The New Jersey Devils enter the 2017-18 season following their worst in franchise history. Fortunately, the Devils had the best possible offseason that they could have had. First, they won the draft lottery, drafted Nico Hischier, traded for Marcus Johansson and signed Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher.
It’s plausible to believe the Devils are entering a window where they will be highly competitive for a few seasons to come. They haven’t made the playoffs since they went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011-12.
They may not be Stanley Cup contenders right now but we are getting close to that time.