New Jersey Devils Most Team-Friendly Contracts in 2020-21
With every day that this seemingly endless NHL pause continues, it seems more and more certain that we’ve seen our last game played by the 2019-2020 New Jersey Devils. That said, we here at Pucks and Pitchforks are eager to move on to 2020-21 Devils hockey, as many Devil fans likely are.
Looking at next season, the least of the Devils’ concerns right now is cap space. Given past circumstances, Devils ex-GM Ray Shero managed the team’s payroll fairly well. The Devils currently have a cap hit next season of $55,254,999, but will have plenty of expiring contracts to manage this offseason. The projected salary cap for 2020-2021 is currently unknown due to the NHL pause
As of right now, the Devils have some really valuable contracts that will prove even more valuable as the team attempts to add or re-sign talent going forward. Here are what I believe are the best on the team right now.
#5 Pavel Zacha – $2.25M AAV through 2021-22
Pavel Zacha is one of the Devils’ younger contributors. His 32 points this season make him the 5th highest point contributor on the roster. Though consistently inconsistent, Zacha is still young and has significant development in front of him. I believe under the right coach and with the right linemates, Zacha can be a 50-point scorer.
Zacha was on pace for 38 points at the time of the pause. His 32 points scored so far came amidst an early-season drought, an unusually delayed coaching change, and a lack of consistency of his spot in the lineup. I predict he makes another jump toward 50 next season, which makes his $2.25 million cap hit a cheap one. That kind of ratio of cap hit to point production is rare in the NHL, outside of entry-level contracts.
The reason Zacha isn’t higher on the list is his lack of consistency on both sides of the puck. With each season that goes by, he seems less willing to use his body as an asset. He seems relatively soft in the defensive zone when he doesn’t have to be, and this leads to goals against.
#4 Nikita Gusev – $4.5M AAV through 2020-2021
At the time of the NHL pause, Nikita Gusev was the second-highest point scorer (13g, 31a, 44p) on the Devils roster, just one point behind sniper Kyle Palmieri. In his first year in the NHL, Gusev had to overcome a tough adjustment from international rink size to North American ice. During the early part of the season, he got knocked around, was slower than the opposition, and was a defensive liability. This limited Gusev’s opportunity to create offensive chances.
As Goose adjusted, he was able to get more ice, and he flourished. Next season, I predict him to reach at least 50 points on a line with young and developing linemates Jesper Bratt and Pavel Zacha. He was already on pace for 50+ points this season.
His contract, though only good for one more season, is very cap friendly for a leading point scorer. 4.5M for his level of production is another win for the Devils’ salary cap.
#3 Damon Severson – $4.166M AAV through 2022-2023
Spoiler alert! Damon Severson is the only defenseman on this list. Severson is locked in with the Devils until 2023, making his contract the longest among Devils d-men. He had the most goals (8) and most assists (23) among Devils defensemen and is the only defenseman who played all 69 regular-season games for the team this season.
It’s that type of production and consistency that the Devils desperately need on defense. At $4.166 million AAV for 3 more years, Severson’s contract gives the team that consistency from a player who is still only 25 years old, without breaking the bank.
The only thing holding Severson from number one on this list is his defensive zone coverage. He plays weak in the d-zone and often allows a lot of pressure on his own net. This leads to a lot of goals against – not something NHL teams want on defense, at all.
#2 Kyle Palmieri – $4.65 million AAV through 2020-2021
Kyle Palmieri was our leading point scorer at the time of the pause. He is one of the most consistent players on the New Jersey Devils roster if not, the most consistent. His consistent point production, combined with his sniper playstyle makes him very valuable to the team.
He is a shooter among passers and a veteran among young guns. For all he brings to the table, I think Palmieri can be making millions more than he is currently getting paid by the Devils.
Whoever the Devils GM is going forward, they’re going to have a tough time getting this kind of value out of an extension with Palmieri.
#1 Jack Hughes – $925,000 AAV through 2021-2022
It’s hard to beat the value that comes out of an NHL entry-level contract. That’s what puts Jack Hughes’s contract at the top on this list. Locked in for another 2 years at just $925,000, Jack Hughes is slated to develop rapidly at the NHL level. This makes for some great value on the Devils balance sheet.
Though only on pace to score 25 points this season, Hughes overcame some serious adjustment pains in his rookie year. He is young, small, and inexperienced. He’ll have plenty of time going forward to get bigger and better. Many agree – Jack Hughes is only going to improve.
Nico Hischier- $7.25 million AAV through 2026-2027
I didn’t have Nico making this list, but this contract could end up being Ray Shero’s single best and most important move as Devils GM (yes, even better than the Hall trade).
This contract value is not great right now. Nico simply has not been putting up enough points to call this a good contract. However, Nico is signed at this value for 7 years. The salary cap may be set to drop or stay the same for this upcoming season, but is definitely projected to rise long term. As the cap rises, Nico’s percent share of cap space drops.
Not to mention, Nico is projected to continue to improve for several more years – potentially even to Selke territory. He is only 21 years old. Interim GM Tom Fitzgerald calls Nico one of the pillars of the Devils Franchise. He is one of the players that Devils leadership will build a team around going forward.
So, if Nico continues to develop defensively while increasing his skill and production offensively, this could prove to be the best contract on the Devils payroll.