The New Jersey Devils' 2024-25 season is over. The Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Devils in Game 5 of their first-round series in a 5-4 double-overtime game. Now, the offseason begins, and so does the important work from Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald with free agency opening on July 1st.
Here are three priorities Fitzgerald should add to the top of his list this offseason ahead of next year.
3. Understanding the Salary Cap Ceiling
According to a NHL/NHLPA memo announced on Jan. 31st, the salary cap ceiling is expected to rise to $95.5 million next season, with two more large jumps in the subsequent seasons, up to at least $113.5M by 2027-28. Should Fitzgerald and the Devils take full advantage of this, the Devils could have core players Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt locked up until 2030 and 2031, respectively.
"The cap under the current guidelines in the Collective Bargaining Agreement would go up 5 percent," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said on Dec. 10. "As we look at revenues, we're going to have discussions with the Players' Association about escrow levels and whether or not the cap can or should be tweaked a little more on an ongoing basis, but that's something that we have to really work out with the Players' Association and we're having those discussions."
2. Acquiring Kyle Palmieri
Kyle Palmieri, a right winger for the New York Islanders, was traded by the Devils with Travis Zajac on April 7, 2021, for A.J. Greer, Mason Jobst, a first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. While Palmieri should still be considered a top-six winger, he would better fit the second line on the Devils.
He doesn't drive play or produce at a crazy rate, but he does have previous experience with the Devils and can add from both an offensive standpoint and leadership. Plus — with all of the New Jersey injuries, having a player who recorded 48 points (including 24 goals) this season on a low-producing Islanders could certainly be a positive.
1. Cutting Dead Weight
Ah, yes. Cutting dead weight for the Devils is unfortunately the most obvious answer. There were way too many passengers on the team, especially among the forward group. It's time for Tom Fitzgerald to make some hard decisions about the roster.
New Jersey is talking about an ineffective fourth line that is mostly pending UFAs such as Curtis Lazar and Nate Bastian, a declining middle six scoring winger in Tomas Tatar, and an enforcer in Kurtis MacDermid. The Devils should and likely will consider moving on from all of those players as well and rebuilding their fourth line from scratch. He might even move on from some players who are currently under contract in bigger moves.