Blake Coleman's inclusion on the Devils' opening-night roster caught some people by surprise.
By the end of 2017-18, it became hard to picture the Devils' penalty kill or best defensive line without him.
Over the course of his first full NHL season, Coleman became one of the Devils' top identity players, between his speed, physicality and endless drive.
That led to a lot of early-season scoring chances that didn't find the back of the net. However, he found his scoring touch down the stretch with seven goals coming between March 6 and the end of the season.