3 questions facing New Jersey Devils

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, three important questions facing the New Jersey Devils.

1. Are the Devils better now than they were a season ago?

The Devils hired a coach with proven success in the regular season in Sheldon Keefe, who was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 9 after going 212-97-40 in five seasons and 16-21 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They traded for a proven starting goalie in Jacob Markstrom, who has two seasons remaining on a six-year contract. They signed defensemen Brett Pesce (six-year contract) and Brenden Dillon (three-year contract), and forwards Stefan Noesen (three-year contract) and Tomas Tatar (one-year contract). It all needs to come together, but the acquisitions enabled New Jersey to get bigger and stronger in the critical areas.

The Devils did finish last season with five 20-goal scorers: Timo Meier (28), Jack Hughes (27), Jesper Bratt (27), Nico Hischier (27) and Dawson Mercer (20). They saw improvement in rookie defensemen Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, and gained workmanlike performances from centers Curtis Lazar and Erik Haula.

"What's really important moving forward is [Luke Hughes and Nemec] take that next step," general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "We've surrounded them with veterans who have been there and understand what it takes to get to where you want to go, so we don't need them to put the team or the defense corps on their backs. I'm very confident; more confident today than I was last year."

2. Will the veteran goalies hold up?

The Devils did upgrade the goalie position, but it's worth noting Markstrom and Jake Allen each is 34 years old. The third goalie in the pipeline is Nico Daws, 23, who went 9-11-0 with a 3.15 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 21 games (20 starts) as a rookie last season.

Markstrom is healthy after missing three games in January and five more in March with the Calgary Flames due to separate lower-body injuries. He's a workhorse; he's played 60 or more games three times in his NHL career and 59 games in another season.

Fitzgerald had no concerns about the age of his goalies when asked about it on July 3. "Their past has proven they've played a lot of hockey games,“ Fitzgerald said. “They don't sit much. Maybe there will be a soft-tissue issue (injury) here or there, but it doesn't concern me at all."

3. Is there enough depth at center?

The Devils likely will begin the season with Haula and Lazar as their third and fourth-line centers, following Hischier and Jack Hughes. Haula played 76 games last season, and Lazar played 71, but there were times when Haula centered a line with Jack Hughes on the wing. New Jersey acquired forward Paul Cotter in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on June 29 for forward Alexander Holtz, goalie Akira Schmid and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Fitzgerald said he doesn't envision Cotter playing much center, but his versatility is a welcomed asset. It'll be interesting to see if the Devils have enough depth at center.

New Jersey learned a lot from its failures last season, when it missed the playoffs, and should benefit from the significant upgrades at each position, but it won't come easy, particularly because the Devils are expected to significantly improve their standing in the Metropolitan Division.