When the Devils acquired Paul Cotter from the Vegas Golden Knights, many were unsure as to what and why they made the move. After all, they sent Vegas's former top prospects Alexander Holtz and Akira Schmid in the deal. It left some with a bad taste in their mouth and the feeling that New Jersey overpaid for Cotter. Fast forward to now, and general manager Tom Fitzgerald looks like the smartest man in the room. To say that Cotter has played well would be putting it lightly.
Through 19 games so far, the soon-to-be 25-year-old has already matched his goal total from last year with seven. He also has added five assists and made plays offensively all the time. He's tied for third on the team in goals, and he's seventh on the team in points. Cotter has been a pleasant surprise and has given the Devils a different edge to their game. He's also coming off an impressive goal in the Devils' 4-1 victory in Sunrise over the defending champion Florida Panthers.
Spinning top shelf beats. pic.twitter.com/DK3SgsyrwQ
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) November 13, 2024
It's plays like that that show you just how much depth this Devils team has. Along with Cotter, Stefan Noesen as well has gotten off to a great start with seven goals and fourteen points himself. With Cotter, he's doing a little bit of everything and playing the exact way that head coach Sheldon Keefe wants his forwards to perform. He's brought speed, been very physical, made plays defensively, and provided a punch to the offense on the bottom six.
Fitzgerald made it clear that the Devils "believe in his upside" when they got Cotter in the summer. That upside has been showcased this year. However, the forward has shown this potential in the past. In his last two seasons in Vegas, Cotter finished with a combined 20 goals and 23 points. This while taking just 176 shots. That is pretty solid offensive work for someone who's considered a bottom-six player. However, it's the other part of his game that made him so enticing to New Jersey.
"For us today and what we wanted to accomplish, adding a guy like Paul Cotter, who we believe has upside and has a little bit of Miles Wood in him, he can skate and is physical."Tom Fitzgerald
From 2022-23 to 2023-24, Cotter ended up with a combined 401 hits. His 233 last season led the Golden Knights overall. Fast forward to this season and he's continuing to bang the body. He already has 52 hits which is more than anyone else on New Jersey so far. His physical play is a big part to why the Devils lead the NHL in overall hits. Cotter is helping reshape the team's overall philosophy as well as how they are viewed around the league.
While they have been carried for the most part by their top forwards like Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier, guys like Cotter make the Devils more intimidating to play. This goes for both sides of the ice. The Canton, Michigan native has also become very reliable on a strong team penalty kill. His active stick and ability to block shots have helped the Devils have the 8th-best kill in the league.
There certainly were question marks when the Devils brought Cotter to the Garden State. However, through almost a quarter of the year, he has become one of the most productive players. His play is helping the Devils win games while giving them certain edge that will makes them a more playoff-ready team.