]