While the New Jersey Devils weren't among the teams that qualified for the 24-team NHL postseason tournament, it was quite an exciting season for other reasons.
In early December, they fired head coach John Hynes. Later that month, they shipped Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes along with Blake Speers in exchange for a pair of draft picks and three prospects. Then in January, they fired GM Ray Shero.
As the key young players including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier and Mackenzie Blackwood grow into their roles, this is a team on which to keep an eye as GM Tom Fitzgerald continues to put his stamp on the roster. Here's everything you need to know about the Devils heading into the 2020-21 NHL season:
Big question: Are they going to be big sellers this year?
New GM Tom Fitzgerald has been clear about his direction for the team: once Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier are ready, the Devils are ready to go all-in. That's probably not going to happen this season, so it means management will have to come to early decisions on pending free agents Nikita Gusev, Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac. Re-sign to be part of the future, or trade for future assets?
