Three questions facing New Jersey Devils

NHL.com is providing in-depth analysis for each of its 31 teams throughout August. Today, three important questions facing the New Jersey Devils.

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1. Can Cory Schneider be an elite goalie again?

The Devils expect Schneider to rebound from an injury-plagued and disappointing season when he is fully healed after having hip surgery May 1. General manager Ray Shero mentioned Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, who had a similar surgery in May 2013 and won the Vezina Trophy voted as the NHL's top goalie last season. Schneider was 17-16-6 and had his highest goals-against average (2.93) and lowest save percentage (.907) in five seasons with the Devils.
"He's coming off the surgery, so his rehabilitation and commitment to getting himself back to play not only physically but mentally is important, and we're expecting him to be better," coach John Hynes said. "We need him to be a guy who gives us a chance to win every night, and we know he can do that."

2. What impact will Nico Hischier have in his second NHL season?

Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, centered the top line as a rookie with Taylor Hall. Hall, who is entering his ninth NHL season, said Hischier played a huge part in helping him win the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player.
Hischier finished in the top 10 among NHL rookies in goals (20), assists (32), points (52) and shots on goal (180) in 82 games.
"We expect Nico to take another step; we talked to him about improving his shot this summer, getting stronger and improving his conditioning to be a driving force this year," Hynes said. "With the experience he had, and knowing the player he is, I know he's putting in a really good summer."

3. Are the Devils good enough to return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

The expectation is players will return with a greater commitment to improve. The Devils proved to be fast and supportive last season and won 21 games on the road after ranking last in the Eastern Conference (12 wins) in 2016-17.
If the defense can remain steady, and more players contribute offensively (such as Pavel Zacha), there's no reason to think the Devils can't return to the playoffs. Zacha, chosen No. 6 in the 2015 NHL Draft, has 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 140 NHL games. He has scored eight goals in each of the past two seasons.
"What we can really draw from last year are the things that allowed us to be a very competitive team in the regular season," Hynes said. "To build your team and hopefully become even more competitive later in the season, you need to figure out things in the playoffs that you need to tailor into your regular season. The players need to have the right mindset to re-establish the identity of being a tough team to play against."