The New Jersey Devils are primed and ready to compete for a top spot in the Metropolitan Division as they open the 2025-26 season Thursday night against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center.

After a disappointing first-round exit, changes were expected as the roster wasn't good enough. Addressing one of the team's most significant needs, general manager Tom Fitzgerald signed wingers Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov on the opening day of free agency and re-signed Cody Glass to revamp his third and fourth lines as Nathan Bastian, Justin Dowling, Curtis Lazar, Daniel Sprong, and Tomas Tatar departed.

The expectation is not for the Devils to qualify for the postseason, but to put together a playoff run. With the core not getting any younger, fans are losing patience and are anxiously awaiting their team to take another noticeable step forward towards contention.

OFFENSE

Despite a season in which Nico Hischier scored a new single-season career high of 35 goals and Bratt reached 88 points, the Devils struggled to find consistent offense. Throughout the 2024-25 season, New Jersey was shut out eight times, primarily due to a lack of depth on offense. The club's 2.93 goals for per game was a drop from the previous season's 3.22. It did not help that a shoulder injury limited Jack Hughes to 62 games for a second consecutive year. The offseason additions of Brown and Dadonov are expected to improve scoring at five-on-five, along with a healthy Hughes. Another player expected to help bolster New Jersey's forward group is Arseniy Gritsyuk, 24, who is transitioning his game from Russia to the NHL.

Ahead of the 2025-26 season kicking off, Fitzgerald made two changes to his roster. First, acquiring forward Zack MacEwen in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward Kurtis MacDermid. Second, signing Luke Glendening to a one-year, one-way contract worth $775,000. The veteran will slot into the fourth-line center position to kick off the season.

DEFENSE

It is no surprise to see the Devils' blue line untouched this offseason, following the additions of Brenden Dillon, Johnathan Kovacevic, and Brett Pesce the previous summer. Defensively, New Jersey was one of the best teams in the NHL, led by the shutdown pair of Jonas Siegenthaler and Kovacevic.

Luke Hughes took noticeable steps in his defensive game, playing alongside Pesce while maintaining his offensive production at 44 points. On Oct. 4, the young blueliner agreed to a seven-year contract worth $63,000,000 ($9,000,000 AAV) to remain a Devil.

Kovacevic will miss the beginning of the 2025-26 season after sustaining a knee injury in the playoffs. It opened a roster spot for Simon Nemec, who had a strong training camp and preseason, leading all defensemen with four points.

GOALTENDING

With Jacob Markstrom under contract for one more season, the Devils signed Jake Allen to a five-year, $9 million contract to keep their 2024-25 goaltending tandem intact. The veteran duo combined for eight shutouts and were one of New Jersey's biggest strengths.

Youngster Nico Daws, who has appeared in a handful of games for the Devils over the last two seasons, cleared waivers and was assigned to the American Hockey League to complete the Comets' tandem with Jakub Malek.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Devils boasted the third-best power play in the league and the second-best penalty kill in the regular season, but special teams collapsed in the playoffs against the Hurricanes. In 15 power-play opportunities, New Jersey scored zero goals and gave up one shorthanded. Their penalty kill dropped to 68.4 percent, conceding six goals while shorthanded.

Assistant coach Jeremy Colliton will continue to work on the Devils' power play, while New Jersey hired Brad Shaw in late May to replace Ryan McGill. The former Flyers' interim head coach will take over the defense and penalty kill for the 2025-26 season.

INTANGIBLES

The addition of Brown brings speed to the Devils' lineup, but a question mark still surrounds the team's overall nastiness on the ice. Paul Cotter, who broke the franchise record for hits in a single season, Stefan Noesen, and Dillon brought an edge to New Jersey's lineup. Still, there is more to be desired if the organization wants to take another step forward and join the upper echelon that makes up the NHL's top teams.

THE X-FACTOR

When healthy, Jack Hughes is a game-changer and one of the top players in the league, thanks to his exceptional skills and speed. Due to injuries, he's only played one full season, which was in the shortened 2020-21 season. A healthy Hughes would be more impactful than any free agent signing.

ROOKIES

Besides Gritsyuk, the Devils have two additional young forwards turning pro in Lenni Hämeenaho and Shane Lachance, who are starting in the AHL with the Comets. On the blue line, Ethan Edwards had a tremendous training camp and is expected to play 20-plus minutes a night in Utica.

THE BRASS

In his first year, Keefe's goal was to establish a foundation that would enable the team to consistently compete for the Stanley Cup. Given his intense approach there was an adjustment period as the players acclimated to their new head coach.