The New Jersey Devils have holes on the roster and a new GM who is expected to fill them. Depending on who you ask, the Devils need an upgrade at basically every position. And unfortunately, they are stuck with some bad contracts at those same positions.Â
When a team as talented as the Devils misses the playoffs, usually change is necessary. We saw change at the top, with Tom Fitzgerald being replaced by Sunny Mehta as general manager. Now, fans expect Mehta to get to work and make major changes to the roster. Small moves around the edges won’t be enough to go from one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference to serious Stanley Cup contenders.
Yet, that might be exactly what happens. Let’s play something out quickly: Mehta’s number-one priority is to re-sign Nico Hischier. If that happens around July 1st, then the Devils can hang their hat there. The free agency market is awful. The trade rumors can’t always be trusted. All in all, the Devils may be looking at a quiet offseason.
Just look at what happened last offseason. There were some big moves, like Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights (but that appeared to be in the work for a while). The Carolina Hurricanes added K’Andre Miller and Nikolaj Ehlers, and now they are in the Stanley Cup Final. Trevor Zegras was finally traded, heading to Philadelphia for an underwhelming return.
This offseason, we’re hearing rumors of Robert Thomas, Elias Pettersson, and Jason Robertson, with Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid’s names being floated after their teams were eliminated. Heck, with Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes both needing new contracts this offseason, we’ve even seen speculation for both of them, but it seems very unlikely they move. In reality, it’s more likely we see the likes of Blake Coleman and Ross Colton moved this summer.
When it comes to the Devils, we’re already seeing some adjustments. Dougie Hamilton is off most trade boards, which has surprised many in the know. He was asked to waive his no-move clause last offseason, and his relationship with the media was basically non-existent, but it sounds like his on-ice impacts are something Mehta wants for this team moving forward.Â
With Hamilton apparently off the trade block, this could be a quieter offseason than most Devils fans hoped. Here are a few reasons:
- The 12th-overall pick in this year's NHL Draft isn't enough to move the needle
- Connor Brown was a good winger next to Jack Hughes, seemingly solving one issue
- They will likely be interested in seeing Arseny Gristyuk's growth and don't want to block him
- Sunny Mehta is learning on the job
- The Devils have little cap space to make things happen
Now, we're prepared for the Devils to somehow trade for Brady Tkachuk, Connor Hellebuyck, and Quinn Hughes, but we feel the "quiet" approach is much more likely.
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