The New Jersey Devils are losing free agent options every day as more and more teams sign their important players to extensions. Earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed 33-year-old Yanni Gourde to a six-year contract to keep him in the Sunshine State for most of his career. The length of that contract would likely keep the Devils away from signing him. Then, on Tuesday, another contract was revealed that would have kept the Devils away for a completely different reason.
Brock Nelson was someone who could add scoring to the Devils' lineup from any line. He's a former 30-goal scorer who is getting long in the tooth. Even this year, in a down year, he had 26 goals. Some even predicted that Nelson would end up in New Jersey. The issue with signing him for the Devils is that he's 33 years old and, as we now see, he was demanding a huge salary.
The Devils couldn't afford to give Nelson $7.5 million with just $12 million in salary cap space and Luke Hughes still needing a new contract. They need to get rid of salary as it is, and adding Brock Nelson would have only made that more difficult.
This is probably more than most expected Nelson to get on the open market, but it's the price to keep players from free agency this late in the game. Luckily, the Devils aren't in that position. All of their unrestricted free agents could easily find new homes, and most fans wouldn't be too torn up about it.
Brock Nelson turned out to be too expensive for the New Jersey Devils
The Devils have to be smart with their approach to free agency. The money that's being thrown around is borderline insane. Can the Devils keep up as they try to add more scoring to the bottom six? Fans are frustrated and expect big things of Tom Fitzgerald.
The trade route might be the easier path forward for the Devils, even if it costs them more in future years. They will want to target some of these players that are available, especially if a team is trying to make room for Mitch Marner or Sam Bennett. Like they did with a player like Paul Cotter or Johnny Kovacevic, trades might be the best way to add depth for a better price than free agency.
Nelson would have been a nice addition for the Devils, but he alone doesn't make the Devils a contender. The pressure would mount for New Jersey if that were their big offseason acquisition. If they want to contend for the 2026 Stanley Cup, they need to make the right moves this offseason, and $7.5 million for Brock Nelson would not have been it.