The New Jersey Devils revamped their bottom six this offseason, one of Sunny Mehta’s most important moves. He made sure that the team that was out every night last year was not the one that hit the ice this season. And it’s working. The Devils are getting secondary scoring, something that eluded them all last season.
One of the main frustration points last season was the drop in production from Paul Cotter. He was the centerpiece of the return when the Devils sent Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights. This was part of Tom Fitzgerald’s attempt to bring grit into the lineup. And while Cotter had skill, he wasn’t the right type of player to push the team forward.
The Devils still held his rights going into last offseason, but in one of his first decisions as new GM of the Devils, Mehta let him go for free. He wasn't given a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
In the right situation, he could work, and many thought that was the case when he signed with the Vancouver Canucks. He was absolutely on fire to start the season, scoring four goals in his first four games with the Canucks. Since then, he’s had one point in eight games.
It’s gotten so bad that the Canucks made him a healthy scratch. His reaction to the scratch was… interesting.
#Canucks Paul Cotter with a unique view on being a healthy scratch last night vs Minnesota pic.twitter.com/RPxMxxfKWe
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) October 26, 2026
Paul Cotter considered it a compliment after he was scratched
There’s always context to these decisions that we don’t know, but it’s hard to understand why a player would use the word “compliment” when it comes to being scratched. He was essentially benched on one of the worst teams in the league. Maybe the head coach had a different type of conversation with Cotter, but it still comes off as a bizarre response.
The Devils were hoping for more out of Cotter, but he was being paid the league minimum, and he did bring grit at times. He had some scoring and felt like a direct replacement of Miles Wood. Unfortunately, he was just as frustrating as Wood, and now another team if feeling that pain.
The Devils are happy with Jesper Boqvist and Amadeus Lombardi taking those roles that were once held by Cotter. The Canucks will probably get Cotter back into the lineup, but the shine has already worn off the signing. What a difference a week makes.
Add us as a preferred source on Google