# 2021–22 New Jersey Devils season

The 2021–22 New Jersey Devils season was the 48th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 40th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. Before the season, the Devils lost Nathan Bastian to the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, but reacquired him in on November 25, 2021.
On March 31, 2022, following an 8–1 loss to the Boston Bruins, the Devils were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive season.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Metropolitan Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | y – Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 54 | 20 | 8 | 47 | 278 | 202 | +76 | 116 |
| 2 | x – New York Rangers | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 44 | 254 | 207 | +47 | 110 |
| 3 | x – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 46 | 25 | 11 | 37 | 272 | 229 | +43 | 103 |
| 4 | x – Washington Capitals | 82 | 44 | 26 | 12 | 35 | 275 | 245 | +30 | 100 |
| 5 | e – New York Islanders | 82 | 37 | 35 | 10 | 34 | 231 | 237 | −6 | 84 |
| 6 | e – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 37 | 38 | 7 | 26 | 262 | 300 | −38 | 81 |
| 7 | e – New Jersey Devils | 82 | 27 | 46 | 9 | 19 | 248 | 307 | −59 | 63 |
| 8 | e – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 25 | 46 | 11 | 20 | 211 | 298 | −87 | 61 |

### Conference standings

Eastern Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | AT | x – Boston Bruins | 82 | 51 | 26 | 5 | 40 | 255 | 220 | +35 | 107 |
| 2 | ME | x – Washington Capitals | 82 | 44 | 26 | 12 | 35 | 275 | 245 | +30 | 100 |
| 3 | ME | e – New York Islanders | 82 | 37 | 35 | 10 | 34 | 231 | 237 | −6 | 84 |
| 4 | ME | e – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 37 | 38 | 7 | 26 | 262 | 300 | −38 | 81 |
| 5 | AT | e – Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 32 | 39 | 11 | 25 | 232 | 290 | −58 | 75 |
| 6 | AT | e – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 32 | 40 | 10 | 21 | 230 | 312 | −82 | 74 |
| 7 | AT | e – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 33 | 42 | 7 | 26 | 227 | 266 | −39 | 73 |
| 8 | ME | e – New Jersey Devils | 82 | 27 | 46 | 9 | 19 | 248 | 307 | −59 | 63 |
| 9 | ME | e – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 25 | 46 | 11 | 20 | 211 | 298 | −87 | 61 |
| 10 | AT | e – Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 22 | 49 | 11 | 16 | 221 | 319 | −98 | 55 |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on July 27, 2021. The Devils' game against the New York Islanders on October 7, 2021, was cancelled due to a power outage at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

### Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on July 22, 2021, with only about a handful of games scheduled in February because NHL players were planning to participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics. However, on December 22, the NHL announced that its players would not participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
2021–22 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics

As of May 1, 2022

### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jesper Bratt | 76 | 26 | 47 | 73 | 0 | 16 |
| Nico Hischier | 70 | 21 | 39 | 60 | –1 | 17 |
| Jack Hughes | 49 | 26 | 30 | 56 | –16 | 0 |
| Yegor Sharangovich | 76 | 24 | 22 | 46 | –14 | 23 |
| Damon Severson | 80 | 11 | 35 | 46 | –14 | 57 |
| Dawson Mercer | 82 | 17 | 25 | 42 | –25 | 28 |
| Pavel Zacha | 70 | 15 | 21 | 36 | –21 | 22 |
| Andreas Johnsson | 71 | 13 | 22 | 35 | +4 | 30 |
| Tomas Tatar | 76 | 15 | 15 | 30 | –22 | 22 |
| Dougie Hamilton | 62 | 9 | 21 | 30 | –19 | 34 |
| Ryan Graves | 75 | 6 | 22 | 28 | –9 | 24 |
| Jesper Boqvist | 56 | 10 | 13 | 23 | –9 | 10 |
| P. K. Subban | 77 | 5 | 17 | 22 | –8 | 82 |
| Michael McLeod | 77 | 6 | 14 | 20 | –13 | 52 |
| Ty Smith | 66 | 5 | 15 | 20 | –26 | 22 |
| Janne Kuokkanen | 57 | 6 | 11 | 17 | –10 | 10 |
| Nathan Bastian$^†$ | 60 | 11 | 5 | 16 | –11 | 34 |
| Jimmy Vesey | 68 | 8 | 7 | 15 | –24 | 12 |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | 70 | 1 | 13 | 14 | –5 | 42 |
| Fabian Zetterlund | 14 | 3 | 5 | 8 | +5 | 0 |
| Nolan Foote | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | +3 | 0 |
| Kevin Bahl | 17 | 1 | 3 | 4 | –6 | 10 |
| Colton White | 27 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +2 | 8 |
| A. J. Greer | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Nikita Okhotiuk | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –2 | 2 |
| Alexander Holtz | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | –5 | 2 |
| Marian Studenic | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | –6 | 0 |
| Reilly Walsh | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Geertsen | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –6 | 77 |
| Miles Wood | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –2 | 4 |
| Frederik Gauthier | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –1 | 0 |
| Chase De Leo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –1 | 0 |
| Christian Jaros | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –4 | 2 |
| Tyce Thompson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Nico Daws | 25 | 23 | 1,271:32 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 66 | 3.11 | 617 | .893 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mackenzie Blackwood | 25 | 24 | 1,399:03 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 79 | 3.39 | 731 | .892 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Bernier | 10 | 8 | 510:06 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 26 | 3.06 | 264 | .902 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jon Gillies$^†$ | 19 | 14 | 940:59 | 3 | 10 | 1 | 59 | 3.76 | 511 | .885 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Andrew Hammond$^†$ | 7 | 7 | 386:18 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 30 | 4.66 | 214 | .860 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scott Wedgewood | 3 | 2 | 169:26 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3.19 | 75 | .880 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akira Schmid | 6 | 4 | 235:59 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 4.83 | 114 | .833 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* $^†$ Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Devils. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
* $^‡$ Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Devils only.
* Bold/italics denotes franchise record.

## Awards and honors
### Awards

Regular season :
| Player | Award | Date |
| P. K. Subban | King Clancy Memorial Trophy | June 7, 2022 |

## Transactions

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2021–22 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| July 15, 2021 (2021-07-15) | To Colorado AvalancheMikhail Maltsev NYI's 2nd-round pick in 2021 | To New Jersey DevilsRyan Graves |
| July 26, 2021 (2021-07-26) | To San Jose SharksNick Merkley | To New Jersey DevilsChristian Jaros |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | To Buffalo SabresWill Butcher 5th-round pick in 2022 | To New Jersey DevilsFuture considerations |
| December 15, 2021 (2021-12-15) | To St. Louis BluesFuture considerations | To New Jersey DevilsJon Gillies |
| March 21, 2022 (2022-03-21) | To Montreal CanadiensNate Schnarr | To New Jersey DevilsAndrew Hammond |

### Free agents

| Date | Player | Team | Contract term |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Jonathan Bernier | from Detroit Red Wings | 2-year |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Aaron Dell | to Buffalo Sabres | 1-year |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Dougie Hamilton | from Carolina Hurricanes | 7-year |
| July 28, 2021 (2021-07-28) | Matt Tennyson | to Nashville Predators | 2-year |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Brandon Gignac | to Laval Rocket (AHL) | 1-year |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Chase De Leo | from Anaheim Ducks | 1-year |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Brian Flynn | from HC Ambrì-Piotta (NL) | 1-year |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Joe Gambardella | from Edmonton Oilers | 2-year |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Robbie Russo | from San Jose Barracuda (AHL) | 2-year |
| July 29, 2021 (2021-07-29) | Brett Seney | to Toronto Maple Leafs | 1-year |
| August 2, 2021 (2021-08-02) | Ryan Murray | to Colorado Avalanche | 1-year |
| August 2, 2021 (2021-08-02) | Ben Street | to EHC Red Bull München (DEL) | 1-year |
| August 4, 2021 (2021-08-04) | Connor Carrick | to Seattle Kraken | 1-year |
| August 4, 2021 (2021-08-04) | Josh Jacobs | to Carolina Hurricanes | 1-year |
| August 5, 2021 (2021-08-05) | Tomas Tatar | from Montreal Canadiens | 2-year |
| August 6, 2021 (2021-08-06) | Mason Jobst | to Rochester Americans (AHL) | 1-year |
| October 8, 2021 (2021-10-08) | Frederik Gauthier | from Arizona Coyotes | 1-year |
| October 10, 2021 (2021-10-10) | Jimmy Vesey | from Vancouver Canucks | 1-year |
| October 13, 2021 (2021-10-13) | Evan Cormier | to Newfoundland Growlers (ECHL) | 1-year |
| March 27, 2022 (2022-03-27) | Brian Halonen | from Michigan Tech Huskies (CCHA) | 2-year |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team |
| October 3, 2021 (2021-10-03) | Mason Geertsen | from New York Rangers |
| November 4, 2021 (2021-11-04) | Scott Wedgewood | to Arizona Coyotes |
| November 25, 2021 (2021-11-25) | Nathan Bastian | from Seattle Kraken |
| February 24, 2021 (2021-02-24) | Marian Studenic | to Dallas Stars |

### Contract terminations

| Date | Player | Via | Ref |
| March 24, 2022 (2022-03-24) | Christian Jaros | Mutual termination | |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Contract term |
| July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09) | Jonas Siegenthaler | 2-year |
| July 14, 2021 (2021-07-14) | Colton White | 1-year |
| July 15, 2021 (2021-07-15) | Michael McLeod | 2-year |
| July 26, 2021 (2021-07-26) | Christian Jaros | 1-year |
| August 4, 2021 (2021-08-04) | A. J. Greer | 1-year |
| August 4, 2021 (2021-08-04) | Marian Studenic | 1-year |
| August 5, 2021 (2021-08-05) | Yegor Sharangovich | 2-year |
| August 9, 2021 (2021-08-09) | Janne Kuokkanen | 2-year |
| August 20, 2021 (2021-08-20) | Chase Stillman | 3-year |
| November 30, 2021 (2021-11-30) | Jack Hughes | 8-year |
| December 1, 2021 (2021-12-01) | Shakir Mukhamadullin | 3-year |
| May 12, 2022 (2022-05-12) | Topias Vilen | 3-year |

## Draft picks

Below are the New Jersey Devils' selections at the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on July 23 and 24, 2021, in a remote format, with teams convening via videoconferencing, and Commissioner Gary Bettman announcing selections from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 4 | Luke Hughes | D | United States | U.S. NTDP (USHL) |
| 1 | 29$^1$ | Chase Stillman | RW | Canada | Esbjerg Energy U20 (DNK U20) |
| 3 | 68 | Samu Salminen | C | Finland | Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja) |
| 4 | 100 | Jakub Malek | G | Czech Republic | VHK Vsetín (Chance Liga) |
| 5 | 129$^2$ | Topias Vilen | D | Finland | Lahti Pelicans (Liiga) |
| 6 | 164 | Viktor Hurtig | D | Sweden | Västerås IK J20 (J20 Nationell) |
| 7 | 203$^3$ | Zakhar Bardakov | C | Russia | HC Vityaz (KHL) |
* The New York Islanders' first-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on April 7, 2021, that sent Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac to New York in exchange for A. J. Greer, Mason Jobst, a conditional 2022 fourth-round pick and this pick.
* The Buffalo Sabres' fifth-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 24, 2020, that sent Wayne Simmonds to Buffalo in exchange for this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).
* The Arizona Coyotes' seventh-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on October 7, 2020, that sent a 2020 seventh-round pick (192nd overall) to Arizona in exchange for this pick.