The Devils are heading into 2026-27 with a lot to prove, and Jesper Boqvist is one of the pieces back in the mix as they try to avoid a repeat of last season’s collapse. New Jersey started strong a year ago, then faded badly and missed the postseason, so every spot in the lineup matters as the team resets for another run.
Boqvist arrives after spending all of 2025-26 with the Florida Panthers, where he played 73 games and finished with 13 points on four goals and nine assists. His season opened on a high note with a goal in his first game on Oct. 7, but the offense came in waves after that.
He would pop up with a point, then go several games before showing up on the scoresheet again. Even with that uneven rhythm, the year still landed as a solid one overall.
New Jersey brought Boqvist back on June 30 as part of a trade that sent Boqvist, Ben Steeves, and Evan Rodrigues to the Devils. In return, the Panthers got Jacob Markstrom and Angus Crookshank. Like Markstrom, Boqvist is returning to the franchise where his NHL career started, which gives his homecoming a neat symmetry.
For the Devils, the role looks pretty clear. Boqvist should be slotted into the bottom six, where the team wants him helping stabilize that part of the lineup.
Management already made moves to strengthen the forward group by adding Rodrigues, Anthony Mantha, and Luke Evangelista. With Evangelista likely filling out the top six, Boqvist is positioned to do his work lower in the order.
That should suit him just fine. Most of his time last season came in the bottom six anyway, and he can bring a veteran presence to that group while also helping younger players along. He also has enough touch to chip in offensively when the chance is there, which is exactly the kind of extra layer teams want from a depth forward.
There’s also a contract angle here. The Devils are taking on the final year of Boqvist’s two-year deal, which carries a $1.5 million cap hit.
If he doesn’t deliver the compete level New Jersey wants, the club can move on without much trouble. For Boqvist, though, this season is a chance to settle the next contract question by making himself hard to ignore.
He’s also closing in on a couple of career markers. Boqvist is 13 games away from 400 in the NHL, and that milestone should come early in the season.
He already has 105 career points, including 50 goals and 55 assists, so the bigger round-number benchmarks aren’t likely to fall this year. Still, he can keep building toward them and maybe put himself in range for next season.
As for the projection, the expectation is a modest but meaningful jump. Boqvist has already cleared 20 points three times in his career, including twice with the Devils in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and again with the Panthers in 2024-25. His career best is 23, and another 20-plus point season feels like a real possibility with new linemates and a fresh setting in New Jersey.
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