- Tyler Yaremchuk puts the Devils on his Concern O’Meter for 2026-27
- New Jersey missed the playoffs by 12 points and ran it back
- Read below for the full breakdown on the Devils’ 2026-27 outlook
The Devils ran it back this summer, and Tyler Yaremchuk looks at the roster and sees the same team that missed the playoffs.
Yaremchuk walked through New Jersey’s roster on last Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE and dropped the team onto his Concern O’Meter for 2026-27.
“I look at this forward group and think it’s pretty similar to the one they had last year,” Yaremchuk said. “I look at the blue line and see they didn’t get rid of Dougie Hamilton, so is that just another season full of drama? You have some young pieces and I generally like their blue line, but it’s the same team as last year.”
Watch the full segment:
New Jersey went 42-37-3 last season and finished seventh in the Metropolitan with 87 points. A 5-1 loss to Philadelphia on April 7 finished them off, 12 points shy of a wild card spot.
Eastern Conference math is what makes the climb back so steep. Yaremchuk has five playoff teams coming out of the Atlantic next spring, which leaves three Metro spots and two heavy favorites for them.
“The Carolina Hurricanes will be one of those teams, since they’re the defending Stanley Cup champions,” he said. “The Washington Capitals just signed everyone and added a ton of quality pieces this offseason. So where does that leave New Jersey?”
Sunny Mehta’s first offseason as general manager was hardly idle. He signed Nico Hischier to a five-year extension, brought in Anthony Mantha on a two-year, $9.5 million deal and shipped Simon Nemec to Calgary.
Mantha is the addition Yaremchuk questions most. The 31-year-old winger scored a career-high 33 goals and 64 points on Pittsburgh’s third line last season, and Yaremchuk expects regression rather than an encore.
Goaltending is the other open file. Jake Allen takes over the crease after the Markstrom trade, and Yaremchuk believes he can handle 40-plus games. Nico Daws behind him is far less settled.
Check out the reel the Devils put together on Daws:
Their answer starts Oct. 1 at Prudential Center against the Flyers, the same team that ended their season in April.
