Devils officially eliminated from 2026 Stanley Cup playoff contention
A disappointing season is set to come to an end sooner than some expected in the Garden State.
Thanks to a 5-1 loss to the rival Philadelphia Flyers, the New Jersey Devils were officially eliminated from 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff contention.
It marks the second time in three seasons that the Devils have failed to qualify for the postseason, and the sixth time in the previous eight campaigns the team will not be playing past the regular season.
The 2025-26 season has been viewed as a massive step back for the organization. Sure, it was three years ago that New Jersey won a playoff series for the first time since 2012, but there was optimism after the team managed to make it to the postseason last spring, despite missing star forward Jack Hughes for most of the season and playoffs. Many believed the Devils had what it takes to contend for a top-three spot in the Metropolitan Division once again.
However, that didn’t happen. Along with another injury-riddled season for Hughes, which included a strange incident at a team dinner, the Devils lagrely underperformed and seemed far from a playoff contender for most of the second half of the campaign.
The goaltending certainly has been a killer for New Jersey. Jacob Markstrom is having the worst performance of his career in over a decade. In 44 games, he has a 3.07 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage. Veteran teammate Jake Allen has hardly been able to pick up the slack, going 16-16-2 in 34 starts, with a .906 SV% and 2.70 GAA.
The abysmal season led to general manager Tom Fitzgerald departing from the franchise on Monday. Along with the question of who the next GM might be, there’s concern about whether head coach Sheldon Keefe will be back behind the bench next fall.
The Devils (40-34-3) will have a solid spot in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. However, given the fact that they have 83 points, they’re currently 20th in the NHL standings, meaning they’re outside a spot where they could win the draft lottery and pick first overall.