Heading into the 2026 offseason and free agency, it is no secret that new general manager Sunny Mehta and the New Jersey Devils will need to address their fourth line in some way as they seek to return to Stanley Cup contention.
Low-risk options like Luke Glendening, Juho Lammikko, and Paul Cotter have not filled the void there, and while trade deadline acquisition Nick Bjugstad could, he was Tom Fitzgerald's guy, and produced just two assists in 26 games with the Devils.
At the very least, Mehta and Co. need to add some competition, but they would be wise to patch the hole in this ship outright by looking within the Metropolitan Division.
After a brutal 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins are out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, making the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Egor Chinakhov, Anthony Mantha, Stuart Skinner, and Noel Acciari, among others, free agents.
Some names, like Malkin, will get all the attention, but the Devils should have a strong eye for a player like Connor Dewar, a pending UFA coming off a modest $1.1 million cap hit. Oh, and he's only 26 years old.
After being acquired by the Penguins last year, Dewar ripped off seven points in 17 games, then followed that up with the best year of his career this season, producing 14 goals, 16 assists, and 30 points in 78 games. As someone who covered the Flyers-Penguins playoff series, I can say confidently that Dewar was a menace, especially on the penalty kill.
With no clear answer in goal and the futures of Malkin, and perhaps Kris Letang, uncertain, it might be in Dewar's best interest to cash in on a career year and identify another team he can win with.
The 5-foot-10 forward has already played for the Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Minnesota Wild in his young career, so he's already looking at what could be his fourth stop in the NHL since being drafted by Minnesota in 2018.
If he is retained by Mehta and the Devils, there will be some level of familiarity with head coach Sheldon Keefe, who coached Dewar for 17 games in the 2023-24 season, when he scored five points in 17 games for Toronto after being dealt by Minnesota.
Adding Dewar, and perhaps someone like A.J. Greer, would be proven, monumental upgrades for the Devils' bottom-six, and both players fit in with what the Devils are trying to do age-wise.
Of course, it will take Dewar some time to process the season and decide the next steps for his career, but if he becomes available come July 1, the Devils need to be knocking at the door.
Add us as a preferred source on Google