Ex-New Jersey Devil makes a bold claim about the current Devils core

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Mike Armenti
August 19, 2023 (11:28)

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The New Jersey Devils took a big step forward last season, finishing the year with 52 wins, good enough for second in the Metropolitan Division behind only the Carolina Hurricanes. The performance also saw them return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2018.

With a young core including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, along with experienced players such as Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier, Tyler Toffoli and Ondrej Palat, the Devils are poised for another big year and are looking to bring the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey for the first time in two decades.

In a recent interview with Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, former Devils forward Petr Sykora made a big prediction for the team's future, saying that they'll return to the Stanley Cup Finals within five years.

"I truly believe that, with the core players they have right now, this team has a pretty good chance to take it all the way. I only think that they were missing playoff experience, so it's awesome that they got it last year with a couple of rounds. They're going to know how to deal with certain situations. Within the next five years, we should see the Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals." Sykora said.

The Devils ultimately fell to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past season, and both the Canes and the Devils are coming into the 2023-24 season having improved upon last year's iterations. It should be a very interesting year atop the Metropolitan Division this season.

Petr Sykora, an amazing interview by the way, is really fired up about his former team.

"Within the next five years, we should see the Devils in the Stanley Cup Finals � 100%.»#NJDevils https://t.co/CScWGBSi5q pic.twitter.com/pfDE6X0FyG� Ryan Novozinsky (@ryannovo62) August 17, 2023