The Devils are currently outside of the playoffs. To some people this would be seen as disappointing after last season where they advanced to the quarter finals. This season at points has been disappointing, but there is nuance. Most of the top players on the Devils have missed games due to injury. Dougie Hamilton , Ondrej Palat, and Jack Hughes –their best player– are still out. Timo Meier and Nico Hischier have been out for games earlier in the season. With 5 stars missing time, most teams would be at the bottom or in last place in their divisions, the Devils aren’t. Young players have stepped up such as Luke Hughes Simon Nemec, and Alexander Holtz. Mid-level players like John Marino and Tyler Toffoli have been solid. The Devils to get into the playoffs have to keep doing what they’ve done when stars are out and hope that the teams in front of them in the standings falter.