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Free Agent Focus: New Jersey Devils

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Free agency is now just a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens.  There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well.  We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Devils.

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Dawson Mercer – For many players and the team, the 2023-24 NHL season for New Jersey paled compared to the prior year. Caught up in this negative trend, Mercer saw a seven-goal and 16-assist dropoff compared to the season he put together in 2022-23. However, under the tutelage of head coach Sheldon Keefe, Mercer should be relied upon quite heavily as a secondary scorer in the lineup. The front office may opt for a bridge deal with Mercer to save cap room for outside additions this summer, given that the team is bogged down with lengthy contracts to star players.

G Nico Daws – In one of the most dramatic goalie carousels of the 2023-24 season, the Devils used five different netminders this past year, with Daws finishing second in games played. In 20 starts, Daws compiled a record of 9-11-0 while posting a .894 save percentage and a 3.15 goals-against average. Daws did not fare much better in the American Hockey League, as he posted a similar SV% of .890 with the Utica Comets. Hoping to revamp their goaltending up and down the organization this summer, Daws may find himself on the open market if New Jersey does not tender him a qualifying offer.

G Akira Schmid – Posting almost identical stats to Daws this past season, Schmid started in 15 games for the Devils. Carrying a record of 5-9-1 in those 15 starts with a .895 SV% and 3.15 GAA, Schmid did not perform adequately enough to keep New Jersey above water. In a similar fashion to Daws, Schmid produced nearly the same in Utica, which makes him a non-tender candidate heading into the offseason.

Other RFAs:  F Nolan Foote, D Callan Foote, F Michael McLeod, D Santeri Hatakka

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

G Kaapo Kahkonen – Brought in at the trade deadline from the San Jose Sharks for a last-ditch effort to make the playoffs, Kahkonen’s solid play for New Jersey failed to move the needle in any meaningful way. After the trade, Kahkonen started in six games for the Devils, posting a 1-4-0 record while earning an exceptional .923 SV% and 2.51 goals-against average. Despite Kahkonen’s strong numbers, New Jersey will likely opt to retain Jake Allen as the backup for next season, while looking outside the organization for a legitimate starting goaltender. Even though his total production from the 2023-24 season was largely depressed during his time with the Sharks, Kahkonen should be able to land a backup gig this summer.

D Brendan Smith – Over the past two years, Smith has been a valuable veteran on New Jersey’s blue line. In one of his best offensive seasons since his time with the Detroit Red Wings, Smith posted five goals and 15 points over 63 games for the Devils this season. Unfortunately for Smith, with New Jersey graduating defensive prospects such as Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec, his time in the Garden State will likely end. Staying on the East Coast for much of his career, Smith should land a deal as a depth defenseman for another team in the NHL’s Metropolitan Division.

Other UFAs:  F Tomas Nosek, F Chris Tierney, D Nick DeSimone, F Kyle Criscuolo, D Tyler Wotherspoon, G Keith Kinkaid

Projected Cap Space

Now that the cap ceiling for the 2024-25 NHL season has officially been set at $88MM, this puts the Devils with just over $19MM to work with this summer. With little of those dollars needing to be spent on retaining internal players this summer, New Jersey should have plenty of flexibility to acquire a top-level netminder. Over the past few weeks, the Devils have been connected to  Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators, Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, and Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames.

Although the Devils are looking to acquire top-level talent to return to contention next year, they must be mindful of upcoming extension candidates. On July 1st, L. Hughes will be eligible for a contract extension, meaning New Jersey must factor in a potential long-term deal in their offseason planning.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.  Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.

Calgary Flames Hire Brad Larsen As Assistant Coach

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After a one-year gap away from the game, Brad Larsen will return behind the bench for the 2024-25 NHL season. After a lengthy 13-year run in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization, the Calgary Flames have hired Larsen to serve as an assistant coach on Ryan Huska’s staff.

Not only does Larsen have experience behind the bench in the NHL, he has also spent 10 years as a player having suited up for the Colorado Avalanche and Atlanta Thrashers. Larsen won a Stanley Cup Championship with the Avalanche during the 2001 Stanley Cup playoffs and back-to-back gold medals with Team Canada during the IIHF World Junior Championships in 1996 and 1997.

Larsen was named an assistant coach on John Tortorella’s staff in Columbus ahead of the 2014-15 NHL season and held that role until Tortorella’s exit after the 2020-21 season. Next in line for the Blue Jackets, Larsen was named the eighth head coach in franchise history on June 10, 2021. Over 162 games spent as head coach, Columbus compiled a 62-86-16 record under Larsen leading to his firing after the 2022-23 NHL season.

Now headed to Alberta, Larsen brings some experience to Huska’s staff in Calgary as the latter begins his second season as head coach of the franchise. In the press release from the Flames organization about the hiring, Larsen said, “I’m super excited to be joining the Flames organization and appreciative of the opportunity to work alongside Ryan Huska and his staff. I’ve had so much respect for this organization for a long time, its history and solid reputation around the league. As well, I have a great affinity for the city and its beautiful setting near the Rocky Mountains. I can’t wait to get started“.

East Notes: Forton, Bergeron, Colliton, Alnefelt

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In preparation for a busy offseason, the Buffalo Sabres are also ironing out the hierarchy in their front office. Earlier today, the team announced that Jerry Forton had been promoted to Assistant General Manager and Chris Bergeron has been hired as an amateur free-agent scout.

The promotion is a long time coming for Forton, as he has spent the last decade with the Sabres organization in a variety of positions. Originally brought to Buffalo as an assistant coach for the 2013-14 NHL season, Forton has also spent time as an amateur scout, the Director of Collegiate Scouting, and his most recent role as Director of Amateur Scouting. Forton will oversee the entirety of the Amateur Scouting and Professional Scouting Departments in his new capacity.

Bergeron, on the other hand, is stepping into his first opportunity with an NHL organization. Even though his coaching career began in the 2000-01 NCAA season as an assistant coach for Miami University of Ohio, Bergeron spent nine years (2010-2019) as head coach of Bowling Green State University’s hockey team before returning to Miami University of Ohio as a head coach until this past season.

Other notes:

  • Recently named as an associate coach for the New Jersey Devils, Jeremy Colliton’s primary responsibilities have already been made public. Shortly after the hiring was made official, team reporter for the Devils, Amanda Stein, shared that Colliton will oversee the team’s forwards and powerplay. During his tenure as head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, the team finished 22nd and 23rd in the AHL in powerplay percentage under Colliton. However, with the Devils boasting some of the best top-end talent, the team’s powerplay should still be an efficient part of the organization.
  • Just over a month ago, it was reported that goaltending prospect, Hugo Alnefelt, would be leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning organization for an opportunity in his native Sweden. In an interview with Martin Jansson of HockeySvierge, it does not appear Alnefelt will be home for good, as he envisions returning to North America at some point. The 23-year-old goaltending prospect was quoted, “It’s hard to know if you’re ready or not and I don’t know if you can really be ready if you do something you’ve never tried. But there is absolutely nothing I regret that I went over so early. The plan now is not to be at home for good, it is to develop and take the step back“.

Sam Carrick Fined By Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety issued their only punishment from Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, fining Edmonton Oilers’ forward Sam Carrick a total of $2,213.54, the maximum allowable, for slashing Florida Panthers’ defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. Elliotte Friedman of TSN followed up the report by announcing the league would not pass down any additional discipline.

The play in question occurred near the end of Game 2 after Kulikov delivered a hard hit to Carrick. Afterward, Carrick slashed Kulikov in what is best described as his ’nether region’, resulting in a two-minute minor penalty for slashing, and a 10-minute game misconduct. Since Carrick was ejected from the game, teammate Evander Kane served his two-minute penalty.

Expectedly, the Department of Player Safety will expand its leniency throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs. Still, it is surprising that this will be the only supplemental discipline from Game 2. Aside from Carrick, defenseman Vincent Desharnais and forward Warren Foegele were ejected from the Oilers bench, with forward Leon Draisaitl delivering a controversial hit to Aleksander Barkov.

Nevertheless, the Oilers organization should view the lack of punishment as a silver lining to their Game 2 loss, as they will not be forced to lose any players for a pivotal Game 3. Managing only one goal through the first six periods of the Stanley Cup Final, Edmonton will need all hands on deck to get back into this series.

Sharks Still Listening To Offers For Mario Ferraro

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While not a first-pairing defenseman on nearly any other team in the league, Mario Ferraro was the Sharks’ number-one man on the blue line this season by default after Erik Karlsson’s departure. The 25-year-old was drawing trade interest during the season, but he wore teal for the remainder of the campaign and remains in San Jose – for now.

He’s not explicitly on the trade block, but The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that Ferraro continues to generate calls, and Sharks general manager Mike Grier is listening ahead of the draft later this month. The 2017 second-round pick is under contract for two more seasons at a $3.25MM cap hit.

The offense was there from Ferraro to some degree this season, recording a career-high 18 assists and 21 points through 78 games. His -31 and -38 ratings the past two seasons should probably be thrown out entirely, given the state of the Sharks’ defense, but his even-strength possession numbers compared to his teammates aren’t particularly promising. The Sharks have controlled 2.4% fewer shot attempts with Ferraro on the ice than off it at even strength over his five-year career, although he did have a slightly positive impact (+0.3%) for the first time this season.

There’s one major complicating factor in a deal, though. He likely won’t be a first-pairing talent wherever he lands, but it seems Grier wants to be compensated for one. Pagnotta expects it will take a first-round pick and potentially two other high-value assets to pry him away from San Jose, a price that interested teams rightfully may not be willing to pay. The list of parties that have called Ferraro dating back to midseason includes the Blackhawks, Flames, Hurricanes, Maple Leafs and Predators, per Pagnotta.

It’s an especially difficult ask when there’s also a bevy of mid-tier defensive options available for no asset cost on the open market this summer, including Dylan DeMelo, Matt Roy and Sean Walker. They’ll certainly require a higher cap hit to acquire, but is the difference in spending worth what may be needed to get Ferraro via trade?

From the Sharks’ perspective, it does make sense to command such a high ask. He’s not headed to the UFA market for two more summers, so there’s no rush to deal him for a return if extension talks fall through somewhere down the line.

Cup Final Notes: Suspensions, Barkov, Nurse, Ekblad, Luostarinen

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Don’t expect supplemental discipline to be announced today for a pair of Oilers forwards that laid controversial hits in last night’s Game 2 loss. Leon Draisaitl’s check to the head of Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov that knocked him out of the game will go unpunished past the two-minute minor assessed on the play, TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports. Warren Foegele also won’t receive a suspension for his knee-on-knee hit on Eetu Luostarinen that got him tossed from the game in the first period, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.

That’s good news for an Edmonton squad that needs to battle back from a 2-0 series deficit as the series shifts to their ice later this week. The Oilers became the first team since the Penguins in 2008 to score one goal or less in the first two games of a Stanley Cup Final. While they were dominant but stymied by Panthers netminder Sergei Bobrovsky in their Game 1 loss, Game 2 saw Florida’s defense limit the Oilers to 19 shots on goal and no high-danger chances at even strength. Draisaitl, in particular, would be a huge loss – he’s second on the club in playoff goals (10) and points (28) in 20 games.

Other updates from the Cup Final:

  • While Draisaitl will be available for Game 3, Barkov is a question mark. Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said today that his first-line center isn’t feeling any worse this morning after taking the German forward’s elbow to his jaw area but will undergo further evaluation tomorrow (via Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards). The team hasn’t confirmed the nature of Barkov’s injury, but speculation indicates he’s likely in concussion protocol. Barkov, 28, is tied for the team lead in postseason scoring with 19 points in 19 games and has averaged 21:31 per game, second to Sam Reinhart among Florida forwards.
  • Speaking to reporters via Zoom this morning, Oilers bench boss Kris Knoblauch had no update on the status of defenseman Darnell Nurse (per NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika). The much-maligned blue liner missed significant chunks of last night’s loss after taking an awkward hit from Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues late in the first period (video link). Nurse has just three assists and a -15 rating in 20 postseason contests thus far, and his potential absence for Game 3 would make way for Cody Ceci to re-enter the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the first time as an Oiler in Game 2.
  • Luostarinen and defenseman Aaron Ekblad both missed chunks of Game 2 with respective lower-body injuries, but they’ll be good to go moving forward, Maurice confirmed this morning (via the team’s Jameson Olive). Luostarinen wasn’t able to put any weight on his left leg while being helped off the ice after his collision with Foegele but managed to return before the end of the period. Ekblad, meanwhile, twisted his ankle awkwardly after getting tangled up with Oilers star Connor McDavid but still logged nearly 23 minutes of action in last night’s win.

USA Hockey Adds John Hynes To 4 Nations Coaching Staff

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After serving as the head coach for this year’s World Championship, Wild bench boss John Hynes will be back behind a Team USA bench next year. He’s been added as an assistant on Mike Sullivan’s staff for next year’s inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, per a USA Hockey announcement.

It’s the second straight tournament in which Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who currently holds the same role for the U.S. Men’s National Team, has plugged in his new head coach to the staff. Hynes took over Minnesota’s bench in late November after the Wild got off to a sluggish 5-10-4 start under Dean Evason.

Under Hynes, the U.S. finished second in Group B at the Worlds but was ousted in the quarterfinal round. It was his second time leading the Americans at the tournament – he led them to a bronze-game loss in 2016. He also served as an assistant at the 2019 tournament.

Other than Hynes and Sullivan, USA Hockey has yet to fill out its staff for the 4 Nations tournament, which will run from February 12 to February 20, 2025. A handful of Hynes’ Wild players, likely winger Matt Boldy and Calder Trophy finalist Brock Faber on defense, could play under him at the tournament.

Hynes is now with his third NHL club as a head coach after previous stints with the Devils and Predators. He owns a career 318-279-68 record (.529 points percentage) in 665 regular-season games coached.

Blues Sign Colten Ellis To Two-Way Extension

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The Blues have signed goaltender Colten Ellis to a one-year, two-way extension, per a team announcement. The deal carries a cap hit and NHL salary of $775K and an AHL salary of $85K.

Ellis, 23, is the second Blues minor-leaguer to ink extensions in the past few days. Winger Mathias Laferrière signed a similar deal to remain in the St. Louis organization on Sunday.

Like Laferriere, Ellis was slated to be a restricted free agent this summer following the completion of his entry-level contract. The Blues’ 2019 third-round choice is coming off his third professional season, and while he’s failed to earn a full-time job with AHL Springfield to date, it seems to be around the corner.

Ellis played a career-high 16 AHL contests this year, leading Springfield goalies with a 2.89 GAA and .924 SV% behind a defensively-challenged club. Add on a .923 SV% in 21 appearances with ECHL Orlando, and he’s put together a solid case for full-time backup duties with the Blues’ top affiliate next season.

The Nova Scotia native still has some time to develop and is one of the more under-the-radar goalie prospects in the league. He went on to have an illustrious junior career after being drafted by St. Louis, culminating in a lights-out 2020-21 campaign that saw him post a remarkable 23-1-0 record, seven shutouts and a .926 SV% in 24 games with the QMJHL’s Charlottetown Islanders. He led the league in both GAA and SV% during the COVID-shortened season and was named to the year-end First All-Star Team.

Ellis will be slated for restricted free agency again next summer when his extension expires. He’ll likely split goaltending duties in Springfield next season with fellow 2019 pick Vadim Zherenko.

Snapshots: Merela, Sabres Staff, Krog

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Yesterday, Lightning restricted free agent forward Waltteri Merela signed a one-year deal with SC Bern of the Swiss National League. The Lightning reportedly wanted Merela to return to the organization (as per Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times) but couldn’t offer him the guaranteed money that he could get abroad because of their need to keep salary cap flexibility. The Lightning plan to make Merela a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights until he is 27.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Buffalo Sabres have hired Chris Bergeron as a scout, shares Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News. Bergeron has served as the head coach of Miami (Ohio) University’s men’s hockey team for the last five seasons, posting a cumulative – and dismal – 35-116-16 record with the club. Those results earn Bergeron the title of lowest win percentage in Miami’s history, narrowly beating out Bill Davidge’s 39-111-3 record across four seasons in the late 1980s. Bergeron still has a storied hockey career despite a slow go of things in Miami, Ohio – serving as the head coach of Bowling Green State University for nine seasons and accumulating 43 AHL games, 119 ECHL, and 111 IHL games across a seven-year professional career of his own. Bergeron is expected to, unsurprisingly, serve as Buffalo’s NCAA scout after Jerry Forton was promoted to ‘Director of Amateur Scouting’.
  • Buffalo has also shared that they will be maintaining AHL assistant coaches Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch, shares Lysowski (Twitter link). The duo – both former NHL players – concluded the first year of their coaching careers last season, helping lead the Rochester Americans to a strong 39-23-7 record. With a year under their belts, the novice coaches will now lend their lessons learned to new head coach Mike Leone as he enters the first pro role of his own coaching career.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have hired former NHL center Jason Krog as a skills and development coach for the NHL and AHL rosters (Twitter link). Krog played in four games with Vancouver to end a 202-game career in the NHL that was largely spent with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Krog scored 22 goals and 59 games across his career, including a single-season high of 25 points in 2002-03. He flaunted fantastic agility and skill as an undersized pivot in a physical era of the NHL – and will now look to bring those lessons to a young Canucks organization.

Devils Name Jeremy Colliton Associate Coach

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June 11: The Devils have named Colliton as their associate coach in a team announcement Tuesday, directly replacing Green. No other changes are coming to their on-ice coaching staff this offseason.

June 7: Keep an eye on former Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton to join the Devils’ bench in an assistant capacity this offseason, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

Colliton, 39, was fired as Chicago’s head coach in November 2021 after they began the 2021-22 campaign with a 1-9-2 record. He remained out of work for the remainder of the season but later joined the Canucks, serving as the head coach of their minor-league affiliate in Abbotsford for the last two seasons.

With his contract up this summer, though, it’s unlikely he’s returning to Vancouver. He’s also been viewed as an outside contender for the Sharks’ head coaching vacancy, the last one remaining in the league. However, San Jose appears close to a decision, and he’s not the leading candidate.

In New Jersey, Colliton would join a new-look coaching staff led by Sheldon Keefe, who quickly found a new home after being let go by the Maple Leafs. He’d fill the vacancy left by Travis Green, who was promoted to serve as interim head coach after Lindy Ruff’s midseason firing and left this offseason to become head coach of the Senators.

Across parts of four seasons with the Blackhawks, Colliton had an 87-92-26 record (.488 points percentage). They made the playoffs once in his tenure, winning their 2020 Qualifying Round series against the Oilers before falling to the Golden Knights in first-round action.

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