Stat Hockey’s New Jersey Devils 2023-24 Line Projections

This is a look at the New Jersey Devils 2023-24 line projections. It will cover all forward lines, defense pairings, goaltenders, and scratches.

Projected Lineup

F

Jesper Bratt – Jack Hughes – Tyler Toffoli

Timo Meier – Nico Hischier – Dawson Mercer

Ondrej Palat – Erik Haula – Alexander Holtz

Tomas Nosek – Michael McLeod – Nathan Bastian

S- Curtis Lazar, Chris Tierney

D

Jonas Siegenthaler – Dougie Hamilton

Luke Hughes – John Marino

Kevin Bahl – Colin Miller

S- Brendan Smith

G

Vitek Vanecek

Akira Schmid

Forwards

The Devils are going to be a dangerous team this season, and that starts with their forwards. This season the team kicks things off with two players they didn’t have to start 2022-23, Meier and Toffoli. Since Bratt and Hughes work well together and both should hit a point-per-game this season, they need a right winger. Toffoli led the Calgary Flames in goals and points last season and is the perfect addition. This trio will be one of the best in the league.

The second line won’t be too far behind as the blend of styles of Meier, Hischier, and Mercer will be very effective. Each of them can score and nothing should be holding them back from all hitting 30 goals this season. Mercer avoided the sophomore slump, so bigger things are ahead this season. Hischier is one of the best two-way players in the game, while Meier will have a very high shot volume and play physically.

The depth is looking similar, but got changed up a bit. Holtz is expected to have a full time role on the team this season, and it makes sense for him to slot in on the third line. I’m expecting bigger things from him, but not a breakout season just yet. He only has 28 NHL games under his belt. Haula and Palat are still efficient veterans and will be able to help Holtz along. This will be a fairly strong third line.

As for the fourth line of the Devils, they will do their job. Nobody will score a ton, but they will create energy and wear opponents down. McLeod has the most upside here and is very effective in his role.

Defense

The defense of the Devils got a bit of a makeover this offseason. The top pairing of Hamilton and Siegenthaler should be together this season. I don’t think it is a good idea to put top line pressure on a rookie who’s played two games and expect him to succeed on a contender without mistakes right away. Hamilton is going to lead the way offensively, and Siegenthaler will support him well at the other end of the ice.

Hughes will get the right support from Marino, who is underrated defensively and proved to be very solid for the Devils last season. Hughes has a ton of potential and some should be able to shine through immediately. This will be another strong pairing for the team this season.

Related: Stat Hockey’s Nashville Predators 2023-24 Line Projections

The third pairing isn’t amazing, but Miller will do well in this role for a season until Simon Nemec is ready. On the left side we should expect to see Bahl and Smith split time. Neither played a ton last season and we’ll see who gets the upper hand over the other. Bahl is at the age where the Devils are hoping to see significant progress.

Goaltending

Goaltending is strong for the Devils, but it is also interesting. Vanecek is the likely starter, but Schmid does have the ability to take over the number one role at times this season. This is what occurred in the playoffs last season. The Devils look to be even better than last season and Schmid has more games under his belt. There will be no problems in net this season for this team.