Devils Penalty Kill Should Be a Strength in 2024-25

The New Jersey Devils' penalty kill has been a strength for a number of years, and that should again be the case in 2024-25.

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Usually, a strong penalty kill is not a repeatable trait from year to year. But for the most part, the New Jersey Devils' penalty kill has been in the top half of the league for close to a decade, even during their rebuilding years.

The Devils posted a PK percentage of 82.9 percent in 2015-16 and have been above 80 percent in seven of the last nine seasons. That's pretty impressive, considering all the personnel changes, from coaches to players.

The good news is the Devils are returning much of their penalty-killing personnel from a season ago. Ryan McGill, the assistant coach in charge of the PK, is back. Most of the players who played a man down are, too. And some new additions could help bolster a unit that should be a strength this coming season.

Devils Returning Most Penalty-Killing Forwards

Every coach has a couple of primary penalty killers they use, and Sheldon Keefe is fortunate he's walking into a team that returns almost all their penalty killers from a season ago.

He might not be the Devils' best penalty killer, but you know Keefe will have Nico Hischier as a focal point of this unit. While he might not be the best killer, he's still a good one, and his results last season were solid. The Devils allowed 7.08 expected goals against per 60 (xGA/60) when Hischier was on the ice, a good rate when down a man.

Former coach Lindy Ruff also got Jesper Bratt in the mix on the kill last season, and he showed that he may have a place there. His shot suppression numbers were a bit better than Hischier's (6.76 xGA/60), and he can also provide some shorthanded offense when the opportunity presents itself.

We'll see if Keefe feels Bratt should be a penalty killer again, but he's a viable option. And even if he isn't, there are plenty of other possibilities to build around.

Ondřej Palát was one of the Devils' best defensive forwards at even strength last season, and he was also one of their best penalty killers. The Devils allowed just 3.75 xGA/60 when he was on the ice down a man, the best on the team by a mile.