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New Jersey Devils Re-Sign Kevin Bahl

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The New Jersey Devils re-signed defenseman Kevin Bahl today to a two-year contract worth $2.1MM with an annual average value of $1.05MM, according to a team release. Bahl will earn $900K in actual salary in 2023-24 and $1.2MM in 2024-25 under the terms of the deal. After signing Bahl, the Devils have re-signed all their restricted free agents this offseason.

A 23-year-old left-shot defender out of New Westminster, British Columbia, Bahl played a career-high 42 games with the Devils last season and largely avoided AHL assignment, skating in only three games in the minors with the Utica Comets. Playing a physical, two-way game by trade, Bahl improved significantly on his previous short NHL stints in 2022-23, continually working his way up the team’s depth chart and playing in 11 of 12 postseason games for the Devils. He finished the regular season with two goals, six assists, eight points, a +4 rating, and 35 penalty minutes.

The hulking 6-foot-6 Bahl now looks to keep his pace and stay in the Devils’ lineup full-time, even with promising prospects like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec ready (or close to ready) for full-time NHL duties. New Jersey will likely bet on Bahl to replace some of the grit and defensive acumen they lost when Ryan Graves departed for the Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency earlier this month, and they’ll likely increase his ice time from last year’s 14:01 per game in the process. Giving Bahl a seven-figure cap hit certainly demonstrates an organizational belief in the player.

After signing Bahl, CapFriendly projects the Devils to be comfortably cap-compliant with $1.92MM in projected space, assuming a full 23-player roster. This projection assumes youngsters like Hughes and Nolan Foote make the team but not 2020 seventh-overall pick Alexander Holtz. The Devils have $2.575MM in dead cap this season thanks to $2MM wrapped up in the Cory Schneider buyout, a $325K penalty from the Janne Kuokkanen buyout, and the nearly-finished yearly $250K recapture penalty for terminating Ilya Kovalchuk’s supermassive 15-year, $100MM contract in 2013.

When this contract concludes in 2025, Bahl will still be a restricted free agent. He’ll also be eligible for arbitration at that time.

Jeremy Groleau Linked To Sweden

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After going unqualified by the New Jersey Devils last month, young defenseman Jeremy Groleau may have found his new home. The 23-year-old has a one-year agreement in place with SHL club Farjestad BK, per Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Ros of Sportbladet.

It’s not often we see a North American-born player head to Europe immediately after completing their entry-level contract, but that appears to be Groleau’s choice. He hit the unrestricted free agent market this offseason despite seeing an increased role when in the lineup with the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, but he played just 43 games and was stuck behind many higher-ceiling defenders ahead of him in the organization.

Groleau went undrafted when first eligible in 2018, but it didn’t take him long to find an NHL home. The Devils signed Groleau to a three-year entry-level contract later that summer as a free agent out of the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Sagueneens, but the deal slid twice as he didn’t get into any NHL action during the first two seasons of the deal.

The Quebec-born defender actually has quite a bit of pro experience for a player his age, appearing in 151 AHL games for the Comets/Binghamton Devils over the past five seasons. This past season was his first real taste of any top-four action in the minors, and he responded with a career-high 10 points and a +14 rating in 43 games.

He could’ve been an intriguing target for some teams to pick up on a minor-league deal, especially given his 6-foot-3 frame and improving defensive play. Instead, he heads to one of Europe’s most successful franchises – Farjestad has won the SHL/Elitserien championship seven times since 1994 and consistently participates in the continental Champions Hockey League.

With seven healthy defenders already signed for next season, though, Groleau will have to slog it out for playing time with his new Swedish teammates. Interestingly, the report from Abrahamsson and Ros suggests Farjestad was interested in retaining NHL veteran defender Brandon Davidson, who instead signed with rival SHL club Rogle BK this morning.

Devils Not Ruling Out Adding Another Goalie To Let Schmid Start In AHL

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The Devils haven’t ruled out the possibility of adding another goaltender this summer, reports Ryan Novozinsky of the Newark Star-Ledger.  At the moment, youngster Akira Schmid appears set to be the playing partner for Vitek Vanecek but as Schmid is just 23 and is waiver-exempt, the organization could opt to send him back to the AHL where he’d get more game action.  Such a move wouldn’t necessarily be made following the acquisition of a new starter either; there are some veterans still out there that could hold down a number two role at least for a little while next season, a list headlined by Martin Jones and Jaroslav Halak.  Adding one of those netminders may not be the most appealing on paper but would allow Schmid to see more regular action with Utica which might be the better long-term play from a development perspective.

Latest On Devils, Connor Hellebuyck

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One team that’s long been speculated as a potential landing spot for Hellebuyck is the New Jersey Devils. Although they lost Damon Severson and Ryan Graves, the Devils added Tyler Toffoli to their forward corps and could see top prospects Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes replace their two defensive losses. The one thing the Devils are missing is an elite goalie, and Hellebuyck fits the bill, though he might not fit into their cap sheet long-term.

The Devils have looked at the possibility of acquiring Hellebuyck, according to Friedman. The team could offer Vitek Vanecek as part of the trade, for example, which could allay the Jets’ fears of being left without a capable goalie to help them reach the playoffs.

But with the Devils potentially unable to afford a pricey long-term extension for the 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner, they might not be willing to offer up the sort of assets the Jets would want in exchange for Hellebuyck, as he could very well end up a one-year rental if he’s traded to New Jersey.

New Jersey Devils Sign Tomas Nosek

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The New Jersey Devils have bolstered their group bottom-six forwards, signing free agent Tomas Nosek to a one-year, $1MM contract.

According to CapFriendly, the deal leaves New Jersey with just over $2MM in cap space remaining, and the team still has to sign restricted free agent Kevin Bahl to a contract for next season.

This contract represents a decrease in pay for Nosek, who made $1.75MM against the cap last season. Nosek’s pay cut is far more likely to have been caused by the leaguewide lack of cap space rather than any decline in Nosek’s on-ice value from one year ago.

In fact, one could argue Nosek’s value has reached the highest point of his career. A six-foot-three undrafted Czech center, Nosek spent last season as the Boston Bruins’ main fourth-line center.

He occupied that role as the Bruins went on a historically successful regular-season run, and his defensive abilities played a part in their success. He won nearly 60% of his 597 faceoffs this past season, showcasing some value at the faceoff dot.

Nosek played the second-most minutes of any forward on Boston’s penalty kill, a unit that was the league’s best, killing penalties at an 87.3% success rate.

That 87.3% kill rate is the NHL’s second-best since the 2012-13 lockout season, and is a significant feather in Nosek’s cap. Although he’s never even reached the 20-point plateau in the NHL, Nosek brings the type of value many teams want to see from their fourth-liners. He brings size, defensive ability, the versatility to play center or wing, and significant playoff experience.

Impressively, Nosek’s teams have played playoff hockey in every single year he’s been an NHL regular. And in Nosek’s final year in the AHL, he scored 22 points in 19 postseason games for the Grand Rapids Griffins and became a Calder Cup champion.

The Devils want to take the next step in their cup contention process and go on a long playoff run. Nosek will undoubtedly help them in that pursuit.

New Jersey lost Miles Wood to Colorado in free agency, and Nosek doesn’t offer the same blend of size, speed, and scoring touch that Wood brought. But at this $1MM cost, there are few players left on the open market who can offer as meaningful an addition to the Devils’ roster as Nosek.

He could join Michael McLeod and Nathan Bastian to make a formidable fourth line for head coach Lindy Ruff. In addition, Nosek is likely to take Yegor Sharangovich’s vacated spot on New Jersey’s penalty kill, bolstering a unit that was already among the NHL’s best last season. At this price, there isn’t really a way to view this signing as anything other than an absolute positive for the Devils.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Chris Tierney

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Veteran forward Chris Tierney has signed a one-year, two-way deal with the New Jersey Devils, per a team announcement, cementing his home for the 2023-24 campaign. The deal is worth $775K in the NHL and $400K in the AHL.

Tierney split last season between the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens organizations and was assigned to the minors for the first time in seven seasons while with the Panthers. After a four-year run with the Ottawa Senators, during which his offensive production steadily declined, Tierney signed a two-way deal with the Panthers in free agency last summer before Montreal claimed him on waivers in February of 2023.

The 29-year-old natural center accumulated three goals and ten points in 36 NHL games last year, his lowest totals since turning pro in 2014. He still produced a decent clip in the minors, scoring three goals and adding 13 assists for 16 points in 20 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

A second-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in 2012, Tierney does bring nearly 600 career games of NHL experience to the Devils organization, but he’s not expected to play a significant role with the team this season. With the team losing some depth pieces to free agency, such as Jesper Boqvist and Miles Wood, Tierney does stand a chance to make the Devils out of training camp, although likely as a 13th or 14th forward.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Ontario product will be an unrestricted free agent again next summer.

New Jersey Still Deciding On John Gibson

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Touching on all three of the New York metro teams in a New York Post column, Larry Brooks reports that the New Jersey Devils are indeed interested in John Gibson, but only for the right price. The Devils are still weighing the possible tandem of Vitek Vanecek and Akira Schmid, and determining whether that is the right fit to earn them a Stanley Cup championship.

Gibson, on the other hand, has four years, $25.6MM left on his contract, a term that fits much better with the Devils’ long-term planning. No matter how much the cap increases next offseason, paying a goaltender $9MM a season for the next eight years will be tough to swallow for just about any team.

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New Jersey Devils Sign Three Players

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The New Jersey Devils have signed three players to two-way contracts: forwards Kyle Criscuolo and Justin Dowling, as well as netminder Erik Kallgren. Each deal has an NHL cap hit of $775k.

Dowling received a two-year deal with a $500k AHL salary, while Criscuolo and Kallgren each received two-year deals with $340k and $450k AHL salaries, respectively.

Criscuolo, 31, is a former Calder Cup champion with 367 games of experience in the AHL. He scored 29 points in 60 games last season split between the Grand Rapids Griffins and San Jose Barracuda, and has 16 games of NHL experience on his resume. He’ll be expected to be a top-nine forward for the Devils’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets.

Dowling, 32, is also a former Calder Cup champion who has captained an AHL side before as well. Dowling was a longtime top-six force for the AHL’s Texas Stars and spent most of last season with the Abbotsford Canucks, where he scored 46 points in 56 games. He could be counted on as one of Utica’s top scorers if a player like Graeme Clarke spends significant time in the NHL.

Kallgren, 26, has been with the Toronto Marlies for the past two seasons and has seen some NHL time thanks to untimely injuries to Maple Leafs netminders. Kallgren doesn’t have an extensive track record in the AHL but will likely pair with Nico Daws to take up the bulk of Utica’s available starts.

New Jersey Devils Acquire Colin Miller

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The New Jersey Devils have acquired defenseman Colin Miller from the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick, according to a team announcement.

Having already traded defenseman Damon Severson to the Columbus Blue Jackets in an earlier trade this offseason, and the expected loss of Ryan Graves to the free agent market, the deal for Miller helps the Devils ease the loss from those two defensemen.

Luckily for New Jersey, uber-prospect Luke Hughes is ready for some big-time minutes next season, as well as the eventual callup of top prospect, Simon Nemec. In the meantime, Miller should serve as a decent filler until Nemec gets his chance at the professional level. Last season for the Stars, Miller played in 79 games, scoring six goals and 15 minutes of assists in just under 17 minutes of ice time a night.

Although this move does hurt the Stars’ defense, the $1.85MM generated in cap room allowed for the team to bring in their big-ticket free agent, later signing Matt Duchene to a one-year, $3MM contract for the 2023-24 NHL season. Having the benefit of one of the league’s top goaltenders between the pipes, Dallas had the opportunity to considerably improve their offensive unit.

Michael McLeod Rejoining New Jersey Devils

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Per The Fourth Period’s James Nichols, center Michael McLeod is heading back to the New Jersey Devils on a one-year contract worth $1.4MM.

As fellow Devils fourth-liner Nathan Bastian also re-signed today, meaning even if Miles Wood ends up departing to another club New Jersey will have most of their fan-favorite depth line locked in for next season.

McLeod secures a nice pay raise for himself over the $975k he earned last season, and that’s a solid reward after what was a strong season for the 25-year-old 2016 first-round pick. Not much of a goal scorer, McLeod only potted four during the regular season but did manage to score half that total in 12 playoff games.

He finished with 26 points in the regular-season, a career-high, though he showed the most value on the penalty-kill and in his defensive game. The Devils may have preferred to lock McLeod up for a longer term, but at the very least this deal returns their 4C to their club at an affordable cost.

McLeod was a key piece to a Devils crash-and-bang fourth-line that would spread chaos whenever it hit the ice, and if the team is interested in maintaining that type of line keeping McLeod at an affordable cost was crucial. With this deal, they’ve done exactly that, while McLeod has set himself up for an even bigger pay raise in a year’s time if he can manage to show a little bit more of an offensive game.

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