The offseason has arrived for half of the league’s teams that aren’t taking part in the playoffs plus those already eliminated through the first couple of rounds. Accordingly, it’s time to examine what they will need to accomplish over the coming months. Next up is a look at New Jersey.
Over the first half of the season, the Devils looked like a potential contender before injuries to several key players dropped them in the standings. While they managed to hold onto a playoff spot, they were eliminated quickly by Carolina. While GM Tom Fitzgerald has suggested he’d like to take some big swings this summer, this checklist is if they opt to take a more measured approach if those bigger moves don’t pan out.
Look For Center Help
This was an area that the Devils were believed to be looking into during the season but once Jack Hughes went down with his shoulder injury that required surgery right before the trade deadline, those plans were understandably shelved. After all, when you’re missing multiple key pieces, pushing in some prominent trade chips for short-term help might not be the best way to go.
Between Hughes and Nico Hischier, New Jersey’s top two middlemen are in place for at least a couple more years until Hischier’s deal comes to an end; Hughes is signed through 2030 so he’s around for a while yet. After that, things get a bit murkier.
The hope was that Erik Haula would be the right fit for the third line but while he started off pretty well in his tenure with the Devils three seasons ago, this was a particularly rough year for him. His point-per-game average dropped to the lowest it has been (0.30) since his sophomore year back in 2013-14 when he spent a lot of time on Minnesota’s fourth line as he was getting acclimated to the NHL. He has one year left on his deal at a $3.15MM price tag and is the type of player who could plausibly be added to a trade to help match money. Alternatively, if they were to add another center and keep Haula, he’d fit in well on the left wing, a position he has plenty of experience at.
Another internal option that has run hot or cold is Dawson Mercer. After putting up 56 points in his sophomore year, he has managed just 33 and 36 the last two seasons. Meanwhile, he hasn’t fared particularly well when asked to play down the middle. He has two years left on his deal at a $4MM cap charge and he’ll still be RFA-eligible at its expiration. Not surprisingly, he could be someone that Fitzgerald is open to moving to shake up his roster. In terms of being a solution at the 3C spot, he’s probably only a stopgap one whenever injuries arise. If he and Haula aren’t deemed ideal for the role, they’ll have to look externally. They may not have much to spend on it, however, as we’ll get into over the next couple of sections.
Before moving on, it’s also worth noting that Curtis Lazar, who has often anchored the fourth line when healthy in recent years, is also an unrestricted free agent. So too is Justin Dowling who spent a lot of time with the Devils this season. Paul Cotter has played a few games down the middle over his career but is a better fit on the wing so this is another spot they’ll need to fill this offseason.
Re-Sign The Other Hughes
While one Hughes brother is signed for several more years, the other isn’t. Defenseman Luke Hughes will be a restricted free agent this summer after completing the first year of his entry-level contract. While he won’t be eligible for an offer sheet (he didn’t play enough to accrue a season in the first year of his deal), he’s still going to be in line for a significant raise after putting up 91 points in 153 games over the last two seasons, especially with the big jump coming to the salary cap.
Before getting into the bridge versus long-term debate, this is a good time to mention their cap situation. Per PuckPedia, the Devils have roughly $12MM in cap space at their disposal with a few forward spots to fill (including those center positions), a new deal for Hughes, and one other possible opening in the next section. On top of that, they likely want to leave themselves some in-season wiggle room so not all of that may be spendable.
While there’s enough of a track record to make a long-term deal feasible, New Jersey’s cap situation might dictate they go with a short-term pact, allowing for some extra flexibility, especially if Fitzgerald is able to make a big swing or two as he’s hoping for. Notably, Hughes has five years of club control remaining, giving them a few more options on a short-term agreement as a bridge deal could conceivably be four years long with him still being restricted at the end of it. A two-year agreement could land around the $5MM range while a four-year pact likely could push past $6MM per season.
On the flip side, Hughes could be viewed as the top priority of the offseason which could allow the two sides to work out a longer-term pact up to the maximum of eight years. There are recent comparables to work with in Owen Power (seven years, $8.35MM per season) and Brock Faber (eight years, $8.5MM per season) although those were obviously signed before the projection of a faster-escalating cap came into play. But New Jersey should know that if they want to go long-term with Hughes, the price tag likely starts with an eight.
With no arbitration or offer sheet rights, this is one of those cases that could linger toward training camp. But with the Devils needing to know what money they have available to fill their other holes on the roster, this is something that they’re going to want to get done sooner than later.
Look For Goalie Insurance
Starting goaltender Jacob Markstrom has just one year left on his contract before being eligible for unrestricted free agency. Jake Allen is set to hit the open market this summer and profiles as one of the top netminders available in a particularly thin class. This season, their goaltending position was one of strength but it’s already looking a little shallower.
Yes, Nico Daws is already under contract at a cap hit that’s less than $40K above the league minimum. While that’s ideal from a cap standpoint, he’s coming off a particularly rough year with AHL Utica that saw him put up a 3.16 GAA and a .893 SV% in 34 games. Meanwhile, while he fared much better in six NHL games, his career numbers in 54 outings aren’t the strongest. It’s possible that the plan is to give him a shot at being the full-time backup and if that’s the case, they’re going to want some insurance, either as someone who could battle with Daws for the number two spot or come up if he struggles.
Alternatively, they could look for a more proven second option with an eye on starting Daws in the minors again, pending waiver clearance. Markstrom’s former Calgary teammate Daniel Vladar could be an option, as could Ilya Samsonov if he leaves Vegas. Allen realistically shouldn’t be ruled out either after a relatively solid first full season with them. Of course, those options cost more and would cut into what they can spend for help down the middle or when working out a deal with Hughes. Some of those players might require more than one year which would at least give them one proven option under contract beyond 2025-26 as well.
Utilize Defensive Depth
New Jersey has put together a solid defensive group with two promising youngsters behind them in Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey. As things stand, they have more than $27MM committed to their blueliners, a cost that’s only going to go up considerably once Hughes signs. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that their back end will be the most expensive in the league, costing more than 35% of the salary cap in the process.
Once Hughes signs, their lowest-paid defenders will be Jonas Siegenthaler ($3.4MM) along with Johnathan Kovacevic and Brenden Dillon ($4MM apiece). Individually, these aren’t bad value contracts but with that much tied up in their top six and Nemec and Casey in the wings, there’s a case to be made that they might be better off dealing from their surplus of veterans, a move that would open up a spot for one of the youngsters and potentially some additional cap flexibility.
The challenge here revolves around handedness and it’s not necessarily the normal one. Both youngsters are right-shot players as are veterans Dougie Hamilton, Brett Pesce, and Kovacevic. At a $9MM price tag for three more years, Hamilton will be difficult to move, at least without considerable retention. Pesce just signed last summer and has a full no-trade clause while Kovacevic only signed his extension less than three months ago so he’s probably safe as well.
Speculatively, Siegenthaler would be the likeliest to move if the Devils do deal from their depth. Being the cheapest player helps but he has primarily played top-four minutes over the last four years and with three years left on a reasonable contract, he would yield a solid return. That would put them in a rare spot of having more right-shot options than lefties but that would help open up some options for Fitzgerald to try to make a splash this summer.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.