With four preseason games right around the corner before the Devils host the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 1, the team’s starting lineups and depth chart are coming into clearer view.
Sunny Mehta has worked hard in his first offseason as Devils general manager to build a team best suited to the traditional, highly structured playing style favored by head coach Sheldon Keefe. Most recently – and arguably, most notably – Mehta traded two draft picks to the Nashville Predators for forward Luke Evangelista.
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Forwards
The top forward line of wingers Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer centered by Devils captain Nico Hischier was by far the team’s best during last season, and that shouldn’t change this time around, especially since Hischier was inked to a five-year contract extension this past offseason. Evangelista’s playmaking prowess on the wing, combined with his tenacious work ethic to do the dirty work, makes him a perfect fit on the team’s second line alongside star center Jack Hughes and steady point producer Jesper Bratt.
Free agent addition Anthony Mantha projects as the leader of the bottom-six forward group. The experienced veteran had a career year with the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, and he’ll look to bring his physicality and timely goalscoring to a Devils team desperate to get back to the playoffs. Evan Rodrigues, similarly, was brought into the fold after his time proving his worth as a key veteran for the Florida Panthers – not coincidentally, during Mehta’s time as assistant general manager and director of hockey analytics – as they won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2023-24 and 2024-25. His well-rounded skillset should make it easy for coach Keefe to provide increased minutes for Cody Glass and Arseny Gritsyuk, who were effective linemates with the bottom six forward group for New Jersey last season.
Jesper Boqvist, a versatile forward acquired from the Panthers alongside Rodrigues in exchange for goaltender Jacob Markstrom, will compete with wingers Connor Brown and Stefan Noesen as well as center Nick Bjugstad for the remaining two spots in that bottom six. 2023 second-round draft pick Lenni Hameenaho, who featured sparingly last season and is still just 21 years old, headlines the players on the outside looking in at a full-time roster spot.
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Overall, a strong forward group with a nice blend of youth and experience, and I believe Evangelista’s fit as a potential top-six play driver could be a real X-factor this season.
Defensemen
The defensive line projections are quite murky, and the key to the team’s success or failure at that end of the ice will be how Keefe chooses to deploy 22-year-old left-handed defenseman Luke Hughes. As a light, nifty puck carrier and a modern offensive-minded defenseman, partnering Hughes with a bruising right-handed D-man like Brett Pesce or Jonathan Kovacevic makes a lot of sense. Last season, those partnerships were much more effective than Hughes playing with veteran left-hander Brendan Dillon or fellow youngster Simon Nemec, who was traded to the Calgary Flames this offseason.
It would seem that Dillon’s most likely defensive partner is right-handed point generator Dougie Hamilton, as Dillon’s no-nonsense physicality can cover for Hamilton and give him the freedom he desires offensively.
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The odd man out of Pesce and Kovacevic – meaning whichever of the two does not partner Jack Hughes – will partner with left-handed all-rounder Jonas Siegenthaler, who appeared in all 82 games of the regular season for the first time in his career last season.
That would leave 26-year-old Declan Chisholm as the seventh defenseman on the depth chart. Chisholm was acquired by the Devils the day before the 2026 NHL Draft from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The left-hander recorded seven points in 26 games for the Caps last season, and assuming he plays for the Devils next season, New Jersey will be his fourth team in his five NHL seasons.
Goaltenders
Out of the three position groups, goaltender is the biggest question mark on the Devils roster. The Devils pulled the plug on the ill-fated Markstrom experiment when they made the aforementioned trade which sent the Swedish netminder to Florida, and the front office – barring a potential trade for want-away American hero and Winnipeg Jets star Connor Hellebuyck – chose against finding a way to significantly bolster the goaltending department this offseason.
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Instead, New Jersey is seemingly choosing to promote Jake Allen from part-time starter to full-time starter between the pipes. In a season of turmoil last year, Allen was a rare bright spot, saving 0.17 goals saved above expected per game across 36 starts. Allen, 36, is entering his 14th season in the NHL, and hasn’t started in at least half of his team’s regular season games since his 2022-23 season with the Montreal Canadiens.
To serve as Allen’s backup, 34-year-old journeyman David Rittich will battle German-born Nico Daws, with Rittich likely having the upper hand based on career resume and recent performance.
Rittich started 28 games for the New York Islanders last season as the main backup behind 2025-26 Vezina Trophy runner-up Ilya Sorokin. Rittich recorded a similar mark to Allen last season with 0.15 goals saved above expected per game.
Drafted in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Daws, still just 25 years old, has featured sparingly in his three seasons with the Devils thus far. In fact, he has started just seven total games across the last two seasons. He was waived in October of 2025, but cleared waivers to remain within the organization, going 2-1 in his three appearances with the Devils last season. Now, it seems that Daws will get the chance to prove he’s worthy of a full-time roster spot.
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It is worth noting, however, that it is becoming relatively common for teams to carry not just two, but three goaltenders on the NHL roster. As such, don’t be surprised if Rittich and Daws are both trusted with starts for the Devils, at least early on in the season.
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