New Jersey Devils: 5 Players Costing Themselves A Lot of Money
The New Jersey Devils have shown very little in the first round of the NHL playoffs. A few players who are looking for new contracts are costing themselves in the postseason.
Going into this postseason, the New Jersey Devils had 13 players currently in the last year of their contract. That number is 14 if you count Jonathan Bernier. There are a lot of players looking to get paid this offseason, whether with the Devils or on another team. Some players are fighting for their careers, while others are going to get a serious raise. Some still have their rights owned by the Devils, but at least five unrestricted free agents could go anywhere.
Teams will pay top dollar for a player who delivers in the postseason. These 13 players (well, 12 because Mackenzie Blackwood isn’t playing) were looking to prove the deserve the bag. Now, with the Devils down 2-0 in the New York Rangers series and scoring just two goals, they all cost themselves a ton of money. It starts at the top.
Jesper Bratt, Current AAV $5.45 million
Buckle up. It’s going to be another stressful summer between Jesper Bratt’s camp and the New Jersey Devils front office. Bratt had another successful season, scoring a career-high 32 goals and matching the 73 points he scored in 2021-22. While his points per game went down, nobody would argue Bratt was any worse than he was last season.
There is one problem. Bratt saw both Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes pass him in production, and now Timo Meier is on the team, too. He needed a big postseason to really prove his worth. Obviously, the Devils like having a 73-point player on the roster.
Bratt wants to be a $9 million player. Unfortunately, Bratt is still waiting for his first postseason point. The Devils have two goals. The first power play has been terrible, and Bratt has done absolutely nothing. To be fair to him, the Devils’ recent change in style of play suits him literally the least on the team. Adding toughness is not part of his game. However, he has to be able to play any style for $9 million. Would Tom Fitzgerald say yes to $7 million right now? That’s an interesting question.
Damon Severson, Current AAV $4.16 million
Damon Severson is going to get paid either way. His current value is a bargain, he’s been playing well in his role, and the defensive market is poor this season. The Devils aren’t going to bring Severson back. They made that decision when the traded for John Marino who still has four seasons left at $4.4 million.
Severson is in the conversation with Matt Dumba, John Klingberg, and Dmitri Orlov as the best defenseman on the market. The Devils longest-tenured player has two things going for him. He’s right-handed, and he’s 28 years old. Even if he signs for seven years, he will be paid through his 35th birthday. That’s not terrible for a player built like Severson.
This could have been where Severson pushed himself past Dumba, Klingberg, and Orlov in the conversation. His time on the power play and penalty kill could have pushed him into a new level of defenseman contract. Now, he may not get the deal we’re all expecting.
He still should get a raise even if the Devils get swept, but it won’t be what most expect. Some thought Severson could get somewhere in the $7 million range, but a defenseman in his age range with as little playoff experience as Severson has can cost them in the long run. If he was able to even get 10-12 playoff games this season, that would have helped immensely.
Miles Wood, Current AAV $3.2 million
Miles Wood will get a new contract from some team who falls in love with his intangibles. He’s one of the fastest skaters in the league and plays with a hard edge. A coaching staff will look at everything he brings to the table and decide he’s the missing piece. That’s going to happen no matter what. Ignore all of Wood’s flaws, but he looks great in practice.
Wood could have turned into a $5 million player. Someone would have given it to him if he was able to have a few moments in this postseason. That’s how he was able to negotiate a raise this past offseason on a one-year deal despite missing all of last season.
The Devils avoided arbitration with Wood, giving him about $500,000 more than his previous AAV. It was a one-year deal that sends him straight to unrestricted free agency. It made sense for both sides. The Devils really missed Wood last season. This season, however, he looked incredibly ineffective after November. He would go on weeks-long scoreless streaks. His incessant penalties constantly put the Devils in a bind.
However, if the price drops as we expect, don’t be floored if the Devils bring Wood back. It all depends on what happens from here on out. They did trade for Curtis Lazar, who has two more years at a very small number. Let’s see how it all works out, but for now, Wood has cost himself a ton of money with a pretty dreadful first two games of this series.
Nathan Bastian, Current AAV $825,000
Nathan Bastian has been an important part of the Devils, but his role is usually muted. He chips in some offense, plays in the dirty areas, and he often leads the team in hits. He would lead the team in hits this season, but an injury cost him months of the season.
Bastian only played 43 games this season. That already cost him. He also recorded just 15 points. He didn’t have 11 goals like he did last season. There are reasons to believe he would get a similar contract in the offseason. He is a restricted free agent, so the Devils hold onto his rights. He was likely getting somewhere under $1 million per season, but a big postseason could have changed that.
If Bastian was the driving force on the fourth line, then things could have been different. The BMW line was directly causing wins earlier in the year. Obviously, things didn’t continue in 2023, but maybe with a new directive and the head coach focusing on physicality, Bastian’s role could have grown.
Instead, Bastian has seen his ice time diminish. He only has 13 minutes on the ice in two games. Ruff has shortened the bench in both games, and Bastian has been the victim of this cut. That isn’t going to help his case this offseason. A big postseason could have seen him get close to $2 million, but now he’ll have to settle for another minimum deal.
Ryan Graves, Current AAV $3.16 million
Ryan Graves could have earned himself a ton of money in the postseason. Instead, the narrative on him is he’s played terribly. This writer doesn’t think it’s as bad as the narrative says, but the reality is Graves has been on the ice for six goals against and zero goals for. Obviously, the Devils haven’t scored at even strength, so it would be impossible for Graves to see a goal while he’s on the ice. Still, watching three goals go in per game is not good for him.
Graves hasn’t been good on the penalty kill. To his credit, the Rangers have completely figured out how to solve the Devils diamond formation. They constantly leave Chris Kreider wide open, and he’s killed them every time. Graves himself hasn’t figured out how to solve that problem, and it’s cost the Devils every night.
That is going to be the prevailing story for Graves. When he’s trying to stop the opposing team, it still ends up in the back of his team’s net.
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He has some positives working in his favor. He’s 6’5. That is something that can’t be taught. Someone will pay Graves, and he might even get a raise. However, if he had a big postseason, or if the Devils looked really good in the first round, he would have been given a lot more. Instead, he likely has to settle for less.