5 Players Who've Played Their Last Game With New Jersey Devils
Every year, the New Jersey Devils see players who've played their final game in red and black. This season, while not as drastic as last season, is no different.
The New Jersey Devils season is over. There are a ton of decisions that Tom Fitzgerald has to make, but interestingly, the contract situation isn’t nearly as transformative as it was last season. After the Devils season ended in the second round, they needed to make decisions on about a dozen NHL players.
Of course, we saw the Devils say goodbye to lineup constants like Tomas Tatar, Damon Severson, Miles Wood, Ryan Graves, Jesper Boqvist, Yegor Sharangovich, Mackenzie Blackwood, and more. They also had to give new contracts to Jesper Bratt, Timo Meier, Erik Haula, and Kevin Bahl. It was an incredibly busy offseason for Tom Fitzgerald.
This year is not nearly as voluminous for the Devils GM. He has 10 contracts ending on the NHL roster, but some are no brainers when it comes to what comes next. He also has 14 AHL contracts coming to an end that will have different levels of impact on the roster. Here, we want to find those contracts that have no chance of being renewed.
Tomas Nosek
Nosek signed an NHL contract last offseason, but he will not remember his time in New Jersey fondly. He was brought in to be a depth piece on the third or fourth line, but he was injured during the Devils second game and didn’t make his return until November. Then, about a week later, he got hurt again. This time, it took him out until February.
The Devils liked Nosek as a locker room presence and someone who did it right on the ice, but numbers are numbers. Nosek finished the season with six points in 36 games. He didn’t get his first point until March 14th. The Devils like a veteran presence on the fourth line, and they do need to add depth, but Nosek is not it. The Devils need someone who at least is a threat to score.
Chris Tierney
Similar to Nosek, this was not a banner year for Chris Tierney. He was fighting for a roster spot in training camp after signing a two-way contract. The former Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens forward made it onto the final Devils roster thanks to injuries to Nolan Foote and others fighting for those last spots.
Tierney was below average as a forward, but there was much worse going on with this team than the presence of Tierney. He was actually near the top of the list for Devils in terms of +/-. However, that’s a pretty terrible stat to judge, but it was strange to see him near the top of the list.
He did have 12 points in 52 games which is fine for what he is. The Devils don’t have a need for a player like Tierney in its bottom six. The Devils need serious upgrades there, and re-signing Tierney doesn’t actually help anything.
Tierney played his role and did everything the Devils asked. He was a safe player who didn’t make a ton of mistakes. The issue is he didn’t really do much to stand out, either.
Michael McLeod
This is one many of us probably haven’t thought about, but Michael McLeod will never wear the New Jersey Devils crest again. Even if he’s proven innocent in his sexual assault trial or new evidence comes out to warrant the dropping of charges, it’s not going to come in time before the Devils have to make a decision on McLeod, so he’s going to find a new franchise to represent.
McLeod and the rest of the defendants (which includes Cal Foote, who could also be on this list) chose to pursue a jury trial, which can be a lengthy process. The next court date in this is at the end of April. However, not much will be decided there.
The Devils need to give players qualifying offers by July 1st this season. There’s no way this situation will be resolved in a place where the Devils feel comfortable doing anything but moving on from McLeod. This was an awful situation that the Devils were forced to answer for, and they will want nothing to do with signing up for more of it.
The Devils did avoid a headache when Fitzgerald only gave McLeod a one-year contract last offseason. Many wondered if this possible situation was a reason for the short-term deal. Nathan Bastian got a two-year deal, and it appeared McLeod was more integral to the lineup. At the end of the day, it allows the Devils to make a clean break this offseason.
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.
Max Willman
The Max Willman story was fun while it lasted, but it’s over now. He fought his way onto the roster, playing on a professional tryout in training camp and earning a contract. The former fifth-round pick came from the Flyers organization, where he played 50 games in the NHL. The Devils thought he could bring something, at least for the Utica Comets.
With the Devils, Willman finished the season with three goals and an assist in 18 games. He scored two goals in his last three games with the Devils. It really wasn’t a bad little run.
Yet, the Devils would be in real trouble if Willman was the best they could do for depth this offseason. This is a team that needs an upgrade with every move they make. Because of the level of departures last season and the money they had to spend, they needed to take a step back. However, this team can’t do that twice, especially after missing the playoffs this season.
Expect the Devils to get very aggressive in addressing depth. Maybe another player like Willman gets a PTO at the beginning of next season, but we don’t see it being Willman himself.
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