New Jersey Devils re-sign Cody Glass for two years, expensive cap hit

The New Jersey Devils had a ton on their plate coming into the offseason. Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald's offseason checklist includes upgrading the bottom six, adding defensive depth, finding a backup goalie, and adding a top-six scorer to pair with Jack Hughes and/or Nico Hischier. Fitzgerald has been slowly knocking things off his list, including upgrading the bottom six, re-signing Jake Allen, and finding some defensive depth (they probably need more than just Dennis Cholowski).

Cody Glass was a trade deadline addition for the New Jersey Devils. The Devils sent former first-round pick Chase Stillman, prospect Max Graham, and a third-round pick for Glass, who had control past this season.

The Devils almost relinquished that control. Reports surfaced that the Devils would not extend a qualifying offer to Glass, which is required to retain control of a player past July 1st. The QO would guarantee a $2.5 million salary for the 2025-26 season if Glass accepted the offer. He's also arbitration-eligible, which is something Fitzgerald has been vocal about hating.

When the center market dwindled and it became clear Glass had decent value on the market, the Devils reversed course and qualified Glass. Luckily, it only took a few days to mend fences and re-sign Glass to a new deal.

Glass basically took his qualifying offer (one year at $2.5 million) and doubled it. He will be with the Devils for two years and $5 million.

The 25-year-old has had success in his career, but he never hit the expectations that come with a top-10 pick. Glass has become a decent two-way center that could score 15 goals when everything goes right. He scored 14 goals with the Nashville Predators, but he only had six goals last year.

Glass was really exciting to start his Devils career, scoring two goals and adding four assists in his first seven games. Then, the offense dried up. He had one point over the last 12 games of the season, including going pointless in the playoffs. There was a minor injury in there that appeared to impact him, but the Devils need more consistent production from him.

Glass is an important piece for the Devils. They lost so much center depth this offseason, with Justin Dowling, Erik Haula, and Curtis Lazar already finding new homes. Right now, the Devils would love to add another center, as Glass might be slated to be a candidate for the third line.

Unless he's scoring 14 goals again, Glass should be the team's shutdown center on the fourth line. He will kill penalties and play incredible defense at 5v5. Giving him a little too much on his contract is much better than losing him for nothing.