5 former New Jersey Devils free agents to target this offseason

The New Jersey Devils are definitely not done making upgrades to the team. After hiring and introducing Sheldon Keefe as head coach, now it’s time to upgrade the roster. The Devils basically have a need everywhere. They need a center to play in the bottom six, a winger to play in the top six, a depth defenseman, and a starting goalie. 

Luckily for the Devils, there are players available everywhere. There are goalies they can grab on the trade market. There are forwards and defensemen available in free agency. Tom Fitzgerald has options, but he could also go back to the well to add talent this offseason.

There are a few former Devils who can very quickly become future Devils. They did some serious remodeling of the roster during the rebuild, but now the Devils are prioritizing veterans. These five former Devils make sense to be part of the near future. 

Tomas Tatar

The Devils lost a ton of player last offseason. Miles Wood, Damon Severson, Ryan Graves, Yegor Sharangovich, and Mackenzie Blackwood all signed long-term contracts. Tomas Tatar expected to sign a long-term contract, but the market failed him. 

His playoff no-show was the main reason he didn’t get a deal. He ended up signing with the Colorado Avalanche, joining Wood for a semi-reunion. Wood was played in a completely different role, and Tatar was placed in a similar role, but he didn’t take to it like Wood.

The Avs cut their losses and traded Tatar to the Seattle Kraken. He was much better in Seattle, but he still wasn’t great. He finished the season with 24 points. That’s exactly half of the points he had in New Jersey. It might be as simple as Tatar fit in New Jersey. We wouldn’t be surprised if he took a small contract to play a bottom-six role with an opportunity to work his way into the top-six.