New Jersey Devils: A Final Look At Free Agency

The Middle Of The Road Veterans

Andre Burakovsky

Another guy with a career year in points who won the Stanley Cup on a contract year, Andre Burakovsky does have some good years left and might be an option for the Devils.  But with .76 points per game this season, he actually was consistent during the previous two shortened seasons. He also is coming off a $4.9 million deal and should probably be looking at a small raise.

The Devils have made some good bets to fill the top six, but Andreas Johnsson and Tomas Tatar didn’t work out despite past success and both will probably be gone after this season, so Burakovsky might be someone to look at.

The Devils would probably be looking at 4-5 years at just over $5 million, which isn’t bad. Getting a consistent player who has been exclusively on winning teams for the middle six would fit nicely.

Ryan Strome

This is another interesting one. While it would be a little odd to sign a former Ranger, Ryan Strome fits a lot better the more you look at it. This team needs a third-line center, and whoever fills that role needs to be able to play well offensively and not be a defensive sink like Pavel Zacha. He has been hovering at 20 goals and 50 points the last three seasons, which is a big step up from the Devils’ depth and pushes this team forward.

As a transitional piece, this would be a great move for 2-3 years at $3.75-4.25 million, which is a little lower than his last deal. but with the cap where it is his options will probably be which team at this number. It might not jump off the page, but the Devils should be looking at this.

Ondrej Palat

Ondrej Palat is about to be another cap casualty for the Lightening who is coming off a third-straight Stanley Cup Final appearance. He has been a very good depth player for the team, and much like the others the Lightning have lost, teams will covet him. He could even be looking at a longer deal than one might expect.

Over the last three seasons, he has been in the 40-50 point range which is nothing to overlook. Two of the season were shorter due to the coronavirus pandemic. There are a few things to look at from a Devils’ perspective. He is already 31, has scored 20 goals only one time, and it was in the 2013-14 season which is irrelevant to the current player. Last season, he was making $5.3 million. If he is signed to that again, the team who does will regret it quickly.

Max Domi

This one is a little more interesting as Domi has been a very up and down player who had some great years in Arizona and Montreal, some good ones since then, but will be on his fifth team already. He seems stuck in that spot where he is not quite a top player, but in a depth role can still put up points with an edge to his game. He would be an upgrade in the middle of the ice over Boqvist or Zacha in the middle and Johnsson or Tatar on the wing so this is a move they should be looking at.

He made $5.3 million on his last deal and like the other players in his situation, he is a little hard to judge in terms of price. If the Devils offered 3-4 years at $4.5 million, he would probably take it. At 27 years old, he still has prime years left and would be able to sign a deal in his early thirties after which works well for him while making an easy $15+ million.

Nikita Zadorov

This is a guy who the Devils should be looking at in a big way. Is he the best defenseman? Absolutely not, but he is a legit NHLer and this team has had a disaster third pairing for a decade and is stocked full of soft offensive defenders. At 6’6 Zadorov is big but more importantly, he is one of the meanest guys in the NHL. This team needs toughness that can play and picking him up to sit on the third pairing for a year or two is a no-brainer of a move.

He is coming off multiple one-year deals in the 3 million dollar range so if the Devils offer that the second year it should be an easy sell and fans will rejoice at having a player like this at 3.25-3.5 over PK and Smith.

When it comes to the younger puck movers as well he should be able to clear the net and win board battles for them and offensively they will have a bit more leeway knowing he can cover for them and probably won’t be out there trying to be making moves of his own. Whoever is paired with him whether it is Smith, Walsh or though less likely Nemec, should be given the best chance to succeed in a depth role.