5 NHL buyout candidates New Jersey Devils should keep an eye on
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils have limited funds to accomplish what they want this summer. They need players at every position, including expensive positions like a top-six winger and a starting goalie. They need to prioritize their dollars as best as possible. According to Capfriendly, the Devils have just under $19 million to spend this offseason, but that will disappear quickly after re-signing Dawson Mercer and adding a goalie.
So, the Devils need to get bold when filling their roster. Some will want to do some buyouts themselves, and many will point to Ondrej Palat, but that is definitely not going to happen. Other teams, on the other hand, will use their buyout privileges. Some teams will use them to get necessary cap space, while others are just looking to reset the roster. Either way, the Devils can take advantage of this by signing these players for less than market value. (CapFriendly was also used for all buyout information below.)
Josh Anderson
Montreal Canadiens
This one feels like a long time coming. Montreal Canadiens fans have been pushing for a Josh Anderson trade to the Devils for years. Those fans wanted insane returns, including the 2022 second-overall pick that ended up becoming Simon Nemec (the Canadiens took Juraj Slafkovsky that year with the first pick).
Don’t get us wrong; Josh Anderson was once a good player. However, he is now the proud owner of one of the worst contracts in hockey. He still has three years left on his deal that pays him $5.5 million per season. He had 20 points last season despite playing 78 games.
One might ask why the Devils would even want a player like that even if he comes at a discount, but the former version of Anderson was exactly what this team needs. He was a 15-25 goal scorer who could hit, block shots, and avoided a ridiculous amount of penalties (he still takes some, but not a ridiculous amount). He scored 21 games just a year ago.
It’s just clear he seems done with Montreal. We wouldn’t be surprised if Montreal is done with him, but he’s just 30 years old. He still should have a little something in the tank, and putting him on this young, spry team could put a little pep in his skate.