New Jersey Devils: 5 Prospects Facing Make-Or-Break Seasons

The New Jersey Devils are coming into the season with a ton of hype. After three games, they have two wins. Things have looked good despite a laundry list of injuries impacting the team. There are stars like Jack Hughes (when he returns from injury), Dougie Hamilton, Nico Hischier, Ryan Graves, and others who could grow into that.

All those players came to the Devils as obvious NHL players. They never had to face a “make-or-break” season. They made the NHL and became regulars pretty quickly. However, there are some players in the Devils organization that aren’t in that situation.

Which New Jersey Devils prospect needs to prove himself this season?

The Devils have others on the roster that stepped up as a prospect in order to make the NHL roster. Yegor Sharangovich wasn’t expected to make the NHL, but he took a major step last season before the NHL season even started. He dominated the KHL, and then came to the Devils and did just as well.

There are other prospects that didn’t fare so well. Reid Boucher seemed to face multiple make-or-break seasons, and he never made it work in the NHL. Alexander Urbom is another prospect who failed to make it work.

Then, there’s Michael McLeod. He was on the cusp of fans giving up on him. Last season, he was given one last chance under new head coach Lindy Ruff. He quickly became one of the most reliable players on the team, and he finally found a way to turn his speed into NHL production.

It can go either way, and the Devils have a few prospects who have to show something this season to prove they have a chance to make the NHL roster in the future.