Henrique feels Devils should be thinking playoffs

OAKVILLE, Ontario -- Center Adam Henrique has been impressed by the improvements he has seen during the offseason and feels the Stanley Cup Playoffs are where the New Jersey Devils should expect to be this season.
"Absolutely, the playoffs are always the goal. It starts from our backend out, having Cory Schneider and Keith Kinkaid back there, they both play well and give us a chance every single night," Henrique said at the NHLPA Golf Tournament at Glen Abbey Golf Club on Wednesday. "Along with the additions we've brought in so far this summer, hopefully there will be a few young kids who can come in and make a difference this year. Playoffs is the goal and we've seen you just have to get in to give yourself a chance."

The Devils finished last in the Eastern Conference with 70 points (28-40-14) last season, but have been active during the offseason, making notable improvements through the 2017 NHL Draft, trades and free agency.
Despite having the fifth best odds at 8.5%, the Devils won the NHL Draft Lottery in April and selected center Nico Hischier with the first pick at the draft in Chicago in June.
RELATED: [Schneider says Devils have improved | 10 things you might not know about Hischier]
"I was excited," Henrique said when asked about his reaction to seeing the Devils win the draft lottery. "Obviously going into the summer we needed to make some improvements and that wasn't something that we were expecting to have. Obviously we were hoping to move up a bit but to get the first overall pick was huge for us. I think the guys made the right choice."
Acquiring forward Marcus Johansson in a trade with the Washington Capitals on July 2 for two second-round draft picks should help considering the Devils finished with 183 goals, third fewest in the League. Johansson had 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) last season with the Capitals. His 58 points would have led the Devils and his 24 goals would have put him second behind right wing Kyle Palmieri (26).
"He's a very skilled guy with the puck," Henrique said of Johansson. "He can carry the puck up through the neutral zone very well, which was an area we struggled with a little bit. Adding him just makes our team deeper."
Henrique was also pleased to see the Devils sign center Brian Boyle as an unrestricted free agent, who Henrique feels will bring some much needed experience to a younger forward group.

"With Boyle, he's a big guy (6-foot-6, 245 pounds) down the middle, he's good on faceoffs and he's tough to play against," Henrique said. "He brings a great veteran presence to our team."
Out of playoff contention towards the end of last season, the Devils gave opportunities to some of their prospects to get a taste at the NHL level. Forward John Quenneville, who was selected in the first round (No. 30) in the 2014 draft, played 12 games and had four points (one goal, three assists). He also had 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists) in 58 games with Albany of the American Hockey League.
Quenneville assisted on Henrique's 20th goal of the season in a 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders on March 31. In the limited time Henrique spent with Quenneville, 21, who was playing in his first season of professional hockey, he liked what he saw and feels Quenneville is ready to make an impact for the Devils.
"He had a great season; he gained some experience playing in Albany and got to come up because of the season was going," Henrique said. "I think he's a guy that we have our eye on right now. Hopefully he can make that transition into this season with the big club."