by Keefe’s job will be to restore chemistry and excitement between the new and established players on the squad, which includes five players who each scored 20 goals last season: Timo Meier (28 goals), Jack Hughes (27), Jesper Bratt (27), Nico Hischier (27) and Dawson Mercer (20).
Hughes sat out twice last season and played in a total of 16 games before it was announced on April 9 that he would miss the final four games of the regular season due to shoulder surgery. He has practiced regularly this summer and is expected to join the team in training camp. Hughes, Hischier, Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar are expected to be the top four centers to start the season.
Rookie defensemen Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec have shown steady improvement in 2023-24, but there’s no doubt a healthy Dougie Hamilton will relieve some pressure and bolster the power play. Hamilton, who has four seasons remaining on a seven-year, $63 million contract (average annual value $9 million) that he signed as an unrestricted free agent on July 28, 2021, missed the final 62 games of last season after undergoing surgery for a torn left pectoral muscle on Dec. 1.
The signing of free agent defenders Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon will certainly help the defensive line.
Pesce is expected to fill the void left by John Marino, who joined the Utah Hockey Club on June 29. Pesce signed a six-year contract and joined the Devils after nine seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. Last season, he blocked 113 shots and averaged 20:17 minutes on the ice in 70 regular-season games. He recorded one assist in two playoff games before breaking his fibula near his ankle and missing the rest of the playoffs.
Dillon, who signed a three-year contract, will provide a commanding presence on defense, something the unit lacked last season when the Devils had the seventh-fewest goals (1,667) and fourth-fewest blocked shots (1,116).
New Jersey also added depth and experience to the offense by signing free agents Stefan Noesen and Tomas Tatar and acquired versatile forward Paul Cotter in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on June 29. Cotter is expected to play a bottom-six role and can also take on faceoffs if needed.
The biggest offseason addition was goalie Jacob Markstrom, acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames on June 19. Markstrom solidifies a position that was out of control last season, when New Jersey used five goalies, allowed 3.43 goals per game and had a .896 save percentage.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Carter-Verhaeghe-Casey-Engleson-wedding-081524-3-eaef40b1308047538f49804aed367b95.jpg?w=445&resize=445,265&ssl=1 "Florida Panthers NHL player Carter Verhaeghe marries model Casey Engleson in Palm Beach (exclusive)")