The New Jersey Devils have been quite active this off-season.
They acquired star defenseman P.K. Subban from Nashville for pennies on the dollar. They selected Jack Hughes while picking atop the draft for the second time in three years. They also made some noise in free agency signing Wayne Simmonds, although I believe his perceived value outweighs his actual value at this point in his career.
Sportsbooks have taken notice of Ray Shero's activity and, like many of us, are expecting much better things from the Devils in 2019-20.
BetOnline currently gives the Devils the 7th best odds – tied with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders – of winning the Eastern Conference.
I don't agree with the whole picture – the Hurricanes, an Eastern Conference finalist that is now deeper up front than a year ago – probably shouldn't be 11th on this list but I think the Devils are about right.
As much as the notable additions – and a healthy Taylor Hall – will help, it's hard to be any more bullish on the team as currently constructed.
The right side is still a concern, and getting quality goaltending is far from certain. I think Mackenzie Blackwood and Cory Schneider will be competent. I don't *know* that they will be. I mean, Blackwood has 23 NHL games on his resume and Schneider hasn't posted a .910SV% or better since 2015-16. There is some risk with this tandem.
Theoretically, the Devils being slotted tied for 7th with two other teams suggests they're perceived as a wild card team that should be on the bubble one way or the other. I tend to agree.
Only *checks calendar* about three months before we begin to see if that's right.
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
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