HOT: JACK HUGHES
With 18 points in eight games, Jack Hughes has broken another Devils franchise record. There is nothing more to say about Jack other than if he is on your fantasy team, lucky you!
HOT: JESPER BRATT
On a seven game point streak, Jesper Bratt is on a hot streak himself. Six goals and eight assists for fourteen points in those seven games put Bratt in the hot section. Bratt went pointless in the opener but has been lighting the lamp since.
HOT: ERIK HAULA
Six points in seven games and just a broken stick away from a hat trick against Buffalo, along with his two-way/special teams play, has put Haula on the hot list. He is looking worth the contract he was offered this offseason. Devils fans love Haula, and it’s great for him to find a home.
HOT: TYLER TOFFOLI
In his first eight games with a new team, Tyler Toffoli has seven goals and three assists for ten points. Don’t forget he already has a hat trick as a Devil. No one questioned that this was a great acquisition for the Devils this offseason. He is the NHL star of the week.
ON THE FENCE: CURTIS LAZAR
Acquired at the trade deadline last season, Curtis Lazar has started this season with a bang. He has zero points so far, but his play behind the puck has been incredible, with his best game coming against Buffalo. Praise from the coach keeps him on the radar early on this season.
ON THE FENCE: TIMO MEIER
Timo Meier started the season off with his original line slowly. However, we are only eight games in at the time of writing this, and he has started to explode. It won’t be long before we see Meier go on a hot streak, and who’s to say he hasn’t already started one? Seven points in eight games isn’t bad, only one goal though.
ON THE FENCE: DOUGIE HAMILTON
Dougie Hamilton started his season the way he has the last two, with a goal in the home opener. It seems to be a trend, as he’s scored in every home opener since being acquired. Being put on the second power play line and fewer minutes has given Dougie more of a chance to upgrade his defensive game; his offense will always be there. Hamilton has six points in eight games but is a minus two.
ON THE FENCE: LUKE HUGHES
In his first NHL season, Luke Hughes is only on the fence because of some rookie defensive mistakes he has been making consistently. On the other hand, he has also made all-star-like plays at the same time. In seven games, Luke Hughes has one goal and five assists and is a plus/minus zero. He is a star in the making, but the Devils fans have to understand adding rookies and losing veterans will cause a slight setback at the start.
ON THE FENCE: KEVIN BAHL
Kevin Bahl has come out this season faster and is hitting harder. He has made some great defensive plays, but the offense we saw in the preseason hasn’t shown. He is a minus one with zero points, but he is extremely noticeable out there and is priming himself to be a great defenseman for years to come.
COLD: GOALTENDING
Through eight games, the two Devils goalies have been lit up pretty hard. At this point, the Devils are lucky to have so many hot offensive players. Glimpses of last year were seen by Vitek Vanecek in the game vs. Buffalo, but he still let some softies in. Two straight wins could help his confidence. Akira Schmid is coming into this season with so much pressure on his shoulders from the organization, not to mention the fans, that it might be taking a toll on his confidence. Devils fans can only hope this is early season rust.
COLD: DAWSON MERCER
In previous articles, I claimed that taking Mercer off of his line with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier in favor of giving Alex Holtz another chance was a huge mistake. Those articles seem to have come to life as Mercer, as well as others, have been moved away from their regular positions. Mercer went from the first line to the third line and still has zero points through seven games, though you could argue this slow start could be blamed on position and roster jumping. This is something coach Lindy Ruff is known for.
COLD: ONDREJ PALAT
In his second season with New Jersey, Ondrej Palat has started slow. With only two assists and a minus-three in eight games, Palat needs to bury a goal soon before his drought starts to affect the team as a whole and not just his stats. Wearing an A on his sweater, it would be nice to see a little more from him every game.
COLD: NICO HISCHIER (CAPTAIN)
It was hard to put the Captain of the Devils, Nico Hischier, on this list in the cold section, especially after suffering an injury and being announced as not being available for Sunday’s game. Beyond that, Hischier has started the season off slowly with only two points, one goal, and one assist. Hopefully, Nico will be back with the team shortly, and when he returns, the Devils need their Captain to step up a little more than he has. His two-way play has still been his bread and butter, and with the firepower the Devils have, players have room for cold streaks, but the Devils’ Captain needs to lead by example.
HOT SEAT: LINDY RUFF (COACH)
Only a year ago, the “Fire Lindy” chants echoed through the Prudential Center. This was followed by “Sorry Lindy” T-shirts and other memorabilia made to show an apology for jumping the gun. Are fans jumping the gun this year? Despite being slightly disastrous, the team has been lucky to have taken home points in six of eight games. Starting with the preseason debacle with Dawson Mercer, which may have been the catalyst of his cold start, Lindy Ruff has jumbled the lines more in seven games than most fans are used to seeing, and we are starting to hear about it. Devils fans hope this is just player rust and not an administration problem. Despite all of this, Lindy Ruff, after eight games, is on the hot seat.
DEVILS CONTENT, CLIPS AND MORE
Thank you for checking out the New Jersey Devils Hot and Cold list after seven games. To see every Devils goal plus more clips you won’t see anywhere else, follow @DevilsJointYT on X. You can find live streams during every game, giveaways, and so much more. A recent jersey unboxing was uploaded to the Devils Joint YouTube channel, @TheDevilsJoint, so go take a peek over there as well. The season is long, and it has only been seven games, but it is believed every seven to ten games, a player resets. In a future article, we will see if that myth is true. Let’s Go Devils!
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I wonder if Bahl’s lack offense is simply because he hasn’t been needed to step up. His defense needs to be solid on this team more so than his offense. Especially with the goaltending we’re getting.
that is what I would assume, bc he was offensively powerful in the offseason. Thanks for reading, there has been a huge drop in the reading of my articles over the last 2 for some reason.