A year ago, the 2026 free agent class looked like it was going to be one of the biggest in the history of the sport. Today? It is one of the weakest in recent memory. The likes of Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, and Kirill Kaprizov all re-signed with their respective clubs, leaving players like Alex Tuch the belle of the ball. Even Tuch was just involved in a sign-and-trade with New Jersey Devils division rival the Washington Capitals.
With all of the focus on the trade route for teams to get better, there are still some players available on the free agent market who can make teams better. If new Devils General Manager Sunny Mehta cannot add a big-name player in a trade, there are three specific names that can help the Devils out immediately.
Now, as long as none of them have the Devils' tenure as Evgenii Dadonov did, it will be a slam dunk. Adding veteran scoring and leadership is paramount for a team that is poised to take the next step and assert itself as a contender and not a pretender.
A player like Anthony Mantha, who will command a lot more than he is worth due to a career year, is not a real option for the Devils. Neither is a player like Alexander Ovechkin. While it would be amazing to see Ovi in a Devils uniform, he is either going to retire or stay with the Capitals. Who are three players the Devils can easily target and add to the roster?
Vladimir Tarasenko
When Tom Fitzgerald was in charge of the New Jersey Devils, it seemed as if every offseason they were linked to Vladimir Tarasenko. The Russian forward has gone to five different teams since leaving the St. Louis Blues. He was a part of the 2022-23 New York Rangers super team that the Devils defeated in seven games.
Currently 34 years old, Tarasenko can still light the lamp. While he is not a 40-goal scorer like he was in St. Louis, he put up 23 goals and 47 points last season with the Minnesota Wild. That would have put him 4th on the Devils this past season, only behind Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier. The Devils have needed depth scoring for a few years now, and Tarasenko can definitely provide that.
Tarasenko can also stay healthy as well. He has not hit the 70-game mark only a handful of times in his now 14-year career. The last time was the year he split with the Blues and Rangers, where he played 69 games. Someone who can stay healthy and provide depth has plagued the Devils for years. The players that stayed healthy could not produce, and the players that produced could not stay healthy.
It may be finally time for the Devils and Tarasenko to get together and try to get the team to take that next step.
Mats Zuccarello
Another Minnesota Wild player who could be on the move, Zuccarello should be well known by Devils fans. Even though he has spent the last seven years with the Wild, the Norwegian forward spent the first eight and a half years with the New York Rangers. Zuccarello has been one of the most underrated players in the NHL during his career.
Zuccarello has eclipsed 50 points each of the last four seasons in Minnesota, including a 79-point campaign in 2021-22. While at 38 years old, Zuccarello would become the oldest Devil, he can still produce immensely. Like Tarasenko, Zuccarello's numbers last year(54 points) would only put him behind Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier.
The knock on Zuccarello thoughtout entire career is that he is undersized, and that could be a problem for a Devils team that always has the knock of being undersized. But like Hughes and Bratt, if you can produce at a level like theirs, it is something fans are willing to ignore.
Another thing to add to Zuccarello is that he can produce in the playoffs. He had nine points in eight games this past offseason for the Wild while missing three of them. Zuccarello has been frustrated with the lack of contract talks with the Wild, so it is assumed he will hit the open market. Joining a team like the Devils could give him a few more years at a high production rate.
Patrick Kane
It is a coincidence that all three players on this list are former New York Rangers. Kane is coming off another year in Detroit, where he produced a 50-point season even though he is entering his late 30s. At 37 years old, Kane's season would, unbelievably, only trail Hughes, Bratt, and Hischier.
Are you sensing the pattern?
Kane may be looking to move on from Detroit after another disappointing season. Kane has not been to the playoffs since his run with the Rangers in 2022-23 as part of the doomed super team. While the Devils themselves did not reach the playoffs last season, they have been there more than the Red Wings have the past two seasons.
Something that you can sell Kane on is playing with Jack Hughes. You would not need to convince Hughes of playing with Kane, as Hughes has said his childhood hero was Kane. A line of Bratt-Hughes-Kane may be undersized, but it would put up a lot of points. Kane has had some injury issues in the past, but when healthy, he can still score.
The Devils could add one of these three and still add a scoring option in the top six. These three players would be welcome additions. While there are no game-breakers available in the free agent market, these three would still be better options than the Devils currently have.
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