DitD & Open Post - 2/3/23: First Star Edition
Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils attends media day at Ft. Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort on February 2, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. | Photo by Brian Babineau/NHLI via New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 2/3/23 Here are your links for today: Devils Links At this point, you have no doubt heard about Andrew Brunette’s DUI situation in Florida. John has summarized the incident here, and that’s that: [All About the Jersey] Here’s where you’ll see Jack tonight: Jack Hughes #NJDevils will participate in the Honda NHL Accuracy Shooting skills...
The Unsung Season of Nico Hischier
Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports With how much attention has been given to Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton’s seasons this year, lost in the shuffle is another excellent year from New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier. The New Jersey Devils have had a great 2022-23 so far, with a number of players being recognized for their contributions. Jack Hughes is currently on pace to break both the Devils single season goals and points records. Jesper Bratt is having another strong offensive season in yet another contract year for him. Dougie Hamilton has surged...
New Jersey Devils Associate Coach Andrew Brunette Arrested for Driving Under the Influence
Andrew Brunette was arrested on Wednesday in Broward County, Florida | Photo by Joel Auerbach/ David Dwork of WPLG Local 10 News in South Florida reported that New Jersey Devils associated coach Andrew Brunette was arrested on Wednesday for DUI in Broward County. This post is a summary of the news and a brief reaction. Earlier this afternoon, David Dwork of WPLG Local 10 News in South Florida reported that New Jersey Devils associate coach Andrew Brunette was arrested on Wednesday in Broward County, Florida for driving under the influence (DUI). The report is still...
The January 2023 Month in Review of the New Jersey Devils
A whole lot of celebratory hugs in January. | Photo by Sam Hodde/NHLI via The New Jersey Devils rebounded after a December of struggles to go 9-2-2 in January 2023. There were loads of goaltenders bailing out the Devils, overtime heroics, and comebacks for the wins. Read on for a summary of a month defined by great results from poor performances, and who is the Devil of the Month among much more analysis. December was a tough month for the New Jersey Devils. A six-game winless streak was the centerpiece of a 4-7-2 month. Worse, the Devils were generally playing well...
DitD & Open Post - 2/1/23: You Gotta Pay the Toll Edition
Timo Meier #28 of the San Jose Sharks skates against the Boston Bruins during the second period at TD Garden on January 22, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. | Photo by Maddie Meyer/ New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 2/1/23 Here are your links for today: Devils Links Interesting note here from Elliotte Friedman on the Devils: “The biggest balancing act for them might be their salary structure. It sounds like they prefer to have no forwards above Jack Hughes’ $8M AAV — or at least not blowing that out of the water. That’s not only a consideration for...
New Jersey Devils NCAA Prospect Update: Another Big Deal Coming
Per Dan MacKinnon, Luke Hughes is set to join NJ after his season in Michigan ends. | Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK Devils Assistant GM Dan MacKinnon recently confirmed the worst-kept secret in hockey — Luke Hughes is coming to New Jersey after his season ends in Michigan. This post celebrates that news and updates on the other Devils prospects in the NCAA. A HUGHES DEAL As astute readers of AATJ already know, Devils Assistant GM Dan Mackinnon recently sat down with Ryan Novozinksy of NJ.Com to discuss a triad of Devils prospects. In the interview,...
Garden State of Hockey- Episode 157: Dougie and the Real Deal
Photo by Sam Hodde/NHLI via The clutch guys deliver once again. The New Jersey Devils enter the All-Star break in a position that all of us could only have dreamed they’d be in going into the season. They are a top contender in the league and have started winning the games they maybe didn’t deserve to through resilience, speed, and a newfound sense of responsibility. This is a team in a strong position looking to get stronger but for now, we’ll collectively let them enjoy their much-earned bye week as Jack Hughes represents the team in Florida. The next push is...
The Devils’ Handling of Alexander Holtz Remains Perplexing
Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Today we again ask the question: what exactly is the benefit of keeping Alexander Holtz on the NHL roster right now? Things have been going well for the Devils this season, as they have entered their bye week and the All-Star break with the league’s third-best points percentage and finally seem to have made good on the long-promised emergence from their rebuild. They have a group of elite performers leading the way, with Jack Hughes getting himself Hart trophy buzz at age 21 and the group of Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and...
DitD & Open Post - 1/30/23: Four for Luke Edition
New Jersey Devils fans hold a sign for Luke Hughes, chosen fourth overall by the Devils during the first round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft at Prudential Center on July 23, 2021 in Newark, New Jersey. | Photo by Andrew MacLean/NHLI via New Jersey Devils & Related Hockey Links for 1/30/23 Here are your links for today: Devils Links Jack Hughes ended Friday night’s game against the Stars 20 seconds into overtime, sending the Devils into the All-Star break with a 3-2 win. [Devils NHL] Luke Hughes had four, count ‘em, FOUR goals on Saturday in Michigan’s game against...
Jan 29, 2023
Weekly Metropolitan Division Snapshot: 1/29 - 2/4
Carolina continues to lead and even pulls off dramatic comeback overtime wins over the likes of, uh, San Jose. | Photo by Josh Lavallee/NHLI via In the sixteenth weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of the season, the three top teams won their weeks and the wild card teams have more to worry about from the Atlantic Division, and most of the division is off next week. Read on for the week that was and week that will be for all eight teams in the division. Welcome to what could be the second shortest weekly Metropolitan Division snapshot of this season. The 2022-23 NHL...
Two Different Line Combo Philosophies, Two Different Outcomes
Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Earlier this week, between the Vegas game and the Nashville game, the Devils deployed their lines differently, with differing levels of success. Let’s look into it. Earlier this week, the New Jersey Devils played two drastically different games. The first was a tight, defensive battle at home against Vegas, and then a couple of days later, they played the first of a back-to-back in Nashville where we saw a ton of goals and poor defensive play. When comparing those two games and outcomes, it is logical to look at the defense. The...
The Devils Come from Two Down to Defeat Dallas in Overtime in a Fantastic Effort
Jack Hughes wins it in overtime | Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports In what is in my opinion the best game of the season, so far, the Devils play brilliantly, with Vitek Vanacek and Jack Hughes leading the way. Read through the game and my thoughts on the Devils’ effort in this game recap First Period Vitek Vanacek in net for the Devils, Jake Oettinger in net for the Stars. Nikita Okhotiuk out of the lineup, Kevin Bahl back in. No other lineup changes after yesterday’s game against the Predators. The lines remain intact, with Yegor Sharangovich and Fabian Zetterlund...
2022-23 Gamethread #49: New Jersey Devils at Dallas Stars
Mercer! Heiskanen? Oettinger! Tonight! | Photo by Bruce Bennett/ January essentially ends for the New Jersey Devils tonight in Texas. The Devils visit the Dallas Stars for their final game this month. Will the Devils have something left in the tank after a game in Nashville? Will the Devils get revenge? Discuss it here in this Gamethread. Our Favorite Team closes January with the second of a back-to-back set on the road. They are in the Big D against Peter DeBoer, Jason Robertson, Jake Oettinger, Miro Heiskanen, and so much more. The Time: 8:30 PM ET The Broadcast: TV...
FanFirst Fridays: Random Thoughts Edition
Dougie doing Dougie things. $9 million worth of things. | Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports I was initially going to do a Dougie Hamilton appreciation post, but there was so much happening this week, I’m gonna pivot and go Larry King-style randomized thoughts. I have a lot of topics this week that I’m feeling passionate about so instead of posting a Dougie Hamilton appreciation post, like was my original thought, I’m going bullet point, random thought-style like Larry King used to do for USA Today. First, I want to start with Dougie Hamilton. I’m writing this...
Ranking the Trade Value of the 2022-23 New Jersey Devils Players
Where does Damon Severson rank? | Photo by Josh Lobel/NHLI via The 2023 NHL Trade Deadline is a little more than a month away. The New Jersey Devils look to be buyers this season. This post ranks 25 Devils players with their perceived trade value to identify who other teams may want from New Jersey. The NHL Trade Deadline for this season is on March 3, 2023 at 3 PM ET. Past trade deadlines for the Devils either have been light on activity or just a whole bunch of selling off for whatever they could get. This season could be different. The Devils are Actually Good...