NEWARK — P.K. Subban played against the Devils 22 times over his first nine N.H.L. seasons, but he knew virtually nothing about New Jersey before he arrived in July, one month after being traded here by the Nashville Predators.

“The one thing I didn’t know was how green New Jersey is,” said Subban, 30, who moved into a house in the Essex County suburbs with his fiancée, the American skier Lindsey Vonn. “It would be easy to think that New Jersey is kind of like a concrete jungle, but it’s not. It’s a great place to live and raise a family. Lindsey and I are so excited to be here.”

Subban, a defenseman who played six full seasons for the Montreal Canadiens and three for the Predators, was not brought in by the Devils to disappear behind a riding mower. He and Jack Hughes, the speedy and prolific 18-year-old American forward taken with the No. 1 draft pick, were acquired to make the Devils successful — and relevant — again.

Subban had an assist and Hughes was largely quiet in 15 minutes of action in his N.H.L. debut on Friday as the Devils lost their opener, 5-4, in a shootout to the Winnipeg Jets. The Devils built a 4-0 lead with about six minutes left in the second period, but the Jets rallied. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider left early in third period with an apparent injury.