How far are Devils from a future playoff run after painful 2021-22 season?

PHT’s “What Went Wrong?” series asks that question about teams who’ve been eliminated from the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Why did this team fall short, and how far are they from getting things right?. Following news of Jack Hughes’ season-ending injury, PHT breaks down why 2021-22 the New Jersey Devils missed the playoffs.

Bad injury news seemed to spike the “one good thing” about the 2021-22 Devils. The ray of hope that is Jack Hughes‘ ascent to stardom (if not superstardom) went dim until next season.

Overall, that’s not totally fair. When you dig a little, you can talk yourself into the 2021-22 Devils building something that could translate to progress next season, and further down the line.

Yet, that more flippant viewpoint isn’t totally unearned, either.

On April 1, the Devils were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. This marks the fourth consecutive season they’ve missed the postseason, and marks a stretch where they missed in nine of 10 seasons. Taylor Hall essentially willed them to a playoff berth in 2017-18, where they won a single playoff game.

In that time, the Devils frequently looked like offseason winners. They’ve added big defensive names like P.K. Subban and Dougie Hamilton. They memorably won that Taylor Hall – Adam Larsson trade. Despite those victories of perception, the 2021-22 Devils look a lot like other Devils teams from the past decade.

Dire. Dim. Without an overwhelming argument for things getting much better anytime soon.

Peek at certain metrics, such as Hockey Viz’s team charts, and you may be surprised by the Devils’ relative competence. Evolving Hockey’s team RAPM charts capture a team with solid (though by no means spectacular) offense, a solid penalty kill, and ultimately a team