Devils season preview: Markstrom, Dillon, Pesce additions could spark playoff push

The 2024-25 NHL season starts Oct. 4. With training camps underway, NHL.com is taking a look at the three keys, the inside scoop on roster questions, and the projected lineup for each of the 32 teams. Today, the New Jersey Devils.

Coach: Sheldon Keefe (first season)

Last season: 38-39-5, seventh in Metropolitan Division; did not qualify for Stanley Cup Playoffs

3 KEYS

1. Lessons in chemistry

The Devils need a good start, especially during a 13-game October with three back-to-back sets, including the 2024 NHL Global Series Czechia presented by Fastenal against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague on Oct. 4-5. The messaging will be established early in training camp by coach Sheldon Keefe, who will look to create toughness, accountability and consistency. The Metropolitan Division is once again going to be tight, so a positive start will go a long way toward instilling the necessary confidence. New Jersey went 5-2-1 in October and 6-7-0 in November on the way to finishing seventh in the division last season and failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th time in 12 seasons.

2. Net gains

The Devils will rely heavily on goalies Jacob Markstrom and backup Jake Allen, and each will need to pick up their teammates at various points during the season. The position has been too inconsistent in recent years, and the hope is they will finally alleviate that concern. New Jersey used five goalies in 2023-24, two short of the team record of seven in 2021-22, and allowed 3.43 goals per game, tying the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators for the fifth most in the NHL. Markstrom, 34, went 23-23-2 with a 2.78 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and two shutouts in 48 games last season with the Calgary Flames. After the Devils acquired Allen in a trade with the Canadiens on March 8, the 34-year-old went 6-6-1 with a 3.11 GAA and .900 save percentage in 13 games.

3. Delivering on defense

The Devils upgraded the defense to bolster their size and experience. Brett Pesce (6-foot-3, 206 pounds) signed a six-year contract after nine seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes but was not available on the opening day of training camp and is week to week as he continues to recover from surgery to repair a fractured fibula. Brenden Dillon (6-4, 225), who enters his 13th season, signed a three-year contract, and Johnathan Kovacevic (6-5, 223) was acquired in a trade with the Canadiens on June 30. They will be without Luke Hughes, who is expected to be out until at least mid-October because of a left shoulder injury sustained earlier this month, but 20-year-old Simon Nemec looks primed for a bigger role. Veteran Dougie Hamilton, who is in the fourth season of a seven-year, $63 million contract ($9 million average annual value), is healthy after playing just 20 games last season due to a torn left pectoral muscle.

ROSTER RUNDOWN

Making the cut

The injury to Luke Hughes could give two-way defenseman Santeri Hatakka an opportunity to earn a spot from the outset as a left-handed shot on the third pairing. The 23-year-old (6-foot-1, 191 pounds), a sixth-round pick (No. 184) by the San Jose Sharks in the 2019 NHL Draft, had 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 48 games with Utica of the American Hockey League last season and had two assists, 14 hits, 12 blocked shots and was plus-5 in 12 games with the Devils. He wasn’t a defensive liability and proved effective in transition. Hatakka was part of the trade with the Sharks that included forward Timo Meier and involved nine players and four draft picks on Feb. 26, 2023.

Most intriguing addition

Dillon, a 33-year-old left-handed shot, signed a three-year, $12 million contract ($4 million AAV). He'll provide New Jersey with an authoritative presence on the back end, something the unit lacked last season when it had the seventh-fewest hits and fourth-fewest blocked shots. Since entering the League in 2011-12, Dillon ranks 11th among all players in hits (2,174) in 892 games.

Biggest potential surprise

Paul Cotter, a 24-year-old forward acquired in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for right wing Alexander Holtz and goalie Akira Schmid on June 29, is expected to lock up the type of third- or fourth-line role the Devils desperately need with his versatility, speed and physicality. He's tenacious on pucks, something general manager Tom Fitzgerald envisioned within his bottom-six. He also has experience; he'll join Allen, Ondrej Palat, and Kurtis MacDermid as teammates who at one time have won the Stanley Cup.

Ready to contribute

Markstrom, who has two seasons remaining on a six-year contract and can become an unrestricted free agent after 2025-26, is expected to be that consistent, reliable player at a position that has been anything but in recent years. He is 215-196-57 with a 2.73 GAA and .909 save percentage in 485 regular-season games (468 starts) for the Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Flames and 13-13 with a 2.90 GAA and .911 save percentage in 26 playoff games. He has played at least 60 games three times in his NHL career and also played 59 games two seasons ago in 2022-23. The last Devils goalies with 60-plus appearances in a single season were Cory Schneider (60 in 2016-17; 69 in 2014-15) and Martin Brodeur (77 in 2009-10).

Fantasy sleeper

Simon Nemec, D (undrafted on average in fantasy) – Nemec played in 60 games with New Jersey last season and had 19 points (three goals, 16 assists). The 20-year-old defenseman has fantasy value early on this season, as he might see solid ice time in the absence of both Luke Hughes (shoulder; 4-6 weeks) and Brett Pesce (week-to-week). In 2022-23 Nemec had 34 points (12 goals, 22 assists) in 65 games with the Utica Comets of the AHL. – Anna Dua

PROJECTED LINEUP

Timo Meier -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt

Ondrej Palat -- Jack Hughes -- Dawson Mercer

Tomas Tatar -- Erik Haula -- Stefan Noesen

Paul Cotter -- Curtis Lazar -- Nathan Bastian

Jonas Siegenthaler -- Dougie Hamilton

Brenden Dillon -- Brett Pesce

Santeri Hatakka -- Simon Nemec

Jacob Markstrom

Jake Allen

Injured: Luke Hughes (left shoulder)