As we approach mid-July, the upcoming 2025-26 National Hockey League season draws nearer and nearer. For the New Jersey Devils, this is not necessarily a good thing. With most of the free agents already off the board, the Devils still have quite a number of needs that need to be addressed before next year's regular season gets underway.
Here are three moves General Manager Tom Fitzgerald still has to make in order to set the Devils up for success come 2025-26.
3. Acquire a 3C
A third-line center is a guy who can really log the most penalty kill minutes and has the ability to wear out an opponent's top line in five-on-five play.
This is something the Devils are in desperate need of. Some examples of these players include, but are not limited to, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathieu Perreault.
So, who could fill this void for the New Jersey Devils? Marco Rossi is a 23-year-old versatile talent who could fill a third-line role given his height of 5'9" and 60-point season from 2024-25. Given his current status as a Restricted Free Agent (RFA), why not strike up a conversation with Fitzgerald, given the Devils' current roster needs, and head over to Newark?
"It will definitely I think drag on for the rest of the summer without a resolution, I would be more surprised if it got resolved" 😬
— SKOR North - Minnesota Sports (@SKORNorth) July 9, 2025
- @jessi_pierce on Marco Rossi's contract situation with the #mnwild pic.twitter.com/oXEq5HlrAS
2. Acquire a depth defenseman
Under Head Coach Sheldon Keefe , the Devils' defense was a brand new corps. A team that was 23rd in in goals against during 2023-24 shot up to 12th in 2024-25, but still relied on their forwards heavily to bail them out.
According to Evolving-Hockey GAR, the Devils' forwards contributed the third-most defensive value of any forward unit in the NHL. As such, adding a depth defenseman to the roster is key.
Now, the Devils waited a while to make this move, so a lot of defenseman who were bigger names and would've been a good fit are off the table.
However, Tobias Bjornfot is still a RFA whose contract (two-year, cap hit of $775,000) with the Florida Panthers expired at the end of the 2024-25 season. Bjornfot is a capable two-way defenseman who could add some depth to the roster.
He was drafted No. 22 overall in 2019 and has 15 points on his career across 134 games played at only 24-years-old.
1. Lock down Luke Hughes
It is literally embarrassing that we are over a week into July and we're still writing about 21-year-old defenseman Luke Hughes still being a restricted free agent.
His current contract with New Jersey — a three-year, entry-level deal signed on April 8, 2023, officially ended on July 1st. While he's not currently eligible for an offer sheet, as he is considered a "10.2.c" player due to not reaching 10 games played in his first year, this is still a priority for the Devils. In fact, Fitzgerald said it was the Devils' most significant priority.
On May 31st, we mentioned it was only a matter of time before the Devils extend Luke Hughes' contract due to his strong performance (44 points), high potential, and the team's desire to keep him in the fold for the long term. Well, it's been a matter of time.
What's preventing Fitzgerald from giving Hughes whatever deal he wants and/or locking things down is a mystery; but the offseason is underway, players are training, and the clock is ticking.