2024-25 New Jersey Devils Predictions and Odds to Win Stanley Cup Finals
The New Jersey Devils were the most disappointing team in the league this past season. After recording 112 points in the 2022-23 season, they regressed big time and finished with just 81 points last year. The Devils had 283 goals scored against them, which was the third most in the Eastern Conference, ahead of just Montreal and Columbus. They had most of their success against the Atlantic Division, where they went 12-11-1 in their 24 games against them.
The Devils finished 12th in the NHL with 3.22 GF/G, while cashing in on 22.4% of their Power Play chances and finishing inside the Top 10 in PK% as they killed off 80.7% of their opponents Power Play opportunities. Jesper Bratt led the team with 83 points and 56 assists, while Jack Hughes finished with 74 points on 27 goals and 47 assists. Hughes, Bratt, and Nico Hischier finished second on the team in goals with 27, one behind team leader Timo Meier’s 28 goals. Tyler Toffoli and Dawson Mercer also joined the 20-goals club, as Toffoli finished with 26 (with the Devils) and Mercer finished with 20. They lost defenseman Dougie Hamilton (16 points in 20 games) to a big injury early in the season that held back this Devils offensive attack.
New Jersey’s goaltending was atrocious last year, which resulted in the huge regression. As a team, they ranked 27th in the NHL, allowing 3.43 GA/G on a .896 SV%. They were also the only team to not stop a shootout attempt last season. There were five different netminders that saw ice time for the Devils last season. Vitek Vanecek led the team with 32 appearances, going 17-9-3 while allowing 3.18 GA/G on a team worst .890 SV%. Nico Daws appeared in 21 games, allowing 3.15 GA/G, with Akira Schmid posting the same numbers in 19 appearances. Jake Allen went 6-6-1 in his 13 games with New Jersey, while Kaapo Kahkonen went 1-4 in his six appearances but allowing just 2.51 GA/G on a .923 SV%.
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Seasons come and go, so now it’s time to take a look at what we can expect from the New Jersey Devils in 2024-25:
New Jersey Devils Key Additions/Losses
The losses were not nearly as impactful of the additions during the offseason. Akira Schmid and Alexander Holtz (28 points) were shipped off to Vegas, blueliner John Marino (25 points) was sent to Utah, and Kevin Bahl and a 2025 first-rounder were sent to Calgary. Kaapo Kahkonen’s time in New Jersey was really short, as he signed with Winnipeg, while Michael McLeod (19 points) and Brendan Smith (15 points) are also gone.
Paul Cotter was brought in as the return in the trade with Vegas. The 24-year-old center recorded 25 points in 75 games for the Golden Knights last season. However, the biggest move of the offseason came when the Devils added goalie Jacob Markstrom from Calgary. Markstrom allowed 2.65 GA/G in his four years with Calgary, making this a huge upgrade between the pipes. The Devils brought in two blueliners in Brett Pesce (13 points) and Brenden Dillon (20 points) while also adding forwards Stefan Noesen (37 points) and bringing back Tomas Tatar (24 points).
New Jersey Devils X-Factors
Health- Dougie Hamilton (20 games), Timo Meier (69 games), Jack Hughes (62 games), Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat (71 games), and Brett Pesce (70 games) are all significant pieces that saw limited time last season. New Jersey has all kinds of depth on this roster to be a playoff caliber squad, but their health will be the difference between sneaking into the playoffs or being one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams.
New Jersey Devils Goalie Outlook
With Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid now out west, the Devils will depend on newly acquired Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen to carry most of the workload for the season. Markstrom performed really well, even on a Flames team that largely struggled. He allowed 2.78 GA/G, going 23-23-2 in 48 starts while posting a .905 SV%. He should expect to carry most of the workload this season as he should get around 50-52 starts this season. That gives Jake Allen and budding netminder Nico Daws about 30 starts to split up and hopefully compliment Markstrom on his days off. Overall, this is a much better group than what they had in the crease last year.
Grade: B+
New Jersey Devils Key Schedule Stretch
March 31st-April 16th: The Devils end their season with six of their last seven games on home ice. This couldn’t have worked out better for New Jersey, as they will be in a position to extend their lead or catch the Rangers atop the Metro Division standings as they fight for seeding. If the Devils already sit atop the division, this stretch will go a long way in aiding them in clinching the division and even the Presidents Trophy. There are also some key opponents in this stretch that could help in tiebreaking situations. They play Boston (twice, once at home and once on the road), both New York teams at home, as well as Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Detroit. Hosting the Penguins, Rangers, and Islanders this late in the season with tiebreaker potential is a huge boost compared to these being road games. This is a home friendly end to their season and the Devils need to capitalize.
New Jersey Devils Notable Odds
Stanley Cup Champions: +1100
Conference Winner: +550
Division Winner: +240
Hart Trophy- Jack Hughes: +1100
Vezina Trophy- Jacob Markstrom: +1100
Jack Adams Award- Sheldon Keefe: +700
New Jersey Devils Predictions
There are a lot of futures to like about this team. Starting with the Point Total, I love the over for the Devils. You are asking for a 22-point improvement, but Markstrom alone might be worth that especially when eliminating Vanecek and Schmid from the equation. Additionally, the offense should be much better thanks to Hamilton’s return and the additions of Noesen and Tatar. Now imagine if you could add a full season of Jack Hughes, Meier, and Hischier to the list. Now, a 22-point improvement seems to be easy in comparison to the ceiling of this team. With that improvement, Sheldon Keefe at +700 to win the Jack Adams seems likely, meaning you could play both the over point total and Keefe as it is highly likely if one hits, the other will too. It will likely come down to the Devils and Rangers in the Metro, and I am not totally ready to usurp the Rangers in my mind. However, if any team could do it, it’s the New Jersey Devils.
Over 102.5 Team Total Points
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