New Jersey Devils Day 1 free agency targets
The New Jersey Devils are looking to be very active in NHL Free Agency this season. Who might they sign on July 1st?
The New Jersey Devils want to make the team better through free agency. They traded John Marino to give them cap space and traded Alexander Holtz to open up another roster spot. However, they are not nearly done. Let's take a look at some of the pieces the Devils could target today.
Brett Pesce
GP: 70 G: 3 A: 10 PTS: 13
After the rumor about Brett Pesce caught fire, the Devils have moved on from John Marino on the right side, so this one looks as close to a sure thing as possible. Pesce has some good size to him at 6'3 and is above 200 pounds, but most importantly, he brings the element that everyone knows and needs, which is A+ defending. He is one of the best shut-down defensemen in the entire NHL, and his hockey IQ when defending is top-notch. He can take a lot of the hard minutes, kill penalties, and let the more offensive guys that this team has in Hamilton, Hughes, do their things and not have it kill the team.
He is coming off a contract making 4 million a season, and the expected raise is $5.5-6 million a year, and it will be long-term for the 29-year-old. All that being said this is a perfect signing for the Devils. He is one of those guys whose play style will allow him to age like a fine wine on the ice, and he should be having great seasons near age 35, much like Andy Greene did.
Nikita Zadorov
Gp: 75 G: 6 A: 14 PTS: 20
Nikita Zadorov is 6'6 and 235 lbs with the mean streak that this team needs. It is obvious why. He is the definition of hard to play against, skates very well for his size, and would make this team's defense go from one of the worst in the league to one of the best with a returning Dougie Hamilton and signed Pesce. He is left handed, the weak side for the Devils, and he is very interested in staying somewhere long-term after being on four different teams since 2020.
Rumors flying around have said that he turned down $5.5 million for six seasons in Vancouver, so the offer he is looking for probably starts at 6 million, but whatever the team pays, it should be very happy about it with all the different things he brings to the table.
Adam Henrique
Gp:82 G-24 A-27 PTS-51
Fan favorite Adam Henrique is a free agent for the first time since the Devils traded him in a deal for Sami Vatanen. Not only would fans love to have him back for the nostalgia but he fits this roster really well. He can produce points at a good pace despite being 34, can play center or the wing, and has that two-way style of game that lends itself to winning despite him being stuck on so many bad teams that never did.
He almost certainly will be signing with a contender as well since the man has made the playoffs once with the Devils in his rookie year and then missed until the Oilers run this season. Jack Hughes winger positions are open, and the reason Henrique should be a prime target is that it would lead to Hughes playing the position he thrives in. At the same time, Rico can take most of the faceoffs and defensive responsibility like Erik Haula did for him at times, but with Henrique there, he would not take away from the offense quite as much. Perfect fit.
Anthony Mantha
Gp: 74 G: 23 A: 21 PTS: 44
The Devils have clearly prioritized size this offseason, and Anthony Mantha stands at 6'5 and weights 235 lbs. This signing would add some size immediately into the top six and size that can play, which is exactly what this team needs. It might not be a perfect fit. When the season begins, he will be turning 30 years old, but this signing will all come down to whether he will accept a shorter deal or wants to see if someone will overpay.
Last season's totals were great, but his offense has been inconsistent before that. He also had a very unsustainable 20.4 shooting percentage, which is way above the league average and his career average of 12.6%. Whoever signs him needs to be wary of this, as 30-year-olds usually don't get better or even sustain it long.
Sam Reinhart
Gp:82 G-57 A-37 PTS-94
Since this is the big free agent, it is something to address, but it likely won't happen. He likely won't want to leave Florida and will resign for $9 million there, and if he doesn't, someone else will have made an insane $11 million offer, and that should not be the Devils.
He is a fantastic goal scorer and player, but like Mantha, he shot at 24.5% this season, which is absolutely insane, and will regress way closer to his already high average of 15.6%. He is a very good player, but paying a guy eight figures who will go back to a solid 35 goals is not a great deal unless the cap looks to be hitting $100 million soon.
Viktor Arvidsson
Gp: 18 G: 6 A: 9 PTS: 15
An injury-shortened season for him again, but over the last three seasons, he has consistently put up points in 3/4 of his games and could be a very good steal of a contract. He is small, and even though he does not play his size, that should be a factor for the Devils, who are a little desperate in that area. However, with a bigger defense, this might be a good secondary option for them.
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