The New Jersey Devils have not made any major moves ahead of NHL Free Agency beginning. Many thought they would be active during the NHL Draft weekend, but literally nothing happened. After trading John Marino to Utah and Alexander Holtz to Vegas at last year's draft, Tom Fitzgerald didn't do much of anything this year. Now, on the eve of free agency, all the holes in the Devils' lineup and their salary cap situation remains fluid.
There are big issues with the Devils' roster, especially when it comes to scoring and center depth. They did sign Juho Lammikko, but that is strictly for depth. They also added prospects Arseni Gritsyuk and Lenni Hameenaho, but again, nobody is jumping for joy at those moves and expect them to completely change the roster.
Whether through free agency, trade, or offer sheet, the Devils will likely make some moves to help with the offense. They will probably also make a move to add depth on defense.
The Devils lost Santeri Hatakka to an overseason opportunity, and Brian Dumoulin will likely be too expensive to re-sign this offseason. Their current depth is good as currently constructed, but there are too many questions around the defense.
Johnny Kovacevic, Luke Hughes, and Brenden Dillon are all dealing with major injuries that will impact offseason training. Any one of them could miss time next season. Dougie Hamilton is in trade rumors. Simon Nemec might be moved for a bigger piece on offense. The only defenseman not facing questions this offseason is Jonas Siegenthaler.
With that, we expect the Devils to add a defenseman through free agency. One depth player they loved was now-Dallas Stars defenseman Brendan Smith. Reports out of the Lone Star State are that he's heading to free agency.
Brendan Smith will be hitting the market on Tuesday.
— Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) June 29, 2025
The defenseman is looking to play at least one more season.
There are few guys better than him to surround young players with if a team is looking for defensive depth.
Signing Brendan Smith would cause an uprising with New Jersey Devils fans
On the surface, Smith makes perfect sense for the Devils. He's a veteran who is willing to come in and out of the lineup. He's willing to get creative with his value, playing forward when absolutely necessary. He knows the locker room and was well liked when he was here, and he was a leader of the players on and off the ice.
Unfortunately, the fans also watched Smith play 123 games with the franchise. It wasn't always great. In fact, there was more frustration than not with his on-ice play. To be fair to Smith, he was playing in Lindy Ruff's system, which was not the best for his skill set, but there are likely better options out there.
Even if the Devils trade for Smith's current teammate Jason Robertson, a Smith signing would signal an issue with the team's direction. A Devils depth defenseman is going to play games next year. They need someone who can contribute at a high level. We've never gotten that from Smith, and many considered his signing in Dallas to be an addition by subtraction.
We really liked Smith as a teammate and professional, but he's two years older and holding onto the last year of his career. We'd love to welcome him back as a coach or team ambassador, but the Devils don't need him as a player anymore.