New Jersey Devils 2026-27 Offseason Preview

Mehta inherited a team that finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a minus-24 goal differential and moved quickly to address the forward depth that held New Jersey back. The additions of Anthony Mantha and Luke Evangelista are legitimate upgrades, and Hischier's long-term extension anchors the core. The goaltending situation, however, is a genuine concern, and that keeps this offseason from earning a higher mark.

Last season in review

The 2025-26 Devils were a team with a top-end offence and almost nothing behind it. Jack Hughes (77 points), Jesper Bratt (71 points) and Nico Hischier (66 points) carried the load, but the team scored only 230 goals, sixth lowest in the NHL. The defence allowed 254, producing that ugly minus-24 differential. Jacob Markstrom posted an .883 save percentage, which did not help, but the goals-against total was a collective failure. Missing the playoffs at 42-37-3 with 87 points confirmed what the numbers suggested: this roster needed more scoring depth and better goaltending, in that order.

Ins and outs

• In: Anthony Mantha (signed, two years, $9.5M), from Pittsburgh Penguins
• In: Luke Evangelista (traded from Nashville Predators for a conditional first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick), then signed to a five-year, $36.25M extension beginning 2027-28
• In: Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist, Ben Steeves (acquired from Florida Panthers)
• In: Etienne Morin (acquired from Calgary Flames)
• In: Jake Allen (goaltender, starter role entering camp)
• In: Ted Donato and AJ MacLean (assistant coaches), Leo Luongo (director of goaltending), Dan Stewart (goaltending coach)
• Out: Jacob Markstrom (traded to Florida Panthers)
• Out: Simon Nemec (traded to Calgary Flames for two conditional first-round picks, a 2026 second-round pick and Morin)
• Out: Paul Cotter (to Vancouver)
• Out: Maxim Tsyplakov (to Calgary)
• Out: Zack MacEwen (to Toronto)
• Out: Dennis Cholowski (to NY Rangers)
• Signed: Nico Hischier to a five-year, $58.5M extension ($11.7M AAV), beginning July 1

The big question

Who is actually going to play goal? Mehta has said publicly that the club is comfortable with Jake Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich, but Allen is 36 and has not carried a heavy workload in years. Daws has 55 NHL appearances and has not yet established himself as a reliable starter. If neither Allen nor Daws can hold the crease, the Devils will be fighting the same losing battle they faced last season.

X-factor

Luke Evangelista is the name to watch. The 24-year-old set NHL career highs with 44 assists and 56 points in 81 games for Nashville last season, including 16 power-play assists. He has never played alongside finishers of the calibre of Hughes, Hischier or Bratt, and that change in environment could push his totals meaningfully higher. New Jersey acquired him specifically to solve the secondary-offence problem, and if he delivers, the forward group looks genuinely dangerous top to bottom. His five-year extension signals the organization believes he will.

Bold prediction

The Devils climb from seventh in the Metro into a playoff spot, with Evangelista posting 65-plus points in his first season in New Jersey.

The outlook

New Jersey opens at home against Philadelphia on October 1 with a roster that is meaningfully better than the one that missed the playoffs last spring. Mehta has added size, depth and a genuine playmaker in Evangelista while locking up the captain long-term. The ceiling here is real, particularly if Jack Hughes stays healthy after missing 21 games in 2025-26. The floor, though, depends almost entirely on goaltending, and that question will not be answered until the games count. Sources:, nhl.com, dailyfaceoff.com