With the 2025-26 season almost here, several members of ESPN's staff made predictions for the new campaign.
Among the ESPN staff members who participated in the predictions was longtime NHL head coach John Tortorella, and it is clear that he has a lot of confidence in the New Jersey Devils for the 2025-26 season.
Tortorella was the only ESPN staff member who picked the Devils to win the Stanley Cup in 2026.
The teams with the most votes by ESPN's staff were the Colorado Avalanche (five votes), Vegas Golden Knights (four votes), Dallas Stars (four votes), Florida Panthers (three votes), and Edmonton Oilers (three votes).
When looking at the Devils' roster, it is fair to argue that they could do some damage this season. They have an excellent core consisting of stars like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Jacob Markstrom, Dougie Hamilton, Luke Hughes, and Timo Meier. They also made some interesting additions this summer, bringing in veterans like Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov.
The Devils also have plenty of young stars who have the potential to hit new levels this season, like Simon Nemec, Arseny Gritsyuk, and, once he comes back from injury, Seamus Casey.
With this, there are certainly things to like about the Devils' roster heading into 2025-26. But will it be enough for them to make Tortorella's prediction about them winning the Stanley Cup come true? Time will tell.