A former first-round pick, Nolan Foote was once an exciting prospect when he was sent to the New Jersey Devils, along with a first-round pick that turned into Shakir Mukhamadullin, in exchange for Blake Coleman. But, just over five years since the Coleman trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Foote has yet to realize his full potential. In fact, one might argue he never achieved even a fraction of it.
The 24-year-old impressively scored six times in 30 games for the Devils in parts of five seasons, but the caveat is that Foote played 30 games in parts of five seasons.
His scoring speaks volumes about his offensive instincts and his impressive shot, but the former 2019 27th overall pick never earned the trust of his coaches in New Jersey, which is directly correlated with his career average of 9:26 a night at the NHL level.
The Devils did not extend Foote a qualifying offer ahead of Monday's 5 p.m. deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent free to sign with other NHL teams.
Foote could still re-sign with the Devils, to be clear, but this is most likely a result of the team allowing him to pursue an opportunity elsewhere.
The former Lightning prospect ended his season with an unimpressive two assists in his last 10 games between the Devils and the Utica Comets, though his 39 points in 53 games were an AHL season best for the 6-foot-4 Foote.
It's become apparent that the Devils no longer see the sniper as an important part of their future, with Dawson Mercer emerging as a superior option on the wing and previous big-money additions of Timo Meier, Stefan Noesen, and Ondrej Palat.
If this is truly it for Foote in a Devils uniform, he'll leave New Jersey having largely flattered to deceive with a total of nine points in 30 NHL games.