New Jersey Devils learn what it would take to make an offer sheet happen

The New Jersey Devils' management team made it clear that changes are coming this offseason. In their postseason press conference, Tom Fitzgerald and Sheldon Keefe said they expect changes to the roster. This past season was "average" and "not good enough," even considering the injuries impacting the team.

The Devils have a few traditional routes to take to enhance the roster. The NHL Draft is coming up, but they don't have a first-round pick, so this year's selections aren't impacting the roster in 2025-26. They have free agency, which we expect them to use to add multiple players to the roster. The Devils don't always partake in free agency because of the inflated prices, but it is something they've targeted in recent years. On top of that, there are trades, which Fitzgerald has prioritized for his most important players. There, the Devils can get cost-controlled assets while offloading pieces they may no longer desire.

One route that Tom Fitzgerald hasn't targeted is restricted free agency. The Devils haven't had a player sign an offer sheet for them in their franchise history. They did, however, have three players attempt to leave through offer sheet. Brenden Shanahan signed an offer sheet with the Blues in 1991, but because they didn't have the right draft picks, an arbitrator awarded them Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Stevens. Stevens signed another offer sheet with the Blues in 1994, but the Devils matched and the Blues were punished for tampering and had to give the Devils a first-round pick.

The Devils lost Troy Crowder in 1991, and they received fan favorite Randy McKay and Dave Barr as compensation. Most would say they were happy with the compensation, even if Lou Lamoriello was hoping to get Bob Probert.

The New Jersey Devils could target an offer sheet this offseason

Fitzgerald already said he thinks offer sheets will be a tool used more often moving forward. Now, he knows how much it will cost him to partake in this practice.

Unlike last season, when the Devils already lost their first-round pick in the Jacob Markstrom trade and the second-round pick in the Timo Meier trade. It limited the Devils' ability to make offer sheet deals, as their only option was either the no compensation tier or the third-round pick tier. Most of the time, players getting offer sheeted for such low amounts tend to be matched or might not be worth the bad will you gain from the other team.

This season, the tiers are intriguing, especially for a team like the Devils. They have no real worthwhile restricted free agents, as Luke Hughes is technically a 10.2.c free agent and cannot sign with another team. So the Devils won't have to worry about reactionary moves.

Since the Devils have control of their first, second, and third-round picks in 2026, and all future first-round picks beyond that, they have the compensation for any tier of offer sheet. Will they use it? There are some interesting options to make this work.