close
close

Division rival believes Devils are ready to compete with Rangers

Posted on by angelo
Division rival believes Devils are ready to compete with Rangers

NHL: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY SportsCredits: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

If the New York Rangers are to secure a top spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs again next season, they must be able to hold their own in a tough and improved Metropolitan Division. And their biggest challenge to finishing first could come from their Hudson River rivals, the New Jersey Devils.

The Devils have been extremely active this summer after missing the playoffs in 2023-24. Their busy offseason, aimed at closing the gap on the Rangers, who won the division with a franchise-record 55 wins and 114 points last season, included trading goaltender Jacob Markstrom and signing defensemen Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon, as well as forwards Tomas Tatar and Stefan Noesen.

New Jersey also hired Sheldon Keefe as its new coach.

That’s enough to get the Rangers’ attention, for sure. And that’s what excites Tatar, who joins the Devils after playing with them from 2021-23.

Asked on a conference call with the media Monday about the Devils’ performance in a competitive metropolis, Tatar smiled and said: “Good.”

“I’m glad our division is tough,” added the 34-year-old forward. “It’s a challenge, but you have to accept it.”

He will join a Devils team that is eager to bounce back this season after a disheartening disappointment when they finished second to last in the Metro and 10 points out of the second Eastern Conference playoff wild card, despite having a very talented team on paper.

“We all have to be ready and hungry and hopefully do everything we can to be successful again,” Tatar said. “I had a hard time believing the Devils didn’t make the playoffs last season, but I think it gives everyone even more incentive to come ready and show what we can do.”

They will have to be ready because, as he acknowledged, the Metro is shaping up to be a very competitive division.

In addition to the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Rangers, who reached the Eastern Conference final before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, there’s also the Carolina Hurricanes, who finished with 111 points, the third-highest total in the NHL. Carolina, however, could find itself chasing New Jersey next season after losing several key free agents, including Teuvo Teravainen, Brady Skjei, Pesce and Noesen.

The New York Islanders and Washington Capitals both just qualified for the playoffs. The Capitals also had a big offseason, acquiring forwards Pierre Luc-Dubois and Andrew Mangiapane, defenseman Jakob Chychrun and goaltender Logan Thompson, and signing key defenseman Matt Roy as a free agent.

We must not forget the Philadelphia Flyers, who are ahead of schedule, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who still have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

The Rangers also retained most of their players from last season. They also added veteran Stanley Cup-winning forward Reilly Smith.

Still, it’s hard to argue that anyone has had a better offseason in the Metropolitan Division so far than the Devils.

“Obviously, it’s been a very successful offseason. On paper, the team looks very scary to me,” Tatar added. “I was really excited about those additions. They’re all very tough players to play against, in my experience, so I’m really happy to have them as teammates.”

Markstrom is a vital piece in goal for the Devils, who finished fifth worst in goals-against average (3.43) and save percentage (.896) last season. Meanwhile, Pesce and Dillon bolster a blue line that struggled without injured Dougie Hamilton. Noesen bolsters the bottom six of the forward group and Tatar is a six-time 20-goal scorer.

Related: What we learned about the Rangers in the first week of NHL free agency

Tomas Tatar delighted to return to Rangers-Devils rivalry

NHL: Stanley Cup Playoffs - New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY SportsCredit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Tatar is no stranger to the competitiveness of the metro.

In 2022–23, he helped New Jersey set a franchise record 52 wins and 112 points, securing second place in the division behind the Hurricanes, who narrowly edged them with 113 points. The Devils then defeated the Rangers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, overcoming a 2–0 series deficit to eliminate them in seven games.

“I’m looking for a competition like this again. I hope we play well,” Tatar said. “These kinds of games and these kinds of playoff confrontations will make you better hockey players.”

After splitting last season between the Colorado Avalanche and the Seattle Kraken, he will have the opportunity to experience the Hudson River rivalry again.

“This season was very special,” Tatar said. “We played the Rangers in the playoffs. The atmosphere and everything was great. I really enjoyed it.”

Even though the Devils faltered early, were ravaged by injuries and poor play, and were sellers before the trade deadline last season, their rivalry with the Rangers was still intense, thanks in large part to a couple of controversial hits by Matt Rempe and a five-on-five line brawl to start their final game of the season at MSG.

If both teams can live up to the hype in 2024-25, we should see some exciting games and, potentially, another playoff game.

Lou Orlando spent the last two seasons as a New York Rangers reporter for WFUV Sports. The… More about Lou Orlando

Mentioned in this article:Metropolitan Division New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup Playoffs Tomas Tatar

More information on: New York Rangers News