Almost...

The Devils prepare for next season

Here we are in the aftermath of the most stressful series of my life.  The NJ Devils finally reached the Finals after five tries, but luck was not with the Devil.  Congrats to the Max Lauzon and the St. Louis Blues for a wonderful championship run!  For my Devils, almost...

All things considered, I should consider this season a success.  There were loooooong stretches of the season where the Devils were outside the playoff picture and many of the critics counted the Devils out.  The management group made some major personnel changes that started with the likes of Kopitar, Reinhart, and Roslovic heading out of New Jersey.  Players like Stamkos, Laine, and Yamamoto came in to replace them.  Then a goalie swap (Wedgwood for Koskinen) completely retooled the roster.  Insert a coaching change that set off a coaching carousel in the east, and you have a perfect environment for chaos, and thus, succes!  How?  I couldn't tell you.

Results are what we care about.  The Devils rocketed up the standings and cleared out the eastern conference on a path to losing in the final game of the season.  I should be happy with that.  I'm not.  Back to the drawing board.

The good thing is the Devils aren't going to change very much from the team that was.  Let's look at some of the movement.

Friday, July 7, 2023 5:20 AM		(Prospect) Isak Rosen		Year 2023 - Round 2 - WIN Year 2023 - Round 3 - CBJ	N/A
Tuesday, July 4, 2023 4:48 PM		Nick Blankenburg		Robert Hagg Year 2025 - Round 3 - BOS	N/A
Thursday, June 29, 2023 1:35 PM		Karel Vejmelka Year 2023 - Round 3 - CBJ		Year 2023 - Round 1 - NJD	50% retention on Vejmelka
Friday, June 23, 2023 5:43 PM		Morgan Frost		Kevin Bahl	N/A

The Tampa deal is essentially Rosen and Veji with 50% retention for a 1st and 2nd round pick.  Both teams are very pleased with that trade.  The lightning are waltzing away from the draft like Thor and the Devils are pleased to sit on their promising prospect and new long-term backup goaltender.  

"You need two goaltenders to win at this level.  It's that simple.  I'm very happy with our tandem."  Lindy Ruff

Hagg is depth move and Bahl for Frost is one I'm very happy about.  Bahl is a big boy, like Hague, but meaner, and without the puck moving skills.  Maybe those will develop over time.  Maybe not.  What we want out of him is a bruiser and a defensive stalwart.  

What's next for the Devils?

The organization needs to acquire a 3rd goaltender before the season starts, so look for a trade or signing somewhere along the line.  The rest of the roster is filled up and there isn't much wiggle room with the cap, so don't expect much else to happen before we start playing hockey again.  

Good luck to everyone with the new season.  I want that Cup!