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Janne Kuokkanen Signs With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have signed Janne Kuokkanen to a two-year deal. The contract will carry an average annual value of $1.825MM, paying the young forward $1.6MM in 2021-22 and $2.05MM in 2022-23.

Kuokkanen, 23, has found a home in New Jersey after beginning his career with the Carolina Hurricanes. The second-round pick became a full-time contributor in the NHL this year, posting 25 points in 50 games while lining up most often next to Jack Hughes and Yegor Sharangovich. The trio of youngsters could very well be a line again next season, though the addition of Tomas Tatar obviously gives the Devils another top-six option to work with.

No matter where he fits into the lineup, the key is that Kuokkanen has made it, finally escaping the rollercoaster between the AHL and NHL. Before arriving in New Jersey through a 2020 deadline trade he had played just 11 games with the Hurricanes and had failed to score a single point. He was a strong contributor at the minor league level, but could never land a spot on the NHL roster.

With his emergence, that deadline deal looks like a masterstroke by GM Tom Fitzgerald. The Devils retained half of Sami Vatanen’s salary, but ended up receiving Kuokkanen, Fredrik Claesson, and a third-round pick. Vatanen, who was injured at the time, didn’t play a single game in the regular season for the Hurricanes, suiting up for just seven postseason contests in the bubble before re-signing with the Devils in free agency.

A two-year contract for Kuokkanen leaves him as a restricted free agent in 2023, but he will have arbitration rights at that point. He’ll also be in line for a $2.05MM qualifying offer, meaning he’ll have to continue to bring positive value over the next two seasons to be worth retaining at that price point.

Utica Comets Bring In Kevin Dineen As Head Coach

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With the NHL’s coaching carousel coming to a grinding halt, many big names will be taking coaching jobs over the next few weeks. Kevin Dineen is one of these names, as the Utica Comets announced today that he’ll be the third head coach in team history for the New Jersey Devils AHL affiliate.

Dineen has been in headlines all offseason long, as the 57-year-old was reportedly in talks to become the first head coach in Seattle Kraken history. It didn’t pan out, and he’ll now be a head coach in the AHL for the third straight season. Dineen was let go by the Anaheim Ducks organization last season after serving as the head coach of their affiliate in San Diego for two years.

It’s Dineen’s fourth head coaching job. Soon after retiring from the NHL, he transitioned to a front-office role and parlayed that into his first head coaching job with the AHL’s Portland Pirates. He lasted six seasons there, coaching from 2005 to 2011, before coaching the Florida Panthers from 2011 to 2014. He then served for an extended period of time as an assistant with the Chicago Blackhawks before taking the head coach role with San Diego in 2019.

Dineen will oversee a roster in Utica that could contain a few very key pieces to New Jersey’s future, including Alexander Holtz, Nolan Foote, and Kevin Bahl. The Devils hope his harder-nosed style translates to success on the ice in Utica.

New Jersey Devils Sign Tomas Tatar

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The New Jersey Devils have added another one of the top free agents available, this time signing Tomas Tatar to a two-year contract. The deal will come with an average annual value of $4.5MM, paying Tatar $3.75MM in 2021-22 and $5.25MM in 2022-23.

Tatar joins Dougie Hamilton and Jonathan Bernier as the three big veteran signings for the Devils this season, adding some experience to an incredibly young group. The 30-year-old Tatar is now the oldest forward signed to a one-way deal, nearly four years the senior of Andreas Johnsson, the second-oldest.

Even though he found himself on the outside of the playoff lineup in Montreal, Tatar is still a consistent offensive presence that should add a different dimension to the Devils forward group. In 50 games this season he registered 30 points and led the Canadiens in scoring during the 2019-20 season. That year he had a career-high 61 points in just 68 games, showing just how effective he can be in the right situation.

There are some doubts about how he affects the game in the defensive end, but there’s no doubt that he can help the Devils score next year. That’s something they had immense trouble accomplishing this year, as Pavel Zacha led the team with just 35 points. Tatar could represent an option on the wing of either Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes, giving them a little more experience and playmaking ability than they’re used to.

In fact, this looks like a bit of a steal by the Devils, jumping on a player whose market is a bit depressed from recent events. Tatar has been an incredibly consistent scoring threat over his career, breaking the 20-goal mark in six straight seasons before 2020-21. While his time in Montreal had obviously run out, his next chapter in New Jersey could be even more productive, given how much ice time–both at even-strength and on the powerplay–he’s likely to receive.

For the Devils, they could have paid Tatar $10MM this season and it wouldn’t have made much of an impact on their cap situation. The team has plenty to work with, and though there are several RFA deals to negotiate next summer, P.K. Subban’s $9MM is coming off the books. For a team with no cap issues, taking a shot on a player like Tatar is a no-brainer, given the fact they could just flip him down the road for more assets if the team is still not in a competitive window.

PuckPedia was first to report the contract details.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New Jersey Devils Sign Yegor Sharangovich

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The New Jersey Devils have agreed to a new contract with Yegor Sharangovich that will carry a $2MM average annual value. The two-year deal will pay Sharangovich $1.8MM in 2021-22 and $2.2MM in 2022-23.

If you weren’t paying attention to the Devils this season, you might have missed the breakout of the 23-year-old Sharangovich. Selected 141st overall back in 2018, he burst onto the NHL scene this year and scored 16 goals and 30 points in 54 games. That was good for third on the Devils roster and slotted him clearly into the team’s long-term plans.

The Belarusian forward finished tenth in Calder Trophy voting and will now receive a healthy raise on the entry-level salary he earned this year. The deal will also take him to arbitration eligibility after the 2022-23 season and in line for a $2.2MM qualifying offer. That’s some nice financial security for a late-round pick who has played just 54 games at the NHL level to this point.

The Devils of course are swimming in cap space at the moment, only just creeping over the lower limit with Sharangovich’s deal. Even with Dougie Hamilton signed long-term, the team is in good shape–P.K. Subban’s deal comes off the books next year, and only Hamilton and captain Nico Hischier are signed through 2023-24. The team does have to navigate RFA negotiations with basically the whole roster in the years to come, but will be able to pick and choose who they extend long-term. The biggest thing right now is for the team to start turning the corner towards playoff contention, something that was clearly the target when they signed Hamilton and Jonathan Bernier for more than $13MM per season.

Sharangovich will help them to that goal, though he is still in this group of somewhat interchangeable young forwards on the roster. Andreas Johnsson, 26, is the oldest of the bunch, with several spots left to fill. Even with Sharangovich’s deal, the Devils have just seven forwards signed to one-way contracts, meaning a few more depth additions could be made in the coming months.

New Jersey Devils Sign Marian Studenic

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The New Jersey Devils have announced the contract for A.J. Greer that was reported yesterday, but he’s not alone. Marian Studenic has also signed a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K at the NHL level.

Studenic, 22, made his NHL debut this season, playing eight games for the Devils. The fifth-round pick opened some eyes while playing back in Slovakia, showing just how far he’s come from his junior-age days. In 25 games with Bratislava before returning to North America he scored 15 points, tying the mark he had early in his career in far fewer games.

Now he’ll be in the mix for games with New Jersey next season, given how little they did to change the forward group heading into the season. Just six forwards in the entire organization are signed to one-way contracts, meaning there will be plenty of competition for playing time among their young prospect group.

New Jersey Devils Re-Sign A.J. Greer

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The New Jersey Devils have added their name to the list of teams making transactions today. PuckPedia reports that the team’s re-signed forward A.J. Greer to a one-year, two-way deal. It pays $750,000 at the NHL level and $130,000 at the minor-league level.

Greer joined the Devils organization this year by way of trade. He was part of the package sent to the team by the New York Islanders in the deadline deal that sent Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac the other way. It was a blessing in disguise for Greer, who had an extremely slow offensive start in the AHL with just two points in 10 games for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. After the trade and subsequent assignment to Binghamton, Greer performed spectacularly with 14 points in just 16 games.

While it may not ever translate to the NHL level, as Greer’s now aged 24, there’s still some possible upside left in the former second-round pick. He’s a reliable body that can be used as a call-up in the case of injury and is a reliable producer at the minor-league level who can help assist young talent that the Devils are trying to develop. While he may not be in the organization’s long-term plans, it’s still a good idea to re-sign him for one year.

Devils Reportedly Among Teams Interested In Vladimir Tarasenko

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Thomas notes that Tarasenko has expanded his list of teams he’s willing to go to and at this point, he’s willing to go pretty much anywhere to get the change of scenery he so desires.  In terms of potential suitors, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period suggested in a recent appearance on the NHL Network (video link) that the Islanders, Rangers, and Devils are in the mix but others that had interest such as the Flyers have since dropped out.  Of those three, New Jersey has the cleanest cap situation to make a move for Tarasenko without needing any sort of salary offset.

Buffalo Sabres Acquire Will Butcher

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After signing Dougie Hamilton to a massive contract, the New Jersey Devils have cleared out some cap space from the defensive unit. The Devils have traded Will Butcher and a 2022 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres. The Devils will receive future considerations.

Butcher, 26, is signed through only the 2021-22 season but carries a $3.7MM cap hit that had become cumbersome for the Devils. The former University of Denver star is a great playmaker and can rack up points on the powerplay, but just isn’t a strong enough skater or physical enough to make up for it. His defensive game has always been a struggle, but it was only magnified as the Devils lost some of their other responsible options. With Hamilton signing and Ryan Graves acquired from the Colorado Avalanche, there was simply no more room for Butcher in New Jersey.

For Buffalo though, acquiring Butcher is a brilliant move. The team can let him run the second powerplay unit to accumulate points through the first half of the season, then flip him at the deadline for a future asset. Even just taking on his contract now landed them a draft pick, and it seems likely that they’ll be able to acquire another one down the road. The Sabres aren’t ready to compete for the playoffs and could stand to do more moves like this, eating some money for future picks.

In New Jersey, this is another indication that the Devils aren’t going to be happy missing the playoffs again this season. The team solidified their goaltending position by bringing in Jonathan Bernier and added the best free agent available in Hamilton. While the team is still extremely young, there’s lots of cap room and plenty of prospects ready to take the next step. Butcher was in the way, and it only cost them a fifth-round pick to move him out.

Dougie Hamilton Signs With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have landed today’s biggest prize, signing Dougie Hamilton. It’s a seven-year deal paying a total of $63MM, meaning an average annual value of $9MM for the free agent defenseman. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald released a lengthy statement about how excited the front office is to land a player of Hamilton’s caliber:

We are thrilled to welcome Dougie and his family to the New Jersey Devils organization. As a player and person, he has consistently shown a commitment to excellence and will play a leading role in our franchise’s return to an elite level in the League. We believe that the magnitude of his contributions on the ice will be equal to his impact on our culture as we continue to position ourselves for long-term success. I am proud of the work our entire staff did to promote the amazing attributes of this organization and to bring aboard one of the most sought-after free agents this year.

There’s no doubt about it, this is a huge win for a Devils team that has struggled to attract key free agents in the past. In fact, before today, only a single player on the active roster was acquired via free agency. That was Scott Wedgewood, who also just so happened to be drafted by the Devils back in 2010 and returned years later. Otherwise, the entire team was built through the draft or trade, something that Hamilton and new goaltender Jonathan Bernier change with their hefty deals today.

Hamilton, 28, will now be tied with teammate P.K. Subban and Colorado superstar Cale Makar for the fourth-highest cap hit among NHL defensemen next season, only behind Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty and Roman Josi. Seth Jones will join that group when his $9.5MM extension kicks in for 2022-23, but Subban’s contract will fall off the list as it expires. For that much money, Hamilton will have to perform at an elite level for the Devils if this contract is to be worth the risk.

So far in his career, that hasn’t been a problem. Norris Trophy finishes the last five years: 9th, 14th, 14th, 7th, 4th. The right-shot Hamilton has been one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the league for seven seasons now, scoring at least ten goals and 39 points in each year since 2014-15. That includes 40+ point performances even in the last two shortened seasons. Equally effective on the powerplay or at even-strength, Hamilton’s puck-moving and playmaking ability far outweigh the defensive deficiencies he may have. Even those are sometimes overblown given how much he has the puck, though he won’t have quite the same quality of teammate in New Jersey.

Still, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t continue to put up elite offensive numbers for the next few seasons, if not the whole contract. There’s no one to challenge him for the top powerplay spot and Hamilton’s potential partners should only improve moving forward. Ty Smith or Ryan Graves figure to line up next to him in 2021-22, but either one could be keeping the spot warm for top prospect Luke Hughes, selected fourth overall over the weekend. Hughes is off to the University of Michigan for the time being, but projects as a top-pairing defenseman with elite skating ability.

Even if that young talent is coming, the Devils will still be battling just to make for the playoffs next season. Hamilton is taking a significant step back from the Stanley Cup contender in Carolina and could potentially have some lean years. The entire Devils forward group is 26 or under, and only he, Subban, Bernier and Wedgewood are older than that. It’s a reason for excitement in New Jersey, but success may not come right away.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jonathan Bernier Signs With New Jersey Devils

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The New Jersey Devils have signed Jonathan Bernier to a two-year contract according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the contract will carry an average annual value of $4.125MM. Bernier’s rights were recently traded from the Detroit Red Wings to the Carolina Hurricanes, but decided to test the market instead of signing with his new team. He’ll now land in New Jersey where he can be a veteran partner for young Mackenzie Blackwood.

It is an interesting move for New Jersey, who gave Bernier the fourth-highest AAV of the day among goaltenders behind younger keepers Philipp Grubauer and Linus Ullmark as well as Frederik Andersen, all of whom will be asked to take on starting roles whereas Bernier will be, at best, splitting time with young cornerstone Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood himself is also making just $2.8MM over the next two years, well below Bernier. While the Devils do not have cap problems, they also don’t seem like a team that needed to spend a lot of money for another goaltender, especially when other veteran options went for less.

Yet, financial details aside, Bernier is an experienced, accomplished goaltender who should serve as a good mentor to Blackwood, what the Devils were hoping for out of Corey Crawford last off-season. Bernier is also coming off of a solid season in Detroit in which he managed a .914 save percentage and 2.99 GAA despite playing in front of a porous team defense.

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