Analyzing the Devils' offseason moves

The New Jersey Devils were fairly busy during the 2017 offseason, making several key moves that have fans excited for what lays ahead.

The selection of Nico Hischier with the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft will give a big boost to an offense has been significantly lacking in recent years. The team also landed coveted free agent college blueliner Will Butcher. The reigning Hobey Baker Award champion is an excellent puck-moving rearguard who captained his NCAA team to a championship. Butcher put up 37 points over 43 contests as a senior and has been praised for his two-way game and leadership.

While the Devils landed two young studs, they did lose some key pieces this offseason. Both Michael Cammalleri and Devante Smith-Pelly were bought out by the team. It's hard to be critical of these moves, as Cammalleri can never stay healthy and Smith-Pelly has always had trouble finding consistency. What hurts the Devils is the loss of Beau Bennett, who could have been re-signed for cheap to help solidify the bottom-six. Instead, Bennett signed with the St. Louis Blues for one year at just $650K.

Where the Devils went right this summer was in their two big-time forward acquisitions. New Jersey scored the third fewest amount of goals in the NHL last season and it's clear they needed help up front. Trading for 58-point forward Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals adds a reputable goal-scorer to their top-six, while the addition of Brian Boyle from Toronto gives them some veteran leadership and a skilled bottom-six center.

The Devils solidified their goaltending situation by re-signing one of the better backups in the NHL in Keith Kinkaid to continue playing behind Cory Schneider, but their defense core remains the main reason they likely aren't a playoff team right now. A top-six probably consisting of Andy Greene, Ben Lovejoy, John Moore, Damon Severson, Will Butcher and Michael Kapla is significantly lacking when compared to some of the Eastern Conference powerhouses.

It's clear the Devils are heading in the right direction and they've made some great offseason acquisitions, but a return to the playoffs is likely a few years away.