NHL Preview 2024-25 79 SportsForecaster.com

Forwards

Nathan Bastian [RW]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 205
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 54 5 7 12 -10 32 0.22
Career 295 36 35 71 -16 200 0.24
Forecast 62 8 6 14 - - 0.23

The 26-year-old fourth-line forward is willing to put his body on the line. He was third on the squad in hits with 143 despite missing the last seven weeks of the season because of injury. He has never been much of an offensive factor–and that was especially true last season when his ice time dropped to just over 10 minutes per game.

Jesper Bratt [RW]

  • Age: 26
  • Ht: 5-10
  • Wt: 175
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 82 27 56 83 -6 12 1.01
Career 581 155 318 473 -19 98 0.81
Forecast 82 30 58 88 - - 1.07

Only about 8 percent of sixth-round picks become full-time NHLers, and not many grow into point-per-game players. Bratt has, and he is confident he can improve on last season's career-best 56 assists and 83 points in all 82 contests. Bratt plays in all situations and has become an extremely durable and reliable winger for the Devils.

Paul Cotter [LW/RW]

  • Age: 24
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 206
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
VGK 76 7 18 25 -11 41 0.33
Career 246 40 33 73 -39 135 0.30
Forecast 82 10 15 25 - - 0.30

The 24-year-old Cotter is a big-bodied winger who is more than willing to hit anyone in the other squad's jersey (233 hits in 2023-24, tied for 16th in the NHL). He finishes his checks, competes for loose pucks and wins battles all over the ice. He enjoyed career highs in assists and points last season, and was then traded to Jersey.

Erik Haula [C/LW]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 191
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 76 16 19 35 -1 54 0.46
Career 787 157 196 353 41 401 0.45
Forecast 79 12 22 34 - - 0.43

He continues to be productive offensively as a versatile forward who can play in any situation. He also wins the majority of his face-offs–more than 50 percent in each of the past 10 seasons. The one downside to his play last season was his plus/minus rating, which fell to minus-1 from plus-13 and plus-19 in the previous two seasons.

Nico Hischier [C]

  • Age: 25
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 175
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 71 27 40 67 -5 12 0.94
Career 556 181 267 448 21 135 0.81
Forecast 80 30 48 78 - - 0.98

New Jersey's captain went from a Selke Trophy finalist and a plus-33 rating to a minus player (–5) last season. Injuries cost him 11 games, which helped account for his 13-point offensive decline. But his play away from the puck regressed and was a major reason why the Devils missed the playoffs (after a 112-point season in 2022-23).

Jack Hughes [C]

  • Age: 23
  • Ht: 5-11
  • Wt: 175
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 62 27 47 74 -12 12 1.19
Career 385 151 220 371 -32 62 0.96
Forecast 75 34 55 89 - - 1.19

The 23-year-old Hughes is among the NHL's most dynamic players–when he can stay on the ice. He averaged more than a point per game for the third straight season, but injuries cost him 20 games. Hughes was still an impact player despite playing much of the season with one healthy shoulder, but he was not the 99-point player of '22-23.

Curtis Lazar [C/W]

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 203
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 71 7 18 25 10 44 0.35
Career 585 49 78 127 -31 171 0.22
Forecast 74 6 16 22 - - 0.30

He made the most of his limited ice time (12:23 TOI/GP), putting up career highs in assists and points despite accumulating just 4:22 of power-play time in his 71 games in '23-24. He has gone from a player whose offense made him a first-rounder ('13) to a bottom-six forward who has changed his game to focus on defense before offense.

Timo Meier [LW/RW]

  • Age: 28
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 220
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 69 28 24 52 -28 45 0.75
Career 650 228 230 458 -62 390 0.70
Forecast 77 31 34 65 - - 0.84

Things did not go as planned for Meier in his first full season in New Jersey. His minus-28 rating was the worst on the team–and of his 28 goals, 17 came in March and April; a few more earlier may have greatly helped the Devils' playoff chances. Coming off shoulder surgery this past April, Meier needs to put a full campaign together.

Dawson Mercer [RW/C]

  • Age: 22
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 180
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 82 20 13 33 -26 29 0.40
Career 357 93 95 188 -17 95 0.53
Forecast 82 22 22 44 - - 0.54

He is coming off the worst of his three NHL seasons: his points dropped from 56 in 2022-23 to 33 in '23-24, and his plus/minus rating plummeted from plus-22 to minus-26. Mercer is durable (246 straight NHL games), does not shy away from physical play despite his size (6'0'', 180 pounds) and can contribute from anywhere in the lineup.

Stefan Noesen [RW/LW]

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 205
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Car 81 14 23 37 13 33 0.46
Career 467 81 90 171 7 266 0.37
Forecast 82 15 23 38 - - 0.46

Not many players in their late 20s can force their way back to the NHL from the minor leagues, but Noesen has done that. He is not the 48-goal scorer he was in the AHL in 2021-22, but the 31-year-old has found a niche as a bottom-six forward and power-play specialist as a net-front presence. His grit makes him a pain to play against.

Ondrej Palat [LW]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-0
  • Wt: 194
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 71 11 20 31 -9 37 0.44
Career 854 179 331 510 139 258 0.60
Forecast 73 9 18 27 - - 0.37

He brought his status as a two-time Stanley Cup champion when the Devils signed him in the summer of 2022. However, Palat was known for being more of a clutch scorer rather than a prolific one. Palat's offensive numbers have dropped off sharply in Jersey, and he was a minus player (–9) for the first time in his NHL career in 2023-24.

Tomas Tatar [LW/RW]

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 5-10
  • Wt: 173
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Col/Sea 70 9 15 24 8 20 0.34
Career 927 227 269 496 43 316 0.54
Forecast 74 12 16 28 - - 0.38

At 33, Tatar has to prove that last season was an outlier rather than the beginning of the end. He failed to reach double figures in goals or 25 points for the first time in more than a decade. He still has excellent puck skills and has always been a pretty good finisher, but his days as a top-six winger at the NHL level may be done.

Defensemen

Goaltenders

Brenden Dillon

  • Age: 33
  • Ht: 6-4
  • Wt: 225
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Wpg 77 8 12 20 20 92 0.26
Career 1003 42 179 221 68 949 0.22
Forecast 78 2 14 16 - - 0.21

At 6'4'' and 225 pounds, he is a presence on the blueline who makes life difficult for opposing forwards. He has never been an offensive force, but he did have a career high in goals in '23-24–as well as finish with a career-best plus-20 rating. He is an OK skater and puck mover but is tough to play against due to his size and reach.

Dougie Hamilton

  • Age: 31
  • Ht: 6-6
  • Wt: 230
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 20 5 11 16 -8 20 0.80
Career 860 155 354 509 72 542 0.59
Forecast 80 15 47 62 - - 0.78

His 2023-24 campaign ended in late November when he tore a pectoral muscle, ruining hopes of building on his career season in '22-23. His absence blew a hole in the Devils, especially on the power play; he had eight of his 16 points with the man advantage, which was clicking at 36.8 percent with him in the lineup (16.9% without him).

Luke Hughes

  • Age: 21
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 198
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 82 9 38 47 -25 28 0.57
Career 184 18 90 108 -39 66 0.59
Forecast 82 12 44 56 - - 0.68

Jack Hughes' younger brother will try to build on a rookie season that saw him named a Calder Trophy finalist. He led rookie defensemen in goals, tied for second among all rookies in points and came in third on the Devils with 25 power-play points. The blossoming blueliner was a rare bright spot in New Jersey's disappointing 2023-24.

Simon Nemec

  • Age: 20
  • Ht: 6-1
  • Wt: 190
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 60 3 16 19 -7 33 0.32
Career 116 11 27 38 -13 61 0.33
Forecast 71 5 21 26 - - 0.37

The 20-year-old continues to adjust to the NHL but displays all the signs of growing into a great defenseman. Nemec already has plenty going for him: he skates well, shoots right-handed, plays a pretty good defensive game and can drive play. Although he does not look like a game breaker, he knows when to join (and not join) the rush.

Brett Pesce

  • Age: 29
  • Ht: 6-3
  • Wt: 206
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
Car 70 3 10 13 10 20 0.19
Career 708 42 176 218 90 258 0.31
Forecast 76 4 19 23 - - 0.30

Lower-body injuries were the catalyst that bookended the worst offensive campaign of Pesce's career. His output dropped sharply in 2023-24, and his average ice time fell to its lowest mark since '15-16. He is not physical but was second on Carolina in blocks and average penalty-killing minutes. Pesce is a solid bounce-back candidate.

Jonas Siegenthaler

  • Age: 27
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 218
'23-24 GP G A P +/- PIM P/GP
NJ 57 1 8 9 -7 20 0.16
Career 396 10 58 68 29 232 0.17
Forecast 82 3 15 18 - - 0.22

The 27-year-old Swiss will try to put his game back together after a 2023-24 season that saw almost everything go wrong. Injuries cost Siegenthaler 25 games, his offensive numbers cratered and his plus/minus rating dipped to minus-7. His skating was not up to his normal standards, and he struggled to get the puck out of his own zone.

Jake Allen

  • Age: 34
  • Ht: 6-2
  • Wt: 190
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Mtl/NJ 34 12 18 4 0 3.44 0.895
Career 475 216 190 43 29 2.75 0.907
Forecast 32 17 - - 0 3.04 0.901

The 34-year-old still has game; he took over New Jersey's No. 1 netminder job after coming over at the trade deadline in '23-24. His numbers have fallen off the past three seasons, though playing behind a defensively weak team was a big factor. He is a capable 'keeper in a limited role, but his days as a full-season starter are over.

Jacob Markstrom

  • Age: 34
  • Ht: 6-6
  • Wt: 207
'23-24 GP W L OT SO GAA Sv%
Cgy 48 23 23 2 2 2.78 0.905
Career 548 248 218 64 24 2.72 0.907
Forecast 50 34 - - 2 2.86 0.909

The runner-up in Vezina Trophy voting and Second All-Star Team selection in '21-22, Markstrom has not had anywhere near the same results since. He is still above average in some categories and was among the NHL leaders with an .857 save percentage in high-danger chances last season. But the Swedish vet can play a lot better, overall.