On the rebound: New Jersey Devils players poised to bounce back in 2026-27

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The New Jersey Devils failed to meet expectations last year for a wide array of reasons.

While injuries, a lack of scoring talent, and poor depth were the lead culprits, there were also some players who – for one reason or another – failed to contribute as much as they’re capable of.

Let’s highlight three of them; specifically, those likely to provide the team with more in 2026-27.

Meier hasn’t lived up to the hype since joining the Devils, but the gap between his results and what’s expected was at its largest last season. And not entirely because of his own doing.

If he didn’t have poor puck luck, he’d have no luck at all.

In terms of on-ice outputs, Meier posted a strong +9.3 expected goal differential at 5v5. Actual retail price: -18. That’s a 27.3 goal swing.

While the first two full seasons of Meier’s career in New Jersey were nothing to write home about, he still posted on-ice shooting percentages of 9.21 and 8.11.

Those were in the ballpark of his normal rates and allowed him to play even hockey despite a) logging plenty of tough minutes and; b) playing for a team that ranked 28th in goal share.

This past season his on-ice SH% cratered to 6.57%. There’s no reason to expect that to continue, and a spike is likely.

His goal outputs should also rise, especially if he generates chances at the same rate as he did.

Outside of a 34 game rookie campaign, Meier had never scored more than four goals below expectation in a season prior to last year.

The 2025-26 campaign was a year from hell and clear outlier. Meier scored at a 26-goal pace despite finding the back of the net 10 times fewer than expected on a per-82 basis. He couldn’t finish a thing.

The good news is Meier’s xG output was the second highest of his career despite not playing a featured role on the power play, as he often did in the past.

If you are of the belief Meier – a 29-year-old without a laundry list of injuries to his hands, arms or shoulders – didn’t lose all of his finishing ability over night for no logical reason, it’s easy to get excited about his rebound potential.