The New Jersey Devils made it a point to say they were going to make moves this offseason. Tom Fitzgerald said in his post-season press conference that changes would come to the roster this offseason. The Devils could blame injuries or a first year under Sheldon Keefe for a disappointing end in the first round, but the team's general manager is not accepting that excuse.
One problem though; well two: the Devils have just over $12 million in cap space and Luke Hughes is due a new contract. Since the Devils signed him for just a few games in 2023, his contract is ending this season. Luckily, that also meanshe's not eligible for an offer sheet, but the Devils will have to give him a massive raise. He could make upwards of $9 million per season on his next deal.
That would give the Devils around $3 million to upgrade the entire bottom six, add a backup goalie if it's not Nice Daws, and possibly add a major piece to the top six. To do all this, the Devils need to make money appear. There are a few ways to do that, but the most obvious options are trades or contract buyouts. Looking at the latter option, which players make the most sense to buy out, and which player has exactly zero chance of getting bought out?
Who could be bought out on the New Jersey Devils this offseason?
1. Erik Haula
The most likely buyout option this offseason is Erik Haula. The center had one of the worst seasons of his career last year. He is still due to be paid $2.4 million next season, but his cap hit is $3.15 million. At 34 years old, nobody thinks Haula is on the uprise, but nobody thought he'd plummet like he did.
Haula got this contract after a 41-point season where he helped Jack Hughes at times get the confidence to become a scorer. This past season, he had 21 points and was a constant liability. His months-long goalless drought was insane, and the Devils were worse everytime he was on the ice.
According to our friends at Puck Pedia, the Devils would cut Haula's cap hit in half if they buy him out this season. That would open up $1.6 million for the Devils to spend next season. With only one season left on the deal, the buyout would stretch the impact of his deal to two years. In the second year, it would cost the Devils $800,000 on the salary cap. That's just over the price of a minimum-salary player.