The New Jersey Devils are no longer playoff chasers but Stanley Cup hopefuls. Is their starting goalie good enough to take them all the way?

As the NHL’s off-season continues, we here at THN.com are continuing our series focused on the pressure on each team, continuing with the New Jersey Devils.

Breaking down teams in alphabetical order, we’re pointing out three to four individuals per team on some type of hot seat. One NHL player, coach, GM or team owner will be on the hot seat as a person under a great deal of pressure to produce positive results in 2023-24 or be shifted to their team’s doghouse. A person will go on the warm seat as a person not facing a firing or trade anytime soon but whose time on their team could end this year. A third individual will sit on the cold seat, making them extremely likely to remain with their current for a long time to come.

Devils’ Hot Seat: Vitek Vanecek, G

Vanecek made 52 appearances in New Jersey’s net this past season – going 33-11-4 on the year – and he posted career bests in goals-against average (2.45) and save percentage (.911). However, in the playoffs, Vanecek underachieved to the point he lost the starter’s job to rookie Akira Schmid, and his individual numbers (.825 SP, 4.64 GAA) were bloated, to say the least. 

Although the previous sample size of his playoff appearances with Washington was limited to three games, there’s a pattern emerging for the 27-year-old Czechia native. And with Schmid showing great promise, we can project that Vanecek’s workload will be lightened in light of Schmid’s emergence. That may help Vanecek, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be able to excel come post-season time.

Vanecek is entering Year 2 of a three-year contract with the Devils, pulling in $3.4 million per season. That’s not a bad salary cap hit for a starting goalie in today’s NHL. It isn’t an ideal number for a backup netminder. Perhaps New Jersey GM Tom Fitzgerald is intent on a more even platoon situation with Vanecek and Schmid, and perhaps that plan will prove to be a good one. But if there are real question marks on this impressively constructed Devils team, they’re all about the goaltending. Strange things often happen in the goalie community, and that’s why this storyline will be an intriguing main storyline in New Jersey this coming year.

Devils’ Warm Seat: Colin Miller, D

Miller hasn’t played a game yet for the Devils – he was acquired via a trade with Dallas in July – but he’s joining a defense corps just as competitive as that of the Stars’, if not more so. 

With New Jersey’s top two defensive pairings and the possibility of up-and-comer Simon Nemec earning a spot on ‘D,’ Miller will be a third-pairing guy, and that’s a best-case scenario. It’s possible he’ll be a healthy scratch if Nemec sticks around and Kevin Bahl and Brendan Smith excel.

Miller is 30 years old and will be a UFA next summer. He doesn’t fit in prominently to New Jersey’s long-term plans, but the open market might be a great place for him to earn a three-year deal as a solid depth performer. He’s going to play out of the limelight, but he’s aware he can control his own destiny if he can give the Devils 15 to 17 minutes per game and stays in his lane as a defense-minded blueliner. If he does well for New Jersey, that’s worth the trade cost of a fifth-round pick the Stars got from Fitzgerald. And if Miller moves on at season’s end, it’s not the end of the world for either the team or the player.

Devils’ Cold Seat: Jack Hughes, C

The 22-year-old Hughes matured into a full-on beast in 2022-23, putting up career highs with 43 goals, 56 assists and 99 points in 78 games. He’s one of the most enjoyable players to watch, and his vision, creativity, and pinpoint accuracy are all things you really can’t teach. And he’s locked into the second year of an eight-year, $64-million contract that stands out as one of the best bargains in the NHL.

Hughes does have a modified no-trade clause, but it doesn’t kick in until 2026-27, according to PuckPedia. Nevermind that. He doesn’t need one. The Devils intend to keep him a Devil for life, and as the team continues to improve, Hughes will grow even more dangerous in the near-and-long terms. He’s just scratching the surface of what he can be, and New Jersey would be rightfully lampooned if it ever parted ways with him. He can put on some slippers, relax and enjoy the Garden State because he’s going to be there for a very long period.