The New Jersey Devils held their exit interviews and locker room clean out on April 16, following a season that ended without a playoff appearance. Players and staff reflected on the highs and lows of the year, acknowledging disappointment after missing the postseason by ten points with a final record of 42-37-3.
The team had entered the season with high expectations, especially after starting strong with an eight-game winning streak and leading their division by mid-November. However, injuries and inconsistent play led to a significant downturn in performance during the middle portion of the schedule. Captain Nico Hischier said, “Very disappointing. Not the year that we hoped, or we wanted. Unfortunately, it is what it is right now. We have to take the right things out of it and move on.” Scoring leader Jack Hughes added, “Obviously, not where we want to be… It’s a frustrating year and we’re not where we want to be.”
Players pointed to several factors for their struggles this season including injuries to key players such as Jack Hughes, Brett Pesce, Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes as well as issues with consistency throughout all 82 games. Forward Jesper Bratt commented that this year’s ending was particularly difficult: “This year stings the most out of every year where I’ve been in this situation because of the anticipation from before the year… It’s frustrating. It’s not a fun day right now.” Veteran goalie Jake Allen observed that small margins made a big difference: “It’s easy to look back and say you could’ve had a four- or five-game difference in the season or points or overtimes… So it’s not huge margins, but it’s a big perspective.”
Head coach Sheldon Keefe addressed both personnel challenges and internal growth as areas for improvement: “Some of it is the personnel and building a more resilient team… but growth inside the locker room for players that remain is equally important.” Other players stressed finding ways to maintain competitiveness even when facing adversity or lacking key contributors.
Looking ahead, change is expected within both management—after general manager Tom Fitzgerald parted ways with the club earlier in April—and potentially among players themselves. Hischier said about upcoming changes at general manager: “So obviously I don’t really know who’s going to come in or what’s going to happen. And all I can hope is that it’s somebody that can bring the team forward.” Goalie Jacob Markstrom noted player commitment during offseason preparations: “What we can control is how much time we spend in the gym … I’m going to try stay in touch with guys just make sure everybody’s excited for what [is] to come.”
Despite disappointment over results this past season, many within organization remain optimistic about future prospects due strong core group led by Hughes brothers (Jack & Luke), Hischier himself plus others like Bratt & Meier; several referenced examples from other National Hockey League teams who endured setbacks before achieving championship success.
As Allen summarized: “Consistency gets you in playoffs … Consistency builds really strong competitive organization for long time.”
