5 Players Who’ve Played Their Last Games With New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have a lot of decisions to make this offseason. They already made one huge decision, making progress on an extension with Lindy Ruff. Now, the focus turns to player personnel. The Devils have six unrestricted free agents and eight restricted free agents. Every position has at least one of each. Tom Fitzgerald has his work cut out for him.
Despite the decisions Fitzgerald must make, some will be made for him. Some likely already have been made. Some players won’t want to be back, while others expect a huge payday the Devils just can’t afford.
After such a successful season, many would believe the Devils would want to run it back. It took years to finally ice a competitive team. Are the Devils going to let most of their 14 free agents walk away for nothing?
The major issue is that Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier are about to get serious raises. They will both be between $7 million and $9 million in average annual value. That is going to put a squeeze on the salary cap now that Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes are steeped in their post-ELC deals. So, with that, decisions have to be made, and certain players have to wear a different uniform.
1. Mackenzie Blackwood
Mackenzie Blackwood very quickly went from the team’s likely starter to a certified problem. Many forget he started the season as the opening-night starter. That night went terribly, and nothing really got better after that. Blackwood started off terribly, allowing four goals on opening night. He had a good run until the end of October when he let in five goals against the Washington Capitals.
Blackwood played all the hits that have hurt his career over the past four years. He was injured multiple times. He fell apart when it finally looked like he was building momentum. Credit where credit is due. He was completely professional all season, but it’s impossible to see him returning.
Another team is going to take a chance on Blackwood. He was considered for Team Canada at the Olympics just over a year ago. The mighty have fallen, and Blackwood will likely have to take a deal late in free agency. He will get a chance, especially from a team like the San Jose Sharks. He’s 26 years old with five years of NHL experience. Still, the Devils have no use for him anymore.
2. Damon Severson
This one is sad, but there is no way the Devils and Damon Severson will continue their trajectories together. The Devils added John Marino last offseason, and he fit in perfectly with the team. At times, he was the Devils best defenseman. He was also crucial in their playoff run. Meanwhile, Severson basically took a back seat, playing the fewest minutes of all right-handed defensemen. The Devils can’t afford to spend close to $20 million on the right side of the defense again.
He still played just under 20 minutes per game. Someone will look at Severson and think he can be either their top guy or a 1B. The Devils always asked too much of Severson. This season, they asked too little. Now, they can’t justify bringing him back.
Severson’s minimum is $6 million per season. Depending on the length of the contract, he could get closer to $7 million per season. Maybe that sounds nuts, but look at the state of the free agency market. Dmitry Orlov is the only defenseman ranked higher on The Athletic’s list of free agents.
The Devils will likely make an offer to Severson, and they probably asked for the right of first refusal, but that won’t matter. The market will dictate a nice raise for Severson.
3. Ryan Graves
Things were a little different for Ryan Graves, who was still given major opportunities all season despite the additions on defense. Of course, the additions on the left side weren’t as hefty, but the biggest addition of all ranks Graves needless. Luke Hughes joined the Devils after his sophomore season at the University of Michigan ended. He dominated almost immediately. Now, Graves really doesn’t have the same chance to return as he did just a few weeks ago.
It didn’t help that Graves was very inconsistent in the playoffs. He was the main culprit of Chris Kreider’s nonsense. On multiple occasions, Kreider got around, behind, and in front of Graves to score a plethora of power-play goals. He eventually got better at the penalty kill, but he still made enough mistakes that he was noticeable too many times.
Graves is another player that is getting the benefit of a bad free agent crop. He’s also one of the top 50 free agents on The Athletic’s list, and he was given props for playing very tough minutes. He’s usually out there against the best lines.
Honestly, this one might be wrong. The Devils have a hole in the penalty kill if they don’t bring back Graves. Without Graves, they have two choices: play Dougie Hamilton on the PK or make sure Brendan Smith is in the lineup. Still, it’s not enough to give Graves a significant raise to what he’s making with term.
4. Miles Wood
We’ve gone back and forth on this one, but Miles Wood has played his last game with the only franchise he’s ever known. Wood has been one of the most controversial players during this era of Devils hockey. Wood was a fourth-round pick that quickly showed he had NHL chops. One of the last Lou Lamoriello draft picks to actually play for the Devils, Wood’s loss, along with Severson’s, would make Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier the longest-tenured Devils players.
Wood brings something to the lineup nobody else can claim. He’s as fast as anyone on the team. He plays with an edge, something many believe is always needed with such a small lineup. Wood has seen success in the past, but it is always inconsistent. His career high in points is 32, and that was back in 2018. This past season, he had 27 points.
Wood was coming off a major hip injury, but at the time one would expect him to play his best, he disappeared. On three different occasions this season, he went a full month without a goal. That’s unacceptable on a team like the Devils, which needs goals in bunches to be successful.
Someone will look at Wood’s body of work and his skill set and talk themselves into giving him a nice contract. It just takes one team to think they should pay Wood like a second-line player. That team is out there, and it likely isn’t the Devils. They just can’t afford to play bottom-six players that kind of premium.
5. Mason Geertsen
Most fans might be surprised by this entry, but look at the rest of the available players. Is it likely Tomas Tatar will return? Hard to say. Will they find a way to re-sign Erik Haula? That seems likely. Michael McLeod seemed like his time might be up, but then he played well in the playoffs. That’s how we got to Mason Geertsen, who many might not even know was still with the organization.
Geertsen played his entire season with the Utica Comets. Tom Fitzgerald claimed him off waivers last season from the New York Rangers, adding size and snarl to the lineup last season. He ended up playing 25 minutes for the Devils, posting zero points and averaging three penalty minutes per game.
Geertsen was actually pretty good with Utica this season. He scored four goals (!!!) in 61 games. He was a leader in the room, and he helped the Comets through some ups and downs that come with an AHL season.
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Geertsen is an unrestricted free agent this season, and he might be looking for an opportunity where he has a better chance to make an NHL roster. Right now, Geertsen would have to accept an AHL deal to come back. The Devils will likely look elsewhere, and Geertsen will likely find a new home on a team looking for toughness despite not needing offense.