5 New Jersey Devils players who won’t return next season
The New Jersey Devils need some retooling, given their lack of success in 2023-24. That said, quite a few players won’t return in 2024-25.
Nobody wants to see their team take a major step back, but in the NHL, as in all professional sports, sometimes, it’s just not a team’s season to shine. Unfortunately for the New Jersey Devils, they are helping to fill the bottom half of the Metropolitan Division’s standings, and it’s something they would rather not have repeat itself next season.
They already made a coaching change, and with just a 6-6-0 record since taking over for Lindy Ruff heading into Friday’s matchup with the Buffalo Sabres, Travis Green doesn’t appear to be the answer in Newark. A new head coach behind the bench could be one of a few new faces on the way to the organization next season, but as new people arrive, current members of this team will move elsewhere.
New Jersey Devils will see quite a few players leave this summer
New Jersey has been a frustrating unit, as back in October 2023, it wasn’t far-fetched to believe this team could make a deep playoff run. They had momentum heading into the season following a year that saw them upset the New York Rangers in the playoffs, and we at least thought they would make a return trip to the postseason.
That hasn’t happened, but with a team featuring a solid young core of players, there is a good chance they will experience some roster turnover outside of that core in an attempt to get back on track for the 2024-25 season. This means letting some players on expiring contracts walk. However, there may also be a few surprises who, in foresight, would make little sense to move. But in hindsight, such transactions may pay off.
So, which five players won’t be playing in Newark when the 2024-25 season kicks off and will land elsewhere this summer? Let’s start with a couple of unsurprising names before we discuss three players you may either want to see remain with or, in the case of one, make a grand return to Newark.
Injuries diminished Tomas Nosek’s role with the Devils
Tomas Nosek couldn’t catch a break this season, and he played in just six games before February 6th because of numerous injuries. We haven’t gotten a great sample size from the 31-year-old, but Nosek hasn’t exactly given general manager Tom Fitzgerald any reason to keep him around next season.
Through 29 games, Nosek’s possession quality of minus-4.0 is an all-time low, and his xGA sits at 12.2 on the season - a high number considering his low number of appearances. Although the Devils are nowhere near as good defensively as Nosek’s previous team, the Boston Bruins, it’s still worth noting that his xGA sat at just 31.6 and 26.3 in the previous two seasons, respectively, through a grand total of 141 games.
Similar struggles have occurred when the Devils are short-handed, as they have allowed five goals already with Nosek on the ice in the situation, and it gets even worse at 5-on-5. New Jersey has accumulated just six goals with Nosek, and he’s sporting just a 5.4 on-ice shooting percentage, a career-low in each season that he’s made at least 25 appearances.
Overall, the Nosek signing is one that you can chalk up as a failed experiment, and the Devils should have no problem moving on and bringing someone else in. When healthy and in the right system, Nosek is a solid lower-liner, so he will find work somewhere else this summer.
Brendan Smith made for an adequate two-year stopgap but it’s time to move on
In 2022, Brendan Smith was a reasonable signing for Fitzgerald, and he has stuck around for a pair of seasons, appearing in 60 games last year and 54 this season as of March 29th. Smith, as he had done in previous stops, primarily played third-pairing minutes, and he’s been a stay-at-home, physical force for the Devils.
The 35-year-old has also gotten in front of over one would-be shot on goal per game with 77 blocks so far this season, but a few of his metrics have taken a hit. No, the Devils aren’t anywhere near what they were defensively last year, but it still doesn’t justify a freefall in Smith’s possession quality, which sits at minus-2.0, a far cry from the 8.9 he enjoyed in 2022-23.
To be fair, his current number is nowhere near a career-low, but it’s also by far his largest drop-off from one season to the next. You can also blame New Jersey’s defensive struggles for his all-time-low on-ice save percentage at 5-on-5, which has fallen below 90 percent for the first time in his career. But then again, Smith must take responsibility for that drop-off, too.
The Devils also need to take the opportunity to get younger, as mentioned earlier in this slideshow, so as with Tomas Nosek, they should have no problem allowing Smith to walk this summer.
Kaapo Kahkonen is far less likely to return than Jake Allen
Kaapo Kahkonen could be in higher demand this summer if he continues to play well during what has so far been a limited sample size in New Jersey. Acquired near the deadline for the ineffective Vitek Vanecek, Kahkonen wasn’t faring well with a tanking San Jose Sharks team, but in New Jersey, that hasn’t been the case.
While he’s won just one of his three matchups as of March 28th, Kahkonen also has a 2.17 GAA, a 0.934 save percentage, plus his only shutout of the season. He’s on par with his actual goals allowed vs. xGA at even strength, and if he continues this trend, he could be in for a pay raise come July.
It won’t happen in Newark though, with Jake Allen slated to have another season left on his contract. Allen would factor in as the 1B, or at most, in a timeshare role next year while the Devils sign an under-the-radar goaltender, or perhaps they go all-in with a clear-cut 1A like Jeremy Swayman.
This would provide far more stability for the Devils goaltending in the 2024-25 season, which would be a huge win for New Jersey. Meanwhile, Kahkonen also wins if he keeps using Newark as a hub to take his career up another rung.
Moving a player like John Marino would work in the Devils favor
John Marino may be a surprise here because when you look at his basic stat line, he hasn’t been bad at all for the Devils. Through 68 games, Marino is closing in on a career-high in points if he finds the net a few more times and/or logs a few more helpers. He’s logging more average ice time than before at 21:13, and he’s regularly getting in front of shots and stealing pucks.
Like most of the Devils, however, we have seen some regression regarding Marino when you look at his more advanced numbers. Marino’s overall possession quality is in the negatives for the first time since his days with the Pittsburgh Penguins, his xGA is on pace for a career-worst, and his 66 on-ice goals allowed at 5-on-5 is shattering his previous high of 47.
The blue line hasn’t lived up to expectations this season, but with players like Luke Hughes and Simon Nemec in their first full seasons and Jonas Siegenthaler limited to just 49 games so far, that was bound to happen.
Marino hasn’t helped curb those growing pains, and with a looming base salary of $6.15 million coming up, Tom Fitzgerald would be better looking to move him this summer. It’s likely that Fitzgerald will hold discussions with other NHL general managers regarding Marino’s availability and that a notable trade is on the horizon.
Tyler Toffoli isn’t coming back to New Jersey
Tyler Toffoli may be a journeyman, but the 31-year-old has been one of the NHL’s most productive, and that was no different during his time with the Devils. Before Tom Fitzgerald traded him to the Jets, Toffoli registered 44 points and 26 goals in 61 games, adjusted to 59 points and 35 goals over 82 matchups.
He was definitely one of the Devils most productive players, and at the time of this writing, Toffoli remains the team’s fifth-leading scorer, even if he’s been in Winnipeg for going on three weeks. That’s rather impressive and it proves just how much value he’s given to New Jersey this season. But it doesn’t mean they need to, nor should they, bring him back.
Age is one factor, and a younger team like the Devils must develop and target younger talent that will fit in well with the team's core long-term. Toffoli, despite his production in New Jersey this season, doesn’t do that.
He was a great stopgap in Newark, but look for Toffoli to either become more than just a rental in Winnipeg, or to sign with an older, more experienced team in the 2024 offseason so he can continue to be part of some serious Stanley Cup runs.
Not that such a run isn’t in New Jersey’s future, but this season’s step back may signify they are another season or two away from going deep into the postseason.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference as of March 29th)