Hey, Devils fans!
With an exceptional preseason behind us, we're finally just days away from the season opener at the Rock! Unfortunately, we, the MSG team, will not broadcast that game because ESPN+ / Hulu took it. Yes, it sucks to lose your season opener AGAIN to a national broadcast. On the flip side, that does mean your team must be exciting to watch, has a lineup full of young electrifying players, and ultimately must be one of the projected top teams going into the season!
As high as the excitement levels are — and should be! — I want to use this time to emphasize that it's essential that we all temper our expectations initially and allow breathing room at the start of the Devils season for the players and coaches.
Here's why:
If the nagging injury that Erik Haula is dealing with prevents him from being in the opening night lineup, that forces the Devils to throw their third line into a blender for the time being. Based on Sunday's practice, Curtis Lazar may temporarily slot in at 3C alongside Ondrej Palat and Alex Holtz, with Dawson Mercer moved up to RW on the second line in a swap with Holtz. So, the top nine that we expected out of the gate could have a much different flavor to it because of just a single injury. Jeez, I just talked last week about Palat - Haula - Mercer arguably being one of the best third lines on any roster to start the NHL season. In the blink of an eye, the Devils' coaching staff could be figuring out a third line on the fly for a few games.
Another area that will undoubtedly need some breathing room? The defense. The three young and inexperienced defensive pieces, Kevin Bahl, Luke Hughes, and Simon Nemec, will have inconsistent stretches of hockey from time to time, especially at the beginning of the season. That is the reality of the NHL. Regardless of how they played during the preseason, the regular season is an entirely different animal. These three need reps after reps to gain the experience of correctly reading each opposing team's patterns and players' tactics.
Bahl, who decisively earned himself a top-four role, will be given the most responsibility out of the gate. He has shown he can handle the workload in the preseason, but his next phase in development, having gone through it myself, is learning how to reset as quickly as possible after (not if) you make multiple mistakes. That's when your mental toughness is tested. Every player makes mistakes; the challenge is, how do they respond and how do they adapt, especially when given more and more important minutes?
Hughes and Nemec could see their ice time sheltered to start the season, and rightfully so. We've all seen enough of them already to say they are both exceptional players. Therefore, there is no need to force them into situations recklessly. They both need a long enough leash to show gradual growth in their games and reach their full potential. Even if, come 5 pm ET today, the Devils assign one of them to the minors, or if they both make the team and are healthy scratches early on, let’s remember that they are just 19 and 20 years old with a combined two regular season games (both from Hughes) of NHL experience. Gotta let things breathe for the first ten or so games!
The Devils' special teams were outstanding this preseason. Their PP clicked at an an exorbitant 38.1% (#1) and the PK stingy at 90.9% (#3), but we have to remember the PP might hit a dry spell; and the PK might get out of sync, as there is only so much ice time to go around and everyone wants it!
When it comes to coaching special teams, associate coach Travis Green (PP) and assistant coach Ryan McGill (PK) are some of the best in the business, but even they will need some time to find the right ice time allocation for both the 1A / 1B PP units and the PK units. Yes, big picture, having so many great players to choose from is an excellent problem to have. It can become extremely difficult to quickly manage who to utilize when the pressure is on and Ws are on the line, though. 
If we learned anything from the Devils' shaky start to last season, it's that early adversity can happen, but it can also lead to tons of maturity and success in the long run. NJD's 0-2 start in 2022-23 welcomed a load of panic from everyone in the Devils' fanbase. However, those growing pains quickly developed into the third-best start to a season (21-4-1) through 26 games in NHL history!
And yes, the schedule draws similarities to last season, with the team's home opener being vs. DET... and, while I love your passionate authenticity, Devils Fans, let's keep the "Fire Lindy" chants out of the equation this season! ;-) 
Lastly, I wanted to highlight the storyline that the Devils will be facing head-on this season — and that's the narrative that this team is no longer the underdog — it's been flipped 180°! Teams around the league will be circling their games against the Devils and using them as a 'measuring stick' to (1) see where their game stacks and (2) potentially be the spark that ignites new life into their room after a big W. Look no further than the NJDvsCOL game from Oct. 28 of last season as a prime example — 'the hunter' Devils team with low expectations gutted out a 1-0 win vs. 'the hunted' Avalanche, who were defending Stanley Cup champs at the time. The 12 consecutive wins that followed show that this particular W rejuvenated the Devils' room in a spectacular way. 
On a personal level, I will be making my seventh season debut on MSG Networks next Monday, Oct. 19, for the NJDvsFLA game. I’ll be back with my co-host Erika Wachter for the pre-game, intermission, and post-game shows. As it stands now, I'll be between the benches for about 60 regular-season games chatting it up with Bill Spaulding and Mr. Devil himself, Ken Daneyko. I can't wait!
I hope you fans are just as fired up as I am, but be sure to allow the Devils some time to breathe as they look up at the summit of the mountain from the very bottom on Oct. 12.
- Sal
