Devils’ 3 Burning Questions Heading Into the 2024-25 Season

NEWARK, N.J. -- As the calendar turns from August to September, New Jersey Devils players are slowly returning to the Garden State for the 2024-25 season.

Devils rookies will report to Newark on Sep. 11, while veterans will officially start training camp the following week.

As Sheldon Keefe prepares for his first camp and season as New Jersey's head coach, let's break down some burning questions that will be answered throughout the season.

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1. Has GM Tom Fitzgerald Solved His Team's Goaltending Problem?

In the 2024 calendar year, general manager Tom Fitzgerald acquired two veteran goaltenders to lead his team in 2024-25. On Mar. 8, he acquired Jake Allen from the Montreal Canadiens, and on Jun. 19, New Jersey received Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.

On paper, the Devils finally have the goaltending stability they have been desperately looking for.

Markstrom is coming off a season in which he earned a 23-23-2 record with a 2.78 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and two shutouts in 48 games. After being acquired, Allen appeared in 13 games for the Devils and went 6-6-1, earning a .900 save percentage.

Can the two veterans remain healthy and be the backbone this team needs? Only time will tell.

2. Will The New Additions Make the Devils Tougher To Play Against?

Goaltending was one of many areas where Fitzgerald improved his team. He bulked up his blue line with the additions of Breden Dillon, Brett Pesce, and Johnathan Kovacevic and added some grit up front with Paul Cotter and Stefan Noesen. The above players combined for 692 hits last season.

The Devils finished the 2023-24 campaign with 1,667, with Curtis Lazar and Kevin Bahl leading the way.

In April, Fitzgerald made it clear what type of players he would be going after.

"First and foremost, they have to be passionate. They need to love the game," he said. "They need to come every single day, punch the clock and go to work, and actually enjoy it. Those are the players that are willing to block shots. Players that are comfortable with confrontation, who understand that physicality is part of the game."

The team's identity is not expected to change, but one has to think how much of an impact can the offseason acquisitions have game to game and will they collectively be able to wear down opposing teams?

3. Can Sheldon Keefe Continue His Streak of Getting His Team Into the Postseason?

Fitzgerald did his job by providing his coaching staff with a roster capable of making the postseason. The pressure now shifts to Keefe to continue his streak of making the playoffs.

During his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, his team qualified for the playoffs all five years. At the American Hockey League (AHL) level with the Toronto Marlies, Keefe's club won the 2018 Calder Cup and qualified for the playoffs in four of five seasons.

With the talent on New Jersey's roster and Keefe's record, it would be a colossal failure for this team to be packing it up in April.

The Devils are expected to be a top team in the Metropolitan Division and many project Keefe to be the reciepient of the Jack Adams Award, which is awarded annually to the NHL coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

Yeah, no pressure, Sheldon.

There are plenty of unknowns surrounding the team, and while some answers will quickly reveal themselves, others may take months to learn. Fans will get their first look at the team when the Devils travel to New York to play the New York Islanders in their first preseason game this month.

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