The 2020–21 New Jersey Devils season was the 47th season for the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

franchise that was established on June 11, 1974, and 39th season since the franchise relocated from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

prior to the

1982–83 NHL season The 1982–83 NHL season was the 66th season of the National Hockey League. The New York Islanders won their fourth Stanley Cup in a row with their second consecutive finals sweep by beating the Edmonton Oilers four games to none. No team in any ...

. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and COVID-19 cross-border travel restrictions imposed by the

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown ...

, the Devils played a shortened 56-game regular season, which consisted of divisional play only, with the Devils being temporarily realigned from the

Metropolitan Division The National Hockey League's Metropolitan Division (often referred to simply as the "Metro Division") was formed in 2013 as one of the two divisions in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference as part of a league realignment. It is also a ...

to the East Division. Fan attendance in home games was prohibited until March 1, 2021, per an executive order from

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...

Phil Murphy Philip Dunton Murphy (born August 16, 1957) is an American financier, diplomat, and politician serving as the 56th governor of New Jersey since January 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the United States ambassador to Germa ...

. The Devils reopened

Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...

to spectators on March 2. On April 20, following a 7–6 loss to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

, the Devils were eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive season.

Standings

Divisional standings

Schedule and results

Regular season

The regular season schedule was published on December 23, 2020.

Player statistics

As of May 11, 2021

Skaters

Goaltenders

Transactions

The Devils have been involved in the following transactions during the 2020–21 season.

Trades

Free agents

Waivers

Contract terminations

Retirement

Signings

Draft picks

Below are the New Jersey Devils' selections at the

2020 NHL Entry Draft The 2020 NHL Entry Draft was the 58th NHL Entry Draft, held from October 6–7, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled for June 26–27, 2020, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, but was postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pan ...

, which was held on October 6 and 7, 2020, in a remote format, with teams convening via

videoconferencing Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio signal, audio and video signals by people in different locations for Real-time, real time communication. ...

, and Commissioner

Gary Bettman Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is an American sports executive who serves as the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice president and general cou ...

announcing selections from the NHL Network studios in

Secaucus, New Jersey Secaucus ( ) is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the town's population was 16,264,Bell Centre Bell Centre (), formerly known as Molson Centre (), is a multi-purpose arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Opened on March 16, 1996, it is the home arena of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL), replacing the Montr ...

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, but was postponed on March 25, 2020 due to the

and the conclusion of the

2020 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on August 1, 2020, and concluded on September 28, 2020, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second Stanley Cup in franchise ...

. Notes: # The

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

' first-round pick went to the

New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

as the result of a trade on December 16, 2019, that sent

Taylor Hall Taylor Hall (born November 14, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft selected by the Edmonton Oilers. He has ...

and

Blake Speers Blake Speers (born January 2, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently playing with Västerås IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan (Allsv). He has formerly played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the New Jersey Devils ...

to Arizona in exchange for

Nick Merkley Nicholas Merkley (born May 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing under contract with HC Dinamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Merkley was formerly rated as a top prospect who was widely proj ...

, Kevin Bahl, Nate Schnarr, a conditional third-round pick in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). # The

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

' first-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 16, 2020, that sent

Blake Coleman Blake Coleman (born November 28, 1991), nicknamed "Pickles", is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round, 75th overall, by the New Jersey Devils dur ...

to Tampa Bay in exchange for Nolan Foote and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). # The

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

' third-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 24, 2020, that sent

Sami Vatanen Sami Vatanen (born 3 June 1991) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman for Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL). He was drafted in the fourth round, 106th overall, by the Anaheim Ducks at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Playing car ...

to Carolina in exchange for

Fredrik Claesson Fredrik Claesson (born 24 November 1992), is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for HC CSKA Moscow in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the fifth round (126th overall) of the ...

Janne Kuokkanen Janne Kuokkanen (born 25 May 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the National League (NL). Kuokkanen was drafted 43rd overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Befo ...

and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade). # The

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

' fourth-round pick went to the New Jersey Devils as the result of a trade on February 25, 2019, that sent Marcus Johansson to Boston in exchange for a second-round pick in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and this pick.

Notes

References

New Jersey Devils seasons

21st century in Newark, New Jersey