The New Jersey Devils and the anatomy of a disappointing, lost season

There have been some big issues for the New Jersey Devils this season. Some within their control. Some outside of their control.

There has not been a bigger disappointment in the NHL this season than the New Jersey Devils, and it finally reached its breaking point on Monday evening with the firing of head coach Lindy Ruff. 

The season began with Stanley Cup expectations. And for good reason.

They were one of the best teams in the NHL a year ago, have an emerging superstar in Jack Hughes, all of their top-tier players locked in to team-friendly contracts that created more salary cap flexibility than the average contender has to work with, and on top of that they still have another wave of young talent just now reaching the NHL. 

It looked like a loaded team, and they only made it stronger over the summer with the addition of veteran forward Tyler Toffoli. 

A year ago the Devils were one of the best 5-on-5 teams in the league, finishing the season fourth in 5-on-5 goal differential and second in expected goal share. They had third-best record in the league and won a playoff series for the first time in more than a decade. The arrow was pointing up. The ceiling was as high as possible. 

Now as the NHL Trade Deadline approaches they find themselves facing a six-point gap in the playoff race while needing to leap over multiple teams. The odds are decidedly stacked against them. So how did it all go so wrong for such a promising young team that seemed ready to make an even bigger leap toward Stanley Cup contention?

Let’s talk about it.

Step one: It’s (mostly) the goaltending, stupid