Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

New Jersey Devils Stock Up/Stock Down: Getting Late Quick

With the calendar flipping to March and the NHL Trade Deadline approaching, it’s do-or-die time for the New Jersey Devils. The month of February summed up how the season has gone as a whole. They strung together a few wins and some good performances, only to lose in embarrassing fashion and halt any momentum. Since our last stock up/stock down the Devils played an outdoor game against the Philadelphia Flyers, two huge Metro division games against the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, and embarked on a California road trip.

New Jersey Devils Stock Up/Stock Down

Stock Up

Nico Hischier

With their backs against the wall and on the outside looking in on the playoffs, no single player has tried harder to carry the Devils along than Nico Hischier. The captain has seen a lot of losing in his seven seasons with the team and is trying his hardest to will them into the playoffs. Since calling the team “embarrassing” after a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning back on January 27, Hischier has turned his play up. In February, Hischier scored 15 points in 12 games, including a two-goal game against the Flyers and a four-point game against the San Jose Sharks. Hischier has set the standard that the rest of the team needs to follow to make it to the playoffs.

Stock Down

Lindy Ruff’s Job Security

Another week, another Lindy Ruff in the stock up/stock down. Lindy Ruff’s tenure as Devils head coach has always been on shaky ground. However, that is a longer discussion for another time. But with the team unable to show consistency and make up ground in the standings, the fans and media have begun calling for his head. The writing does seem to be on the wall for Ruff as his fourth year with the team winds down. The team has failed to show up on time for games. There is no cohesion in all three zones. And his lineups are questionable at best on most nights. The “Fire Lindy” and the subsequent “Sorry Lindy” chants were all fun last year when the team was winning, but the “Fire Lindy” chants are back and there’s vitriol behind them. His fate likely comes down to whether they make the playoffs or not, but it isn’t looking good right now.

Stock Up

The National Spotlight

This only pertains to the Devil’s outdoor game, but for a traditional smaller market team it’s a big deal. Back on February 17, the Devils played in just their second outdoor game ever, and first in a decade, when they hosted the Flyers at MetLife Stadium. On the ice, they put up a strong performance and collected a big two points in a 6-3 win. However, it was everything else that stood out and should have the NHL take notice. ESPN released their viewership numbers, reporting 1.13 million people tuned in to the game. In addition, the in-house attendance was a reported 70,328. Massive viewership numbers for a Devils team that typically doesn’t draw in a large audience. Not to mention the overall celebration of New Jersey. MetLife Stadium is synonymous with the New York football teams but actually resides in New Jersey. The weekend was a celebration for the Garden State, and nobody did it better than the Devils players arriving to the game in their best “Sopranos” costumes.

Stock Down

The Standings

The thing that matters most this time of year. Coming out of the Stadium Series game with two points put the Devils in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot. Unfortunately, what happened next was akin to watching a 10-car pile-up. Loses to the Capitals, Rangers, and Lightning were crushing in the standings and team morale. As of today (2/29/24), the Devils are five points out of a Wild Card spot with two games in hand, and five points of out a Metro division spot with one game in hand. In theory that doesn’t sound so bad, but the Devils have shown time and time again their inability to string together wins when it matters most. A lot about this team will be learned in the next week and a half leading up to the Trade Deadline. Until then, all Devils fans can do is hope. Hope that maybe they can figure it out and make one last push for the playoffs.

Main Photo: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Natale

Nick Natale

Nick is a former hockey player now turned sports journalist. A Journalism graduate from Ramapo College of New Jersey, Nick is an avid New Jersey Devils fan who's made it his life goal to make a career out of talking sports. Find him on Twitter @NickNatale10

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