The New Jersey Devils are long shots to win the Stanley Cup this season. They have +3000 odds on DraftKings for those wondering; that’s 12th in the NHL and grouped together with the Buffalo Sabres, Los Angeles Kings, and Utah Mammoth. While the Devils winning won’t be as far-fetched as when the St. Louis Blues won it in 2019, it would still be a surprise. 

With all the teams in the NHL ahead of the Devils, a lot must go right. They must have a great season, and some teams around them must fall apart. Plus, the Devils have a few keys that will determine if they are a Cup-caliber team or not. Below are 10 of them. 

This is the big key for the Devils every season. It’s become a routine at this point. Can Jack Hughes stay healthy? Is this the season where the Devils get a healthy Hughes from start to finish and finally see the high ceiling they know he has? In seven seasons, he’s only managed to stay healthy for one. 

The Devils built a team this offseason hoping they can withstand a Hughes injury. With all the depth additions, they should be fine during the regular season and remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. However, the Devils' ceiling is only as high as Hughes takes them, and they need him in the lineup to reach their potential. 

This is the other layer to Hughes: he must remain in the lineup but become an elite player. He doesn’t need to be a Hart Trophy finalist or in the same tier as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov. However, Hughes must take over games and become the star the Devils turn to when they need a big goal. 

Hughes can be that player. Throughout his career, he’s proven he is a game-changing talent when he’s on the ice. The only question is whether he can put it together for a full season without struggling. 

The one position in question is goaltending. While new general manager Sunny Mehta made multiple moves to upgrade the roster this summer, he didn’t address the position. Instead, he’s relying on a Jake Allen-Nico Daws tandem, at least for now. 

The Allen-Daws duo must surprise. They can let the Devils down with poor play, and baseline play will get this team to the playoffs. If Allen or Daws overachieve, then the conversation around this team shifts, much like it did with the Philadelphia Flyers when Dan Vladar emerged as their unquestioned starter last season. 

Notice how the key doesn’t specify which Hughes is the scoring defenseman. It won’t be Jack, that’s for sure. Ideally, it’s Luke who the Devils hope develops into that two-way player and elite playmaker. However, if he’s still struggling to take that next step and the Devils are in a position to make a playoff run, Mehta might need to pull the trigger early and find a way to acquire Quinn Hughes. 

It’s worth adding that making the trade is only worthwhile if Mehta sees this season as a rare chance to make a run at the Cup. If the team is playing great and the rest of the division or conference isn’t, and the only area they must address is a scoring defenseman, then he shouldn’t wait to make the Hughes trade. 

The bottom line is that the Devils need more offense at the point, someone who takes the offense to another level. They already have the skill at forward and just need a defenseman who puts them over the top. 

The Devils have all the players in place to have a great defense, one that scores but, more importantly, shuts opponents down. The key is for the unit to find the right pairings that work all season. 

The difference, oddly enough, in this defense is Dougie Hamilton, who can determine how good it is. An elite and healthy Hamilton gives the Devils another two-way option and more depth. An injured version, or if he starts to slow down with age, and this defense is a weak link. 

The bet Mehta made this summer with some of the moves was that they’d turn into home runs or star players. The players aren’t great yet but have a high upside or skills that they can lean on to become difference-makers in the lineup. One of them developing into a star goes a long way. 

Luke Evangelista is a winger with the speed and playmaking ability to become an elite talent. He was acquired and extended before playing a single game with the Devils, but Mehta is expecting his skills to work well with Hughes or Nico Hischier. Likewise, Amadeus Lombardi is another player to keep an eye on, someone who might start the season in the American Hockey League but is a 24-year-old who is starting to find his stride as a pro. 

The Devils also have a few players on the roster from previous seasons who can take a big step. The bottom line is that the Devils have their core, but adding another player to that group goes a long way. 

If the Devils are in playoff position and look poised to make a playoff run, Mehta will be expected to make a splash. Sure, everyone is looking at a Hughes addition, or a Connor Hellebuyck, Dylan Larkin, or (insert team USA player who is frustrated with his current team here) blockbuster. However, the Devils don’t need to make that type of move, where it’s an elite player or the deadline is a failure. 

The Devils can acquire a depth player or two who are overlooked by most teams but make a big difference down the stretch and in the playoffs. That said, the Devils need that one move that takes this team to the next level and sets them up for a playoff run. 

It’s been an issue throughout the Hughes and Hischier era. The top two lines can score, but the rest of the lineup can’t. The Devils need to have a forward unit that comes at teams in waves, much like the Carolina Hurricanes did last season and the Florida Panthers did before them. 

They have the forwards who can add that depth to the roster as well. Dawson Mercer, Evan Rodrigues, and Arseny Gritsyuk provide versatility to the lineup as they can be on the third line but also move up to the top six if needed. The trio can give the Devils enough depth scoring to move the needle this season. 

The playoffs are a different beast. It’s when skilled players like Hughes and Jesper Bratt are taken out of the lineup by the opposing teams, whether it’s by line matching or keeping a spotlight on them when they have the puck. The playoffs are also when power forwards are asked to step up as the game slows down and goals are hard to come by. 

The Devils need those power forwards to deliver, especially in the playoffs. Whether it’s Hischier or Timo Meier, or Anthony Mantha, who was brought in this summer because of his scoring, the Devils need those players who can get to the net and finish scoring chances. 

In hockey, sometimes teams need a little bit of luck, whether it’s a bounce or a call to go their way. The great teams create their own good luck. In the Devils' case, that means different elements of the team must step up. The coaching staff must make some adjustments and have the Devils prepared in the playoffs. Likewise, there are a few players who must come through in the clutch and provide a big goal when needed. 

The Devils also need luck in their schedule. Specifically, they need the right matchups to run through the Eastern Conference. The best way to get those matchups is with a great record where they have the best or second-best record in the Metropolitan Division. 

Is there a key to the Cup for the Devils? Comment below!