Upcoming prospects, like Arseni Gritsyuk, can be key for New Jersey Devils contract balance

As the New Jersey Devils aim for pre-season games before going off to Czechia, Tom Fitzgerald has to make moves to keep his roster salary cap compliant. After re-signing Nolan Foote on Monday, the cap sheet is getting thin, and that won't change in the near future. He will look to his scouting brass to keep tabs on his prospects to see who could soon be NHL-ready, including those who are playing overseas. Four players to keep in mind are mainly in Russia and Finland.

There is a good argument for Lenni Hameenaho of Finland to come over after finishing off his upcoming third season in Liiga. He has yielded 52 points in 97 Games Played (23 goals, 29 assists) and plays like a flashier Tyler Toffoli in the way he skates, gets around defenders, goes for juicy rebounds, and makes players better around him.

The Devils could go with a more cost-effective winger if Tomas Tatar does leave after this 2024-25 season, which perfectly aligns with Lenni Hameenaho's contract to come to New Jersey. But if Tomas Tatar has a great run while the Finnish sniper and playmaker is looking to go the AHL route and not rush into the NHL right away, this could bode well for steady development. The dimensions from Liiga to North American ice have a wider circumference, whereas European skaters have more time and space to be super creative. Still, it's more so a bang bang hyper-fast creativity play at the North American rink.

Back in Finland, we have Jakub Malek, a Czech goalie who has progressed into a phenomenal player after switching a few seasons ago from the second division in Czechia. He thrived to a .910 SV% goalie in Liiga with Ilves, where he has a reliable defense and a very timely offense that lets him settle in saving high-danger chances, and in 2 seasons with Ilves, he has a 2.24 GAA in 49 games played. In Liiga's playoffs, the Czech netminder is 1-2-0 with a 1.87 GAA with a .910 SV%. There is a lot of proof in the pudding here that his development from positioning, tracking, stickwork, and skating is on track for success to join the NJ Devils. Jakub Malek's contract ends after 2025-26, and he's already signed his entry-level contract, so this will be just in time for when Nico Daws and Malek could potentially take the reigns after Jake Allen's and Jacob Markstrom's deals starts to run out.

Arseni Gritsyuk, the Krasnoyarsk native of Russia, has been on the Devils' radar to potentially come over from Russia after this upcoming season. His route to the NHL is similar to fellow countryman Kirill Kaprizov, who took more time to progress steadily and came right over to play for the Minnesota Wild, becoming a key contributor there.

In New Jersey, the same could be said because this guy in Arseni Gritsyuk has really good edges and a hell of a slap shot. He wastes little to no motion when he goes north to south and laterally with or without the puck. He sees the ice well, and there is a reason, after succeeding with Avangard Omsk, that he is now a key player with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL. One of the things to look forward to is how Arseni Gritsyuk potentially does in his final season, where he has amassed 108 points in 167 games played, with 51 goals and 57 assists in that span. Gritsyuk has the potential to start as a middle-six wing to a top-two winger at the NHL level as a playmaker and sniper.

In conclusion, the New Jersey Devils, aside from their 2024 batch of prospects, should not be parlaying many of their players because there are still some highly recommended players that can help GM Tom Fitzgerald build a near and long-term team that could turn into a hockey dynasty. Like last time talking about how important the New Jersey Devils scouting staff is, it does play a key role in the prospect pool to the NHL pool of current talent that is retained and let go over time with asset management.