Devils done in by injuries, defensive woes

The New Jersey Devils failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

The Devils (27-36-9) were eliminated from playoff contention Friday when the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Carolina Hurricanes.
Here is a look at what happened in the 2018-19 season for the Devils and why things could be better next season:

The Skinny

Potential UFAs: Drew Stafford, RW; Kenny Agostino, LW; Eric Tangradi, LW, Egor Yakovlev, D
Potential RFAs: Stefan Noesen, RW; Pavel Zacha, C; John Quenneville, C; Connor Carrick, D; Will Butcher, D; Mirco Mueller, D
Potential 2019 NHL Draft picks: 10

What went wrong

Key injuries/trades: Forwards Taylor Hall (knee surgery), Jesper Bratt (jaw, lower body), Miles Wood (lower body), and Stefan Noesen (upper body), center Pavel Zacha (upper body), defensemen Sami Vatanen (lower body, concussion) and Steven Santini (jaw), and goalie Cory Schneider (lower body) each has missed 10 or more games this season. The loss of Hall, the defending Hart Trophy winner as the NHL's most valuable player, has been especially costly; he has been limited to 33 games this season. Further depleting the roster, New Jersey traded forwards Marcus Johansson (Boston Bruins) and Brian Boyle (Nashville Predators), defenseman Ben Lovejoy (Dallas Stars) and goalie Keith Kinkaid (Columbus Blue Jackets) before the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25; each can become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Defensive deficiencies: The Devils rank 29th in the NHL in goals allowed (242) and 27th in goals allowed per game (3.36). Kinkaid struggled with a 3.36 goals-against average and .891 save percentage before being traded to Columbus. Schneider missed the first eight games of this season following surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left hip on May 1, 2018 and then went on injured reserve on Dec. 17 because of an abdominal strain that caused him to miss 20 games. Schneider was 0-7-2 with a 4.22 GAA and .867 save percentage before his first win on Feb. 15.
Road woes: The Devils have 10 wins in 37 road games (10-24-3) and are 17-12-6 at home. They lost their first four road games of the season and seven of eight by Nov. 11 to set the tone for the season.

Reasons for optimism

Goalie goodness: Schneider, 32, is making progress in his recovery with a 1.99 GAA, .933 save percentage and one shutout in his past nine appearances (5-3-1). Rookie goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, 22, has emerged as a legitimate backup with a 2.63 GAA, .919 save percentage and two shutouts in 18 games this season (7-8-0).
Moving forward: The rash of injuries throughout the lineup provided New Jersey an opportunity to closely evaluate their next wave of forward prospects. Initial reviews have been positive with Kevin Rooney, Nathan Bastian, Joey Anderson, Brett Seney, Michael McLeod and Kurtis Gabriel each doing his part to impress the coaching staff and set the stage for what should be a very competitive training camp in September.

Stocking up on assets: Devils general manager Ray Shero dealt four players on expiring contracts (Johansson, Lovejoy, Boyle, Kinkaid) prior to the trade deadline and in return received two second-round picks and a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and 24-year-old right-hand defenseman Connor Carrick. This supports Shero's plan of wanting to create an annual Stanley Cup contender and not simply a playoff qualifier.