2021 Devils Offseason
Posts all about 2021 Devils offseason.
Someone Will Have to Fill the Zajac PK Role
Over the last many years, Zajac was a regular and stalwart force on the penalty kill. With him now retired, let’s see what forwards might help to fill those minutes.
New Jersey Devils 2021-22 Season Preview Part 2: The Defensemen
The Devils made a big splash this offseason, and much of this was due to additions to the defense. Will the Devils prize UFA signing in Dougie Hamilton, along with trade acquisition Ryan Graves, be enough to transform the Devils blue-line into a respectable group?
Will Bringing in Jimmy Vesey Matter?
The New Jersey Devils brought in Jimmy Vesey on a training camp PTO. He has a shot to make the team, but will he make it through this young, crowded field? Will bringing him in matter?
The 2020-21 Devils and Luck
Today at AATJ, let’s take a look at how lucky or unlucky the 2020-21 New Jersey Devils were.
Jack Hughes Did Some Tough Work
Hughes was a very good top six forward last year, but as more data is compiled and tabulated, it just showcases even more how much he helped the Devils when on the ice.
Where Did the 32 NHL GMs Come From? Part 2
Tom Fitzgerald was an Assistant General Manager to Ray Shero and was hired as the GM of the New Jersey Devils as Shero’s replacement. Is this common path for other GMs in the NHL? This second of two parts looks at the staffing history of the other GMs in the league to see if they had success prior to their position.
Where Did the 32 NHL GMs Come From? Part 1
Tom Fitzgerald was an Assistant General Manager to Ray Shero and was hired as the GM of the New Jersey Devils as Shero’s replacement. Is this common path for other GMs in the NHL? This first of two parts looks at the staffing history of the other GMs in the league to see if they had success prior to their position.
Will Pavel Zacha Regress This Year?
Pavel Zacha had somewhat of a breakout year last season. This season, should we expect regression, or can he continue to produce at the clip he did in 2020-21?
NHL Players Can Participate at 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
This morning, the NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF announced that NHL players can participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. This post reacts to the news, the memo sent to the players, a summary of the qualifying games, and includes an early preview of the event.
NHL & NHLPA Agree to New COVID-19 Protocols for 2021-22 Season
This evening, the NHL and NHLPA agreed to new COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-22 season. This post goes over the main points of those protocols, their impact, and touches briefly on New Jersey’s status.
Outside the Box Thinking: Applying the 6Ms for the New Jersey Devils Penalty Kill
One of the common tools in investigating problems in many industries is the 6Ms. By categorizing potential causes for a problem, one can efficiently identify what needs further investigation. In this post, I show how it can be used for the New Jersey Devils’ penalty kill.
Jack Drew, Michael Took, and the Penalties Drawn & Taken by the 2021 New Jersey Devils
One of the big issues from the 2021 New Jersey Devils was their penalty kill. The power play was not much better. To that end, how good were the Devils at drawing and taking calls in 2021? And how did it compare to the prior season for some? This post explores those questions and more.
Can Tomas Tatar Get Back to 20 Goals Again?
Tomas Tatar was brought in to New Jersey to score goals. He has done that in the past, producing 20 goal seasons on multiple occasions. However, he was not even close last year. Can he get back to that this year?
The 2021 AATJ Top 25 Devils Under 25: The Outsiders from #51 to #26
It is time to reveal the order of the 2021 All About the Jersey Top 25 New Jersey Devils players Under 25 list. As is tradition, this begins with the 26 players who did not make the list this year - The Outsiders.
New Jersey Devils Announce 2021-22 Single Game Ticket Sales Date & Partially Releases Promotional Schedule
On Friday afternoon, the New Jersey Devils announced that single game tickets will go on sale on August 24 at 1 PM. The announcement also included a partial promotional schedule and other bits worthy of further thoughts.
How About a Smith-Hamilton Pairing?
With the signing of Dougie Hamilton, he is basically cemented in as the top pairing right defenseman. Who will play alongside him? I would suggest it should be Ty Smith.
Given the State of the Devils, the Age of the Team is in a Good Place
The Devils have been rebuilding for what seems like forever at this point, but they are expected to break out of it now, especially after their offseason moves. The team’s age is in a good place if that happens.
New Jersey Devils Re-Sign Janne Kuokkanen to 2 Season, $3.65 Million Contract
This afternoon, the New Jersey Devils announced they have re-signed their last remaining RFA: left winger Janne Kuokkanen. This post goes into how Kuokkanen did last season and how this $3.65 million contract over 2 seasons is a good one.
Bottom Six Center Options for the New Jersey Devils in 2021-22
The New Jersey Devils have three centers ready for next season: Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Michael McLeod. Who is the fourth one? This post looks at internal and external options for an available bottom-six center role.
Kevin Dineen Hired as Utica Comets Head Coach; Hopefully to Help Devils AHL Affiliate Compete
The New Jersey Devils announced on August 5, 2021 that Kevin Dineen will be the head coach of the Utica Comets. This post goes into the lack of success by Devils’ AHL affiliate teams and why Dineen being hired is a good move to turn that around.
Offense Built Through the Draft. Defense? No.
When you look at the Devils’ roster after the Tatar signing, you see a huge difference between how the offense has been built versus the defense.
New Jersey Devils Sign Tomas Tatar to Two Season, $9 Million Contract
The New Jersey Devils needed a top-six winger and signed one of the best out of free agency in Tomas Tatar. This post is a reaction to Tatar signing with the Devils for $9 million over two seasons and why he is a very, very good winger.
New Jersey Devils Re-Sign Yegor Sharangovich for Two Seasons at $4 Million
The New Jersey Devils announced that they have re-signed forward Yegor Sharangovich to a two-season contract worth $4 million. Sharangovich was a bright spot during a dismal 2021 season. This post reacts to what is a great deal.
New Jersey Devils Re-Signed Marian Studenic and A.J. Greer for One Season Each
Earlier this afternoon, the New Jersey Devils announced they re-signed right winger Marian Studenic and left winger A.J. Greer to one-season, two-way contracts each. This post reacts to both signings, their amounts, what little they did with New Jersey last season, and what is next for the Devils.
A Breakdown of the 2021-22 New Jersey Devils Schedule
Between the Seattle Expansion Draft and the 2021 NHL Draft, the NHL released the 2021-22 regular season schedule. Before free agent frenzy, the New Jersey Devils announced their preseason schedule. This post breaks down both by day, month, and notable dates.
Offseason Division Snapshot: How the New Jersey Devils’ Moves Stack Up in the Division
The New Jersey Devils improved themselves on the first day of free agency. What about the rest of the division? This offseason version of the division snapshot looks at all eight teams, what they have done up through July 29, and whether they became a better team in the process.
One Pro and Con of Splitting Starts
With the signing of Jonathan Bernier, there will be discussions about how to split starts. Today, I bring up one pro and con of a fairly even splitting.
Spend Money, Acquire Dougie: New Jersey Devils Summary of the First Day of Free Agency
After years of quiet first days in free agency, the New Jersey Devils spent significant money to sign Dougie Hamilton and Jonathan Bernier. This post goes over the five moves the Devils made today, where they stand in their cap, and what could be next.
New Jersey Devils Signed Brian Flynn to One Season, Two Way Contract
The New Jersey Devils added another veteran likely for the Utica Comets in signing right winger Brian Flynn to a two-way contract for one season. This post goes over what Flynn has done in his career and touches on why a NHL deal was made.
New Jersey Devils Sign Dougie Hamilton to a Seven Season, $63 Million Contract
Dougie Hamilton was one of the biggest free agents on the market this year. The New Jersey Devils were able to sign the 28-year old right-sided defenseman to a 7 season contract worth $63 million. This post reacts to a huge deal that the Devils were right to make.
New Jersey Devils Signed Chase De Leo to One Season, Two Way Contract
The second signing of the day by the New Jersey Devils is intended more for the Utica Comets. The Devils signed 25-year old, six-season AHL veteran forward Chase De Leo to a one season, two-way contract. Learn a little more about De Leo with this post.