Nick DeSimone
This one might come as a surprise to some, but the Devils need to make major upgrades on defense, and Nick DeSimone was a nice story, but we can’t see him coming back this offseason. The Devils claimed DeSimone on waivers from the Calgary Flames on January 25th, but he didn’t play his first game with the Devils until March 14th.
The Devils kept DeSimone on the roster despite not playing him for weeks. They resisted trying to get him through waivers, knowing the Flames could reclaim him. So, they held until the right time to play him. He was actually playing pretty well down the stretch.
The 29-year-old had two points in 11 games with the Devils. He played fine defensively in a depth role. He could be someone the Devils bring back in previous years, however, they have enough depth options. Santeri Hatakka (who also needs a new contract) should be given every opportunity to take that spot.
DeSimone is an unrestricted free agent. After fighting his whole career to get to the NHL, we see DeSimone at least testing the market. Will someone give him a one-way deal? Maybe if he accepts a two-way deal, the Devils would be willing to bite. However, it seems much more likely he will sign elsewhere.