The​ 2018-19​ campaign began with plenty of enthusiasm and​ promise​ for the Devils​ before it​ quickly crumbled,​​ leaving the franchise out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons. This week, The Athletic will look back at the entire New Jersey roster to assess what happened and look ahead at who will and won’t survive the offseason. It’s a time of potential change as the Devils look to upgrade the roster and return to postseason contention next year.



First up were the forwards. Next, let’s look at the defensemen.



On paper, the Devils’ defense corps in 2018-19 should have been equal to the one from the previous season, with the potential for slight improvement.



The expectation was that the roster could make up for the loss of John Moore to free agency. Will Butcher, Damon Severson and Steven Santini were going to improve, Sami Vatanen had a full season...