New Jersey Devils: 3 Top-End Free Agents To Target
The New Jersey Devils are starting to solidify their salary cap table. Jesper Bratt signed an eight-year deal for less than $8 million, leaving the team with north of $26 million left to spend. Timo Meier is the next big free agent to sign, but if he sticks to around $8 million or even something like $8.4 million, the Devils would still have $18 million to spend.
Yes, the Devils have a lot of free agents to sign. However, outside of Meier and someone like Erik Haula, most of these free agents are going to be close to the minimum. So, the Devils will still have money to spend on a big name. This is especially true if they decide to let Tomas Tatar walk in unrestricted free agency.
There aren’t very many great free agents. This is a great class on paper. There are Hart winners, Conn Smyth winners, Selke winners, and a laundry list of Stanley Cup winners. Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jonathan Toews, and Jonathan Quick are some of the huge names that are available. However, they are huge in name only at this point. In fact, some the Devils should avoid at all costs. Despite the weird class, there are some stars the Devils should target.
Ryan O’Reilly
While the Devils signing Haula seems like a formality, what if the Devils could find someone who fits even better? Ryan O’Reilly was once considered one of the best centers in the NHL. He’s a former Selke Trophy winner, the same trophy Nico Hischier is targeting right now. He’s also a Conn Smythe winner, dragging that St. Louis Blues team to its first-ever championship.
O’Reilly would play an interesting role with the Devils. He’s not the 70+ point player he was in his heyday. However, it seems conceivable that last year was an outlier.
O’Reilly finished the year with 30 points, the fewest he’s had since he was a teenager with the Colorado Avalanche. He was much better with the Toronto Maple Leafs after the trade from St. Louis. He had 11 points in the final 13 games of the regular season, a 69-point pace. The Devils can at least expect a 50-point player while fitting on either a line with Jack Hughes or running a third line with other great young players.
Michael Bunting
Michael Bunting was once considered the best player in a rough free agent class. Then, he had a dreadful playoff that included a three-game suspension. The Maple Leafs ended up winning the Tampa Bay Lightning series without him, the first series win for the Leafs in almost two decades.
Now, the Maple Leafs are letting Bunting go for nothing. They went from having the hottest free agent on the market to having no interest in even talking to him. At one point, it looked like Bunting would sign for $6 million per season or more. Now, it looks like it could be half of that.
Could Tom Fitzgerald see Bunting as a bargain now? It’s definitely possible. The Devils have a similar setup to the Maple Leafs, so Bunting could thrive in the Garden State. He’s a tough, two-way forward with grit that could add a certain attitude to the top six. He’s coming off his best season, and he’s entering his prime.
Bunting could easily sign a three-year deal, where he gets progressively better as time goes on. Could Buntin eventually be a 60 or 70-point player? Could he score 30 goals? Imagine if he’s on Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier’s wing. He could really do damage.
Max Pacioretty
Maximillian Kolenda Pacioretty is coming off a second Achilles tear in two seasons, lasting just five games before his time with the Carolina Hurricanes was cut short. Pacioretty scored three goals in those five games, showing what the Canes were hoping to get when they traded for him. He was a good risk, and it could have worked out if the injury didn’t happen again.
This offseason, Pacioretty is looking for his next deal. With the Hurricanes give him more money, or will they let him walk because of his injury risk? When will Pacioretty be healthy again? That’s a big question.
Would Pacioretty be willing to take a “prove-it” contract with a team likely to be in contention like the Devils? It all depends on the financials, but the Devils could make it work about as much as any other contender.
Next. 5 Free Agent Goalie Options. dark
The Hurricanes will likely pursue Pacioretty all offseason, as there seems to be a real fit between the two. It would take an interesting offer or opportunity to break them apart. While the Devils may have lost to the Hurricanes in the playoffs, their star is on the rise. It would make sense to go after the right deal with Pacioretty.