Devils growth impressing 2003 championship team
New Jersey is 'on the right path' toward Stanley Cup, Niedermayer says
PHI@NJD: Devils honor 20th anniversary of 2003 season
"It's exciting," Stevens said on Saturday, when the Devils celebrated the 2003 Stanley Cup championship team prior to their game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center. "It's nice to see the Devils back on top and playing good hockey, and hopefully we can keep going, keep building and getting better.
"It would be great if they won the Stanley Cup this year, but there are stepping stones, and we learned that as a franchise sometimes you have to lose to win. I just think they're going in the right direction with the development of the young players, and they're drafting the right way. That's how you win and that's how you become a good team for many years, drafting right, developing right.
"Then bring in some free agents like (defenseman) Dougie Hamilton ... that's how you get a team that is contending every year. I think they just want to make the playoffs, have a good run and go from there. But, you know, anything can happen when you get into the playoffs. That's the way this league is set up right now."
Stevens isn't the only player from the 2003 team who has enjoyed the look of this year's group.
"Everyone's probably telling them that they're too young, they don't have enough experience, but I don't think any of those kids in that locker room believe that," Hockey Hall of Fame center Joe Nieuwendyk said. "They'll be ready. I'm a good friend of (Devils general manager) Tom Fitzgerald, and I know that he probably is in their ear, too. He has a lot of experience. I don't think anybody expected them to do this well, but when you're young and you're energetic and you have success, and then get some goaltending, good things can happen."
Last summer, New Jersey bolstered its roster with the intention of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for first time since 2017-18 and for the second time in 11 seasons.
Things have gone better than expected, though.
The Devils (38-15-5) are second in the Metropolitan Division, five points behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who have one game in hand. They are also third in the NHL, 12 points behind the Boston Bruins.
"They're a team that sort of exemplifies the modern game," Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer said. "They're fast, they're skilled, and they're fearless, in a lot of ways, offensively. It's sort of the way the game is played now. Hence, they're having success. They're young and they still have things to learn because playoff hockey is a different animal. I think in this game, you have to earn a Stanley Cup. It takes time, it takes hard lessons, but this year's team has a lot of talent. They're a good young team and they're on the right path."
The addition of goalie Vitek Vanecek, who was acquired in a trade with the Washington Capitals for a second- and third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft on July 8, has made the biggest difference. The 27-year-old goalie is 25-6-3 with a 2.37 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts in 38 games (35 starts).
The Devils also acquired forward Erik Haula in a trade with the Boston Bruins for forward Pavel Zacha on July 13, and defenseman John Marino from the Pittsburgh Penguins for defenseman Ty Smith and a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft on July 16. In free agency, they signed veteran defenseman Brendan Smith to a two-year contract on July 13, and forward Ondrej Palat, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, to a five-year contract the following day.
Those additions have complemented the continued development of forwards Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Dawson Mercer. Hughes, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, leads the Devils with an NHL career-high 72 points (35 goals, 37 assists) in 54 games, Bratt has 55 points (23 goals, 32 assists) in 58 games, and Mercer, who is in his second season, has 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists) in 58 games.
Forward Patrik Elias, the Devils' all-time leader in points (1,025), goals (408), assists (617), game-winning goals (80) and points in a season (96 in 2000-01), sees promise in this year's team but said there are still some areas to shore up.
"I think they have a great chance to finally get there, mature even more with the experience of being in playoffs, and hopefully make a little bit a longer run than five games like last time (losing in the Eastern Conference First Round to Tampa Bay in 2018)," Elias said. "I feel they're resilient, they're showing that. Obviously, 3-on-3 and 4-on-4, we've been one the best teams in the League, and I'm not surprised because those guys are playing with speed and creativity.
"But playoffs is different hockey. They can't get scored upon right away every game because in the playoffs it's a lot harder to catch up. I think for me, it's very important over this last month-and-a-half to kind of buckle down with that. Be creative, but eliminate those odd-man rushes to the opposition. ... You can't have that kind of thing happen in the playoffs."
