5 big-money free agents that might be worth the price for New Jersey Devils

As we sit right now, the New Jersey Devils have just over $19 million in cap space. With that money, they want to upgrade the offense, defense, and they want a major upgrade in net. The pieces they absolutely need include a starting goaltender, a top-six winger, a bottom-six center, a depth defenseman, and an extra player to fill in at multiple forward positions. On top of that, Dawson Mercer needs a new contract.

While that is a lot, much of what they have to do doesn’t cost that much. The starting goalie and Mercer’s deal could cost quite a bit, depending on who they get and how long Mercer’s deal is. Still, there should be enough money to sign one big deal. With the salary cap constantly going up and with Jack Hughes, Timo Meier, Jesper Bratt, and others already signed long-term, a decent deal won’t kill their cap moving forward.

Who might make sense for the Devils? There are a few options that might surprise you.

Chris Tanev
Current Team: Dallas Stars

This one just makes too much sense, and the Devils have a pretty easy way to make this deal work. Chris Tanev is older, but he’s the type of defensive defenseman that provides value to a fast team like the Devils. The Devils thought they had this in John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler, but they both put up career-worst seasons. 

The Devils could give a decent contract to Tanev and then sell on one of Marino or Siegenthaler. Neither had such a bad season that they now hold negative value, especially since they are young and on affordable contracts. So, the Devils could move Marino (since Tanev is right handed) and sign the big name.

Tanev will turn 35 years old this season, so there is a risk here. However, that likely means the Devils only have to sign him for three years max. That severely drops the risk, and with Dougie Hamilton and Simon Nemec in the fold, his actual role will mostly focus on penalty kill and shutdown situations.

Tyler Toffoli
Current Team: Winnipeg Jets

We’ve already covered the Tyler Toffoli target this offseason. He’s someone we know the Devils are going to be keen on signing. Tom Fitzgerald tried to make the deal work before the trade deadline, but it didn’t happen and he was forced to accept a less-than-exciting offer to send him to Winnipeg. He ended up sending half of the deal to the Canadiens to get Jake Allen as a stopgap goalie target. 

On July 1st, Fitzgerald will see if he can overcome those issues that stopped an original Toffoli deal in the first place. It sounds like term was the issue, and the market will rectify that one way or another. Either another team will cough up four years or more, or the Devils will likely bring Toffoli back into the fold.

There are legitimate issues with re-signing Toffoli. His speed on paper shouldn’t fit with the Devils. We’ve seen him on multiple occasions fail to convert a breakaway because he was caught from behind. That’s Jack Hughes and Co. setting up those breakaways. Then, there’s the fact he’s on the wrong side of 30. That’s always a risk when giving a player a long-term deal.

Yet, despite that, Toffoli fit really well with the Devils last season. He was the team leader in goals until he was traded. He was someone the Devils could count on, especially in the good times. Next season, we expect many more good times than we saw last season. He shouldn’t be at the top of the list of targets, but he should definitely be an option. 

Nikita Zadorov
Current Team: Vancouver Canucks

It sounds like the defenseman market is going to be insane this season. There will be very few bargains, and Nikita Zadorov might be at the top of the list of “non-bargains.” Zadorov is pretty clearly going to get a bag this offseason, which would surprise a lot of people going into last year. However, he really found his calling and was about as good at being this behemoth hitter with offensive upside as anyone.

Zadorov built his value and got traded to the Vancouver Canucks. There, he was still very good. That’s because he’s mobile, especially for his size. That sounds like it’s exactly what Tom Fitzgerald has been prioritizing on the blue line. He wants players who can play well on both sides and add size to the lineup. 

However, the real worry here is where the contract price may go. They can’t go past $6 million per season for a guy who is already 29. Zadorov might get a six or seven-year deal. The Devils can’t go that high. Would they go to five years? That seems to be the equator on this deal. 

It’s a scary deal, but it might be the right deal. The worst-case scenario is what the Pittsburgh Penguins are now dealing with on the Ryan Graves trade, but with a higher average annual value. This is still worth the conversation and possibly worth the signing.

Elias Lindholm
Vancouver Canucks

This one might come as a surprise to many for a variety of reasons. Elias Lindholm was once trying to get a contract in the Timo Meier range. He’s just not worth anywhere near that anymore. If this was all about money, Lindholm should have just re-signed with the Calgary Flames. The stint with the Canucks was disastrous to his value. 

This is why the Devils should be all over him. Fitzgerald needs to know when he sees a value. Whether it’s paying $3 million for a $6 million player, or paying $5.5 million for a $9 million player. Is Lindholm the disaster he was in Vancouver, or is he someone that would be a star again once a team commits to him?

We do have a feeling that free agency will humble Lindholm, who is trying to make as much money as possible (aren’t we all). Yet, the market likely won’t be what he hopes, at least from the teams he would really want to sign with.

Maybe Utah goes all in to pair him with their young centers. It’s possible he goes back to Calgary after another offseason with losses. However, it’s possible that Lindholm either accepts the long-term deal or accepts a one-year deal to rebuild his value. In both situations, the Devils should be on top of the deal.