New Jersey Devils' 2024 offseason proved to be transformative despite taking the wrong approach

The New Jersey Devils’ 2024-25 season was certainly a disappointment relative to expectations. Though they did make the playoffs, they finished with 91 points and only eked out a playoff spot by two points over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Many point back to the 2024 offseason and why the Devils struggled to meet expectations last season. That’s not revisionist history, and you’d be correct in stating the front office somewhat fumbled the bag last summer. However, it was more about the approach they took, rather than the players themselves. Because when you look back on the season, most of the acquisitions they made last summer performed well.

Noesen and Cotter Had Successful First Seasons With the Devils

The Devils and general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s biggest failing last summer was not acquiring a top-six winger, especially since they traded Tyler Toffoli, a consistent 30-goal scorer, just months prior. But their additions up front weren’t all busts.

Tomáš Tatar did not look like the Tatar from the 2022-23 season. That wasn’t necessarily a surprise, but Stefan Noesen was much more than the Devils could have asked when they signed him to a three-year contract worth $2.75 million per year.

Noesen got off to a scorching hot start last season and was a significant reason why the Devils looked like one of the best teams in the NHL heading into the Christmas break. He totaled 16 goals and 25 points in 37 games through Christmas, a 35-goal, 55-point pace over 82 games.

Of course, it was unrealistic to expect Noesen to continue at that torrid pace, given his career outputs. He scored only six goals after Christmas, but still finished the season with a career-best 22 tallies and 41 points.

Noesen spent plenty of time in the top six alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier and did not look out of place. And he was a contributor in helping the Devils have one of the best power plays in the NHL. Overall, his impacts were quite good last season:

I wouldn’t expect Noesen to total 22 goals again this coming season, but he did average 14 goals and 38 points per 82 games in his two years with the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s a good middle-six contributor with some power-play upside and looks like a successful free-agent signing to this point.

While he wasn’t a free-agent signing, Paul Cotter had a relatively productive first season with the Devils, too. Acquired in the trade that sent Alex Holtz and Akira Schmid to the Vegas Golden Knights, Cotter potted 16 goals and totaled 22 points in 79 games.

Sure, Cotter’s goal-scoring was wildly streaky, but you’ll take 16 goals from a bottom-six winger any day, and he eventually became a weapon for the Devils in the shootout.

With Connor Brown, Evgeny Dadonov, and Arseniy Gritsyuk joining the team this season, I’d expect Cotter to settle into a more suitable fourth-line role instead of having to play up the lineup as often as he did last season. That should benefit him and perhaps help him find more scoring consistency, but that trade sure looks like a win for the Devils right now.

Pesce Was an Upgrade Over Marino

Fitzgerald didn’t just make changes up front last offseason. He also traded John Marino to the Utah Mammoth and signed Brett Pesce and Brenden Dillon in free agency.

Swapping Marino for Pesce was the most notable move, and though Pesce missed the start of the season recovering from an injury he suffered with the Carolina Hurricanes during the playoffs, he still had a positive impact on the Devils as the season progressed.

Pesce is not a big-time point producer, but he’s an efficient puck-mover and is not a liability in the offensive zone. His strength, though, is on defense, and his defensive impacts at even strength were excellent:

I’m not the biggest fan of Pesce’s contract, but it’s not a problem right now and probably won’t be for this coming season at a minimum. Again, it was another move that, at least a year later, looks like it’s worked out well for the Devils.

The one move that has not panned out so far is signing Dillon. Granted, the Devils asked Dillon to play a role about his weight class at this point in his career. If Luke Hughes takes a step forward and breaks out in 2025-26, that could push Dillon down the lineup and into a more suitable third-pair role.

Even though Dillon had a tough first season with the Devils, he only has two years left on his contract, and at a tolerable cap hit of $4 million. If the Devils need to get out of it next summer, whether it be through a trade or buyout, they shouldn’t have much trouble doing so.

Markstrom Was the Solution in Net

Finally, perhaps the Devils’ most notable move last summer was acquiring Jacob Markström from the Calgary Flames. Goaltending was part of the team’s undoing during the 2023-24 season, so finding an upgrade was crucial.

The Devils gave up a first and Kevin Bahl to acquire Markström, but the price was worth it. Yes, Markström did struggle down the stretch after suffering an MCL sprain in late January, but don’t forget he was at least in the Vezina conversation before that injury.

Before getting hurt against the Boston Bruins, Markström had totaled a .912 save percentage, and depending on which stats site you used, he was in the top ten in goals saved above expected and even pushing the top five. Had he not gotten hurt, his final stats (.900 SV%) probably would have looked much better.

Devils' 2024 Offseason Wasn't Terrible

Was the Devils’ 2024 offseason as bad as some made it out to be? No, it wasn't. Fitzgerald's failure to add more scoring last summer was part of the team’s undoing this past season. They had the wrong approach to the offseason, but most of the players they signed and acquired performed well.

The reason the Devils struggled last season was that additions from past years — Erik Haula, Ondřej Palát, etc. — fell off a cliff and became significant net-negatives. Had that not happened, the Devils’ 2024-25 season may have looked a bit different.