THE DEVILS' DISAPPOINTING SEASON THUS FAR

    Many New Jersey Devils fans had expectations that this would be a record-breaking season for the talented hockey team and that clinching a playoff spot would be no problem but it is apparent that this is not the case as we’re over halfway through the season with a disappointing record of 30-27-4. For starters, there are lots of reasons people say we’ve had a below average season. Some will say it’s Head Coach Lindy Ruff, some will say it’s goaltending, some will say it’s the defense, and some will say it’s injuries. But who is right? Everyone is correct to a certain extent. 

First and foremost the goaltending and defense have not lived up to fans’ expectations this year which has cost the team heavily. The expected goaltender tandem for this season was going to be Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid. Both of them have been having less-than-ideal seasons with Vanecek having a record of 17-9-3 with a .890 SV% and Schmid with a 5-8-1 record with a .897 SV%. Due to Schmid’s poor performance, he was sent down to Utica (AHL) but then he was recalled back to the NHL due to Vanecek’s being placed on injured reserve (IR). Nico Daws got recalled from Utica (AHL) in late December to back up Vanecek (prior to when he got injured). Daws has been pretty good for the past few months but he still can’t do the entire job for us. The Devils’ defense has been weak all season and they are not doing what they need to do – to block shots and most importantly, make the goaltender’s job easier. Part of this reason is because the Devils organization let go two key veteran defensemen from last season – Damon Severson and Ryan Graves who were both unrestricted free agents (UFAs) last offseason. GM Tom Fitzgerald has filled those spots in with rookie defensemen – Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec; while they are talented young players with a big future ahead, they make rookie mistakes too often which lead to opposing team’s goals. To add to the issue, Dougie Hamilton (who’s arguably the best Devils defenseman) is out with a torn left pectoral muscle. This has left a big hole that has yet to be filled and it’s something the rookies cannot replace.  

It is evident that there are many mistakes that HC Ruff continues to make and that is costing the Devils games. For example, F Alexander Holtz, a talented young winger, is constantly being placed on the 4th line which prevents him from getting more ice time. Holtz has improved immensely from last season and he has proven himself this year, and therefore, he needs more playing time with players like Jack Hughes and Tyler Toffoli. In addition, when Holtz makes small mistakes, Ruff repeatedly decides to bench Holtz which is unfair as players like Luke Hughes, who has been making mistakes constantly this season, is still given a large amount of ice time. Another issue that Ruff has been having is making the correct decision to start which goaltender for which game. Although the Devils do not have many options for goalies currently, Ruff has started Daws for 10 of the past 11 games. It is obvious that after starting so many games, Daws will be extremely tired and will not be able to perform to his best ability anymore and that is exactly what’s currently happening with this young goaltender. Schmid has come in relief for him in the past 2 games after 2 rough starts for Daws which shows Schmid should have started both those games and Daws shouldn’t have started so many games in a row to begin with. Finally, another issue that was brought up with Ruff is the fact that when he pulled Schmid yesterday, the team was still playing 5-on-5 with the net empty which is completely on the coach. Ruff needs to pay closer attention to how his poor decisions are affecting the team. 

We are currently 4 days from the trade deadline (March 8th at 3pm ET) and GM Tom Fitzgerald has lots of decisions to make. Between acquiring a goalie, and trading certain players away, the Devils have one goal – to remain in the playoff race. After our last 3 losses (1-5 LAK, 3-4 ANA, and 1-4 TBL), our playoff chances have gotten incredibly slim which is so unfortunate for a talented team that should’ve been clinching a playoff berth sometime soon. Do you think the Devils still have a chance to make the playoffs?