Devils franchise history can be split into three distinct periods: Before Lou, During Lou, After Lou. The first and last have combined to yield one playoff series victory.
This season is their chance to change that.
After a season from hell last year marked a setback in what had looked like a straightforward climb up, the Devils are out of excuses.
Their goaltending, 30th in the league last season, is no longer a glaring issue after a blockbuster deal for Jacob Markstrom.
Their defense, too often taken advantage of after Ryan Graves was allowed to walk in free agency, has been overhauled, with Brenden Dillon, Brett Pesce and Johnathan Kovacevic added over the summer.
Their health, a consistent problem last season with superstar Jack Hughes and top defenseman Dougie Hamilton both dealing with major injuries, is (mostly) intact.
Their coaching staff, which shouldered the blame last season when Lindy Ruff was fired, was overhauled with the hire of Sheldon Keefe, who brings with him a .665 regular-season points percentage from five seasons coaching the Maple Leafs.
“We were brutal,” Hughes told reporters on the first day of camp. “But we’re into the new year now.”
That comes with expectations.
“I’m focused on building a team here that has a style of play and a structure in place that is sustainable over time and can withstand and be resilient, even in the face of adversity,” Keefe told The Post in a phone interview before the Devils jetted to Prague for a season-opening pair of games against the Sabres, the first of which is Friday. “That’s really what any good team does. Every team goes through adversity, but the great teams manage it, and they find their way through it. That’s where we’re focused on building, and perhaps, if there’s one thing from last season that didn’t happen, it would be that.”
On paper, the Devils have a team that should challenge the Rangers for Metropolitan Division supremacy and be a force come the playoffs.
Even injuries to Pesce (fractured fibula) and Luke Hughes (shoulder) that could keep the two sidelined early in the season appear to be something the Devils can handle, with 2023 No. 2 overall pick Simon Nemec and rookie defenseman Seamus Casey looking likely to step into their spots.
The two reasons to believe in this team, though, are the addition of Markstrom and a forward group that can count itself amongst the league’s most talented.
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Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald had been after the former Calgary netminder since last season and finally reeled him in this June with a deal that sent a 2025 first-round pick and Kevin Bahl back to the Flames, filling what was by far the biggest hole on the roster.
And with Jack Hughes now healthy after getting shut down early last season for shoulder surgery, the 23-year-old phenom could challenge for the Hart Trophy on a line that will also feature Timo Meier and Jesper Bratt — a pair of former 30-goal scorers.
“The skill set is elite and special,” Keefe said of the elder Hughes brother on the team. “And it gives you so many opportunities as a coach to be able to embrace that and work with that. Put him in the spots to utilize those skills. So that’s been exciting to see up close.”
Nico Hischier, the team’s captain, is annually in the Selke Trophy conversation.
Young winger Dawson Mercer could be on the cusp of a breakout after consecutive 20-goal seasons. Stefan Noesen and Paul Cotter were added to a bottom six that looked for a long time like a nascent issue, bringing playoff experience and toughness.
Devils fans have suffered through more than a decade After Lou.
This is the franchise’s chance to write a new script and start a new era.
“You try to build something special, especially now with the group we have,” Keefe said. “The added experience to support the players that we have here, the younger group that’s been growing together. There’s no reason why this group can’t take on a different level of maturity.”
