All Of The Changes Needed For The Devils
The New Jersey Devils were one of the finest organizations in the NHL. Between 1988 and 2012, they missed the playoffs three times. In 1989, they were a young team coming off a miracle run to the Conference Finals and did not know how to win consistently yet. In 1996 they had a Stanley Cup hangover, and in 2011 they were an old team that was being to show wear on the tires. However, they bounced back and made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. It was the Devils' fifth appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, as they lost to the Los Angeles Kings in six games, falling short of claiming their fourth Stanley Cup Championship.
With the GOAT Martin Brodeur surpassing 40 and retiring, it was expected that the Devils would go through some bad years, but the dark days have now stretched to ten years, as they have made one playoff appearance and appear to be at least three years away from another. The tenure of Ray Shero as General Manager was a disaster, and Tom Fitzgerald was left trying to clean a mess that had seen the Devils become one of the worst teams in the NHL from top to bottom.
There could be hope in the future as players like Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Yegor Sharangovich, and Dawson Mercer have shown signs of becoming NHL Stars, and each is 23 or younger. The Devils' AHL Affiliate, the Utica Comets, won the North Division and will be among the favorites to win the Calder Cup. However, the Devils' defense is lacking, and they will need to find a reliable goalie. Nico Daws showed promise in net, but Mackenzie Blackwood had a disastrous season, as did Ty Smith on the blue line.
The Devils' special teams were a disaster as they allowed a league-high 14 short-handed goals as they scored on 15.6% of powerplays ranking in the bottom five of the NHL. It is not coincidental that the five worst teams in the power play were the five worst teams in the NHL, with the four teams that finished with worst records than the Devils also having worse power-play percentages. This is why the first move the Devils need to make is to fire Lindy Ruff and bring in a new coaching staff. The power-play attack is often hesitant as they try for the perfect pass and perfect goal rather than getting pucks on net. A young coach, or perhaps Kevin Dineen, the coach in Utica, would be the right man to lead the Devils forward as they hope to get the young players to sprout out of the ashes of a decade of losing.
Hopefully, by the time next season arrives, the Devils will improve the gameday experience for fans. It will take a few seasons for their young core to develop into winners, but before that happens, the Devils must fix the Prudential Center. Often it is easy to wonder if Josh Harris even cares about the team, as he has been absent and appears to be ignoring the issues with the team and the arena. The Devils were ranked the worst gameday experience in the NHL by a Canadian website, and it is hard to argue with the issues I had had this season. As a season ticket holder, the only reason I am renewing is that my ticket rep, Ron tried his best to care of my needs. If there is no improvement next season, I doubt I will renew beyond next season.
At times, getting into the arena was an issue, as the ticket takers were often rude. I needed to remove my belt a few times as the ticket takers and security made it feel like we were invading their territory. Getting up into the arena, there were high-priced concessions, with several closed, eliminating choices. However, the food was terrible, as Legends concessions have been a disaster for the Devils. These issues exist for most fans as I co-hosted a Twitter space and laid out many of the problems at the end of the season. The Prudential Center also has an extreme policy that no bags are allowed, not even clear bags. The policy should be changed to the same policy that allows smaller clear bags at the Meadowlands. I have seen many young mothers turned away for having bags, which is often necessary if you are coming to the game with children.
In the final week of the season, I had my seat upgraded to the club seats with access to the lounge. These are the premium seats with premium prices and free food. The food in the lounge is much like the rest of the arena, it stands under heating lamps, and there are not many choices. I reviewed the food in the lounge, and it was sad and embarrassing as I had an undercooked cheeseburger, and the food was bland and often inedible. The issue comes with Legends Hospitality which runs the concessions. It is owned partially by Jerry Jones and the New York Yankees. They hold the concession contract at several other arenas. I would be curious to know if the food at AT&T Stadium is this bad. Legends also run the concessions at Levi's Stadium, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar, Banc of California Stadium, Nissan Stadium, Angel Stadium, Golden 1 Center, SoFi Stadium, Allegiant Stadium, University of Southern California, Notre Dame, the Rose Bowl, Oklahoma Sooners, and Dallas Mavericks. Is the food in these venues also terrible?
The food also is lacking at the restaurant at one time; this was my go-to stop as they had a burger with a branded logo on the bun and crisp fries in the shape of Devils' horns. The burger now is good, but it was served on a stale bland, with fries that tasted as if they were recooked in a microwave.
The concourses at the Prudential Center are good; easy to access the exits and get to your seats, much better than it was at the Meadowlands and better than the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There is room for improvement as more food options would help. There are many great restaurants in the Ironbound, and they could help fill a stand, as the Prudential Center should welcome in local eateries to give fans a taste of Newark.
One thing I would like to see is a Hall of Fame area for the Devils. They have a small display on the second level that should be expanded the wasted area that overlooks the city near the top of the escalator.