New Jersey Devils’ 2025-26 Season Awards – The Hockey Writers – New Jersey Devils

On Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils held a locker cleanout, marking the end of the 2025-26 season. After failing to qualify for the playoffs, the organization will head back to the drawing board during the offseason. There are plenty of issues to address this summer, including scoring and goaltending inconsistencies. Now, they have to solidify the team’s identity moving forward, as they welcome Sunny Mehta as their new general manager (GM).

But despite such a tumultuous season, Devils fans have a lot to look forward to next season. With ample young talent and a star-studded core, there’s no doubt that success is in the team’s near future.

To celebrate the end of the season, here are a few players who deserve recognition for their efforts all season long. Without further ado, here are the Devils’ 2025-26 team awards for The Hockey Writers.

MVP: Jack Hughes

It should come as no surprise that Jack Hughes was the Devils’ most valuable player this season. He missed a significant amount of time, even undergoing hand surgery at one point, but came back stronger than ever. Hughes wrapped up the season as the club’s leader in both points (77) and assists (50). Not only that, but he also led the team in on-ice goals per 60 minutes, recording an average of 4.38.

He took the world by storm in February, when his overtime goal at the Winter Olympics propelled Team USA to victory. After the NHL resumed, his point production skyrocketed, finishing the season with 41 points in 25 games.

Should Hughes remain healthy for the 2026-27 season, the sky is the limit for what he can accomplish. For the last three seasons, he’s missed 20 or more games due to injury after breaking the single-season franchise point record in 2022-23. Regardless, there’s no doubt his role as an elite scorer will continue next season.

Best Forward: Nico Hischier

Once again, Nico Hischier has proven why he’s the heart and soul of the Devils. He remains their best all-situations player, capable of making a difference at both ends of the ice. Hischier excels at winning faceoffs, drawing penalties, and making plays, going toe-to-toe with opponents’ top lines night after night. 

His elite offensive production continued this season, leading the team with 28 goals and 11 power-play goals. Likewise, he also set numerous career highs. Hischier’s 1,008 faceoff wins marked a career best, leading the NHL by a margin of 169. In terms of his defensive game, he set a new high with 63 blocked shots, which is another important facet of his two-way game.

Aside from his on-ice talent, Hischier just wants to see the Devils succeed. After finishing his ninth season in New Jersey, he expressed his desire to win during his exit interview. “All we can do is go into summer and work hard on ourselves and come back and get ready for a great year,” said Hischier.

This summer, one of Mehta’s first actions as the Devils’ new GM should be to extend the captain, ensuring that his leadership will be locked in for many seasons to come.

Best Defenseman: Jonas Siegenthaler

In the face of such a devastating season, the Devils needed a solid, steady presence, which they had on the blue line in Jonas Siegenthaler. The Swiss defenseman skated in all 82 games for the first time in his career and played a major role in the Devils’ penalty kill. Even though he struggled at the start of the season without his shutdown partner, Johnathan Kovacevic, he finished strong, ending with a respectable 16 points.

His metrics improved in numerous categories, including a 46.7% increase in blocked shots, a 50% increase in takeaways, and a 24.8% increase in shot attempts. Much like the rest of the team, he kicked things into high gear after the Olympic break, with two multipoint games at the end of March and a shorthanded assist against the Montreal Canadiens at the start of April.

All in all, Siegenthaler might not have been able to bounce back to his peak 2024-25 form, but he remained healthy and made a valiant effort to close out the season.

Most Improved: Cody Glass

Headed into this season, all eyes were on Cody Glass after he signed a two-year extension during the offseason. But no one could have predicted that he’d score a career-high 19 goals or that he would cement himself as a reliable third-line center.

Glass was not only a dependable secondary scorer, but he also excelled where the Devils struggled the most: 5-on-5 scenarios. Of his 26 points this season, 23 came during 5-on-5, including 18 goals. In fact, he tied with Arseny Gritsyuk for the club’s lead, both averaging 2.69 5-on-5 goals every 60 minutes (GF/60). Among players who skated in 10 or more games, Glass’s 18.3 shooting percentage ranked first on the team.

Next season marks the final year of his contract, but he has already proven himself as a valuable depth scorer. For 2026-27, the hope is that he will continue his offensive production and play a bigger role in the Devils’ middle six.

Biggest Surprise: Arseny Gritsyuk

Despite having his rookie season cut short, Gritsyuk was one of the few bright spots in the Devils’ season. After an impressive stint in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), he settled into a middle-six role in New Jersey, earning 31 points across 66 games.

Gritsyuk’s adjustment to the NHL was near-instantaneous, and the 25-year-old spent the most time alongside Glass and Connor Brown. Together, the Brown-Glass-Gritsyuk line boasted a 64.29 goals for percentage (GF%) and contributed nine goals in 5-on-5 scenarios. He was also deployed on the Devils’ top line with Hughes and Jesper Bratt, an experiment that proved to be successful. 

His skill, versatility, and point production make him an asset for the Devils. With so much uncertainty surrounding the team right now, fans can rest assured that the future of the franchise will be in good hands with Gritsyuk — so long as he re-signs this offseason.

Best Acquisition: Connor Brown

The Devils might have struck out with a few of their recent signings, but they struck gold in Brown. With 18 goals and 43 points, he quickly emerged from a bottom-six forward to a top-line right wing. This season, he provided a lethal combination of speed and scoring, making his $3 million cap hit until 2029 a major steal.

Brown also continues to be a top contributor on the penalty kill. He had two shorthanded goals this season, leading all Devils’ forwards in penalty kill ice time per game (1:51). A major factor in his special teams dominance comes from his speed. According to NHL Edge, Brown’s max skating speed of 23.23 miles per hour (mph) ranks in the 91st percentile among the league’s forwards. Furthermore, he recorded 560 skating bursts between 18 and 20 mph, as compared to an average of 313.7 for NHL forwards.

Hopefully, he will continue to provide veteran scoring. In his exit interview, he claimed that the Devils have all the necessary components to win — it’s just a matter of putting it all together. “We have the makings of a situation where we can put together a good team and a competitive team. And not one that just gets in the playoffs, but one that can compete for Stanley Cups,” said Brown.

Looking to Regroup for 2026-27

Once again, the Devils have become the underdogs in the Metropolitan Division. After starting the season strong, they fell victim to the same issues that have victimized them for the last three seasons: a lack of secondary scoring, countless injuries, and shaky goaltending. Now, it will be up to the front office to get the ball rolling and set the team up for success in 2026-27.