Earlier this off-season, the New Jersey Devils traded forward Erik Haula to the Nashville Predators. The move was understandable, as the Devils needed to free up cap space, and Haula had a rough 2024-25 season. Furthermore, Haula is a player the Predators are already familiar with, as he played for them in 2020-21.
In 69 games this past season with the Devils, Haula recorded 11 goals, 21 points, and a minus-6 rating. This included going 28 consecutive games without a point, so it was simply a down year offensively for the 34-year-old.
Yet, now that he has a fresh start with the Predators, Haula will be looking to put together a bounce-back season in 2025-26. When looking at his past seasons, he certainly has the potential to get his offensive numbers back up next season. Just back in 2023-24 with the Devils, he posted 16 goals and 35 points in 76 games. This was after he had 41 points in 80 games with the Devils in 2022-23 and 44 points in 78 games with the Boston Bruins in 2021-22.
With this, it is going to be interesting to see what kind of season Haula can have with the Predators in 2025-26. The potential for him to be a solid addition to the Predators' roster is certainly there.
Devils Forward Should Build Off Career Year
During this past off-season, the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils">New Jersey Devils</a> signed Stefan Noesen to a three-year, $8.25 million contract. The Devils had already known Noesen well before then, as he previously played for them from 2016-17 to 2018-19.