New Jersey Devils: Predicting Where Every UFA Lands This Offseason
The New Jersey Devils have 14 free agents to deal with this offseason. Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of decisions to make. Six players can walk for nothing at the start of unrestricted free agency. After such a successful season, bringing everyone back might be the right move. However, in realistic terms, that’s not possible.
The Devils are expected to have around $34 million in cap space next season. However, they must make room for Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier’s new deals. That will take up at least half of that available cap space. Then, with the rest, the Devils have to fill nine positions. Most of those positions will go to entry-level contracts or deals paying less than $2 million.
The Devils still can’t afford to give players raises from their current deals. Jonas Siegenthaler’s new deal starts this year. Too much money is being spent on stars, so the veterans will likely be playing elsewhere. That doesn’t mean everyone is leaving. In fact, one very crucial player is almost guaranteed to return.
Erik Haula
Next Team: New Jersey Devils
Everyone is making it very clear that the goal is for Erik Haula to be a member of the New Jersey Devils moving forward. He said in the final press conference of the year that his goal is to return. Tom Fitzgerald made it clear that’s also his priority.
Haula has played for seven different franchises in 10 years. He struggled to find a proper home. He was snagged from Minnesota in the Vegas Expansion Draft. His 29 goal season helped propel the Golden Knights to that first surprising season. After a down second year, he was traded for peanuts to the Hurricanes. Then, he was included as part of the Vincent Trochek trade, spending his next season in Florida. He signed short-term deals in Nashville and Boston before he was traded to the Devils one-for-one for Pavel Zacha.
After all that movement, it’s no wonder Haula wants something a little more secure. He has a wife and a young child. The Devils can give him security no other franchise has promised him. That’s worth more than money at this point (which we’re sure Fitzgerald is willing to pay), and that’s why this should be a relatively easy negotiation.
Damon Severson
Next Team: Detroit Red Wings
It is really hard to find a team that fits with Damon Severson. He needs to find a team that can place him on the second line but can afford to pay him $6 million or more per season. The Devils can’t do that after trading for John Marino. The longest-tenured Devils player now has to look for his second NHL home.
Severson signed a very friendly six-year deal when he was 23 years old. That deal ends this summer. There were so many ups and just as many downs throughout his Devils career. He spent times as a fan favorite and others where he seemingly got blamed for everything. It was never consistent, kind of like Severson himself.
Finding the right fit for Severson in free agency is hard. The teams with cap space are either terrible (Chicago and Anaheim), don’t need a right-handed defenseman (Carolina and Seattle), or can’t afford a long-term deal (New Jersey and Pittsburgh). That’s why Detroit makes the most sense.
The Red Wings are playing Ben Chiarot, a lefty, on the right side. Chiarot needs as much of an advantage as possible, and playing him on his off hand does not help him. Instead, the Red Wings could sign Severson to pair with Chiarot and take some pressure off the Moritz Seider line.
Miles Wood
Next Team: Colorado Avalanche
Here comes a wild prediction, but with Gabriel Landeskog missing all of next year after knee surgery, the Colorado Avalanche will have to get creative to fill the holes on the offensive end. Yet, with Landeskog going directly on LTIR, they have an extra $7 million to spend.
Miles Wood isn’t going to cost anywhere near $7 million, but this extra money allows the Avs to go a little higher on other contracts. If he costs between $2-3 million, the Avalanche can now afford that.
The Avs have major holes in the bottom six to fill next season. They have six free agent forwards on top of the spot in the lineup Landeskog was supposed to take. They basically have seven slots to fill. Adding Wood brings the type of play style the Avalanche want to see while also getting them younger without costing too much.
Plus, can’t we all see Wood go to Colorado and dominate similar to how Pavel Zacha found his rightful home in Boston? Wood was inconsistent in New Jersey, but he clearly has a ton of skill. In fact, he has a mix of skills no other player has. The Avalanche will see that and believe Jared Bednar can get the best out of him. It’s an unconventional pick, but it works.
Tomas Tatar
Next Team: Chicago Blackhawks
Just a few weeks ago, Tomas Tatar would have been considered a priority re-sign. He was so good in the regular season, playing with Nico Hischier for most of the year. He helped the captain find his stride, and he was even nominated for the Selke Trophy. However, Tatar was a complete no-show in the playoffs.
It shouldn’t be concerning if a player has one bad postseason, but this is becoming a habit for Tatar. He was benched in two very important playoff runs with the Canadiens and Golden Knights. They seemed like flukes, but this is becoming a trend. It was fine when the Devils were focused on regular season success, but the situation is different now. Postseason success will soon be just as important as the Devils final standings.
Tatar still wants to get paid, as he only has so many more shots at this. One way to get paid is to sign with a team that has a generational player coming in. The Chicago Blackhawks (undeservedly) won the NHL Draft Lottery. They will get Connor Bedard, the best draft prospect since Connor McDavid.
The Blackhawks have a terrible forward core right now. Bedard’s current wingers are Tyler Johnson and Jason Dickinson. Maybe he gets Taylor Radysh. Either way, Tatar would be by far this team’s best winger. He could play a season or two with Bedard and get one more payday. Imagine if Tatar gets a 30-goal season before hitting free agency in a few years? He could just keep doing just enough to stay a $4 million player.
Ryan Graves
Next Team: Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers aren’t thinking about the offseason. They are currently two wins away from making the franchise’s second trip to the Stanley Cup Final as the unlikely eighth seed. The Panthers weren’t even a lock to make the postseason for most of the year, but they got hot at the right time. Despite the run, the Panthers will have some issues to fix in the offseason. Mainly, they need help on defense.
Aaron Ekblad fell off a cliff this season, and they were reeling from the loss of MacKenzie Weegar. Ryan Graves would make a lot of sense there for the right price. Graves gets a lot of grief just because of the nature of his position. He constantly plays against the other team’s best players.
The Panthers would love to get a player like Graves, who has size and ability on the back end. He shouldn’t be on the top line, but Graves plays well to the point he’s asked. Don’t expect him to be a superstar, but he won’t be paid like one anyway.
Graves could come back to the Devils, but it’s very unlikely. He could be looking for a contender to join, and what better than the Panthers? They don’t have a ton of cap space, but they have enough to sign Graves to a deal.
Mackenzie Blackwood
Next Team: Winnipeg Jets
Consider this one a bonus. This should be Jonathan Bernier, but he’s likely going to retire at some point. He tried to come back from hip surgery, but a setback ended any chance of a comeback. So, we give you Mackenzie Blackwood, who will be an unrestricted free agent if the Devils deny his qualifying offer. To give Blackwood a QO, they need to commit to a $4.125 million one-year deal. There is absolutely zero chance the Devils take that kind of unnecessary risk.
Blackwood will be an unrestricted free agent, so we will treat him as such. Who is going to give Blackwood a chance? The Devils made it clear he wasn’t a part of their future when they chose to dress Akira Schmid over him in the playoffs. There were reports that the Devils would consider a Blackwood start in the Hurricanes series, but that seemed like someone’s agent trying to get a non-story out there.
Despite his struggles over the past three years, someone will give Blackwood a chance. He won’t get a lock-down starter’s job, but he should get something similar to Ilya Samsonov, who was given a chance to fight for minutes with Matt Murray in Toronto.
Next. Devils Are Fine In Net With Vanecek & Schmid. dark
Doesn’t Winnipeg make sense if they are actually willing to move on from Connor Hellebuyck? The Jets would have no starting goalie (unless they get one in a Hellebuyck trade), and they can commit to the rebuild with Blackwood in net. He’s still just 26 years old and has years of experience as an NHL starter. Someone will give him a chance. What better place than Winnipeg with zero expectations?