5 last-minute things to know as New Jersey Devils begin free agency frenzy
The New Jersey Devils made moves during the NHL Draft to free up some cap space, and now they can shop during NHL Free Agency. As we hit July 1, here is what you need to know before the frenzy begins.
The New Jersey Devils were not quiet during the NHL Draft. While they made their picks, including taking behemoth defenseman Anton Silayev with the 10th-overall pick, they also made a few trades that directly impact the NHL roster. The first trade was sending right-handed defenseman John Marino to the Utah Hockey Club for a pair of second-round picks. It's honestly not a terrible trade,
Then, the Devils shocked everyone when they sent Akira Schmid and Alexander Holtz to the Vegas Golden Knights for Paul Cotter and a 2025 third-round pick. That trade was not well received. What di do was remove a headache and open up roster spots. Holtz himself wasn't a headache and seemed like a very good teammate despite the inconsistent play, but the fanbase reaction and reporter questions must have weighed on the process.
Now, as we arrive to free agency with around $19 million in cap space, the Devils are looking to make moves. Let's take a look at the prevalent rumors ahead of free agency. It all starts with something that has been obvious for a week.
Brett Pesce
This feels all but done. Even with the Devils trading for another right-handed defenseman in Johnathan Kovacevic, this shouldn’t impact the Devils pursuit of Brett Pesce. Word on the street is that the deal is going to look like six years and $6 million per season. When the price of the contract is that prevalent, in the past it’s come out as a little more than that. Think about $6.25 million or maybe slightly more on the deal.
Yes, this is slightly too much and two years too long, but the Devils are looking to lock down the right side for a long time. The salary cap will hopefully keep going up, making the percentage of cap space this impacts fall lower and lower each year. We expect this to get announced at roughly 12:01 pm on Monday.
A Left-Handed Defenseman
It sounds like the Devils won’t be done with just Pesce. They still need a left-handed defenseman unless Pesce decides to play on the left side as he did for a time playing alongside Dougie Hamilton. That seems unlikely.
After the Devils traded Kevin Bahl to the Flames in the deal that sent Jacob Markstrom to New Jersey, it created a hole on the left side. They have Luke Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler, along with Santeri Hatakka in the AHL, but that’s about it. They need an upgrade if they want a perfect roster.
The most prominent name we’ve all been hearing is Brendan Dillon. That makes sense because he wouldn’t cost as much as Pesce. However, that rumor doesn’t seem as “confirmed” as the one about Pesce. So, there is still a chance that another player might be the one the Devils target on the left side to replace Bahl.
There are a lot of options. Erik Brännström makes a ton of sense after the Ottawa Senators decided not to qualify him. He would come cheap and would be very useful in a third-line role with little expectations. He’d also likely be paired with Simon Nemec, which could help them both grow. Nate Schmidt was just bought out and could be another cheap flier. Oliver Kylington is another interesting name to keep an eye on. Even a reunion with Dmitry Kulikov is possible.
Steven Stamkos
This one feels bizarre, but there is very little smoke around Steven Stamkos and the New Jersey Devils. However, little smoke is much more smoke than we expected to see at this point. Most thought Stamkos would eventually find a price and term that made sense to stay in Tampa, but it just didn't seem like they wanted it. Instead, they signed the biggest free agent coming to market, Jake Guentzel.
Just about every rumor we’re hearing right now has Stamkos tied to the Nashville Predators, even though that doesn’t make a ton of sense unless Stamkos is looking to make as much money as possible before the end of his career. Nashville doesn’t seem like the spot for a player trying to win championships to build his legacy, but we also didn’t think that about Ryan O’Reilly after he signed with Nashville last offseason.
Still, the Devils do make sense if Stamkos is looking to play with youth who can lift the final years of his career. He likely gets to play alongside Jack Hughes for the first few years before settling into a middle-six role (depending on how long the contract would be for). That has to be enticing.
We shall see, as the Devils can’t really afford to give Stamkos the money he was making before. They’d be looking at closer to half of that. It would still be better than the reported contract the Lightning offer, which was just insulting.
Other Top-Six Forwards
Kevin Weekes and Emily Kaplan of ESPN both said something to the effect of the Devils doing more than we expect, with Weekes mentioning a top-six forward as a target in free agency. We just mentioned Stamkos, who would definitely fit the bill, but that still seems like a long shot. However, the Devils won't stop if Stamkos looks elsewhere.
We talked about a few free agents who can come to New Jersey if the price is right. Elias Lindholm is a dream player, but his price might go higher than the Devils are willing to go. Still, he would be a premium asset next to Hughes. He can take faceoffs and still excel playing on the wing after that. He can let Hughes drive play and play very good defensively, letting Hughes focus on what he does well.
Other names that have been floated include Jonathan Marchessault (there's a reason he's first), Sam Reinhart (but he legitimately might make more than $8 million per season), Chandler Stephenson, Adam Henrique, and Viktor Arvidsson. Every single name on that list comes down to price and value, and yes they are different. The Devils have different valuations on these players, but they cannot go over what it is or they will be in cap hell forever.
Then, there’s Tyler Bertuzzi. Tom Fitzgerald seems to be on a war path to add size, grit, and toughness to the lineup. Reports say that the Leafs and Bertuzzi cannot come to a contract agreement, and he’s looking for something north of $5 million AAV. We could see the Devils going there after Bertuzzi played well with Auston Matthews last season.
There is one player that Tom Fitzgerald has already said he wants to pursue again. Tyler Toffoli likely won’t be back with the Winnipeg Jets. He’s had little hype around him since his trade from New Jersey, so maybe the Devils can come to an agreement on term that they couldn’t during the season.
Another Trade Possible?
The most popular question we’ve received since the end of the draft is about one player on the trade market. Even though it seems all of the rumors are surrounding free agency, we know in the past Fitzgerald has been upset with how the market has played out and instead facilitated a trade. This year, the name most people want to be a target is Brady Tkachuk. We’re sorry to say that’s completely off the board. For one, the Devils just can’t afford him. Also, the Senators have no reason to trade him. They are also going for it this season.
That doesn’t mean another trade isn’t possible. Some of the names already on the market that would qualify as top-six forwards include Patrik Laine, Trevor Zegras, Frank Vatrano, and Pavel Buchnevic. However, it seems every year, a surprise name gets traded.
There are a few names the Devils could not afford, like some of the players the Rangers have reportedly dangled (but a trade with the Rangers wouldn’t happen anyway), maybe a Vegas star as they try to keep cap compliant, or Leon Draisaitl of the Edmonton Oilers. Those are all unattainable.
The thing about surprises is they are… well a surprise. Just like the Holtz trade, these deals can come out of nowhere. However, it still feels much more likely Fitz goes after someone in free agency to fill these needs.
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