5 Things New Jersey Devils Fans Should Be Thankful For

The Devils may have had questions whether they could keep young stars when David Clarkson, Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise left in two offseasons, but they were answered when the team signed multiple players to long-term deals. They currently have Adam Henrique, Travis Zajac, Michael Cammalleri, Cory Schneider and Andy Greene signed through the 2018-19 season. That is a lot of security for a team that isn't used to it.

The Devils took a flier on Jaromir Jagr last season coming off the heals of Ilya Kovalchuk's retirement. He was more than worth every penny. Now he is back for a second campaign and he is still doing great things despite being 42 years old. Without him, who knows where this team would have been the past two seasons.

The New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders and Washington Capitals have exactly zero Stanley Cup wins since the Devils won their first one in 1995. That is something that fans can hang their hat on while the other clubs talk smack.

Some teams are begging for young defensemen to build their team around. Players that, while they may need some experience, have all the potential in the world. When the Devils look at their team, and in their system, they see Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas, Jon Merrill, Damon Severson, Steve Santini and Seth Helgeson. Everyone talks about how old the Devils are, but they have plenty of youth to lean on.

After years of talks about contraction, bankruptcy, relocation and more from the reign of Jeff Vanderbeek, the Devils got great owners in Josh Harris and David Blitzer. While they aren't hockey guys, they are the types of owners you want running your franchise. They let hockey people do their thing and they trust them with their investment. This is the best possible situation for everyone.