As NHL teams are eliminated from Stanley Cup contention, theScore NHL freelance writer Katie Brown looks back at the highs and lows of their seasons, along with the biggest questions ahead of 2018-19. The 20th edition focuses on the New Jersey Devils.

The Good

Nico Hischier. The Swiss star's rookie season was, by all indications, a success. Hischier wasn't a Calder Trophy finalist, but that won't diminish his achievements. He recorded 20 goals and 52 points, good enough for second on the team. Hopes are high for the 2017 No. 1 pick.

Taylor Hall. Hall is a finalist for the Hart Trophy alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Anze Kopitar, and for good reason. He was the Devils' best player all season and put together an incredible 26-game point streak. Hall finished with 39 goals and 54 assists, and his 93 points were 41 more than the next-closest player on the team (Hischier).

A major improvement. The Devils went from finishing last in the Eastern Conference in 2016-17 to snagging the second wild-card spot in the playoffs this year. That climb featured a 16-win, 27-point bump from last season. While they were eliminated in the first round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, there are plenty of reasons for optimism going forward.

The Bad

Goaltending issues. John Hynes chose to start Keith Kinkaid - who took over for injured starter Cory Schneider midway through the season - for the first three games of the Devils' first-round series. Halfway through Game 3, Hynes replaced Kinkaid with Schneider, who made 34 saves in the Devils' only win of the series. Kinkaid did well in the regular season while Schneider was out, but it's easy to imagine the Devils faring better with their No. 1 goalie in net to start the playoffs.

Secondary scoring. Secondary scoring was an issue during the season and became even more of a problem in the playoffs. While Hall is a prolific scorer, he and the top two lines can't be expected to do it all.

Goals against. The Devils allowed 240 goals for the second consecutive year, putting them in the middle of the pack. New Jersey must improve in this area next season if it wants to make a deep playoff run.

The Questions

Which free agents will stay? Patrick Maroon, Michael Grabner, and John Moore will all be unrestricted free agents this summer. Grabner and Maroon were acquired at the trade deadline; of the two, Maroon made a better case to be kept. Moore might be cut loose to make room for younger players.

What is Ray Shero's plan? Ray Shero traded for defenseman Sami Vatanen, and it wouldn't be a stretch to expect him to target another defenseman this summer, with the likes of John Carlson potentially being available. He's integrated rookie Will Butcher with veterans Andy Greene and Ben Lovejoy while upgrading the blue line the last couple of years, and it's possible he'll want to add a top-four defenseman to that group.

Who is the No. 1 goalie? There could be a battle in training camp for the No. 1 goalie spot. Kinkaid was outstanding during the second half of the season filling in for Schneider while he was down with groin and hip injuries, and was one of the reasons the Devils were able to push for a playoff spot. He won 16 games in the last two months of the season. Shero seems fine with having two No. 1 goalies on his roster, though. There are worse problems to have.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

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Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid will captain Canada at the World Championship, Hockey Canada announced Monday.

In addition, Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O'Reilly and the St. Louis Blues' Brayden Schenn will serve as alternates.

"We have a mix of youth and veterans on our team, and the three players chosen to wear a letter know what it takes to be successful in international competition and that will help us be successful in our ultimate goal," head coach Bill Peters said in a release.

This marks the second time McDavid has represented Canada at the World Championship after the 21-year-old suited up for the 2016 tournament. That year, he put up one goal and nine points in 10 games en route to a gold medal.

Canada will look to reclaim top spot after settling for silver last year against Sweden.

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The Carolina Hurricanes' search for a new general manager is being put on hold, and team president Don Waddell will continue holding down those duties for now, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

This after Carolina was unable to make a deal with Buffalo's assistant GM Steve Greeley, who interviewed twice for the job.

Friedman adds there are no plans to hire anyone in the near term.

Waddell has been sitting in as acting GM ever since Ron Francis was promoted to president of hockey operations.

The Hurricanes were awarded the second overall pick at Saturday's draft lottery, and Waddell said the selection makes the club more appealing to potential coach and GM candidates.

Waddell served as Atlanta Thrashers general manager for 12 years and joined the Hurricanes in 2014.

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Tom Wilson's hit on Brian Dumoulin is under scrutiny.

The Washington Capitals forward caught the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman with a hit to the head in Sunday's Game 2, a collision that went unpenalized.

Related: Dumoulin leaves Game 2 after hit to head from Wilson

Now, the NHL Department of Player Safety is in the process of closely reviewing the incident, a league source told Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post.

Since Wilson was suspended twice in the preseason, he is considered a repeat offender, which could potentially lead to a stiffer punishment if the league decides the hit warrants action.

That history, however, does not factor into whether there should be supplemental discipline to begin with.

Dumoulin was unable to return to the game, and there's no word yet on his status for Game 3.

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The Winnipeg Jets can put some offense together in a hurry.

Case in point: Dustin Byfuglien and Mark Scheifele scored 29 seconds apart in the first period of Game 2 in Nashville, making Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne look very human in the process.

Patrik Laine also hit the post shortly after Scheifele's goal.

The Jets were looking to head back to Winnipeg with a 2-0 series lead.

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What would Stanley Cup Playoff action be without some sort of goal controversy?

The issue Sunday was whether the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to get the puck all the way across the goal line during the third period of Game 2.

Patric Hornqvist sure thought he scored on Braden Holtby, but the Capitals goaltender was able to shield the puck from view just enough to hinder the officials from conclusively ruling it a goal.

A closer looks sure makes it seem as though the puck went in the net, but again, the photo evidence is inconclusive.

Play therefore carried on with the Penguins down 3-1, and the NHL later explained the ruling as follows:

"At 9:03 of the third period in the Penguins/Capitals game, the Situation Room initiated a video review to further examine a play at the Washington net. Video review determined that there were no definitive replays which showed that the puck completely crossed the Washington goal line. Therefore, the Referee's call on the ice stands - no goal Pittsburgh."

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The Carolina Hurricanes have another selling point.

Team president Don Waddell represented the Hurricanes at the NHL draft lottery on Saturday, and was obviously quite pleased to come away with the No. 2 overall pick after finishing 21st in the overall standings this season.

The addition of a top-flight prospect will certainly help attract candidates for the team's vacant general manager and head coach positions, Waddell believes.

"You put another big asset into your team," Waddell said, per Chip Alexander of the News & Observer. "To have that kind of asset that you didn't have before the day started, I think makes it even more appealing to what we have going on right now in Raleigh."

Waddell added new owner Tom Dundon appreciated the jump in draft order.

"He's happy," Waddell said of Dundon. "The value of the 11 pick is good. The value of a No. 2 pick is great."

Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is expected to go first overall, but highly-touted forwards Andrei Svechnikov, Brady Tkachuk, and Filip Zadina will all be there for the taking with the second pick.

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin was forced to exit Sunday's Game 2 in Washington after taking a hit to the head from Tom Wilson, with Alex Ovechkin levying a check directly in the wake of that contact.

Dumoulin remained down on the ice for a few moments before slowly getting up and heading to the locker room.

No penalty was called on the play, but Wilson may be hearing from the NHL's Department of Player Safety.

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