# 2023–24 New Jersey Devils season

The 2023–24 New Jersey Devils season was the 50th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 42nd season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season.
The Devils participated in the 2024 NHL Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where they hosted Philadelphia Flyers on February 17, 2024, winning the game 6–3.
On March 4, the Devils, who had a 30–27–4 record and were out of playoff contention, fired head coach Lindy Ruff, and replaced him with Travis Green.
On April 9, the Devils were eliminated from playoff contention following a 5–2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Metropolitan Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | p – New York Rangers | 82 | 55 | 23 | 4 | 43 | 282 | 229 | +53 | 114 |
| 2 | x – Carolina Hurricanes | 82 | 52 | 23 | 7 | 44 | 279 | 216 | +63 | 111 |
| 3 | x – New York Islanders | 82 | 39 | 27 | 16 | 29 | 246 | 263 | −17 | 94 |
| 4 | x – Washington Capitals | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 32 | 220 | 257 | −37 | 91 |
| 5 | e – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 32 | 255 | 251 | +4 | 88 |
| 6 | e – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 30 | 235 | 261 | −26 | 87 |
| 7 | e – New Jersey Devils | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 33 | 264 | 283 | −19 | 81 |
| 8 | e – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 27 | 43 | 12 | 21 | 237 | 300 | −63 | 66 |

### Conference standings

Eastern Conference Wild Card :
| Pos | Div | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | AT | x – Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 45 | 29 | 8 | 37 | 291 | 268 | +23 | 98 |
| 2 | ME | x – Washington Capitals | 82 | 40 | 31 | 11 | 32 | 220 | 257 | −37 | 91 |
| 3 | AT | e – Detroit Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 27 | 278 | 274 | +4 | 91 |
| 4 | ME | e – Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 32 | 255 | 251 | +4 | 88 |
| 5 | ME | e – Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 30 | 235 | 261 | −26 | 87 |
| 6 | AT | e – Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 39 | 37 | 6 | 33 | 246 | 244 | +2 | 84 |
| 7 | ME | e – New Jersey Devils | 82 | 38 | 39 | 5 | 33 | 264 | 283 | −19 | 81 |
| 8 | AT | e – Ottawa Senators | 82 | 37 | 41 | 4 | 25 | 255 | 281 | −26 | 78 |
| 9 | AT | e – Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 30 | 36 | 16 | 20 | 236 | 289 | −53 | 76 |
| 10 | ME | e – Columbus Blue Jackets | 82 | 27 | 43 | 12 | 21 | 237 | 300 | −63 | 66 |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on June 22, 2023.

### Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on June 27, 2023.
2023–24 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics

As of April 15, 2024

### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jesper Bratt | 82 | 27 | 56 | 83 | –6 | 12 |
| Jack Hughes | 62 | 27 | 47 | 74 | –12 | 12 |
| Nico Hischier | 71 | 27 | 40 | 67 | –5 | 12 |
| Timo Meier | 69 | 28 | 24 | 52 | –28 | 45 |
| Luke Hughes | 82 | 9 | 38 | 47 | –25 | 28 |
| Tyler Toffoli$^‡$ | 61 | 26 | 18 | 44 | –15 | 12 |
| Erik Haula | 76 | 16 | 19 | 35 | –1 | 54 |
| Dawson Mercer | 82 | 20 | 13 | 33 | –26 | 29 |
| Ondrej Palat | 71 | 11 | 20 | 31 | –9 | 37 |
| Alexander Holtz | 82 | 16 | 12 | 28 | –15 | 14 |
| Curtis Lazar | 71 | 7 | 18 | 25 | +10 | 44 |
| John Marino | 75 | 4 | 21 | 25 | –6 | 41 |
| Michael McLeod | 45 | 10 | 9 | 19 | +6 | 10 |
| Simon Nemec | 60 | 3 | 16 | 19 | –7 | 33 |
| Dougie Hamilton | 20 | 5 | 11 | 16 | –8 | 20 |
| Brendan Smith | 63 | 5 | 10 | 15 | –3 | 61 |
| Nathan Bastian | 54 | 5 | 7 | 12 | –10 | 32 |
| Chris Tierney | 52 | 4 | 8 | 12 | +3 | 21 |
| Kevin Bahl | 82 | 1 | 10 | 11 | +1 | 82 |
| Jonas Siegenthaler | 57 | 1 | 8 | 9 | –7 | 20 |
| Colin Miller$^‡$ | 41 | 4 | 4 | 8 | +10 | 24 |
| Tomas Nosek | 36 | 2 | 4 | 6 | –11 | 6 |
| Max Willman | 18 | 3 | 1 | 4 | +1 | 2 |
| Nick DeSimone$^†$ | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +7 | 2 |
| Santeri Hatakka | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +5 | 4 |
| Nolan Foote | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | –1 | 0 |
| Justin Dowling | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | –2 | 0 |
| Cal Foote | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +3 | 16 |
| Kurtis MacDermid$^†$ | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 50 |
| Brian Halonen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Graeme Clarke | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –2 | 2 |
| Shane Bowers | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| Samuel Laberge | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Vitek Vanecek$^‡$ | 32 | 29 | 1,791:49 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 95 | 3.18 | 862 | .890 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nico Daws | 21 | 20 | 1,144:03 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 60 | 3.15 | 568 | .894 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jake Allen$^†$ | 13 | 12 | 770:33 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 3.11 | 401 | .900 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Akira Schmid | 19 | 15 | 914:09 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 48 | 3.15 | 457 | .895 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Kaapo Kahkonen$^†$ | 6 | 6 | 262:47 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 2.51 | 143 | .923 | 1 | 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.

## Transactions

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2023–24 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 29, 2023 (2023-06-29) | To Nashville Predators7th-round pick in 2023 | To New Jersey Devils7th-round pick in 2024 |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | To Dallas Stars5th-round pick in 2025 | To New Jersey DevilsColin Miller |
| November 26, 2023 (2023-11-26) | To New York IslandersTyce Thompson | To New Jersey DevilsArnaud Durandeau |
| February 28, 2024 (2024-02-28) | To Calgary FlamesCole Brady | To New Jersey DevilsChristopher Tanev |
| February 28, 2024 (2024-02-28) | To Dallas StarsChristopher Tanev | To New Jersey Devils4th-round pick in 2026 |
| March 1, 2024 (2024-03-01) | To Colorado AvalancheZakhar Bardakov 7th-round pick in 2024 | To New Jersey DevilsKurtis MacDermid |
| March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | To Montreal CanadiensConditional 3rd-round pick in 2025 | To New Jersey DevilsJake Allen |
| March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | To San Jose SharksVitek Vanecek 7th-round pick in 2025 | To New Jersey DevilsKaapo Kahkonen |
| March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | To Winnipeg JetsColin Miller | To New Jersey Devils4th-round pick in 2026 |
| March 8, 2024 (2024-03-08) | To Winnipeg JetsTyler Toffoli | To New Jersey Devils3rd-round pick in 2024 2nd-round pick in 2025 |
| March 11, 2024 (2024-03-11) | To Montreal CanadiensArnaud Durandeau | To New Jersey DevilsNathan Legare |
| June 19, 2024 (2024-06-19) | To Calgary FlamesKevin Bahl 1st-round pick in 2025 | To New Jersey DevilsJacob Markstrom |
| June 21, 2024 (2024-06-21) | To Minnesota WildGraeme Clarke | To New Jersey DevilsAdam Beckman |

### Free agents

| Date | Player | Team | Contract term |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Kyle Criscuolo | from San Jose Sharks | 1-year |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Justin Dowling | from Vancouver Canucks | 2-year |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Mason Geertsen | to Vegas Golden Knights | 2-year |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Ryan Graves | to Pittsburgh Penguins | 6-year |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Erik Kallgren | from Toronto Maple Leafs | 1-year |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Miles Wood | to Colorado Avalanche | 6-year |
| July 4, 2023 (2023-07-04) | Zachary Emond | to Laval Rocket (AHL) | 1-year |
| July 5, 2023 (2023-07-05) | Brian Pinho | to New York Islanders | 1-year |
| July 12, 2023 (2023-07-12) | Jesper Boqvist | to Boston Bruins | 1-year |
| July 14, 2023 (2023-07-14) | Chris Tierney | from Montreal Canadiens | 1-year |
| July 19, 2023 (2023-07-19) | Tomas Nosek | from Boston Bruins | 1-year |
| July 30, 2023 (2023-07-30) | Jeremy Groleau | to Färjestad BK (SHL) | 1-year |
| August 9, 2023 (2023-08-09) | Cal Foote | from Nashville Predators | 1-year |
| September 11, 2023 (2023-09-11) | Jayce Hawryluk | to HC Bílí Tygři Liberec (ELH) | 1-year |
| September 12, 2023 (2023-09-12) | Tomas Tatar | to Colorado Avalanche | 1-year |
| September 13, 2023 (2023-09-13) | Keith Kinkaid | from Colorado Avalanche | 1-year |
| September 19, 2023 (2023-09-19) | Zack Hayes | to Vaasan Sport (Liiga) | 1-year |
| October 7, 2023 (2023-10-07) | Max Willman | from Philadelphia Flyers | 1-year |
| November 25, 2023 (2023-11-25) | Samuel Laberge | from Utica Comets (AHL) | 1-year |
| February 15, 2024 (2024-02-15) | Isaac Poulter | from Utica Comets (AHL) | 2-year |
| March 2, 2024 (2024-03-02) | Mikael Diotte | from Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) | 3-year |
| April 4, 2024 (2024-04-04) | Dylan Wendt | from Western Michigan Broncos (NCHC) | 2-year |
| April 30, 2024 (2024-04-30) | Ryan Schmelzer | from Utica Comets (AHL) | 2-year |
| May 3, 2024 (2024-05-03) | Erik Kallgren | to Brynäs IF (SHL) | 3-year |

### Waivers

| Date | Player | Team | Ref |
| January 25, 2024 (2024-01-25) | Nick DeSimone | from Calgary Flames | |

### Retirement

| Date | Player | Ref |
| August 21, 2023 (2023-08-21) | Jonathan Bernier | |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Contract term |
| June 28, 2023 (2023-06-28) | Timo Meier | 8-year |
| June 29, 2023 (2023-06-29) | Shane Bowers | 1-year |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Nathan Bastian | 2-year |
| July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01) | Michael McLeod | 1-year |
| July 31, 2023 (2023-07-31) | Kevin Bahl | 2-year |
| April 30, 2024 (2024-04-30) | Shane Bowers | 2-year |
| May 6, 2024 (2024-05-06) | Seamus Casey | 3-year |
| May 6, 2024 (2024-05-06) | Jakub Malek | 2-year |
| May 7, 2024 (2024-05-07) | Nathan Legare | 1-year |
| May 7, 2024 (2024-05-07) | Max Willman | 1-year |
| May 16, 2024 (2024-05-16) | Brian Halonen | 2-year |
| May 16, 2024 (2024-05-16) | Samuel Laberge | 1-year |
| May 17, 2024 (2024-05-17) | Kurtis MacDermid | 3-year |
| June 24, 2024 (2024-06-24) | Nick DeSimone | 1-year |

## Draft picks

Below are the New Jersey Devils' selections at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 28 and 29, 2023, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 2 | 58 | Lenni Hameenaho | RW | Finland | Porin Ässät (Liiga) |
| 4 | 122 | Cam Squires | RW | Canada | Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 154 | Chase Cheslock | D | United States | Omaha Lancers (USHL) |
| 6 | 164$^1$ | Cole Brown | LW | Canada | Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) |
| 6 | 186 | Danil Karpovich | D | Belarus | JHC Avto (MHL) |
* The San Jose Sharks' third-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on June 27, 2023, that sent Mackenzie Blackwood to San Jose in exchange for this pick.