Devils’ offense comes into focus as they eye a top-six winger to pair with Hughes and Hischier

The New Jersey Devils’ offseason priorities are beginning to crystallize around a familiar question, what kind of forward they need most to change how they play at even strength. In a review of Devils roster-building themes, Yahoo Sports pointed to one possible remedy, a top-six winger to complement Hughes and Hischier. The underlying concern is not simply volume of goals, but the way New Jersey has produced them, particularly at five-on-five.

Last season, the Devils finished 31st in five-on-five goals, a fact cited in the Yahoo Sports roundup. The argument that follows is straightforward: if style and deployment contributed to that number, then a specific offensive skill set in the top six could be the more direct path to improvement. In the same discussion, the name that comes up as a potential fit is Jordan Kyrou, framed as a winger who could bolster the Devils’ offense by providing additional scoring threat next to their established center and star forward.

What makes the “complement” focus more than just personnel talk is that Hughes and Hischier do not need a second star as much as they need a consistent release valve for puck retrieval, shot creation, and zone pressure. A top-six winger, by definition, is expected to help with finishing and chance generation while also operating in roles that keep the team from becoming overly reliant on a small set of scoring looks. The Devils’ five-on-five struggles magnify the value of that kind of forward, because special teams alone cannot carry a team into contention if even-strength scoring remains out of reach.

There is also a larger construction question in the background. The Yahoo Sports roundup included related Devils coverage noting how offseason cap flexibility could matter when trying to properly surround the core. It referenced AFP Analytics projections on an eight-year cap figure for Hischier, while also discussing the possibility of a lower average annual value than projected. Even if those figures do not determine the roster by themselves, the message is consistent with how teams think in this window, protecting flexibility so they can add without compromising other needs.

Of course, commentary and projections are not the same thing as confirmation. The Kyrou fit described in the roundup is an analytical recommendation, not a report that a deal is imminent. The Devils still have to align their internal evaluation with market realities, including what it would cost in assets and how any addition would affect the rest of the lineup at even strength.

Still, the “top-six winger” idea gives a clear lens for what to watch next. If New Jersey continues to emphasize upgrading scoring at five-on-five, expect their free-agent and trade conversations to skew toward players who can drive play and generate shots from high-value areas, not only players who can score in isolated moments. The Devils have Hughes and Hischier as anchors, and improving the production around them is the most direct way to erase the inefficiencies that left them near the bottom in even-strength goals.

The next steps in this storyline will likely come from how New Jersey balances immediate offense with long-term roster structure. If they pursue an attacker to play on scoring lines, the downstream effect should show up in how they deploy their top forwards, the minutes they assign, and how often their most skilled players spend time in possession rather than waiting for opportunities. Either way, the offseason conversation is now centered on a single, actionable theme: fix the five-on-five scoring problem by adding the right winger next to the core.

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