# 2019–20 New Jersey Devils season

The 2019–20 New Jersey Devils season was the 46th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 38th season since the franchise relocated from Colorado prior to the 1982–83 NHL season. For the second time in three years, the Devils received the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and selected Jack Hughes first overall.
The season was suspended by the league officials on March 12, 2020, after several other professional and collegiate sports organizations followed suit as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. On May 26, the NHL regular season was officially declared over with the remaining games being cancelled and the Devils missed the playoffs for the second straight year, as well as the seventh time in the past eight seasons.

## Standings
### Divisional standings

Metropolitan Division :
| Pos | Team v t e | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Washington Capitals | 69 | 41 | 20 | 8 | 31 | 240 | 215 | +25 | 90 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Flyers | 69 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 31 | 232 | 196 | +36 | 89 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 69 | 40 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 224 | 196 | +28 | 86 |
| 4 | Carolina Hurricanes | 68 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 27 | 222 | 193 | +29 | 81 |
| 5 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 70 | 33 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 180 | 187 | −7 | 81 |
| 6 | New York Islanders | 68 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 24 | 192 | 193 | −1 | 80 |
| 7 | New York Rangers | 70 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 31 | 234 | 222 | +12 | 79 |
| 8 | New Jersey Devils | 69 | 28 | 29 | 12 | 22 | 189 | 230 | −41 | 68 |

### Conference standings

| Pos | Teamvte | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | PCT | Qualification |
| 1 | Boston Bruins | 70 | 44 | 14 | 12 | 38 | 227 | 174 | +53 | .714 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 70 | 43 | 21 | 6 | 35 | 245 | 195 | +50 | .657 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 3 | Washington Capitals | 69 | 41 | 20 | 8 | 31 | 240 | 215 | +25 | .652 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 69 | 41 | 21 | 7 | 31 | 232 | 196 | +36 | .645 | Advance to Seeding round-robin tournament |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 69 | 40 | 23 | 6 | 29 | 224 | 196 | +28 | .623 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 6 | Carolina Hurricanes | 68 | 38 | 25 | 5 | 27 | 222 | 193 | +29 | .596 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 7 | New York Islanders | 68 | 35 | 23 | 10 | 24 | 192 | 193 | −1 | .588 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 70 | 36 | 25 | 9 | 28 | 238 | 227 | +11 | .579 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 9 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 70 | 33 | 22 | 15 | 25 | 180 | 187 | −7 | .579 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 10 | Florida Panthers | 69 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 30 | 231 | 228 | +3 | .565 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 11 | New York Rangers | 70 | 37 | 28 | 5 | 31 | 234 | 222 | +12 | .564 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 12 | Montreal Canadiens | 71 | 31 | 31 | 9 | 19 | 212 | 221 | −9 | .500 | Advance to 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs qualifying round |
| 13 | Buffalo Sabres | 69 | 30 | 31 | 8 | 22 | 195 | 217 | −22 | .493 | |
| 14 | New Jersey Devils | 69 | 28 | 29 | 12 | 22 | 189 | 230 | −41 | .493 | |
| 15 | Ottawa Senators | 71 | 25 | 34 | 12 | 18 | 191 | 243 | −52 | .437 | |
| 16 | Detroit Red Wings | 71 | 17 | 49 | 5 | 13 | 145 | 267 | −122 | .275 | |

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on June 18, 2019.

### Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on June 25, 2019.
2019–20 game log :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics

As of March 12, 2020

### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Kyle Palmieri | 65 | 25 | 20 | 45 | –4 | 41 |
| Nikita Gusev | 66 | 13 | 31 | 44 | –15 | 12 |
| Nico Hischier | 58 | 14 | 22 | 36 | –16 | 12 |
| Jesper Bratt | 60 | 16 | 16 | 32 | –6 | 6 |
| Pavel Zacha | 65 | 8 | 24 | 32 | –12 | 14 |
| Blake Coleman$^‡$ | 57 | 21 | 10 | 31 | –2 | 40 |
| Damon Severson | 69 | 8 | 23 | 31 | –20 | 52 |
| Travis Zajac | 69 | 9 | 16 | 25 | –12 | 28 |
| Taylor Hall$^‡$ | 30 | 6 | 19 | 25 | –11 | 20 |
| Wayne Simmonds$^‡$ | 61 | 8 | 16 | 24 | –17 | 64 |
| Miles Wood | 68 | 11 | 12 | 23 | –19 | 57 |
| Sami Vatanen$^‡$ | 47 | 5 | 18 | 23 | –12 | 22 |
| Jack Hughes | 61 | 7 | 14 | 21 | –26 | 10 |
| Will Butcher | 56 | 4 | 17 | 21 | –8 | 6 |
| P. K. Subban | 68 | 7 | 11 | 18 | –21 | 79 |
| Andy Greene$^‡$ | 53 | 2 | 9 | 11 | +1 | 14 |
| Kevin Rooney | 49 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +8 | 20 |
| Mirco Mueller | 50 | 2 | 5 | 7 | –13 | 23 |
| Joey Anderson | 18 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +1 | 2 |
| Connor Carrick | 29 | 1 | 5 | 6 | –6 | 17 |
| Jesper Boqvist | 35 | 4 | 0 | 4 | –11 | 8 |
| John Hayden | 43 | 3 | 1 | 4 | –2 | 77 |
| Dakota Mermis | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +7 | 4 |
| Matt Tennyson | 20 | 0 | 3 | 3 | –2 | 6 |
| Fredrik Claesson$^†$ | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 0 |
| Nick Merkley | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Michael McLeod | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +4 | 4 |
| Ben Street | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| Brett Seney | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –1 | 0 |
| Josh Jacobs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 2 |
| Colton White | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | –2 | 4 |
| Janne Kuokkanen$^†$ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Mackenzie Blackwood | 47 | 43 | 2,684:01 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 124 | 2.77 | 1,452 | .915 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cory Schneider | 13 | 11 | 679:16 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 40 | 3.53 | 355 | .887 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louis Domingue$^‡$ | 16 | 14 | 743:32 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 47 | 3.79 | 399 | .882 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gilles Senn | 2 | 1 | 70:05 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3.42 | 41 | .902 | 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.

## Transactions

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2019–20 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 22, 2019 (2019-06-22) | To Chicago BlackhawksJohn Quenneville | To New Jersey DevilsJohn Hayden |
| June 22, 2019 (2019-06-22) | To Nashville PredatorsSteven Santini Jeremy Davies 2nd-round pick in 2019 2nd-round pick in 2020 | To New Jersey DevilsP. K. Subban |
| June 23, 2019 (2019-06-23) | To Nashville PredatorsFuture considerations | To New Jersey DevilsAdam Helewka |
| July 29, 2019 (2019-07-29) | To Vegas Golden Knights3rd-round pick in 2020 2nd-round pick in 2021 | To New Jersey DevilsNikita Gusev |
| November 1, 2019 (2019-11-01) | To Tampa Bay LightningConditional 7th-round pick in 2021 | To New Jersey DevilsLouis Domingue |
| December 16, 2019 (2019-12-16) | To Arizona CoyotesTaylor Hall Blake Speers | To New Jersey DevilsKevin Bahl Nick Merkley Nate Schnarr Conditional 1st-round pick in 2020 Conditional 3rd-round pick in 2021 |
| February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16) | To New York IslandersAndy Greene | To New Jersey DevilsDavid Quenneville 2nd-round pick in 2021 |
| February 16, 2020 (2020-02-16) | To Tampa Bay LightningBlake Coleman | To New Jersey DevilsNolan Foote Conditional 1st-round pick in 2020 |
| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) | To Buffalo SabresWayne Simmonds | To New Jersey DevilsConditional 5th-round pick in 2021 |
| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) | To Carolina HurricanesSami Vatanen | To New Jersey DevilsFredrik Claesson Janne Kuokkanen Conditional 4th-round pick in 2020 |
| February 24, 2020 (2020-02-24) | To Vancouver CanucksLouis Domingue | To New Jersey DevilsZane McIntyre |

### Free agents

| Date | Player | Team | Contract term |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Kurtis Gabriel | to Philadelphia Flyers | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Nick Lappin | to St. Louis Blues | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Dakota Mermis | from Arizona Coyotes | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Blake Pietila | to Anaheim Ducks | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Wayne Simmonds | from Nashville Predators | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Ben Street | from Anaheim Ducks | 1-year |
| July 1, 2019 (2019-07-01) | Matt Tennyson | from Buffalo Sabres | 2-year |
| July 16, 2019 (2019-07-16) | Cam Johnson | to Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) | 1-year |
| July 24, 2019 (2019-07-24) | Kenny Agostino | to Toronto Maple Leafs | 2-year |
| August 19, 2019 (2019-08-19) | Eric Tangradi | to Barys Nur-Sultan (KHL) | 1-year |
| October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04) | Stefan Noesen | to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) | 1-year |
| October 6, 2019 (2019-10-06) | Joe Morrow | from Winnipeg Jets | 1-year |
| February 23, 2020 (2020-02-23) | Julian Melchiori | from Binghamton Devils (AHL) | 1-year |
| July 18, 2020 (2020-07-18) | Julian Melchiori | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk (KHL) | 1-year |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Contract term |
| July 12, 2019 (2019-07-12) | Jack Hughes | 3-year |
| July 15, 2019 (2019-07-15) | Brandon Baddock | 1-year |
| July 15, 2019 (2019-07-15) | Josh Jacobs | 1-year |
| July 16, 2019 (2019-07-16) | Connor Carrick | 2-year |
| July 22, 2019 (2019-07-22) | Mirco Mueller | 1-year |
| July 29, 2019 (2019-07-29) | Nikita Gusev | 2-year |
| July 31, 2019 (2019-07-31) | Will Butcher | 3-year |
| September 10, 2019 (2019-09-10) | Pavel Zacha | 3-year |
| October 19, 2019 (2019-10-19) | Nico Hischier | 7-year |
| December 30, 2019 (2019-12-30) | Nikita Okhotiuk | 3-year |
| August 10, 2020 (2020-08-10) | Reilly Walsh | 3-year |

## Draft picks

Below are the New Jersey Devils' selections at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 21 and 22, 2019, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 1 | Jack Hughes | C | United States | U.S. NTDP (USHL) |
| 2 | 61$^1$ | Nikita Okhotiuk | D | Russia | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |
| 3 | 70$^2$ | Daniil Misyul | D | Russia | Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) |
| 3 | 80$^3$ | Graeme Clarke | RW | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |
| 3 | 82$^4$ | Michael Vukojevic | D | Canada | Kitchener Rangers (OHL) |
| 4 | 96 | Tyce Thompson | RW | Canada | Providence (Hockey East) |
| 4 | 118$^5$ | Case McCarthy | D | United States | U.S. NTDP (USHL) |
| 5 | 127 | Cole Brady | G | Canada | Janesville Jets (NAHL) |
| 5 | 129$^6$ | Arseny Gritsyuk | LW | Russia | Omskie Yastreby (MHL) |
| 6 | 158 | Patrick Moynihan | RW | United States | U.S. NTDP (USHL) |
| 7 | 189 | Nikola Pasic | RW | Sweden | Linköpings J20 (J20 SuperElit) |
* The Boston Bruins' second-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 25, 2019, that sent Marcus Johansson to Boston in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2020 and this pick.
* The Anaheim Ducks' third-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on November 30, 2017, that sent Adam Henrique, Joseph Blandisi and a third-round pick in 2018 to Anaheim in exchange for Sami Vatanen and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).
* The Dallas Stars' third-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 23, 2019, that sent Ben Lovejoy to Dallas in exchange for Connor Carrick and this pick.
* The Winnipeg Jets' third-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on June 22, 2019, that sent Nashville's second-round pick in 2019 (55th overall) to San Jose in exchange for a third-round pick in 2019 (91st overall) and this pick.
* The Washington Capitals' fourth-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on June 22, 2019, that sent San Jose's third-round pick in 2019 (91st overall) to Washington in exchange for Buffalo's fifth-round pick in 2019 (129th overall) and this pick.
* The Buffalo Sabres' fifth-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on June 22, 2019, that sent San Jose's third-round pick in 2019 (91st overall) to Washington in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2019 (118th overall) and this pick.