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Latest On Jesper Bratt

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One of the best players currently still without a contract is New Jersey Devils forward Jesper Bratt. With an arbitration date set for August 3rd, which is fast approaching, Devils fans could not be blamed for being a bit nervous about Bratt’s contract status. An arbitration case and a failure to secure a long-term deal this summer could damage Bratt’s relationship with the Devils, and lower his chances of remaining in New Jersey long-term. According to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, an arbitration case looks like where things are headed. Per Novozinsky, contract talks between Bratt and the Devils have “been pretty silent” for weeks, and that the whole situation looks like “another tough negotiation.”

Based on Bratt’s performance last season, it looks like it’s clearly in the Devils’ best interest to get a deal done with their talented winger. Bratt led the Devils with 73 points in 76 games last season, showing great chemistry with face of the franchise Jack Hughes and better goal-scoring touch than he’d shown ever before as a professional. Bratt’s breakout season has left him on strong ground when it comes to negotiations for a new deal, which is likely partially responsible for this stalemate. The Devils have been aggressive in upgrading their team in recent summers, signing players like Dougie Hamilton, Ondrej Palat, and Tomas Tatar to help return them to the playoffs. If the Devils want to solidify their offense for years to come, finding a way to get Bratt’s signature on a long-term deal is in their best interest.

New Jersey Devils Hire Ryan McGill

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We’re at the point of the offseason when teams are starting to round out their coaching staffs for next season, and the New Jersey Devils are the latest to make an addition. Ryan McGill will join Lindy Ruff’s staff for 2022-23.

McGill, 53, had been with the Vegas Golden Knights since their inception, serving as an assistant coach for the last five years in the desert. Credited with helping along the development of several young defensemen including Shea Theodore, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud, he’ll now join a New Jersey team that is ready to take the next step.

A former NHL defenseman himself, he will have quite the group of proteges to work with over the coming years. Not only do the Devils have established names like Dougie Hamilton and John Marino locked in long-term but also an emerging talent in Jonas Siegenthaler and some of the best defensive prospects in the league, with Simon Nemec and Luke Hughes. The development of those two, in particular, make this an important hire to get right, and McGill is certainly not coming in with a lack of experience.

Before joining Vegas, he had spent a few years coaching in junior with the Kootenay Ice and Owen Sound Attack, but there was also a seven-year period where McGill served as a head coach in the AHL.

New Jersey Devils Extend Jonas Siegenthaler

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Betting that he’ll continue his impressive development, the New Jersey Devils have signed Jonas Siegenthaler to a five-year contract extension, which kicks in for the 2023-24 season. The deal comes with an average annual value of $3.4MM and will carry the following payments:

  • 2023-24: $4.25MM
  • 2024-25: $4.0MM
  • 2025-26: $3.2MM
  • 2026-27: $3.0MM
  • 2027-28: $2.55MM

It cost the Devils just a third-round pick to land the young defenseman last year, when the Washington Capitals were running into a roster crunch and couldn’t keep everyone around. Almost from the moment he arrived in New Jersey, Siegenthaler seemed like a perfect fit and immediately started producing improved results in bigger minutes.

Now 25, the Swiss defender was a second-round pick of the Capitals in 2015 and had played just 97 NHL games before the trade. This year, he suited up 70 times for the Devils and averaged more than 20 minutes a night, becoming arguably the team’s most reliable defensive option. While it’s unlikely Siegenthaler will ever put up the kind of point totals that Damon Severson or Dougie Hamilton are known for, locking in a top-four defenseman for $3.4MM through his entire prime is tidy work from general manager Tom Fitzgerald.

After acquiring John Marino earlier this summer, it now gives the team three defenders locked into long-term contracts through at least 2026-27, plus plenty of young talent coming through the system. Simon Nemec, Luke Hughes, and Shakir Mukhamadullin make up a trio of defensive prospects that is difficult to match and could give the Devils a huge advantage in the years to come.

In fact, Siegenthaler seems like a perfect match for Nemec moving forward, balancing out the Slovak’s tendency to rove around the ice with a more stable defensive presence. Hughes, meanwhile could be paired with Hamilton or Marino when he gets to New Jersey, giving the team an impressive blueline within just a few seasons.

The question now will be what happens to Severson and Ryan Graves, who are both heading into the last year of their respective contracts and scheduled for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Devils Showed Strong Interest In Matthew Tkachuk Before His Trade To Florida

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  • The Devils were among the teams aggressively pursuing Matthew Tkachuk before he was eventually traded to Florida late Friday, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). New Jersey was expected to once again make a big splash this summer a year after handing out the biggest UFA contract to Dougie Hamilton but instead, they’ve largely opted to go with trades to add to their roster, making a trio of deals so far while Ondrej Palat received a five-year contract in free agency.

New Jersey Devils Sign Jesper Boqvist

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The New Jersey Devils don’t have to worry about a negotiation with Jesper Boqvist, as the young forward has accepted his qualifying offer and signed a one-year, two-way contract for 2022-23. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $874,125 and an AHL salary of $70K.

While some players would give up a little on the NHL salary to secure a better minor league guarantee, Boqvist is obviously confident that he will spend most of the year in the NHL again this season. The 23-year-old played 56 games with the Devils in 2021-22, scoring ten goals and 23 points in the process.

Selected 36th overall in 2017, it’s been an interesting road for the Swedish forward. It looked as though he was going to make the jump directly from the SHL to the NHL in 2019, when broke camp with the club and played 34 games through the first part of the season. But he ended up sent back to the minor leagues in January, and would make just one more NHL appearance before the league was shut down early.

While we waited for things to start back up in 2020-21, the Devils decided to loan the young forward back to Sweden. On his return, he once again wasn’t able to fully establish himself in the NHL, splitting time between New Jersey and Binghamton. Even this past season, he spent seven games with the Utica Comets.

One would think the minor leagues are behind him now, given the fact that he is no longer waiver-exempt. If the Devils wanted to send him to the AHL, he would need to be offered to all of the other teams first. With his upside and performance, there’s little chance he would make it through at this point.

Still, it’s not like there is a ton of room in the New Jersey lineup. After adding Erik Haula in the Pavel Zacha trade and signing Ondrej Palat, the team has nine forwards on one-way contracts plus Miles Wood to sign as a restricted free agent. With Dawson Mercer securing a spot while on his entry-level contract and Alexander Holtz likely doing the same, there isn’t going to be a ton of playing time to go around. If Boqvist wants to be a key contributor, he’ll have to earn is with consistent play.

The young forward will still be a restricted free agent next summer.

More On Johnny Gaudreau’s Free Agent Decision

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The hockey world was shocked last week when top free agent Johnny Gaudreau decided to sign with the Columbus Blue Jackets, though he maintains it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. In a lengthy interview on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Gaudreau confirms that he was talking with the New Jersey Devils before eventually deciding to sign with Columbus:

I was only talking to like two or three teams. I was super thankful that Columbus called during that late hour in the afternoon, because I was pretty much going to–I think I was trying to get a deal done with the Devils, and then Columbus called. I was like ’I want to go here” and my agent got it done. 

Gaudreau directly answered a question about the Philadelphia Flyers, explaining that though he still maintains it would be nice to play for his hometown team, he knew for quite a while that they wouldn’t be involved because of their cap situation.

Now excited about starting the next chapter of his career in Columbus, Gaudreau related how many players he already knew on the roster and how welcome the organization made him feel right away–including rookie Kent Johnson texting general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to offer up No. 13 before a deal was even signed.

With Patrik Laine next to sign, Johnson and other young players in the mix, and Gaudreau penciled in as a potential MVP-level player for the next few years, the Blue Jackets’ offensive group suddenly looks quite imposing. There is some work for Kekalainen yet to do, with just a bit of cap space available and Laine owed at a minimum a $7.5MM qualifying offer, but fans will be happy to hear just how excited Gaudreau is about the idea of playing in Columbus.

The Devils, who missed out on the star winger, ended up signing Ondrej Palat a few hours later, handing out a smaller contract but still landing one of the top free agent options. They then acquired John Marino from the Pittsburgh Penguins to shore up the defensive end, eating up more of the cap space that could have gone to Gaudreau.

New Jersey Devils Sign Vitek Vanecek

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After acquiring his rights from the Washington Capitals earlier this summer, the New Jersey Devils have agreed to a multi-year deal with Vitek Vanecek. The three-year contract will be worth an average annual value of $3.4MM, and pay salary as follows:

  • 2022-23: $3.55MM
  • 2023-24: $3.75MM
  • 2024-25: $2.9MM

Vanecek had recently filed for salary arbitration, though that process will no longer be needed. Instead, the Devils will buy out two years of unrestricted free agency with the new deal.

A contract like this would be a pretty big gamble for many teams, given how Vanecek has performed so far in his short career, but with plenty of cap room to spare it shouldn’t pose much of a problem for the Devils. The 26-year-old netminder has just 79 regular season appearances to this point and holds a career .908 save percentage, not exactly a sure thing to provide starter-level performance for the Devils moving forward.

In fact, the Capitals chose to go with Ilya Samsonov in this year’s playoffs, before eventually non-tendering him in the offseason. Samsonov signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for one year and $1.8MM, almost half of what Vanecek will make.

That’s not to say there isn’t some potential upside here, as the Czech netminder could still take a step forward and become a true answer in net for New Jersey. The team also has Mackenzie Blackwood under contract at the moment, though it is unclear where his future lies after injuries have derailed his career, and Jonathan Bernier’s playing status up in the air after hip surgery earlier this year.

For a team looking to contend, better goaltending is paramount. Only the Seattle Kraken had a worse team save percentage than the Devils’ .881 last season, as they used seven different netminders to try and stop the puck. Top prospect Nico Daws actually led the way with 25 appearances, and while he does not appear ready for a full-time role just yet, it does seem like his spot will soon be the tandem role with Vanecek.

Where does that leave Blackwood, many will wonder. The young goaltender has been listed in trade speculation for months, but moving him right now would be at an all-time low, after registering an .892 save percentage in this forgettable season. The team couldn’t rely on him as the only option but getting him back on track through the first part of the year and building up some value might be the best course of action in New Jersey.

Jesper Bratt, Tyce Thompson, Vitek Vanecek File For Salary Arbitration

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The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.

Mason Appleton (WPG)

Ethan Bear (CAR)

Jesper Bratt (NJD)

Lawson Crouse (ARI)

Morgan Geekie (SEA)

Mathieu Joseph (OTT)

Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)

Keegan Kolesar (VGK)

Oliver Kylington (CGY)

Maxime Lajoie (CAR)

Steven Lorentz (SJS)

Isac Lundestrom (ANA)

Zack MacEwen (PHI)

Niko Mikkola (STL)

Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)

Matthew Phillips (CGY)

Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)

Tyce Thompson (NJD)

Yakov Trenin (NSH)

Vitek Vanecek (NJD)

Jake Walman (DET)

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Pavel Zacha (BOS)

Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.

A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.

Devils Acquire John Marino

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The Devils and Penguins have swapped defensemen as New Jersey has acquired defenseman John Marino from Pittsburgh in exchange for blueliner Ty Smith and a 2023 third-round pick.  Both teams have announced the swap.  Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald released the following statement:

John is a competitive, highly mobile defenseman who strengthens our back end. He takes pride in his game away from the puck and his puck management and ability to transition play will fit in nicely with our style and the strengths of our forward group. This is another move focused on improving our club today, while also providing certainty and stability for roster flexibility as we continue to build.

The 25-year-old Marino made an immediate impact in his rookie season back in 2019-20, recording 26 points in 56 games.  Pittsburgh had acquired his rights from Edmonton in the 2019 offseason for a sixth-round pick and that type of immediate return was quite impressive.  So much so, in fact, that then-GM Jim Rutherford handed Marino a six-year, $26.4MM contract back in January of 2021, a deal that still has five years remaining.

However, things didn’t go as well for Marino and the Penguins since then.  He struggled in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign before rebounding a little bit last season, recording a goal and 24 assists in 81 games while still logging over 20 minutes a night, a number that jumped to over 23 minutes per contest in their first-round playoff loss to the Rangers.

In Marino, New Jersey gets a defender that is capable of playing top-four minutes now as evidenced by the fact that he has averaged over 20 minutes per contest over each of his three NHL seasons.  A right-shot rearguard, Marino also gives them some insurance on the right side with Damon Severson a year away from unrestricted free agency.  If he departs next summer, Marino could simply take Severson’s spot behind Dougie Hamilton on their depth chart which is likely the stability for roster flexibility that Fitzgerald spoke of in his statement.

As for Smith, the 22-year-old was a first-round pick of the Devils back in 2018 (17th overall) and made a very strong first impression in his rookie year in 2020-21 when he picked up 23 points in 48 games while averaging over 20 minutes a game himself.  However, things certainly did not go well last season as his production dropped to 20 points in 66 contests while his defensive metrics took a tumble.  Nevertheless, he’s certainly young enough to rebound not unlike Marino did last season.

While Smith is an intriguing addition, the key to the trade for Pittsburgh might very well be the financial flexibility gained.  Smith still has a year to go on his entry-level deal, one that carries a cap hit of just $863K plus an additional $400K in performance bonuses.  Compared to Marino’s $4.4MM cap charge, Pittsburgh has freed up over $3.5MM in cap space for next season (not including the bonuses).  That money is basically all of the cap space they have left which they will need in order to re-sign RFA winger Kasperi Kapanen this summer.

It’s also worth noting that Pittsburgh now has a bit of a logjam on the left side of their back end with Smith joining lefties Brian Dumoulin, Michael Matheson, and Marcus Pettersson.  The Penguins have been known to be shopping Pettersson in the past and this type of move could very well intensify the desire to get a trade done, especially if they can free up a little more cap flexibility in the process.

As for New Jersey’s offseason, there is still a lot of work to be done.  Per CapFriendly, the Devils have just under $13MM in cap space left following this trade with a big chunk of that set to go to RFA winger Jesper Bratt.  Forwards Miles Wood and Jesper Boqvist also need new deals as does recent acquisition Vitek Vanecek; the netminder is in his final year of RFA eligibility and will be looking at a significant raise after making the league minimum the last three years.  As a result, their heavy lifting in terms of adding to their roster may be finished with the focus now turning to re-signing their RFAs.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Andrew Brunette Joins Devils As Associate Coach

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July 15: The Devils have officially announced Brunette as the team’s new associate coach, mentioning how he was a teammate of general manager Tom Fitzgerald with the Nashville Predators in 1998-99.

July 13: It’s not just players making news today. ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reports the New Jersey Devils have reached a three-year agreement with Andrew Brunette on an associate coaching role. TSN’s Darren Dreger was first to report that things were tracking toward an agreement between Brunette and the New Jersey Devils, but also listed the Winnipeg Jets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Vancouver Canucks as teams with interest in the 2022 Jack Adams Award finalist.

Not often do you see a coach of the year contender immediately hit the open market, let alone do you see them settle for an associate coaching role. But with just five years of coaching experience in the NHL in total, and the Panthers opting to hire the more experienced Paul Maurice, Brunette hits the open market as a high-end support man for teams’ benches. In New Jersey, he’d serve behind an extremely experienced bench boss in Lindy Ruff, allowing him to gain just a little more time in the league before undoubtedly returning to a head coaching role down the road.

And after those three seasons, that’s undoubtedly what he’ll do. It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see him take over for Ruff in three years’ time, or even sooner if New Jersey decides to part with Ruff before that. It’s a good backup plan in case things go wrong with Ruff at the helm.

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